Charles Garvice

(* Reposted from 7 February to take in a new bibliography and some cover scans for books I'd forgotten I had.)

Charles Garvice was one of the most popular authors of his era—that era being roughly 1900-1920, when he was the Dan Brown of his day, producing novels of no great literary value that went down a storm with the reading public. Most of them were romances, Garvice churning out dozens upon dozens of books, which had sold some six million copies worldwide by 1911. The Times noted that "He is credited, and probably rightly, with a larger circulation than any purveyor of fiction, his remarkable success being due to a persistent industry and an unfailing ability to gauge the tastes of the greatest possible number." Walter Grierson, General Manager of Newnes, revealed in 1914 that Garvice's books were selling at the rate of a million copies a year in England, but claimed that he "has almost no sale at all in the United States," a claim I would suggest was wrong by some margin.

The reviewer for 20th Century Romance Authors certainly found that Garvice had more going for him than some Victorian romantic novelists: "Garvice had an unusual ability to weave fast-paced, intricate, and believable plots that do not need to rely on coincidence to succeed. Missing jewels or treasures are combined with missing or lost heiresses. His plots usually centre on the hero of the story, and the action is told from his viewpoint. He is often from a titled family and he usually succeeds to the title or is reinstated into his father's good graces."

Garvice offered his own formula for success to R. D. Blumenfeld, who, in In the Days of Bicycles and Bustles, recorded:

I have from Charles Garvice his secret of success in the making of a popular novel designed to cause every cook and housemaid in Europe and America to weep copiously. He says: "First take a wicked Earl; then an innocent village maiden; next some irate parents, a background of soldiers and sailors, a family solicitor and an elopement scene; a church door; snow falling, detectives, and finally Villainy defeated and Virtue triumphant. There's a firm in New York who would take one of these novels a week if I could furnish it. But, alas! I can only do about six a year!

He clearly had wider appeal than cooks and housemaids: a survey of requests for books from the 550 soldiers recovering at Endell Street Military Hospital in 1916 showed that Garvice was amongst the favorites, alongside Nat Gould and Baroness Orczy.

After a prolific and very successful career, Garvice died from a cerebral haemorrhage at 10 p.m. on 1 March 1920 after lying in a coma for eight days.

The Miscellany column of The Manchester Guardian (4 March 1920) accurately summed up Garvice when it said "His books will be forgotten but his place will never be vacant. To each generation its own Garvice." I'm not sure who you would cast in the Garvice role for my generation: Harold Robbins, perhaps? Later contenders would have to include Stephen King, Michael Crichton and, today's Garvice, Dan Brown.

What is surprising is that so little seems to be known about his early career. As someone raised the subject of Garvice recently, it seemed that a little exploring was in order.

The Dictionary of National Bibliography offers the following:

Garvice, Charles Andrew (1850–1920), writer, was baptized on 18 September 1850 at St Dunstan and All Saints' Church in Stepney, London, the son of Andrew John Garvice, and his wife, Mira. Little else is known of his family origins and personal life. Obscurity envelops the formative phase in the career of an author who became a publishing phenomenon—‘the most successful novelist in England’, according to Arnold Bennett in 1910. There is no record of his marriage, although he had married by 1873, when he dedicated his début publication, Eve: and other Verses, to his wife; they had two sons and five daughters. Possibly, Garvice had married abroad, as in the preface to Eve he says that he ‘scribbled on foreign steam-boats and in railway carriages’. He also alludes to a struggling existence, including, perhaps, a bereavement: ‘Most of them [the verses] were written at midnight when the hand was too weary to write and the brain to forge stronger work; some few were born under the cloud of a heavy sorrow.’.

We can add a little to this. He was actually born on 24 August 1850—this from the baptismal record which not only notes his baptism date but the day he was born, too. His parents address at the time of baptism was given as 16 Aston Terrace, Lime House, and dad was a builder

His father, Andrew John Garvice, the son of Thomas and Maria Garvice, married Mira Winter in Gravesend, Kent, in 1848. Andrew John Garvice was born in London on 9 August 1816 and baptised on 17 November at St. Dunston and All Saints in Tower Hamlets, as was his son 34 years later. I believe the couple had a son, Andrew Joseph Garvice, born 2Q 1848 in Gravesend who died 3Q 1849.

Andrew, Mea (sic) and Charles A. Garvice, are in the 1851 census at 16 Aston Street, Saint Anne, Limehouse, Tower Hamlets. Andrew Garvice's occupation was listed as bricklayer (which was also his occupation in 1841 census). Misspellings make tracing the Garvice family very tricky: on Find My Past they are listed as Garvies and on Ancestry, Andrew's wife is given as Alice! Andrew (his death listed as Andrew Garvico) died in late 1851. His widow does not appear on the 1861 census and it is possible that she is the Mary Garvice who (re-)married in the City of London in 1851.

I believe Charles is subsequently listed as Charles Henry Garvice in the 1861 census, aged 10, born Stepney, London, and then a scholar at a school in Mill Road, Bexley, Kent, run by Samuel Collins Barber. This is a little speculative but the 1871 census also lists Garvice (listed as C. A. Garvice) as born in Stepney. By then, Garvice, his occupation described as bookseller, was living with his uncle Joseph Winter (a retired licensed victualler) at 11 The Terrace, Woodford, Essex.

