Frequently Asked Questions
What is Story Teller?
Story Teller is a collection of children’s stories and poems released as a partwork by Marshall Cavendish in the 80s. Think of a partwork as a book released in instalments. Each “instalment” consisted of a full-colour, 32-page magazine and a 45 to 50-minute cassette tape.
When was it published ?
The original Story Teller series (now commonly referred to as Story Teller 1) was released in 1983. Story Teller 2 was launched the following year, and Little Story Teller was published in 1985. Three Christmas editions were published over these three years. The last Story Teller title was published in 1986, a little-known collection of songs called the Story Teller Song Book.
How many issues were published?
There were three series of Story Teller (1, 2 and Little). Each series had 26 issues (although Part 26 of the first series also contained a “free” preview issue of the second series). In addition, three bumper Christmas issues and one Song Book were published.
Were CD versions of the tapes ever made?
Only cassette tapes were released in the UK. However, I have heard that the Greek, French, Afrikaans and Italian editions of Story Teller have been released on CD.
Does Marshall Cavendish have plans to re-release Story Teller in the near future?
Marshall Cavendish sold the rights to Eaglemoss in 2008. Members of the Story Teller Facebook Group have emailed both Marshall Cavendish and Eaglemoss to campaign for Story Teller’s return. The latest statement from Eaglemoss is that they know how popular the series is and it is in their “maybe” list of partworks to publish in the future. You can email emmathackara@eaglemoss.co.uk to convince Eaglemoss that Story Teller deserves to be republished! You can also post a comment on the official Eaglemoss Facebook page.
Was Story Teller published in different languages?
Indeed it was. Story Teller was published in Spanish, Dutch, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Greek, Russian and probably other languages. In Australia and New Zealand, the series was published as Story Time (not to be confused with Disney’s Storytime which was a similar collection published around the same year). The UK edition was also sold in other countries, including Ireland, Malaysia and South Africa. For more information, see the International section.
How successful was Story Teller?
I do not know what circulation figures Story Teller had when it was published but we can fairly assume that it was a big success, because it was originally intended to run for just one series but eventually ran for two more because it was so popular. According to Peet Ellison (writer and illustrator of Timbertwig), Marshall Cavendish even organised a lavish party attended by the writers, illustrators, and readers to celebrate Story Teller’s success. It was no wonder that other publishers released similar partworks to ride on the Story Teller mania, including Once Upon a Time from Fabbri and Storytime from Disney.
Where can I get copies of Story Teller?
Even though Story Teller is more than twenty years old, it’s still surprisingly easy to acquire copies or even complete sets if you know where to look and have the money to spend! Car boot sales and charity shops are always worth trying, especially if you’re after complete collections. There are always auctions on eBay for individual issues as well as full sets. You would normally expect to pay around £80 for a complete set of Story Teller 1, for example. I have seen a copy of Christmas Story Teller 3 in good condition going for £100! Partworks.co.uk is a good website if you’re looking for specific issues – but the postage charges are quite high.
Story Teller (Marshall Cavendish) 
I have emailed the company asking for an explanation why they would waste money buying the rights to Storyteller when they don’t intend to do anything with it. I compared the lack of Storyteller to the lack of food for African kids so watch this space!
Let’s hope they listen, Richard. Please let us know how they respond!
Have emailed the company. Both me and my fiance would love to have them published so we can let our future children have the same enjoyment we both had. Happy memories!
What if they could release on ipad? How cool would that be?
I bought Story Time in Australia for my daughter. She still has them and now I would dearly love to buy CDs for her children.
I grew up in a country town in Queensland, Australia. I am the third of six children. My Mother bought Story Time for my younger sister. We all loved them and still do. My baby sister kept the collection and we have spent a trip driving from Brisbane to Toowoomba listening to our favourites on YouTube. I would also love to buy the CD’s for my Godchildren and nieces and nephews.
I love these too and would so like to see them return, but prehaps with downloadable files, as CD’s are now quite dated.
I’ve emailed Ms Thackara and though I don’t expect a response it’s nice to know that I’ve help to do my part.
sorry dont know if im posting this in the correct place and its probably been asked before but does anyone know anywhere i can download the tapes of storyteller 1 dont mind if its legal (or not)
https://ca.isohunt.com/download/221110609/The+Complete+Marshall+Cavendish+Story+Teller+Digital+Collection.torrent
I didn’t think anyone else remembered this!i have just dug out my complete 1 and 2 set for my girls to listen to as I loved them growing up! Would love to see them re released and never knew about the other publications. Am now going on a mission to locate those! Will also email Eaglemoss to make sure my vote for a rerelease is noted!!
I LOVE STORYTELLER !!! I have the complete 2 sets of magazines and cassettes. Cant wait until my daughter is old enough for us both to start listening together. Listening to Storytellers and turning the pages of the magazines when the little bell tinkled are high on the happiest times of my childhood.
Im just hoping the tapes will still work. Id love to buy a digital collection of the stories just in case.
I am thrilled there are people who remember Story Teller as fondly as I do. I loved Timbertwig and vividly remember some of the stories and pictures (The Shoe Tree and The Last Piece of Rainbow in particular) Sadly my own collection disappeared somewhere along the way which is a shame. Out of interest how much did each copy cost at the time does anyone know?
Each issue cost £1.95, Sandra!
They cost £1.95
Hi there:) Thanks for such a beautiful website. I am fortunate to have had access to full collections of storyteller one and two, complete with bound magazine installments and all three Christmas specials.
Can anyone tell me where to find sheet music for some of the music used in storyteller? Specifically the beautiful piano piece used in Alice in Wonderland?
Thanks again.
@imaginationgypsy: email me at newtgurl@hotmail.com and I’ll see what I can do.
