Comic Clippings - 31 May 2007

A rumour has sprung up (reported by Rich Johnson at Lying in the Gutters, 29 May) that Garth Ennis is to write an updated version of Dan Dare. "Asked about his dream comics projects, Garth Ennis mentioned Johnny Red, more War Stories and that he 'wouldn't mind a crack at Dan Dare.' I understand," continues Rich, "that Garth Ennis will be getting his crack on a new comicbook revival of 'Dan Dare'." Rich marks this as an 'amber' alert, "there's likely an interest involved or the likelihood isn't set."

It sounds a bit of a pipe dream but I don't think Garth is under exclusive contract to DC Comics any more, so he has the opportunity to work for other companies. Garth could probably have his pick of any IPC Media character but Dan Dare is owned by the Dan Dare Corporation (and, incidentally, Johnny Red is owned by Egmont). John Freeman, at Down the Tubes, says that the project may be for Virgin Comics, the New York-based comics company set up by Richard Branson. Freeman warns, "Don't expect an update to the original Dan Dare as the brief may well lean toward the controversial 2000AD take on the character, drawn by Massimo Belardinelli and, later, Dave Gibbons."

There's an interview with Garth ('The Boys on "The Boys"' by Brian Warmoth, 30 May) to be found at the Wizard magazine site.

Sadly, Bear Alley is turning into Obituaries News: I've just heard that Philip Dunn (who, as Saul Dunn, was a SF/fantasy author, publisher and writer of the first Storm book, The Deep World) died last month at the age of 61. And Jack Edward Oliver, one of the finest humour artists on IPC's funny papers in the 1970s and 1980s, died on Saturday, 26 May, aged 65. A good round-up of his career can be found on Wikipedia. The page below, drawn by Oliver, appeared on the final page of the final issue of Buster (4 January 2000).

Maria Bird

Maria Bird is at the intersection of two recent threads here on Bear Alley. She was one of the early contributors to children's post-war television (as was Muffin the Mule) and she was also a contributor to Robin Annual, appearing in the first six or so volumes ("or so" because she isn't credited in number 5, although that might simply be an editorial slip). I believe she was also the main writer of the Andy Pandy strip that appeared on the front cover of Robin for many years; indeed, she (possibly in collaboration with Freda Lingstrom) may have written the strip from 1953 until it came to an end in 1969.

Maria Bird has proved to be somewhat elusive as far as solid information is concerned. Surprising, as she was one of the main creative forces behind some of the most famous children's TV shows of all time, including Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men. I can find no record of her death although it would seem to have been some time between 1979 (her last appearance in the phone book) and 1984 (an article in The Times which refers to her as "the late" Maria Bird). Without a date of death it is impossible to locate her date of birth as it would seem that Maria Bird was born in South Africa.

Since at least the late 1940s, Maria Bird lived with Freda Lingstrom at Chartwell Cottage, Westerham, Kent, but calls to various people in that area (such as the local library) have drawn a blank. The internet provides nothing about her life except the notion that she may have been an ex-school teacher.

We're on better ground with Freda Lingstrom, who was born in 1893 and attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Her paternal grandparents were Swedish and Lingstrom's first book was based on her travels of Scandinavia entitled This is Norway (1933). She also wrote two novels, The Seventh Sister (1938) and A Flower in his Hand (1939).

In 1940, Lingstrom joined the BBC's staff pool of the home and empire talks department, her work involving reporting, script writing and monitoring. Between 1945 and 1949, she worked on the editorial team of the children's periodical Junior whose contributors included George Orwell and Maria Bird. Both Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird were engaged to soldiers during the war but both men died; Bird moved into Lingstrom's home at Chartwell Cottage, in the grounds of Chartwell House, the family home of Winston Churchill.

Lingstrom's experience on Junior led to her becoming Assistant Head of BBC Schools Broadcasting in 1947, creating the series Looking at Things and Listen with Mother. She was asked by Head of Television Talks Mary Adams if she could create a new programme for a new experimental slot that was to be aimed at very young children. Lingstrom and Bird set up Westerham Arts (named after the village they lived in) to produce their creation Andy Pandy. Lingstrom and Bird wrote the scripts, whilst Bird composed the music. A chance meeting on a train introduced Lingstrom to Audrey Atterbury who was persuaded to study under puppeteer John Wright of the Little Angel Theatre in London. In June 1950, production began on Andy Pandy which began a trial broadcast of four episodes on 11 July. After several episodes, Andy was joined by Teddy and Looby Loo (at the same time, Molly Gibson joined the small team to help Audrey perform with the puppets). The show was narrated by Vera McKechnie, a continuity announcer and presenter, and the songs were performed by Gladys Whitred, accompanied on the piano by Maria Bird.

Andy Pandy, with his stripey pajamas, the moth-eaten Teddy with his bow-tie and the silent doll Looby Loo became known to generations. The show was originally broadcast live on Tuesdays, a total of 70 episodes appearing between July 1950 and April 1952. Between 1952 and 1957, 32 editions were filmed by the BBC Film Unit, 4 of which were refilmed in early 1957.

Freda Lingstrom was appointed Head of BBC Children's Television in May 1951. Expanding on the idea of For the Very Young, Lindstrom created a second series, The Flower Pot Men which debuted on 18 December 1952. 31 episodes were made by Westerham Arts in 1952-54, these episodes filmed in a shed on the outskirts of the BBC's Lime Grove Studio; later episodes were filmed in an especially prepared puppet studio in Television Centre.

Bill and Ben, the two flowerpot men, were voiced by Peter Hawkins who created a language known as Oddlepoddle; Julia Williams was the narrator with Gladys Whitred and Maria Bird providing the same musical interludes they did for Andy Pandy.

The Flower Pot Men was broadcast on Thursdays until 1953 when it moved to Wednesday to make way for a third Westerham Arts production, Rag, Tag and Bobtail, the story of Rag the hedgehog, Tag the mouse and Bobtail the rabbit. The creative lineup for the new series was different to the previous two: although produced by Lindstrom and Bird, the new characters were glove puppets rather than marionettes, designed and made by Sam and Elizabeth Williams. Charles E. Stidwell provided the narration with David Enders and James Urquhart the voices. Most of the 24 episodes were directed by David Boisseau.

With three shows now running in the same daily time slot, Lindstrom decided to give the shows a new title. The title chosen was Watch With Mother (named after the radio series Listen With Mother which had debuted in January 1951).

Watch With Mother added Picture Book on Mondays from 14 February 1955, presented by Patricia Driscoll and, from Friday 9 September 1955, the fourth Westerham production, The Woodentops began appearing, completing the weekly lineup. Lindrop was credited as producer with Bird as editor of the 26 episodes with Audrey Atterbury and Molly Gibson operating the puppets and Charles E. Stidwell narrating some of the segments.

This last show was once again created and written by Maria Bird, who also wrote the music. 26 episodes were made between 1955-57, with Audrey Atterbury and Molly Gibson, supplemented by Gordon Murray of the . Eileen Brown, Josephina Ray and Peter Hawkins provided the voices.

Lingstrom retired from the BBC in July 1956 when it was decided that a new approach was needed because independent television's arrival had seen the BBC rating decline alarmingly.

Westerham produced other programmes, including The Magic Doll's House for ITV's Small Time slot, first broadcast from 4 May 1959; the show was written and introduced by Gladys Whitred, with Audrey Atterbury and Molly Gibson also involved (Gibson is also credited along with Whitred as scriptwriter).