Garvice moved to Hornsey and was married in 1872 to Elizabeth Jones, banns having been published in June and July 1872; the record was subsequently lost from sight because of a spelling error—he is listed as Garbice! Charles and Elizabeth had eight children between 1873 and 1885.

• Vivien Garvice, b. Cookham, Berkshire, 1873; m. Ernest Allen Stapledon, 1898; d. Northam, Devon, 1958
• Chudleigh Garvice, b. Cookham, 12 Jan 1875; d. Alexandria, Egypt, 23 Mar 1921 [a biographical sketch can be found archived here]
• Muriel Mary Garvice, b. Cookham, 1877; d. Bristol, 1915
• Beatrix Garvice, b. Weybridge, Surrey, 1878; m. Clifford Henry Bird, 1905
• Violet Garvice, b. Weybridge, 1881; m. Benwell Harold Bird, 1905
• Winifred Garvice, b. Weybridge, 10 Feb 1882; d. Bideford, Devon, 1969
• Olive Garvice, b. Weybridge, 1884; d. London, 1924 [supposedly aged 38]
• Basil Kendale Garvice, b. Northam, Devon, 18 Aug 1885; lived in Canada from 1906; m. Margery R. Cossentine, 21 Jul 1914; 2nd m. Margaret Isabel Crichton Innes, 5 Oct 1940; d. Ladysmith, B.C., 9 Mar 1964

The Garvices first lived at The Retreat, Cookham, Berkshire, where Charles wrote his first novel, Maurice Durant (1875). At the time of the 1881 census, Garvice and family were living at The Chestnuts, Weybridge, Charles' occupation listed as novelist/journalist. By 1891 they were living at Boat Hyde, Northam, Devon, Charles being described as author/journalist/dramatist. By 1901, they had moved to Moorlands, Bradworthy, Devon. Garvice had the house built for himself, according to the local Bradworthy News magazine. A column by Cecil Collacott (November 2000) notes that Garvice also build Little Silworthy in Putford. "At the latter place he experimented with farming and wrote his only non-fiction book A Farm in Creamland."

Moorlands

Although he considered himself a novice farmer, Garvice became President of the Farmers' and Landowners' Association. He was also later chairman of the executive of the Authors' Club.

When he died in 1920, his address was 4 Maids of Honour Row, Richmond, Surrey. He left a gross estate valued at £71,049 6s. 9d. (net £67, 202 6s. 4d.), the majority going to his wife, with bequests to his two sons. Garvice had said, in answer to someone asking if he would like one day to write something that gave him lasting fame, that he did not write for fame but for money. He certainly made money and time has shown that his fame lasted only as long as the succession of bestsellers arrived on the bookshelves.

PUBLICATIONS

Note: the following checklist is a bit of a mess. I'm usually reasonably confident of the bibliographies that are posted to Bear Alley, but this one involves dozens of books published in cheap, often undated editions, or as part of series that have only been poorly indexed. This, coupled with the minefield that is Worldcat, has meant I've listed multiple editions for some titles as I'm uncertain which came first. As a first stab at this, I think it improves on a listing compiled for 20th Century Romance & Historical Writers, published in 1994, but there's still a long way to go before it would be called definitive.

