Michael Bond’s first Paddington book was published in 1958.
A Bear Called Paddington introduced the bear from Darkest Peru who arrives at Paddington Station and is taken in by the Brown family. The book established the core ingredients of the series: Paddington’s politeness, curiosity, frequent accidents and love of marmalade.
The publication date marks the beginning of Paddington as a literary character, decades before the 2014 film. The first book was followed by a long series of stories and picture books, allowing Paddington to become familiar to several generations of readers.
The year is sometimes confused with the date of later adaptations. Paddington appeared in television productions before the cinema films, but those versions did not create the character. Bond’s 1958 book is the starting point for the franchise’s published history.