17 new episodes of Picture Book (with Vera McKechnie replacing Driscoll) were made in 1963. The show was last broadcast in 1966, although one animated character, Bizzy Lizzy graduated to her own 13 episode show, first broadcast in 4 April 1967.

In 1969, 13 new colour episodes of Andy Pandy were made at Abbey Road Studio, reuniting most of the original team (with Gladys Whitred replaced by Valerie Carndell and Maria Bird's piano augmented by a clarinet played by Thea King).

During this period, both Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird continued writing dozens of story books featuring the characters they had created. In the list below of books by Maria Bird there are a number of question marks because I've yet to resolve all of the reprint information on the numbered series. Some later titles may be reprints or collections of earlier books.

If I am correct in assuming that Maria Bird died in the early 1980s or thereabouts [NOTE: Mary Edith Bird, died 25 August 1979], she was outlived by her good friend Freda by only a few years. Freda Lingstrom died on 15 April 1989, aged 95. She was still living at Chartwell Cottage, the home she and Maria Bird had shared for forty years. Lingstrom was survived by a step-daughter.

Books by Maria Bird

Andy PandyAndy Pandy the Baby Clown, with Freda Lingstrom; illus. Irene Hawkins. London, Faber & Faber, 1953.
Andy Pandy and the Gingerbread Man, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1953.The Golden Voice Andy Pandy Record Books, London, 3 vols., 1953.
Andy Pandy's Jump-Up Book, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1954.
Andy Pandy Nursery Rhymes. London, 1954?.
Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products (Colour Photo Books 4), 1954.Andy Pandy and the Queen of Hearts: A pop-up book, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1955.Andy Pandy's Shop, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1955.Andy Pandy Builds a House for Looby Loo, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1956.Paint with Andy Pandy, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1956.Andy Pandy and Teddy at the Zoo, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1956?.
Andy Pandy's Kite, illus, Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1957.
Andy Pandy Paints His House, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1958.
Andy Pandy and the Hedgehog, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
Andy Pandy and the Woolly Lamb, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Adprint, 1959.
Andy Pandy's Adventures, illus, Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
Andy Pandy's Puppy, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
Andy Pandy's Counting and Rhyme Book, illus. Norman Satchel. London, Paulton, 1960.

Andy Pandy Books, illus. Matvyn Wright.
__1: Andy Pandy and the Willow Tree.
__2: Andy Pandy and the White Kitten.
__3 Andy Pandy and Teddy at the Zoo. (ex-1956?).
__4:
__5: Andy Pandy's Tea Party. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1960.
__6: Andy Pandy and the Gingerbread Man.
__7: Andy Pandy in the Country.
__8: Andy Pandy's Shop. (ex-1955)
__9: Andy Pandy's Jack-in-the-Box.
__10:
__11: Andy Pandy Paints His House. (ex-1958)
__12: Andy Pandy and the Hedgehog. (ex-1958)
__13: Andy Pandy's Washing Day.
__14: Andy Pandy and His Hobby Horse.
__15: Andy Pandy's Kite. (ex-1957)
__16: Andy Pandy's Puppy. (ex-1959)
__17: Andy Pandy and the Teddy Dog. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1960.
__18: Andy Pandy's Dovecot. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1960.
__19: Andy Pandy and the Baby Pigs. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1961.
__20: Andy Pandy's Little Goat. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1961.
__? 21: Andy Pandy and the Patchwork Cat. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1962.
__22: Andy Pandy and the Snowman. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1962.
__23: Andy Pandy's Weather House. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1963.
__? 24: Andy Pandy's New Pet. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1963.
__25: Andy Pandy Plays Lions and Tigers. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1964.
__26: Andy Pandy's Playhouse. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1964.
__27: Andy Pandy and the Green Puppy. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1965.
__28: Andy Pandy and the Badger. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1965.
__29: Andy Pandy and the Scarecrow. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1966.
__30: Andy Pandy's Red Motor Car. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1967.
__31: Andy Pandy and the Yellow Dog. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1968.
__32: Andy Pandy and the Spotted Cow, illus. David Barnett. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1971.
__33: Andy Pandy and the Baby Monkey, illus. David Barnett. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1972.
__? 34: Andy Pandy and the Tiny Piglet, illus. David Barnett. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1973.
Andy Pandy's Train and other stories, illus. Norman Satchel & Matvyn Wright. London, Paulton, 1961.Andy Pandy's Busy Friends. London, Purnell & Sons, 1974.Andy Pandy and Rocky Red. London, Purnell & Sons, c.1975.Andy Pandy and the Ducklings.Andy Pandy's Shopping Bag, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press.
Bill and Ben
Bill and Ben and the Potato Man, illus. Janet & Anne Grahame-Johnstone. London, Publicity Products, 1953.The Flowerpot Men and the Bush Baby, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1954.The Flowerpot Men and the Weathercock, illus. Matvyn Wright. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1954.Nursery Rhymes for Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men. London, Publicity Products, 1955.
Henny Penny and the Flowerpot Men (The Flowerpot Men Jump-Up Book), illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1955.Paint with the Flowerpot Men, illus. Matvyn Wright. London, Publicity Products, 1955.Bill and Ben and the Silly Goose. London, 1961.

The WoodentopsThe Woodentops' Washing Day, illus. Barbara Jones. London, Publicity Products, 1956.The Twins' Birthday, illus. Barbara Jones. London, Publicity Products, 1957.The Woodentops Painting Book, illus. Barbara Jones. London, Publicity Products, 1957.The Woodentops at the Fair. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1957.The Woodentops' Spotty Dog, illus. Anna Jelly. London, Paulton, 1961.

Others
Watch with Mother Jump-Up Picture Book, illus. Monique Partridge. London, 1955.Flowerpot Men and Woodentops Annual. Manchester, World Distributors, 1970.

MusicSongs Under Sail. A book of sailor shanties, written & illus. Peter Heaton with musical arrangements by Maria Bird. London, Burke Publishing Co., 1963.

(* Information on Freda Lingstrom is derived from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the BFI Screenonline website. A very good biographical sketch about Audrey Atterbury can be found at the Realm of Rubovia website. Much of the information about Watch With Mother was derived from the series of articles 'Of Finger Mice and Mr Men' by T. J. Worthington, to be found on the Off the Telly website. The pictures have been grabbed from various sites around the web.)

Matvyn Wright

Matvyn Wright was a long-time collaborator with Maria Bird, producing dozens of drawings for books starring Andy Pandy. I believe Wright was also the original artist for the Andy Pandy comic strip in Robin, although I've only seen a small selection of his work so I have little to compare. He was certainly credited with producing artwork for Robin Annual in the mid-1950s.

There is very little on Matvyn Wright on the net. The War Museum site reveals that he was born in 1910 and worked for the Auxiliary Fire Service during the Second World War. He "witnessed with his colleagues the extraordinary strange silhouettes and falling forms of the Thames Blitz." A painting produced by Wright in 1941 and held by the War Museum captures "the fear of waiting and destruction. The bomb almost appears to be held up by the crane-like structures of the barge. In reality, this is a fragile snapshot before the inevitable explosion, with the fire crew poised to respond."

I can add a small amount of biography to this. William Matvyn Wright was born on 4 August 1910 and studied at the Royal College of Arms.

Around 1950, he appeared on TV fronting the show Round the Galleries (1950). He was on the animation crew for Halas & Batchelor's classic Animal Farm (1954). In later years he was a supporter of the Aberdyfi Art Society.