Novels
Maurice Durant. London, A. Smith, 3 vols., 1875; New York, Ogilvie, n.d.; in 2 vols., as The Eyes of Love, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 347), n.d., and The Hearts of Youth, New York, Street & Smith (new Eagle ser. 348), n.d.
'Twixt Smile and Tear. New York, G. Munro, 1887.
Her Ransom. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 31), n..d.; New York, Street & Smith (Eagle Library 50), Feb 1898; as Her Ransom; or, Paid For!, Chicago, M. A. Donohue, n.d.
Claire. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 33), c.1890; as Claire; or, The Mistress of Court Regina, New York, J. S. Ogilvie (Charles Garvice 2), 1898; New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1899.
Lorrie; or, Hollow Gold. New York, F. P. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 51), n.d.; New York, Street & Smith (Eagle Library 85), 1898; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Her Heart's Desire. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 58), n.d.; New York, Street & Smith (Eagle Library 41), 1897; London, Sands, 1900.
Leslie's Loyalty; or, His Love So True. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 62), 18??; New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1898; Chicago, M. A. Donohue, 1900; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911; New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 17), n.d.; as His Perfect Trust, New York, Street & Smith (Eagle Library 69), 1898?; in 2 vols., as His Perfect Trust, Cleveland, Arthur Westrbook, c.1910, and Her Love So True, Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, 1910.
A Passion Flower. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 68), n.d.; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Sweet Cymbeline. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 74), n.d.; London, Newnes, 1911; New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 102), n.d.
A Wilful Maid. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 88, n.d.; New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 95), n.d.; London, Newnes, 1911; as Phillippa; or. The Wilful Maid, Chicago, M. A. Donohue, 1900.
Lady Norah; or, The Earl’s Heir. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 97), n.d.; as The Earl's Heir; or, Lady Norah, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 231), n.d.; Chicago, M. A. Donohue, n.d.; as The Earl's Daughter. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Leola Dale's Fortune. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 105), n.d.; New York, Street & Smith (New Ealge ser. 223), 1901; London, Hutchinson, 1910.
The Lady of Darracourt. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 127), n.d.; New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser.), 1902; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911.
Stella Newton. New York, F. M. Lupton (Arm Chair Library 122), n.d.
Married at Sight. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library), 1889.
Elaine. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 4), 1890; London, Newnes, 1911.
Shadow of Her Life. New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1890.
Jeanne; or, Barriers Between. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 143), 1890?; as Jeanne; or, Love’s Triumph, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 267), 1902.
Who Was the Heir?. New York, F. M. Lupton (Chimney Corner ser. 148), 1890.
Better Than Life. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Seaside Library 11), 1891; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910; as Better Than Life; or, Her Bitter Cup, New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 531), n.d.
On Love's Altar. New York, Munro, 1892; London, R. E. King, 1908; as A Wasted Love; or On Love’s Altar, New York, Street & Smith (Eagle Library 24), 1897; as A Wasted Love; or On Love’s Altar [with Florry’s Lesson], Chicago, M. A. Donohue, 1904; as A Wasted Love; or, On Love’s Altar by Caroline Hart, Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser.), n.d.
A Life's Mistake. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 19), 1892; London, Hutchinson, 1910.
Once in a Life. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1892; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910; as Once in a Life; or, The Secret of Her Heart, New York, A. L. Burt, n.d..
Paid For! New York, Munro, 1892; London, Hutchinson, 1909.
In Cupid's Chains. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1893; London, Sands, 1902; as In Cupid’s Chains; or, A Slave For Life, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 557), 1908.
'Twas Love's Fault. New York, A. L. Burt, 1893; as ‘Twas Love’s Fault; or, A Young Girl’s Trust, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 548), n.d.
Queen Kate. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1894; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1909; as Queen Kate; or, A Wilful Lassie, New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 553), n.d.
The Outcast of the Family. New York, A. L. Burt, 1894; as An Outcast of the Family, London, Sands, 1900.
His Guardian Angel; or, Wild Margaret. Chicago, M. A. Donahue, 1894; London, Newnes, 1911.
Only One Love. Chicago, M. A. Donahue (Alert Library 167), n.d. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Stella's Fortune; or, Love the Conqueror. Chicago, M. A. Donohue, n.d.; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912; New York, Street & Smith, n.d.; as The Sculptor's Wooing, New York, Ogilvie, n.d.
A Woman’s Soul; or, Doris. Chicago, M. A. Donohue (Alert Library 162), n.d.; as A Woman’s Soul: Behind the Footlights, New York, J. S. Ogilvie (Railroad ser. 62), 1900.
A Wounded Heart; or, Sweet as a Rose. Chicago, M. A. Donahue, n.d.; as Sweet as a Rose, London, Hutchinson, 1910.
Just a Girl; or, The Strange Duchess. New York, A. L. Burt, 1895; as The Mistress of Court Regina, New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1897; London, Hutchinson, 1909; as Just a Girl, illus. Warwick Goble. London, James Bowden, 1898; as An Innocent Girl, New York, Munro, 1898.
The Marquis. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 21), 1895.
The Price of Honour (as Charles Gibson). Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
She Loved Him. New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1895; London, Hutchinson, 1909; as Her Right to Love; or, She Loved Him by Caroline Hart, Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser.), n.d.
By Devious Ways. New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1896.
A Coronet of Shame. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 30), 1896; London, Sands & Co., 1900.
His Love So True. New York, Munro, 1896.
Heart for Heart; or. Love’s Queer Pranks. New York, A. L. Burt, 1897.
Sydney. A wilful young woman. New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 70), 1897?
The Story of a Passion. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 33), 1898; London, Hutchinson, 1908.
A Modern Juliet; or, The Unknown Future. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 39), 1898; New York, A. L. Burt, 1898; London, Pearson, 1910.
Nell of Shorne Mills; or, One Heart’s Burden. New York, A. L. Burt, 1898; London, Hutchinson, 1908.
A Sample of Prejudice. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1898.
A Heritage of Hate; or, A Change of Heart. New York, A. L. Burt, 1899; London, Amalgamated Press, 1909.
Love's Dilemma; or, Kate Meddon’s Lover. Chicago, M. A. Donahue, 1900; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1917; as Love’s Dilemma; or, For an Earldom, New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 280), n.d.; as For an Earldom, New York, Ogilvie, n.d.
Love, The Tyrant. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 43), 1900; London, Hutchinson, 1905.
Nance. London, Sands, 1900.
At Love's Cost; or, Her Rival’s Triumph. New York, A. L. Burt, 1900?; London, Hutchinson, 1909.
Farmer Holt's Daughter. New York, Federal Book Co., 1901.
Maida: A Child of Sorrow. New York, A. L. Burt, 1901.
Only a Girl's Love. New York, Street & Smith, 1901; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911; abridged (by Barbara Cartland), New York, Bantam Books, 1980.
With All Her Heart; or, Love Begets Faith. New York, A. L. Burt, 1901; London, Newnes, 1910.
Diana: For Her Only. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1902; as For Her Only, New York, Street & Smith, 1902; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911.
The Ashes of Love; or, Fickle Fortune. New York, J. S. Ogilvie (Railroad ser. 56), 1901?; in 2 vols. as The Ashes of Love, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 360), n.d., and A Heart Triumphant, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 361), n.d.
Iris; or, A Martyred Love. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 257), 1902?; London, Newnes, 1914; as A Martyred Love; or, The Heiress of Revels, Chicago, M. A. Donohue, 1902.
