First published in 1961, the Carols for Choirs series has for many singers become synonymous with the Christmas season, used in festive concerts and services across the world. While many things have changed since that first edition, one thing has remained constant: the illustrated angel on the cover. We did some investigating in the archives recently to uncover the history of the Carols for Choirs angel, looking at how it came about and how it has evolved over the past 60 years.
1965 and 1970: Two orange books
In between the publication of Carols for Choirs 1 and 2, a lesser-known collection entitled Carols of Today was released in 1965. Intended to be a contemporary version of the very successful Carols for Choirs collection, it went out of print fairly quickly due to lack of sales. Interestingly, the cover of this collection is quite similar to the design of Carols for Choirs 2, which came out in 1970, using a very similar shade of orange and prominently featuring the angel illustration.
You left ‘u’ out of ‘buy’. Above, and to the left.