He was married to Kaye Wright and died in Camden, London, on 17 November 1983.

As well as Andy Pandy, I think Matvyn Wright was also responsible for the weekly adventures of Bill and Ben, also published in Robin.

He was certainly a prolific illustrator, as will have been seen in the bibliography of Maria Bird. Since that listing still needs some work, I've listed only a number of titles not previously listed that Matvyn Wright illustrated.

Books
Watch With Mother. Pictures, stories, puzzles and games based on Watch with Mother television programmes, ed. Freda Lingstrom; illus. with others. London, Publicity Products, 1955.
Five Listen With Mother Tales about Charles by Ruth Ainsworth. London, Adprint, 1957.
Kami the Sherpa by Showell Styles. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1957.

Annette Mills (part 2)

New readers start here...

Way back in November last year I wrote up a little of Annette Mills' life story whilst trying to track down information about her daughter, Molly Blake. It struck me whilst watching the first part of the new BBC4 series Children's TV on Trial (27 May) that I'd rather left the Annette Mills story hanging in the mid-1940s. Since Annette -- and her most famous partner Muffin the Mule -- are a useful starting point for a number of threads I've tried to research, I thought I'd have a bash at completing the story...

During the early months of the Second World War, Annette Mills had scored a considerable hit with the songs 'Boomps-a-Daisy', which was a featured number in the film Band Waggon (released in March 1940) and 'Adolf'...

A certain German chancellor has lost his head,
He's going to get a headache somewhere else instead,
And he will be retiring very soon,
To join a certain Kaiser down in Doom,

Adolf, you've bitten off, much more than you can chew.
Come on, hold your hand out,
We're all fed up with you, Gor Blimey,
Adolf, you toddle off, and all your Nazis too,
Or you may get something to remind you
Of the old red, white and blue.

The sheet music, which sold at sixpence, featured an unhappy looking Adolf over the knee of a smiling Tommy who was administering a sound whacking to the Fuhrer's behind with a boot.

Annette had also made appearances as a successful cabaret artist in Paris and, after it fell to the Germans, wrote the song 'Un Jour' at the request of the BBC French section. She also appeared in the revue Come Out of Your Shell (1940) and broadcast to the Forces. A serious car accident in November 1942 -- she broke both legs -- meant that she spent the next two years undergoing a series of operations in hospital. She turned to writing short stories and plays, many of them broadcast by the BBC and overseas. One of her plays, the comedy Rotten Row, was turned into a TV play and broadcast in May 1947.

BBC Television had been silent for nearly seven years: closed down on 1 September 1939, it was finally revived on 7 June 1946. Annette's abilities as a singer, pianist and composer meant that she was the perfect choice to appear on the BBC television's For the Children slot and her first appearance on 4 August 1946 marked the beginning of a new career. Rehearsing for the new show, the bare expanse of her grand piano was thought to be a problem and Annette was advised to "get something to put on the top." Thinking over the problem, Annette suggested that her piano could be used as a stage populated with the characters from her stories. The idea was to create one of the very first stars of postwar television.

Also working for the BBC at Alexandra Palace was Jan Bussell, a radio producer for BBC Manchester before moving into television as a drama producer in 1936. Three years earlier, Bussell had married Margaret Ann Gildart Jackson, the two having met when actress Margaret -- professionally known as Ann Hogarth -- became stage manager at the Players' Theatre where Jan was working as a producer. Jan had become interested in marionettes years before and had been a puppeteer with the London Marionette Theatre and, shortly before they married, Jan and Ann had set up The Hogarth Puppets, booking halls, building their own scenery and puppets and putting on shows around the country.

Annette Mills and producer Andrew Miller Jones approached Bussell, then recently demobbed from the Royal Navy. Writing many years later for the Muffin the Mule Collectors' Club Newsletter, Sally McNally recalled: "Subsequently, Annette came to our house and met my mother, Ann Hogarth, and she asked if they could make puppets to illustrate her songs -- no, they replied, but perhaps you could write songs to illustrate our puppets! She agreed to this and my parents showed her all the puppets that they weren't actually using at the time. Annette immediately chose the mule and named him Muffin -- then she also selected the clown and called him Crumpet. My mother sat down and wrote a twelve minute script, Annette wrote the songs, including, of course, the signature tune "We want Muffin" and they made their first appearance together the following Sunday..."

Muffin had originally been designed by Jan Bussell in 1933 and created by Fred Tickner, a well known carver of Punch puppets, for use in Hogarth Puppet Circus. Now he was about to embark on a new career, making his debut on For the Children on 20 October 1946 alongside Crumpet the Clown. The puppets were operated by Ann Hogarth as Annette sang songs and told stories to the audience, with Muffin whispering suggestions to his co-star, dancing and stamping his hoof.

Over the next few years many other characters were introduced -- Crumpet soon disappearing to be replaced by Peregrine the Penguin, Sally the Seal, Poppy the Parrot, Louise the Lamb and Oswald the Ostrich. Tours in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa inspired the arrivals of Katy the Kangaroo, Kirri the Kiwi and Zebbie the Zebra (all made by Stanley Maile). The star, however, was Muffin, who received huge amounts of fan-mail -- enough to keep two secretaries constantly busy. Young fans would enclose carrots for him to eat or fancy hats to wear. The parents of one child revealed how their television had been ruined when their child had stuffed the back full of food for Muffin.

Annette and Muffin compered the very first Children's Hour when it was launched in January 1948 and Muffin was soon to become a huge commercial success with the release of the first Muffin merchandise. The Muffin Songbook contained eight songs, including Muffin's famous signature tune...

We want Muffin, Muffin the Mule.
Dear old Muffin, playing the fool.
We want Muffin, Ev'rybody sing,
We want Muffin the Mule!

Two short movies were made for the Rank Children's Club in 1948 and an album of songs released by Decca. The first Muffin the Mule book arrived from the University of London Press in 1949 written by Annette Mills with illustrations by her daughter, Molly Blake. A new book appeared each year by Mills and Blake until 1954. Ann Hogarth, meanwhile, was also writing stories for the annual Muffin books published in association with Hodder & Stoughton which ran to four volumes, The Red Muffin Book (1950), The Blue Muffin Book (1951), The Green Muffin Book (1952) and The Purple Muffin Book (1953). Muffin was also available as various toys, birthday and christmas cards, postcards, badges, plates, biscuit tins and the Moko Muffin Junior puppet. Muffin merchandise generated a turnover of three-quarters of a million pounds in 1952. (Some of the many spin-offs are pictured at the Muffin the Mule Collectors' Club website.)

Muffin also became one of the stars of the newly launched TV Comic in 1951 and, in December 1952 and January 1953, Annette and Ann staged The Muffin Show at the Vaudeville Theatre, a series of Christmas matinees in which Muffin and many of his television co-stars made an appearance. The show was something of a spectacular and the reviewer for The Times (24 December 1952) was highly impressed:

"The entertainment also runs to two puppet circuses and a miniature ballet which goes further into the regions of imaginative fantasy than most puppet-makers venture. Sportive lions, strong men, cowboys and cowgirls, clowns that turn the tables on disintegrating skeletons by disintegrating themselves, acrobats, performing dogs -- all the eventful apparatus of the proper circus is skilfully reduced to the proportions of the puppet stage. The flower ballet depicts the dispersal of morning mists -- represented by shining and transparent figures with an elevation and an ability to remain in the air that can hardly have been surpassed by Nijinsky -- and the behaviour of a rose when exposed to an anti-cyclone, a deep depression, and Jack Frost. It even boasts a comic pas de quatre by red hot pokers."