The Heir of Vering; or, The Queen Lily. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 296), 1902; London, Hutchinson, 1910.
Woman's Soul. New York, Street & Smith, 1902.
The Spring-Time of Love. New York, G. Munro’s Sons, 1902; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910; as So Nearly Lost; or, Springtime of Love. New York, Street & Smith, n.d.
So Fair, So False; or, A Soul’s Devotion. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 272), 1902; as So Fair, So False; or. The Beauty of the Season, Chicago, M. A. Donohue, n.d.
My Lady Pride. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 283), 1902.
Olivia; or, It was for Her Sake. New York, G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library), 1902?; New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 268), 1902.
Kyra's Fate; or, Love Knows No Bonds. New York, A. L. Burt, 1902; London, Hutchinson, 1908.
The Usurper; or, Her Humble Lover. Chicago, M. A. Donohue (Laurel Library 110), 1902; as Her Humble Lover, Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (All Star ser. 45), 1904.
A Wounded Heart; or, Sweet as a Rose. New York, J. S. Ogilvie (Railroad ser. 66), 1902.
Woven on Fate's Loom, and The Snowdrift. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 312), 1903; as Woven on Fate’s Loom [with Florry’s Lesson by M. T. Caldor], New York, F. P. Lupton (Leisure Hour Library 40), 1904.
The Spider and the Fly; or, An Undesired Love: Violet. New York, J. S. Ogilvie (Charles Garvice ser. 22), 1903.
Staunch of Heart; or, Adrien Leroy’s Sacrifice. New York, Street & Smith (Eagle ser. 318), 1903; as Adrien Leroy, London, Newnes, 1912; Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (All Star ser. 1), n.d.
Staunch as a Woman; or, Love’s Woe. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 304), 1903; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Led by Love (sequel to “Staunch as a Woman”). New York, Streeet & Smith (New Eagle ser. 305), 1903.
Linked by Fate; or, Not to be Bought. New York, A. L. Burt, 1903; London, Hutchinson, 1905.
The Verdict of the Heart. © 1903; London, Newnes, 1912; [with “Farmer Holt’s Daughter”] New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 630), 1909.
A Girl of Spirit; or, Bound By Honor. New York, A. L. Burt, 1904; London, Hutchinson, 1906; New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 640), 1909.
A Jest of Fate; or, Love’s Supreme Effort. New York, Munro, 1904; London, Newnes, 1909.
Love Decides. London, Hutchinson, 1904.
The Pride of Her Life. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 367), 1904.
Won by Love’s Valor (sequel to “The Pride of Her Life”). New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 368), 1904.
Creatures of Destiny; or, Where Love Leads. New York, A. L. Burt, 1905.
Edna's Secret Marriage; or. Love’s Champion. New York, A. L. Burt, 1905.
She Trusted Him. New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1905.
Love and a Lie. New York, A. L. Burt, c.1905?; as Love and a Lie; or, The Heart of the Other Woman, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 712), 1907.
The Other Woman. New York, Street & Smith, 1905.
When Love Meets Love; or, Cynthia’s Reward. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 458), 1906.
Diana's Destiny. New York, A. L. Burt, 1905; as Diana and Destiny, London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1906; as Diana’s Destiny; or, Won By Faith, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 650), 1909.
Where Love Leads. London, Hutchinson, 1907.
When Love Is Young. New York, A. L. Burt, 1907; as When Love Was Young; or, The Crooked Way. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 671), 1910.
The Gold in the Gutter. London, Hutchinson, 1907; as Gold in the Gutter; or, A Love Unfolded, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 679) 1910.
Slave of the Lake. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
Taming of Princess Olga. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
Woman Decides. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
My Lady of Snow. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
Linnie. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
Olivia and Others. London, Hutchinson, 1908.
A Love Comedy; or, Behind the Scenes. Chicago, Stein, 1908; London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912.
Marcia Drayton. London, Newnes, 1908.
The Female Editor of the “Milchester Trumpet”. Chicago, Max Stein (Atlantic Library), 1908.
Leave Love to Itself. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
The First and Last. Chicago, Max Stein (Atlantic Library), 1908.
In the Matter of a Letter. Chicago, Stein, 1908.
The Rugged Path. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.
In Wolf's Clothing. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.
Sacrifice to Art. Chicago, Max Stein, 1909.
The Scribblers' Club. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1909.
The Fatal Ruby. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1909; New York, Donald W. Newton, 1909.
By Dangerous Ways. London, Amalgamated Press, 1909; New York, A. L. Burt, n.d.
A Fair Imposter. London, Newnes, 1909.
Barriers Between. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
The Beauty of the Season. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
Dulcie. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910.
A Girl from the South. London, Cassell, 1910; as A Girl from the South; or, In Love’s Hands, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 721), 1911.
The Heart of a Maid. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1910; as The Heart of a Maid; or, By Love’s Still Waters, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 749), 1911.
Floris. London, Hutchinson, 1910.
Signa's Sweetheart. London, Hutchinson, 1910.
Miss Estcourt. London, Hutchinson, 1911; as Miss Estcourt; or, Olive, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 778), 1912.
My Love Kitty. London, Hutchinson, 1911; as My Love Kitty; or, Her Heart’s Bondage, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 775), 1912.
That Strange Girl. London, Hutchinson, 1911.
Violet. London, Hutchinson, 1911.
Doris. London, Newnes, 1911.
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911; in two vols., as He Loves Me; or, The Fatal Mistake, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 327), n.d., and He Loves Me Not, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 328), n.d.
Lord of Himself. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911.
The Other Girl. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911.
Wicked Sir Dare. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 87), 1911; London, C. A. Pearson, 1917.
The Woman in It. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911; New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 758), 1911.
Breta's Double. New York, Street & Smith, n.d.
Imogene. New York, Street & Smith, n.d.
Love for a Day. Philadelphia, Royal Publishing Co. (Charles Garvice ser. 19), n.d.
Love of a Life Time. Philadelphia, Royal, n.d.
Lucille. Chicago, M. A. Donohue, n.d.
Out of the Past. New York, Street & Smith, n.d.
The Price of Honor. Philadelphia, Royal, n.d.; as The Price of Honor; or, Beyond Compare, Cleveland, Arthur Westbrooks (All Star ser. 39), n.d.
The Royal Signet. Philadelphia, Royal, n.d.
Wasted Love. New York, Street & Smith, n.d.
Nellie. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 777), n.d. London, Hutchinson, 1913.
Love in a Snare. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912.
Fate. London, Newnes, 1912; New York, Ogilvie, 1913.
Fickle Fortune. London, Newnes, 1912.
In Fine Feathers. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912.
Two Maids and a Man. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912; as Two Girls and a Man, London, Wright and Brown, 1937.
Country Love. London, Hutchinson, 1912.
Reuben. London, Hutchinson, 1912.
The Girl Who Was True; or, A Change of Heart. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 818), 1913.
The Irony of Love; or, A Fatal Repentance. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 826), 1913.
The Loom of Fate. London, Newnes, 1913.
The Woman's Way. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
The Call of the Heart, A tale of eighty years since. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
In Exchange for Love. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
The One Girl in the World. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1915; in 2 vols. as The One Girl in the World; or, A Love Triumphant, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 978), n.d., and His Priceless Jewel, New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 979), n.d.
Love, the Adventurous. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1917.
The Waster. London, Lloyds, 1918.
The Girl in Love. London, Skeffington, 1919.

