In 1955, the Guild published its first Yearbook, edited by Eric Bramall. The volume featured a wide range of articles contributed by Guild members, accompanied by a selection of well‑produced photographs. Despite the inclusion of advertising, the cost of publication proved too high to sustain, and this inaugural Yearbook became both the first and the last of its kind.
Eric Bramall (1921–1996) was a leading British puppeteer and designer, best known as the founder of the Harlequin Puppet Theatre in Rhos‑on‑Sea, North Wales, the first permanent puppet theatre in Britain, opened in 1958. Under his direction, the Harlequin became a landmark institution, attracting audiences nationwide and inspiring generations of performers. Bramall played an influential role within the Guild as well; in addition to editing the Yearbook, he served as director of the Guild’s first exhibition to be held outside London, staged in Liverpool in the 1949. His work significantly elevated the profile of puppetry in the post‑war era, securing his reputation as one of the most important British puppeteers of the twentieth century.