Muffin's television appearances were broadcast live until 1952 when a new series entitled Muffin the Mule was launched. The new 15-minute show was filmed so that it could shown, usually around Sunday teatime, and then rebroadcast. These shows were usually scripted by Ann Hogarth and directed by Jan Bussell, although the partnership between the Bussells and Annette had almost come to an end in 1950 due to personality clashes between the two creative partners. It was around the same time that Annette Mills introduced Prudence Kitten, a glove puppet, to For the Children on 7 June 1950. Prudence had a sister, Primrose, who was married to Nelson and had a son, Snowy; the kitten family, and Prudence's friend Puffer Dog, were also popular characters and generated their own merchandise including books illustrated by Molly Blake who narrated the first of the TV shows and, after Annette's death, presented the show.

Muffin the Mule continued to appear regularly on the BBC until a few days before Annette's death. In late 1954, she developed a brain tumor but continued to broadcast Muffin, her last appearance with alongside Muffin coming only days before she was admitted to the London Clinic. She underwent an operation on Wednesday, 5 January 1955 but failed to recover consciousness; she died on Monday, 10 January 1955. A memorial service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields was held on 14 January where a replica of Muffin was made from red and white flowers

Annette Mills, who lived at Dumpton Gap, Broadstairs, Kent, left an estate of nearly £21,000. Before her death, she had bequeathed her body to the advancement of surgery and when this became known to the public, the Ministry of Health was inundated with inquiries about how to make such a bequest.

Books
Muffin the Mule, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1949.
More About Muffin, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1950.
Jack and Jill All Colour Gift Book, ed. Annette Mills. London, News of the World, 1951.
Jack and Jill's Farmyard Friends, ed. Annette Mills. London, News of the World, 1951.
Mrs. Cluck and Master Quack. A child's first book, ed. Annette Mills; illus. Yunge Bateman. London, News of the World, 1951.
Muffin and the Magic Hat, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1951.
Here Comes Muffin, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1952.
Jennifer and the Flower Fairies, illus. Molly Blake. London, News of the World, 1952.
Prudence Kitten, illus. George Fry. London, University of London Press, 1952.
Muffin at the Seaside, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1953.
Muffin's Splendid Adventure, illus. Molly Blake. London, University of London Press, 1954.
My Annette Mills Gift Book. London, Heirloom Library, 1954.
Prudence Kitten and Puffer of Children's Television, illus. George Fry. London, Publicity Products, 1955.


Most of the information here is derived from various sources including The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, various obituaries, a number of online sites dedicated to children's TV and the Muffin the Mule Collectors' Club. The poster for the Wimbledon Theatre appearance comes from the PeoplePlay theatre history website (here), as does the autographed pic of Mills and Muffin. The Annette Mills Gift Book image is from a website called Fulltable which has some examples of Molly Blake's artwork (here) and Adolf is from a recent eBay auction. The pic of Annette Mills and Ann Hogarth is from the National Portrait Gallery collection (here).

And for those of you desperate for the lyrics of 'Boomps-a-Daisy', here they are...

Boomps-a-Daisy (1938)

In the naughty nineties, ladies were so gay.
In the naughty nineties, this is how they'd play:
Waltzing as light as a feather,
And bumping their bustles together.

Hands, knees, and boomps-a-daisy! I like a bustle that bends.
Hands, knees, and boomps-a-daisy! What is a boomp between friends?
Hands, knees, oh, don't be lazy. Let's make the party a wow.
Now then, hands, knees, and boomps-a-daisy! Turn to your partner and bow. Bow-wow!

Gentlemen with whiskers whirl the ladies round,
Hoping ... bustles ... safe and sound.
Grandma says boomping is shocking.
You might show an inch of your stocking.

Please read on...

Annette Mills (postscript)

A postscript to the above...

The death of Annette Mills in January 1955 was not the end of Muffin's career by any means. Muffin was a star in his own rights and generated a great deal of merchandise. Even the addition of a new character to the lineup of Muffin's friends made the front pages of magazines (in the case below it was the first appearance of Zebbie the Zebra in 1953).

Although Annette had named Muffin the Mule, control of the marionette itself -- above simply pulling the puppet's strings -- was in the hands of Ann Hogarth and Jan Bussell. They had created Muffin and many of the character's friends for their own puppet shows and it was they who often suggested the introduction of a new character to Mills as and when Ann Hogarth's scripts called for them. Many of the later puppets were made by Stan Maile directly for The Hogarth Puppets.

The BBC decided to drop Muffin following the death of Annette Mills but, in February 1955, it was announced that negotiations were almost complete between Anne Hogarth for Muffin to move to the Associated Broadcasting Company. Muffin may well have been the first character to transfer to commercial television which had only recently been announced. Broadcasts began in London the following September, although the Hogarth Puppets and Muffin were undertaking a lengthy tour of New Zealand which took up most of the year.

Muffin returned to British screens in 1956 but only continued for another year before new Muffin stories came to an end in 1957, although his adventures continued to be repeated for some years.

During this period, Muffin was still appearing in book form fairly regularly. Neville Main, the artist responsible for Muffin's comic strip adventures in TV Comic, drew a series of books for Brockhampton Press, including a series called the 'Merry Muffin Books' penned by Annette Mills and Ann Hogarth. Muffin was the front cover star of TV Comic until issue 192 -- he was replaced by Sooty -- but new Muffin stories continued to appear until issue 482 (11 March 1961).

Muffin continued to appear in the Hogarth Puppets shows produced by Jan Bussell and Ann Hogarth -- and later by their daughter, Sally McNally -- and he continued to pop up on television on occasions, appearing in episodes of The Goodies and Doctor Who; Muffin was the compere of the BBC documentary The Lime Grove Story broadcast in 1991 with 80-year-old Ann Hogarth still pulling the strings. (Hogarth had retired to Budleigh Salterton following the death of husband Jan Bussell in April 1985; she died at a nursing home on 9 April 1993.)

Muffin caused some dissent in the House of Lords on 23 May 1996 when Baroness Castle of Blackburn queried why the Stamp Advisory Committee had decided not to issue a stamp commemorating the centenary of artist, poet and socialist William Morris but to issue on on Muffin the Mule instead. The Muffin stamp (as Lord Fraser of Carmyllie explained) was part of a set celebrating five decades of children's television, and included Muffin alongside Sooty, Stingray, the Clangers and Danger Mouse.

The Muffin the Mule Collectors' Club was set up in 1999 and club founder Adrienne Hasler has also produced a book, Muffin the Mule. Commemorating 60 years of Muffin the Mule with memories and memorabilia (available here).

The rights to produce a new TV series were bought by Maverick Entertainment in January 2003 and the BBC bought 26 animated episodes (later increased to 40 episodes) for broadcast in 2005. The new series, broadcast on BBC2 daily from Monday 5 September, generated quite a bit of nostalgic publicity and new merchandise began to appear, including a Muffin the Mule magazine from Future. The show was watched by 300,000 children and has since been broadcast on the digital CBeebies channel.

DVDs of the original shows were released in 2005 in time to celebrate Muffin's 60th anniversary which contain many episodes of the original Muffin stories.

One item I came across when I was researching the above was a little piece about Molly Blake which, long-time readers will recall, was the subject I was actually trying to research in the first place.