Omnibus
Four Complete Novels (contains: Just a Girl, On Love’s Altar, A Jest of Fate, Adrien Leroy). London, 1931.

Novels as Caroline Hart
Lil, The Dancing Girl. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 3), 1909.
Women Who Came Between. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 5), 1909.
Nameless Bess; or, The Triumph of Innocence. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 12), 1909.
That Awful Scar; or, Uncle Ebe’s Will. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser.), 1909.
Vengeance of Love. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, 1909?
Redeemed by Love. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 26), 1910
A Hidden Terror; or. The Freemason’s Daughter. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 36), 1910.
Madness of Love. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 48), 1910?
A Working-Girl's Honor; or. Elsie Brandon’s Aristocratic Lover. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 50), 1911.
A Woman Wronged; or, The Secret of a Crime. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 69), 1911.
Angela's Lover. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, 1911.
From Worse Than Death. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 105), 1912?
A Strange Marriage. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook (Hart ser. 110), 1912.
For Love or Honor. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
From Want to Wealth. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Game of Love. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Haunted Life. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Hearts of Fire. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Lillian's Vow. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Little Princess. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Love's Rugged Path. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Nobody's Wife. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
Rival Heiresses. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
She Loved Not Wisely. Cleveland, Arthur Westbrook, n.d.
The Woman Who Came Between. Cleveland, Economy Books League, 1933.

Collections
My Lady of Snow and other stories. New York. G. Munro’s Sons (Laurel Library 59), 1900?
The Girl Without a Heart and other stories. London, Newnes, 1912.
A Relenting Fate and other stories. London, Newnes, 1912.
All Is Not Fair in Love and other stories. London, Newnes, 1913.
The Tessacott Tragedy and other stories. London, Newnes, 1913.
The Millionaire’s Daughter and other stories. New York, Street & Smith (New Eagle ser. 982), 1915.
The Girl at the 'bacca Shop. London, Skeffington, 1920.
Miss Smith's Fortune and other stories. London, Skeffington, 1920.

Verse
Eve and other verses. Privately printed, 1873.

Non-fiction
A Farm in Creamland. A book of the Devon countryside. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911; New York, Doran, 1912.

Others
The Red Budget of Stories, edited by Garvice. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1912.

Plays
The Fisherman's Daughter (produced London, 1881).
Marigold, with Allan F. Abbott (produced Glasgow, 1914).

(* Photograph of Garvice from Life © Time Inc.; the photograph of Moorlands was found here.)

Comic Cuts - 19 February 2010

I've spent most of the week doing high-resolution scans of original art boards for the upcoming H. Rider Haggard volume I'm working on for Book Palace Books, with a mid-week pause to write a piece about Fortunino Matania for the Drawing from History book that was announced ages ago before things went wonky—various family troubles and endless problems caused by one of the books. Geoff and Stuart, the other two-thirds of Book Palace Books, are now working on the book, which will include some stunning artwork by one of the finest illustrators to ever work in the UK.