Hello,
I wonder if anyone here can help me find Story Teller’s Timbertwig creator Peet Ellison. My colleagues and I are working with the holders of Story Teller’s copyright owners Eaglemoss Collections and we want to get in touch with Peet with a view to exploring further work with him.
I have tried Facebook and can’t find him in any directories. Can anyone help?
Many thanks, Suzie.
He’s on Facebook, I just googled and found him… http://www.facebook.com/peet.ellison I believe…
i simply love the storyteller….soooooooooo much
How great to find this website. The few issues of Story Teller I got from the newsagent were excellently read. The Hedgehog That Learns to Fly was my favourite.
I do hope that Eaglemoss ride the wave of 70s/80s nostalgia and get these reissued for the digital generation. These issues would do well on iPads, or as podcasts. The actors read these stories very well, it would be a shame for them to be locked away for ever.
This is simply amazing!! to see that there are so many people out there who rocked the story tellers and have such fond memories of them!!
can someone help me, i wanna download them and put them onto a cd for my nephew . . . but as we all know it wouldnt be the same without the books to read?!
if anyone can help to tell me where i could download 1. the audio files and 2. any format (pdf or word) of the actual books?? legal or not . . . im from South Africa we gangster like that!!
Much appreciated!!
how do i vote for the series to be re released as well??
Just came across this website & my heart jumped when I read they could relaunch Story Teller. I am 39 years old & I have the whole collection series one & two of story teller. I still listen to story teller with my son who still says what is that mammy? (a cassett). So many fond memories of the magical stories & to think it would bring this joy into todays children…out with the xbox & mobiles, if children were taught to put these gadgets down for awhile & listen to a well told story it would bring the magic back into been a child. When I hear the opening music of story teller my heart still jumps with joy.
Brad I don’t know where you can download them sorry but am sure they will launch them in cd. You can go on to utube & they have a lot of stories up there & yes how do you vote????
It is great to find this website, and find so many people passionate about Story Teller as I am. I really hope they will sort it out and re-release them. I have downloaded some recordings as an mp3 from utube.
I have just emailed Eaglemoss Publishing, asking if they have got any further in republishing story teller. They say they are “looking into it, but no exact plans as yet.”
I’m from Malaysia. I grew up listening and reading some series of StoryTeller2. It is such a good and wonderful series. I hope the series will be replicated and audio to be in CD form.
Have been listening to the Story teller files on you tube and I cry they bring back so many wonderful memories. I was 9 when Story Teller 1 was issues in 1983 and I can remember not being able to wait for the next fortnight. I used to play the tapes over and over again. I agree that a new digital edition of the series would be amazing as the story’s are timeless. I will do my bit and email also. Fingers crossed guys.
My sister and I used to listen to Morris and Dorris whilst falling asleep when we were kids (I was born 1983, my sister 1980) and we STILL can sing the songs from those tapes! “Grandpa, grandpa, friend to every hamster!” haha
I wish they’d bring it back!
My Mother bought both Storytime Part 1 and part 2 when it was released in Australia.
I too have kept them for my daughter and also wanted it to be available on Cd. After a lot of time searching I learned that it could only be purchased on cassette, with limited series available. So I tried to down load them of Isohunt.com and managed to get both parts and Christmas series with copies of the coloured magazies. I have now put them onto disk and we enjoy listening to them in the car and onto their I-pads.. It’s Fantastic!!! Try to download off a safe site or enjoy the story’s via Youtube.
Hi Millie, thank you for sharing. Will check out Isohunt.com.. 🙂
Hi Millie you are a marvel. As often happens to great innovations I sohunt has been shut down by the U.S. federal court. Now where do you live and would you be willing to loan on your site for us to make a copy for the grandchildren?
I am guessing your in Australia like us
Greg
I had bought a few of the tapes and books for my daughter in the 80s, wish I had bought the whole set. She is now pregnant (due any day) and she wants them for her daughter. She has managed to get a set of tapes but is now looking for the magazines to go with them. Any suggestions? Have been searching on the internet, but no luck so far. Thanks in advance for any replies.
If anyone would like a complete copy of Story Teller 1,2 and Christmas as PDF files and mp3s… Email me at dac1976@icloud.com and I can share via Dropbox – it’s 5gb.
Hello,
I’m trying for years to find the soundtrack music of the 3d part casette tale- Child of the Sun ! If anyone knows anything about the composer and that music please inform me!
Thank you vey much!
I have emailed a desperate email for the return of Story Teller! Here’s hoping!
I grew up in Melbourne Australia enjoying one volume of this per week! I have emailed Eaglemoss also, what a waste buying the rights and then not re-releasing it!! I have 10 out of the 26 cassettes and the magazines. I am currently trying to find someone who can preserve the magazines into a big book, so to have cd/mp3 copies would be great!
Just discovered this site. I used to listen to and colour in to these magical magazines with my son and daughter!,Am now a grandmother of three- about to be four next April. In the next five minutes I am about to ascend into our attic to dig out volumes 1 and 2 . I am SO excited!!
Will also e mail Eaglemoss about re releasing the magazine/cd.
I was really surprised and delighted to find this site. Storyteller was one of my first commissions as an author/illustrator, I wrote and illustrated ‘Bored Brenda’, which appeared in Storyteller 2 Part 16, and was narrated by Patricia Brake. Very glad that the magazine is well remembered, it was a lovely team to work for, we sooo need a magazine like this in the UK today!
Hi. Been desperate to find my collection of storyteller 1 in my mum’s loft so that I can read it to my little boy and girl. Have such find memories of listening to them over and over again when I was little….especially Gobalino the witches cat. Would love to be able to download the stories so my children can listen to them. Would also be very excited if the series was released again.
Just found every series to download on ebay. 😍