Molly Blake revived Prudence Kitten, the glove puppet character created by her mother, in the autumn of 1955 and Prudence went on to feature in a TV pantomime version of Sleeping Beauty broadcast in January 1956. Prudence was also appearing on the BBC in 1960.

Puffer Dog, one of the characters who starred alongside Prudence Kitten, also had his own comic strip in TV Comic around 1954. I was also surprised to find that early issues of TV Comic featured a regular 'Muffin Club News' spot, signed by Annette Mills...

But now it's "Goodnight children everywhere," until tomorrow when we'll be taking a look at Andy Pandy. And it'll have something to do with comics... honest. And I'll be returning to Muffin the Mule at some point in the near future to reveal a little something about the couple in the photo below.

And they definitely have something to do with comics!

Look and Learn group Artists & Authors

The following is a list of artists and authors known to have worked for Look and Learn, Treasure, Bible Story and Speed & Power magazines. I've included the artists who worked on comic strips as well as illustrators. Some of the Wikipedia links will take you to stubs for entries and occasionally to foreign language entries (Italian or Spanish as indicated). I can't guarantee the accuracy of these entries although a few of them I try to maintain myself.

Anyone with information about any of these artists is very welcome to get in touch.

ARTISTS

Alvaro
Peter Andrews
Gordon C. Arnold
John J. Arnold
P. J. Ashmore
CWB [Cecil Walter Bacon]
KB [Ken Berry?]
G. William Backhouse
Jim Baikie (Wikipedia)
Bill Baker
John Barber
Severino Baraldi
Stefan Barany
J. H. Batchelor
Dino Battaglia (Wikipedia [Italy])
Frank Bellamy (Wikipedia)
Coen Benraad
Luis Bermejo (Wikipedia)
John Berry
R. B. Berry
John Beswick
P(eter?) J. Bird
Janet Blakeley
Jesus Blasco [Jesús Blasco] (Wikipedia)
Tim Bramfitt
C. E. Brock (reprint) (Wikipedia)
H. M. Brock
Robert Brook
Mary Brooks
Ralph Bruce
Jeff Burn
John M. Burns (Wikipedia)
Alan Burton
Ray Calloway
Geoff Campion
Franco Caprioli (Wikipedia [Italy])
Susan Cartwright
Arturo Del Castillo
O. Cencig(?)
J. Cobb
Melville Colley
Graham Coton
Philip Corke
Roy Cross
Gino D’Antonio (Wikipedia [Italy])
Gerard David
Gordon Davidson
Reginald B. Davis (Wikipedia)
Leo Davy
Neville Dear
Dave Dimmock
Hugh Dixon
Selby Donnison
C. L. Doughty (Wikipedia)
C. E. Drury
Bruno Elettori
Dick Ellis
Gerry Embleton (Wikipedia)
Ron Embleton (Wikipedia)
Emerson
Philip Emms
Dan Escott
Brian Evans
K. A. Evans
D. C. Eyles
Roland Fiddy
Alfonso Font (Wikipedia [Spain])
D. A. Forrest
Robert Forrest
Henry Fox
Keith Fretwell
Oliver Frey (Wikipedia)
Horace Gaffron
Alberto Giolitti (Wikipedia)
Ruggero Giovannini
Michael Godfrey
Julian Graddon
Reginald S. Gray
Harry Green
James Green
Greenfield
GH [George Hawthorn]
RH [Richard Hook]
RDH [Bob Robins, Gordon Davidson & Andrew Howat]
LSH
Wilf Hardy (Wikipedia)
Jack Hayes
George Hawthorn
Helen Haywood
George Heath
Bob Hersey
John Hersey
Robert Hodgson
Richard Hook
Julia Horn
Ken Houghton
Stanley Houghton
M. Maitland Howard
Andrew Howat (see also RDH)
Mike Hubbard
John Hunt
Len Huxter
Harold Ing
Peter Jackson
Richard Jennings
Jose Jiminez
Barry Johnson
Peter Andrew Jones
Anthony Joyce
Gary Keane
Jack Keay
John Keay
Brian Knight
Bill Lacey
RL [Ronald Lampitt?]
T. S. La Fontaine
Ronald Lampitt
Ken Langstaff
Don Lawrence (Wikipedia) (Don Lawrence Collection)
Frank Lea
David Leeming
Kenneth Lilly (Wikipedia)
Barrie Linklater
Keith Linsell
Steve Livesey
Tony Lofthouse (cut-away)
Keith J. Luck
R. Lumley(?)
F.M.
Angus McBride (Look and Learn blog) (Wikipedia)
McCall
James E. McConnell (Wikipedia)
D. W. Makela
Leslie Field Marchant
John Marshall
Fortunino Matania (Wikipedia)
Jack Mathew
A. Maynard
Bob Mayston
Clifford Meadway
Wendy Meadway
Philip Mendoza
Colin Merrett
Metcalf
May Millar
Jose Miralles
Jorge Moliterni
Charles Morgan
Peter Morgan
Musio
Arthur Nash
Susan Neale
Stephen Nicholas
David Nicolle
Pat Nicolle
John Noakes
David Nockels
Roy Nockolds
A. John Nunney
Nuyot
Alexander Oliphant
Edward Osmond
Arthur Oxenham
DEP
Colin Page
Theo Page
Eric R. Parker
Roger Payne
John Pead
Vitor Peon
Petrie
Ken Petts
Edwin Phillips
Bill Phillipps
David Pratt
Miguel Quesada
Nadir Quinto
Paul Rainer
Arthur Ranson (Wikipedia)
George R. Ratcliff
Basil Reynolds
Trevor Ridley
G. Robinson
David Rook
Richard O. Rose
Christopher Rothero
Carlos V. Roume
Barry Rowe
EOS
MS
Alberto Salinas (Wikipedia [Spain])
Jose Luis Salinas (Wikipedia [Spain])
Martin Salvador
Saynor
Sep E. Scott
Henry Seabright
Janet Seaward
Serrabona
Keith Shackleton
E. Smart
John S(tephen) Smith
Kevin Smith
Ramon Sola
Stobo
Ferdinando Tacconi (Wikipedia [Italy])
Eric Tansley
Margaret Theakston
T. Thompson
Nigel Tidman
Mike Tregenza
C. F. Tunnicliffe (Wikipedia)
Albert Uderzo (Wikipedia)
Clive Uptton (Wikipedia)
DEW
E. Wade
Walton
Bill Ward
Brian Watson
J. Millar Watt (Wikipedia)
Tony Weare (Wikipedia)
Michael White
Michael Whittlesea
Lyn Willey
Maurice Wilson
Bruce C. Windo
Gerry Wood
Peter Woolcock
R. Worr
John Worsley