Similarly, I'd say that we have a superb line-up for the H. Rider Haggard book... Jesus Blasco, C. L. Doughty and Mike Hubbard, three of the best artists to ever work in British comics. The three strips are "Montezuma's Daughter", "King Solomon's Mines" and "Allan Quatermain" (the sequel to "King Solomon's Mines"). I promised I'd post a couple of pages... so here's the first pair of pages from "Montezuma's Daughter", which is possibly the best thing Blasco ever drew. The Steel Claw is still my favourite strip—for me the greatest combination of art and story ever!—but you really begin to appreciate the astonishing quality of his work when you see his original art boards. Blasco drew his artwork twice-up so I'm having to do scans in two halves and stitching them together. It takes ages, but I promise you won't see the join!

There's the added problem of line-and-wash—I prefer line art to work with as it's easier to clean up—and, at the moment, two of the strips don't have any lettering, so it's going to be a while before I have these finished. I'm planning to take a break and work on Storm—The Collection volume 11 to give my life a bit of variety next week, but I'll try to get some example pages of "King Solomon's" and "Allan Quatermain" finished in time to post next week.

Good news for people waiting on the Frank Bellamy's World War 1 and Frank Bellamy: Complete Swift Stories: the ship docks tomorrow! It will be another week before the books pass through customs and are shipped across to Crystal Palace but, with luck and a good tail wind, the advance orders will start to be fulfilled the first week of March.

Not much news from elsewhere (I've not had much of a chance to look!). Mike Dempsey has posted a piece about the rural illustrations of Ronald Lampitt, who was covered here (briefly) last weekend.

The new issue of Spaceship Away, resplendent in its Don Harley cover, is out and can be ordered via the Spaceship Away website. I've only had a chance to glance at the new issue and it's up to the usual high standard, with two ongoing Dan Dare stories, "Green Nemesis" and "The Gates of Eden", the fifth and final episode of "Nick Hazard", the first episode of a new "Ex-Astris" story and ongoing reprints of "Journey Into Space" and "Garth"; there's also a gorgeous cutaway drawing of the Anastasia by Graham Bleathman. Rod promises new artwork by Ian Kennedy, Chris Weston, Graham Bleathman and Don Harley next issue, so that's something worth looking forward to.

And that's me out of here. If I can get it together, we should have another strip starting next week. I can't say what it is because I haven't actually decided what to run. But it'll be good, I promise.

Ian J. Scott (1914-2010)

Cartoonist, illustrator and agent Ian J. Scott is one of the creators now included in Not Forgotten 2009-10, a collection of revised obituaries published by Bear Alley Books.

Fortunino Matania

Yesterday I took a break from scanning to write a biographical sketch of artist Fortunino Matania. A wonderful artist, his drawings were almost photographs, recording events from the early days of the 20th century on through the 1930s. As real photographs took over the job of recording history, Matania continued to produce stunning paintings and illustrations until his death in 1963.

As a treat, I thought you might like this, a British Pathe News film clip from 1932 showing Matania at work in his studio. Click on the picture below to go to the British Pathe website.



(* © British Pathe Ltd.)

Tomorrow Revisited

(* With the announcement that Tomorrow Revisited is due for publication in April, the newly expanded biography of Frank Hampson by Alastair Crompton, I thought I'd give Alastair the floor and let him discuss the book...)

Tomorrow Revisited
by Alastair Crompton

Back in the 1950s, when four-colour printing meant preparing and etching four huge cylinders, when paper-rolls tore and sisal got trapped in the doctor blades to spread streaks of ink down the page, off-register printing was the bane of the comic artists’ life. Frank Hampson, who spent more time than most over his easel, used to spit blood when he saw what Eric Bemrose, printers of Eagle, did to his work. The problem was solved when John Crosfield developed the Autotron colour register control system, the first off-the-shelf system to guarantee perfect register on large gravure presses. It revolutionised printing and allowed Bemrose to print 12,000 Eagles an hour, 200 a minute, just over three a second.

But the Autotron did not arrive before Bemrose had printed over 100 pages of Hampson’s Dan Dare art, and managed to let the register slip on at least part of almost every run. This mis-register carried through to Hawkey’s Dan Dare facsimiles, and later into some of Titan’s reprints. Attempts to gather together the full 150-or-so pages of the Venus story, and print again, were years too late. The boards had been secretly on sale for years and in the sixties and seventies anyone with £20 or so to spare could buy a Hampson original. £20 looks a silly price today. Chris Beetles art gallery has a small selection where pages cost between £3,500 and £6,500.

However Hampson fans were gathering original boards. Paul Stephenson, partner in PS Art Books, bought Dan Dare art from as far away as Italy. Other collectors (notably Terry Doyle, Andrew Skilleter and myself) had either original boards or 5” x 4” colour transparencies of the calibre you could print from. Scores of these boards were put together and now some are to be reproduced on fine art paper, in a 200 page book, Tomorrow Revisited, due to be published in time for the 60th anniversary of Eagle and Dan Dare.

This was just one tiny frame in Eagle issue 4 but look at the detail. Quite unnecessary, of course, but an example of how much work FH could put into a frame to add what he called 'interest'.

The book will also include copies of Hampson’s ‘lost’ strips, drawn when he had completed The Road of Courage, and wanted to give new life to Eagle with a series of new stories. But Longacre didn’t want to work with Hampson any more and contrived a way to accuse him of breaking his contract. To rescue his house, car and pension, Hampson agreed to quit, whereupon Longacre insisted all his new strips be handed over to them. The boards were consigned to the art vaults where they languished for a bit then were stolen away. PS Publishing has secured copies of these strips, refurbished in some part, and they are included in the new book.