AUTHORS

Allan Aldous (serial)
Marc Alexander
G. Freeman Allan
Allen Andrews
Leonard Appleby
David Ashford
Leonard Barden
Judy Bastyra
Robert Bateman
Nina Bawden (serial) (Wikipedia)
George Beal
John Beatty
Patricia Beatty
Kevin Berry
Sue Bibbings
Philip Blake
Mary Cathcart Borer
Ivan Broadhead
Tony Broadman
Patrick Brookman
Nicholas Brown
Edmund Burke
Brian Burrell
Maurice Burton
Rupert Butler
Eric Russell Chamberlin
Malcolm Chamberlin
Barry Cork
Leonard Cottrell
Liz Courtland
John Davies
R. B. Davis
David Day
Ken Denham
Charles Dickens (serial) (Wikipedia)
C. L. Doughty
Phil Drackett
John Dudman
Alfred Duggan (Wikipedia)
Peter Eldin
Robert Erskine
Clive Fitzsimmons
John Forbis
Gordon Forsyth
Glyn Frewer (serial)
Tim Furniss
Henry Garnett (serial)
C. Gordon Glover
Modwena Glover
Bruce Graeme
John Gribbin
Richard Gulliver
George H. Haines
Angus Hall
Wilf Hardy (Wikipedia)
Charles Hatcher
Helen Haywood
Alan Hebden
C. W. Hill
Garry Hogg
Anne Holm (Wikipedia)
Judith Howlett
Les Hutton
Peter Jackson
Alan Jenkins
A. Kain
Maxwell Knight (Wikipedia)
Edna Knowles
Edwina Layton
David Le Roi
Frank W. Lipscomb
Joan Llewelyn-Owens
D. G. Lockhart
Margaret Mackay (serial)
Bob McKinnon
Nigel McKnight
Reginald Maddock (serial)
R. Manger
Terence Marsden
Gavin Maxwell (serial) (Wikipedia)
Robin May
Clifford Meadway
Anna Milford
James Milne
John Milsome
Andrew Mitchell
Michael Moorcock (Wikipedia)
D. R. Motton
C. M. Nelson (serial)
David Nicolle
Alan Oliver
David Oliver
John Onslow
Marion Pares
Mary Patchett (serial)
Edward Peake
Robin Peters
Sally Peterson
Sir. Charles Petrie (Wikipedia)
Noreen Pleavin
John Prebble (Wikipedia)
Willard Price (serial) (Wikipedia)
"Frank Richards" (serial)
Colin Rickards
David Roberts
Quentin Robinson
Tony Roche
Rev. James M. Roe
Ken Roscoe
Harold Rose
Christopher Rothero
Valerie Russell
Gerry Searle
Modwena Sedgwick (see Modwena Glover)
Henry Selbert
Ian Serraillier (serial) (Wikipedia)
Tim Sharman
Alexander Sheldon
John Simms
David Stone
J. D. Storer
David Tomlinson
Michael P. Verney
Alan Villiers (Wikipedia)
Andy Vincent
Emma Ward
Gill Webster (or Jill Webster)
H. G. Wells (serial) (Wikipedia)
Jane White
John Whitley
Lieut-Col. J. H. Williams (serial)
Geoffrey Williamson
Don Wood
Gillian Wrobel
Geoffrey Young

Angus McBride

Over the past couple of days I've been compiling information on Angus McBride in order to write him up for the Look and Learn website blog and for an obituary in The Guardian. I thought I'd share the following list of his illustrated books that I compiled. I've clumped a number of illustrated role-playing books together at the end until I can get full details. As it stands, the list runs to over 150 titles which is an astonishing body of work. I've compiled some links below which might be of interest if you want to see more of Angus' work.

Angus McBride obituary at Look and Learn.
Angus McBride artwork at Look and Learn.
Angus McBride obituary at The Guardian (27 May), The Times (9 June).
Angus McBride tribute at Osprey Publishing by Martin Windrow.
Angus McBride tributes at Osprey Publishing by friends and fans.
Angus McBride entry at Wikipedia.
Angus McBride artwork at Book Palace.
Angus McBride artwork at the Illustration Art Gallery.

Books [illustrated by the author]
The Way They Lived. London, Purnell, 1967.
The Roman Empire. Manchester, World Distributors, 1971.
The Zulu War. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 57), 1976.
Angus McBride's Characters of Middle Earth, ed. Jessica M. Ney. Iron Crown Enterprises, Nov 1990.
Warriors & Warlords. The art of Angus McBride, with a foreword by Martin Windrow. Oxford, Osprey, 2002.