The book is also lavishly illustrated with sketches, photographs, doodles, ‘reminders’ and ‘trail runs’ taken from Hampson’s notebooks. These include style-guides of the principal characters, and to-scale templates for the Mekon, his Treen soldiers, the Therons, Atlantines and various space-fleet personnel.

Raff Royal, a contemporary adventure featuring a pilot with NATO, the original scamp here redrawn by Don Harley

Text for the book, part of which appeared as The Man Who Drew Tomorrow in 1985, is totally rewritten, using sources not available (or unwilling to contribute) while Hampson and Dorothy his wife were alive. The wholly new manuscript has been read cover-to-cover by Peter Hampson who has contributed were he has seen fit. Other details have come from Living with Eagles, the biography of Marcus Morris by two of his daughters, who together with their publishers, Lutterworth, have kindly granted permission to quote from their work.

This is Hampson’s complete story, from birth to demise, never published in one place before. It covers his schooldays, army service, the birth of Dan Dare, 12 years of Eagle glory, the traumatic firing, the suicide attempt, bouts of depression, the onset of throat cancer, and the struggle to continue after Eagle. It culminates at the 11th International Convention of strip cartoons and animated films, held at Lucca in Tuscany from 26th Oct to 9th Nov 1975, when an international jury of his peers gave Frank Hampson a Yellow Kid Award*, and voted him prestigioso maestro, the best strip-cartoon storyteller since the end of the Second World War.

Tomorrow Revisited can be pre-ordered from the PS Publishing website. More Raff Royal can be found at the Lost Characters of Frank Hampson website.

George Stanley

George Stanley is another author from my file of "mysteries that have me mystified".

In 1948 Stanley was listed in the Author's and Writer's Who's Who as an author who contributed to Pearson's Magazine, Central Press, Northern Newspaper Syndicate, a writer of dog stories, thrillers, detective stories and serials. Five novels were listed and... a home address!

Usually this would be enough to give at least a clue, but, in this case, we're not sure if it has helped at all. A look at the voter's register for the address—17 Middle Park Avenue, Eltham SW9—in the late 1940s shows that Amy Butler and Aida Bocock were listed at that address, joined briefly by one George Newsome. Newsome may be Stanley, but it's by no means certain.

That he was a lodger in a family home is fairly clear as, looking back, the household in 1939 included Selina Butler and her daughters Amy Butler and Ada Bocock, formerly Butler, who  had married Ernest Bocock in 1926, only to be widowed 13 years later.

Newsome was to be found at 17 Middle Park Avenue in 1945-46, before possibly moving to 46 Crescent Road, Woolwich in 1947. He may be the George Newsome who was living at Flat 10, 99 Shooter's Hill Road in 1954-63.

Stanley was active as a writer for at least 28 years, his books appearing irregularly in the 1930s, then more frequently in the years immediately after the war from the cheap end of the paperback market. Only a handful of books appeared after 1947, with a ten-year gap between his last two books, the last a war novel unlike anything he had published before.

I've yet to discover any of Stanley's serials or "dog stories" or any other journalistic endeavors. One things that does have me intrigued is his fascination with the number seven. Perhaps after including it in his first published novel, he felt it was a lucky charm. Eventually five of his novels included seven in the title.

Publications
Secret of the Seven Spiders. London, Fenland Press, 1932.
The Seven Shadows. London, Blackie & Sons, 1935.
The Blue Light. London, Blackie & Sons, 1935.
The Missing Million. London, John Gifford, 1938.
The League of Twelve. Dublin, Mellifont, Oct 1940.
Gangsters All (collection). London, Mitre Press, Feb 1945.
Gangsters’ Parade (collection). London, Mitre Press, Aug 1945.
The Adventures of the Black Pilgrim. London, Metropolitan Press, 1945.
Further Adventures of the Black Pilgrim. London, Modern Fiction, Sep 1945.
Case of the Seven Keys. London, Modern Fiction, Oct 1945.
Rubberface. London, Modern Fiction, Oct 1945.
Silver Slave. London, Regency Press, Nov 1945.
Sinister Valley. London, Bear Hudson, Feb 1946.
The Brotherhood of Death. London, Mitre Press, Mar 1946.
The Men of the Mist. London, Martin & Reid, Feb 1947.
The Seven Saints. London, Gerald Swan, May 1948.
The Sign of Seven. London, J. Coker, May 1950.
The Might of the Emperor. London, Digit D340, Apr 1960.

Ronald Lampitt

A recent enquiry prompted a search for information on Ronald Lampitt, details of whose life are pretty sparse. Ronald George Lampitt, born in Worcester on 16 March 1906, produced illustrations for magazines, including Zoo, Passing Show, Illustrated, Modern Wonder, John Bull, Look and Learn and Treasure. In the early 1950s, he could be found in the pages of Mickey Mouse Weekly, illustrating "The Story of Lassie".

His main subject was landscape paintings and paintings of rural scenes; his scenic views of towns were published as travel posters by railway companies, including G.W.R. and Southern Railway.

His book illustrations included work for Summer Pie, Oxford University Press and Ladybird Books, many of them in collaboration with Henry James Deverson (1908-1972). Lampitt's association with Deverson included working on the Mainly for Children series published by the Sunday Times in the early 1960s but also went deeper as Lampitt was married to H.J.'s sister, Mona Deverson (1911-1995), in 1938. The couple had two daughters, Judy and Susan.