Illustrated Books
Emergency Ward 10 Annual, illus. Eric Dadswell and Angus McBride. London, Purnell, 1962.
Walt Disney's Toyland Annual illus. Walt Disney Studio and Angus McBride. Paulton, Purnell, 1962.
Animal Heroes. Tales of courage and friendship, ed. Virginia Shankland. London, Purnell, 1966.
The Weather Guide by A. G. Forsdyke. London, Hamlyn, 1969.
Archaeology by Francis Celoria. Feltham, Hamlyn, 1970.
Spotlight on Sailing Ships by George Goldsmith Carter; illus. Bill Robertshaw and Angus McBride. London, Hamlyn, 1973.
The Tartan-Spotter's Guide by James D. Scarlett. London, Shepheard-Walwyn Publishers, 1973.
Scotland's Clans and Tartans by James Scarlett. Guildford, Lutterworth Press, 1975.
Armour by Hugh Gregor; illus. Angus McBride and Dick Eastland. Basingstoke, Macmillan Education, 1976.
Early Man by Anthony Harvey & Judith Diment. Basingstoke, Macmillan Education, 1976.
Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers by Emir Bukhari. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 55), 1976.
Shops and Markets by Stephanie Thompson. Basingstoke, Macmillan Education, 1976.
War and Weapons, ed. Jennifer L. Justice; illus. Angus McBride, Dick Eastland and Michael Trim. Maidenhead, Sampson Low, 1976.
Napoleon's Cuirassiers and Carabiniers by Emir Bukhari. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 64), 1977.
Napoleon's Line Chasseurs by Emir Bukhari. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 68), 1977.
The British Army, 1965-80. Combat and service dress by D. G. Smith. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 71), 1977.
North-West Frontier, 1837-1947 by Robert Wilkinson-Latham. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 72), 1977.
A Closer Look at Early China by Wendy Boase; illus. Angus McBride and Terry Dalley. London, Hamilton (Closer Look Book no. 10), 1977.
A Closer Look at Ancient Egypt by Wendy Boase; illus. Angus McBride and Eric Thomas. London, Hamilton (Closer Look Book no. 13), 1977.
See Inside a Roman Town by Jonathan Rutland; illus. Angus McBride, Bernard Robinson and Bill Stallion. London, Hutchinson, 1977.
The Grenadier Guards by Sir David Fraser. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 73), 1978.
Napoleon's Hussars by Emir Bukhari. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 76), 1978.
Napoleon's Guard Cavalry by Emir Bukhari. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 83), 1978.
Musical Instruments by Neil Ardley; illus. Annette Wade and Angus McBride. London, Macmillan, 1978.
Byzantine Armies 886-1118 by Ian Heath. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 89), 1979.
Life of Christ. London, Hamlyn, 1979.
Napoleon's Cavalry by Emir Bukhari (collects Cuirassiers and Carabiniers, Dragoons and Lancers, Line Chasseurs, Hussars and Guard Cavalry). London, Osprey, 1979.
Women at War, 1939-1945 by Jack Cassin-Scott. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 100), 1980.
The Conquistadores by Terence Wise. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 101), 1980.
Marlborough's Army, 1702-11 by Michael Barthorp. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms), 1980.
The Mongols by S. R. Turnbull. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 105), 1980.
Ancient Armies of the Middle East by Terence Wise. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 109), 1981.
Bible Stories by Patricia Hunt. London, Ward Lock, 1981.
Origin of a Nation. The story of Battle, Sussex by Michael Phillips. Battle, The Battle Bookshop, 1981; as Origin of a Nation, 1066, 3rd edition, Bexhill-on-Sea, M. Phillips, 1989.
The Special Air Service and Royal Marines Special Boat Squadron by James G. Shortt. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 116), 1981.
German Commanders of World War II by Anthony Kemp. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 124), 1982.
The Armies of Islam 7th-11th centuries by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 125), 1982.
The Scythians 700-300 BC by E. V. Cernenko. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 137), 1983.
Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 140), 1983.
The Army of Alexander the Great by Nick Sekunda. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 148), 1984.
The Age of Charlamagne. Warfare in Western Europe 750-1000 AD by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 150), 1984.
Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars. Anglo-Celtic warfare, AD 410-1066 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 154), 1984.
Dracula by Bram Stoker; retold by Joan Cameron. Loughborough, Ladybird, 1984.
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; retold by Joan Collins. Loughborough, Ladybird, 1984.
From the Old Testament based on stories by Patricia Hunt. London, Ward Lock, 1984.
The Life of Jesus based on stories by Patricia Hunt. London, Ward Lock, 1984.
The Teachings of Jesus based on stories by Patricia Hunt. London, Ward Lock, 1984.
The Viking Warrior by Martin Windrow. London, Franklin Watts, 1984.
Ancient Egypt by Miriam Stead; illus. Angus McBride, Eric Thomas and John Brettoner. London, Hamilton, 1985.
The Barbarians. Warriors & wars of the Dark Ages by Tim Newark. Poole, Blandford, 1985.
The British Redcoat of the Napoleonic Wars by Martin Windrow. London, Watts, 1985.
Rome's Enemies 2: Gallic and British Celts by Peter Wilcox. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 158), 1985.
German Medieval Armies, 1300-1500 by Christopher Gravett. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 166), 1985.
The Mummy from stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; retold by Raymond Sibley. Loughborough, Ladybird, 1985.
Sleeping Beauty adapted by Alison Ainsworth. Loughborough, Ladybird, 1985.
The Vikings by Ian Heath. London, Osprey (Elite no. 3), 1985.
The Ancient Greeks. Armies of Classical Greece, 5th and 4th centuries BC by Nick Sekunda. London, Osprey (Elite no. 7), 1986; as Warriors of Ancient Greece, London, Osprey, 1999.
Celtic Warriors, 400 BC-1600 AD by Tim Newark. Poole, Blandford Press, 1986.
Early China by Denise Goff; illus. Angus McBride, Karen Johnson and Terry Dalley. London, Hamilton, 1986.
Jock of the Bushveld by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick; retold by Phillida Brooke Simons. Cape Town, Struik Timmins, 1986.
Saladin and the Saracens. Armies of the Middle East 1100-1300 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms 171), 1986.
Rome's Enemies 3: Parthians and Sassanid Persians by Peter Wilcox. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 175), 1986.
Rome's Enemies 4: Spanish Armies 218BC-19BC by Rafael Trevino. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 180), 1986.
Polish Armies 1569-1696 Vol.1 by Richard Brzenzinski. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 184), 1987.
Polish Armies 1569-1696 Vol.2 by Richard Brzenzinski. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 188), 1987.
Henry VIII's Army by Paul Cornish. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 191), 1987.
Medieval Warlords by Tim Newark. London, Blandford, 1987.
The Normans by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Elite no. 9), 1987.
Joan of Arc by Harold Nottridge. Hove, Wayland, 1987.
The Complete Book of South African Wine by various. Cape Town, Struik Publishers, 1988.
Hungary and the Fall of Eastern Europe by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 195), 1988.
El Cid and the Recogquista. Warfare in medieval Spain, 1050-1492 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 200), 1988.
French Revolution by Ken Hills; illus. Angus McBride and Tony Morris. Bath, Cherrytree, 1988.
Knights at Tournament by Chris Gravett. London, Osprey (Elite no. 17), 1988.
The Zulus by Ian Knight. London, Osprey (Elite no. 21), 1989.
The Samurai. Warriors of Medieval Japan 940-1600 by Anthony J. Bryant. London, Osprey (Elite no. 23), 1989.
Soldiers of the English Civil War 1: The Infantry by Keith Roberts. London, Osprey (Elite no. 25), 1989.
Women Warlords. An illustrated military history of female warriors by Tim Newark. Poole, Blandford, 1989.
Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200 BC by C. J. Peers. London, Osprey (Men at arms no. 218), 1990.
The Age of Tamerlane. Warfare in the Middle East c.1350-1500 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 222), 1990.
Soldiers of the English Civil War 2: Cavalry by John Tincey. London, Osprey (Elite no. 27), 1990.
Attila and the Nomad Hordes. Warfare on the Eurasian Steppes 4th-12th centuries by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Elite no. 30), 1990; reprinted as Attila the Hun, Oxford, Osprey, 2000.
Day of Darkness by John Tully. Aylesbury, Ginn, 1990.
Aladdin and the Lamp. Harlow, Longman, 1991.
French Medieval Armies 1000-1300 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 231), 1991.
Aztec, Mixtec and Zapotec Armies by John M. D. Pohl. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 239), 1991.
Rome's Enemies 5: The Desert Frontier by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 243), 1991.
Early Samurai 200-1500 AD by Anthony J. Bryant. London, Osprey (Elite no. 35), 1991.
The Ancient Assyrians by Mark Healy. London, Osprey (Elite no. 39), 1991.
New Kingdom Egypt by Mark Healy. London, Osprey (Elite no. 40), 1992; reprinted as Armies of the Pharaohs, Oxford, Osprey, 1999.
Moctezuma and the Aztecs by R. E. C. Burrell, Cherrytree, 1992.
Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 247), 1992.
Zulu: Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift 22nd-23rd January 1879 by Ian Knight; illus. Michael Chappell and Angus McBride. London, Windrow & Greene, 1992.
Armies of the Muslim Conquest by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 255), 1993.
The Mamluks, 1250-1517 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 259), 1993.
Mughul India, 1523-1805 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 263), 1993.
Growing Up in Ancient Egypt by Rosalie David. Eagle, 1993.
Growing Up in Viking Times by Dominic Tweddle. Eagle, 1993.
Samurai, 1550-1600 by Anthony J. Bryant. London, Osprey (Warrior no. 7), 1994.
Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-145 BC Vol.1 The Seleucid Army Under Antiochus IV Epiphanes by Nick Sekunda. Stockport, Montvert, 1994.
The Army of Tang China by Karl Heinz Ranitzsch; illus. Angus McBride and Ed Org. Stockport, Montvert Publications, 1995.
The Border Reivers. The story of the Anglo-Scottish borderlands by Keith Durham. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 279), 1995.
Byzantine Armies 1118-1461 by Ian Heath. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 287), 1995.
In Stone Age Times by Christopher Maynard. London, Kingfisher, 1995.
Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-145 BC Vol.2 The Ptolemaic Army Under Ptolemy VI Philometor by Nick Sekunda. Stockport, Montvert, 1995.
South African Myths and Legends by Jay Heale. Cape Town, Struik, 1995.
Zulu 1816-1906 by Ian Knight. London, Osprey (Warrior no. 14), 1995.
Germanic Warriors 236-568 AD by Simon MacDowall. London, Osprey (Warrior no. 17), 1996.
Imperial Rome at War by Martin Windrow. Hong Kong, Concord Publications, 1996.
Jane Prichard, Child of the Manor by John Evans. Caerdydd, Dref Wen, 1996; also published in Welsh as Jane Prichard, plentyn y plas, Caerdydd, Gwasg y Dref Wen, 1996.
Lake Peipus 1242 by David Nicolle. London, Osprey Military (Campaign no. 46).
Republican Roman Army 200-104BC by Nick Sekunda. London, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 291), 1996.
Warlords. Ancient, Celtic, Medieval by Tim Newarki (omnibus: Barbarians, Celtic Warriors, Medieval Warlords). London, Arms & Armour, 1996.
Highland Clansmen, 1689-1746 by Stuart Reid. London, Osprey (Warrior no. 21), 1997.
Granada 1492. The reconquest of Spain by David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey Military (Campaign no. 53), 1998.
Pirates 1660-1730 by Angus Konstam. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 67), 1998.
Reivers. Anglo-Scottish border raiders from their origins to the end of the 16th century by Keith Durham. Stockport, Montlight, 1998.
Armies of Medieval Russia, 750-1250 by David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 333), 1999.
Hannibal's War With Rome: The Armies and Campaigns 216 BC by Terence Wise and Mark Healy; illus. Angus McBride and Richard Hook (omnibus). Oxford, Osprey Military, 1999.
Buccaneers, 1620-1700 by Angus Konstam. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 69), 2000.
Caesar's Legions. The Roman soldier 753BC to 117AD by Nicholas V. Sekunda, Simon Northwood and Michael Simkins; illus. Richard Hook, Angus McBride and Ron Embleton. Oxford, Osprey History, 2000.
Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560-1605 by Angus Konstam. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 70), 2000.
The Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen; retold by Marie Crook. Harlow, Pearson Education, 2000. [illustrations originally published by S.I. Librarie Du Liban, 1996]
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen; retold by Nicole Taylor. Harlow, Pearson Education, 2000. [illustrations originally published by S.I. Librarie Du Liban]
French Armies of the Hundred Years War, 1337-1453 by David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 337), 2000.
The Alamo, 1836: Santa Anna's Texas Campaign by Stephen L. Hardin. Oxford, Osprey Military (Campaign no. 89), 2001.
Gladiators 100BC-AD 200 by Stephen Wisdom. Oxford, Osprey (Warrior no. 39), 2001.
The Moors. The Islamic West 7th-15th century AD by David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 348), 2001.
Privateers & Pirates, 1730-1830 by Angus Konstam. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 74), 2001.
The Thracians, 700 BC-AD 46 by Christopher Webber. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 360), 2001.
Medieval Russian Armies, 1250-1500 by David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 367), 2002.
Italian Medieval Armies 1000-1300 by Viacheslav Shpakovskii and David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 376), 2002.
Samurai Heraldry by Stephen Turnbull. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 82), 2002.
Armies of the German Peasants' War 1524-26 by Douglas Miller. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 384), Feb 2003.
Samurai. The world of the warrior by Stephen Turnbull. Oxford, Osprey, 2003.
Stirling Bridge & Falkirk, 1297-98. William Wallace's rebellion by Pete Armstrong. Oxford, Osprey (Campaign), Feb 2003.
Roman Legionary 58 BC-AD 69 by Ross Cowan. Oxford, Osprey (Warrior no. 71), Jun 2003.
Medieval Scandinavian Armies Vol.1, 1100-1300 by David Lindholm and David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 396), Aug 2003.
Medieval Scandinavian Armies Vol.2, 1300-1500 by David Lindholm and David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 399), Oct 2003.
Imperial Roman Legionary, AD 161-284 by Ross Cowan. Oxford, Osprey (Warrior no. 72), Dec 2003.
Henry VII. The first Tudor king by John Evans. Cardiff, Dref Wen, 2003; also published in Welsh as Harri Tudur, Cardiff, Dref Wen, 2003.
The Hussite War, 1419-36 by Stephen Turnbull. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 409), May 2004.
Zulu War (combines material from Zulu War 1879, british Forces in Zululand 1879 and Zulu War) by Ian Knight and Ian Castle. Oxford, Osprey, Jul 2004.
Alexander the Great (combines material from Alexander the Great and Alexander 334-323 BC) by Nicholas Sekunda and John Warry. Oxford, Osprey, Aug 2004.
Mounted Archers of the Steppe 600BC-AD 1300 by Antony Karasulas. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 120), Sep 2004.
Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 226-642 by Kaveh Farrokh. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 110), Jul 2005.
Warriors of Medieval Japan by Stephen Turnbull; illus. Angus McBride, Wayne Reynolds and Howard Gerrard. Oxford, Osprey, Jul 2005.
The Mycenaeans, c. 1650-1100 BC by Nicolas Grguric. Oxford, Osprey (Elite no. 130), Sep 2005.
Armies of Ivan the Terrible. Russian troops 1505-1700 by Viacheslav Shpakovskii and David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 427), Jan 2006.
The Scandanavian Baltic Crusades 1100-1500 by David Lindholm and David Nicolle. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms no. 436), Feb 2007.
Byzantine Infantryman. Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 by Timothy Dawson. Oxford, Osprey (Warrior no. 118), Jun 2007.
The Army of Herod the Great by Samiel Rocco. Oxford, Osprey (Men-at-arms), Nov 2007.

Wall-Charts
Pack 1, Early Man to the Cretans by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther. ISBN 0333215001, 1977.
Pack 2, The Phoenicians to the Romans by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther. ISBN 0333241401, Dec 1978.
Pack 3, The Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther. ISBN 0333243641, 1978.
Pack 4, The First Crusade to the Black Death by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther. ISBN 0333263472, 1979.
Pack 5, The Peasants' Revolt to the Tudors by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther. ISBN 0333263480, 1979.
Pack 6, The Conquest of Mexico to the Great Fire of London by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther, with illustrations by Ron Embleton. ISBN 0333284240, Aug 1980.
Pack 7, The Sun King to Napoleon by Angus McBride & Kenneth Lowther ISBN 0333289439, 1980 [Jan 1981].

Role-playing Books (this list still needs some work)
Brigands of Mirkwood by Charles Crutchfield & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Jun 1986.
Lorien and the Halls of the Elven Smiths by Terry K. Amthor & S. Coleman Charlton. Iron Crown Enterprises, Jun 1986.
Ents of Fangorn by Randell E. Doty, Charles Crutchfield & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Jun 1987.
Sea Lords of Gondor by John B. Morin & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, 1987.
Lost Realm of Cardolan by Jeff McKeage & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Oct 1987.
Rivendell: The House of Elrond by Terry K. Amthor & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Nov 1987.
Woses of the Black Wood by Jeff McKeage & Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Dec 1987.
Creatures of Middle-Earth by Peter C. Fenlon. Iron Crown Enterprises, Feb 1989.
Mount Gundabad by Carl Willner. Iron Crown Enterprises, 1989.
Denizens of the Dark Wood by Jessica Ney. Iron Crown Enterprises, 1990.
Rogues of the Borderlands by Peter C. Fenlon. Berkley Publishing Co., 1990.
Bladestorm by S. Coleman Charlton. Iron Crown Enterprises, Sep 1990.
War Law by S. Coleman Charlton. Berkley Publishing Co., 1991.
Valar & Maiar: The Immortal Powers by Peter C. Fenlon, Terry K. Amthor & Jessica Ney-Grimm. Iron Crown Enterprises, 1993.
Spell Law by S. Coleman Charlton, Peter C. Fenlon & S. Marvin. 3rd edition, Iron Crown Enterprises, 1995.
Middle-Earth Role Playing by S. Coleman Charlton & Peter C. Fenlon. 2nd edition, Iron Crown Enterprises, 1997.

(The two pictures above are from original artwork © Look and Learn Magazine Ltd. The second piece is the original artwork for the cover of issue 492, used to illustrate the Guardian obituary.)