Lampitt lived for some five decades (1938/88) at the same address, 10 Old Farm Road East, Sidcup, Kent. His death was registered in Bexley, Kent in October 1988, aged 82.

An interesting photo from circa 1900 appears on the Getty Images website of Henry Lampitt, captioned "grandfather of the artist Ronald Lampitt, at home with his family in Fladbury, Worcestershire". A little digging turns up a few facts about Henry... he was born in Fladbury in 1851 and was resident there until his death in 1922. He was married in 1874 and had 11 children. Henry's third son, Rowland Edward Lampitt (1879-1959), a clerk with Great Western Railways, was married in 1904 to Florence Pope and Ronald was the first of three sons. His father's job meant that Ronald probably grew up in Fladbury, Worcestershire, and in Middlesex, youngest brother John being born in Brentford in 1920.

Publications

Written & Illustrated
The Story of Paint. Darwen, Walpamur Co. Ltd., 1962.

Illustrated Books
The Children's Own Wonder Book, with others. London, Odhams Press, 1947.
The Map That Came to Life by H. J. Deverson. London, Geoffrey Cumberlege/Oxford University Press, 1948. [available online here]
The Open Road by H. J. Deverson. London, Oxford University Press, 1962.
The Story of Bread by H. J. Deverson. Harmondsworth, Penguin Books in association with Ranks Hovis McDougall (Puffin Picture Book 119), 1964.
Animals and How They Live by Frank Newing & Richard Bowood. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1965.
Plants and How They Grow by Frank Newing & Richard Bowood. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1965.
Birds and How They Live by Frank Newing & Richard Bowood. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1966.
A Ladybird Book of Our Land in the Making: Book 1: Earliest Times to the Norman Conquest by Richard Bowood. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1966.
A Ladybird Book of Our Land in the Making: Book 2: Norman Conquest to Present Day by Richard Bowood. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1966.
Understanding Maps by Nancy Scott. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1967.
Ideas for the Garden by Ray Proctor. London, Wolfe, 1972.
Learning About Insects and Small Animals by Romola Showell. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1972.
What to Look for Inside a Church by P. J. Hunt. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1972.
What to Look for Outside a Church by P. J. Hunt. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth (Ladybird Books), 1972.

(* Illustrations (c) Look and Learn Ltd.; cover image of The Map That Came to Life is from the Visual Telling of Stories website which has further examples of Lampitt's work)

Comic Cuts - 12 February 2010

Where's Don? If you can spot Don Lawrence and Martin Lodewijk in this picture you'll win nothing at all but can bask in the satisfaction that you know what they look like. But what important bits of information have you forgotten just you can retain that memory of their features? Where are your car keys? When was your wife's birthday? Oh, boy... are you in trouble!

Book Bits

I said last week that I was hoping to have a third book finished by today... well, I'm writing this in the wee hours of Friday morning, just after midnight and earlier today put the finishing touches to Storm—The Collection Volume 10, which contains two of the original Dutch albums, The Return of the Red Prince and The Von Neumann Machine. For those of you keeping an eye on my output, that's another 22,100 words in the last couple of weeks. So in the first six weeks of 2010 my total output has reached 60,500 words, 35,000 of which I'll get some form of payment for. Mind you, the output figures are still more impressive than my income figure. I'm only just keeping ahead of the bills.

Next up for me: scanning the original artwork for Montezuma's Daughter. I should be starting that today and I'll post some examples next week. They're gorgeous! Then it's back to Storm for Storm—The Collection Volume 11. Hopefully I'll be able to switch from artwork to writing for a while because too much of one or the other can make life a bit boring. Anyone who thinks that being a freelancer working from home is any different from working in an office is wrong, wrong, WRONG! It's just like any other job but with a shorter journey time to and from work. There are still deadlines, good days and bad days, and there's no getting away from work at 5:30.

Blog Bits

I spotted a problem with some of my Amazon links last Saturday and spent most of the evening trying to fix as many as I could. I suspect there are still going to be many links that aren't working properly, mostly links I posted in 2008 and earlier; some will take you to the Amazon home page, whilst others take you to an error message. If you find this happening, your best bet is to use the Amazon search box over there on the left.

'Coral Island' comes to an end Monday morning and I've yet to figure out what I'm doing next. Tuesday I'll post the sixth and final episode of the Comics Spin-Off and Tie-In novels listing—a long time coming but hopefully worth the wait. Wednesday... well, we'll just have to wait and see because I don't have a clue.

Other Bits

Following on from the launch of the recent Beezer's Golden Years site, another D. C. Thomson title has its own dedicated blog in the shape of Champ Comic—We Are United run by Kev T.

Those nice folk at Random House have sent over the publicity material for the first three books to spin off from the much-missed The DFC. I was quite critical last year about the delay in getting collections from the comic published—I still think that getting books into shops would have boosted subscriptions for the comic had they appeared while The DFC was running. I'll shut up about that from now on... it's now a whole different venture, so let's keep looking forward rather than back.

You can see a preview of the three books at the Random House website (requires Flash and javascript to be enabled for those of a technical bent) but here are all the details fit to print...

Imagine a Bogart and Bacall movie recast with Laurel and Hardy. Dressed in dog suits.
__That's not really quite what Good Dog, Bad Dog is like but still, imagine.
__Good Dog, Bad Dog, meanwhile, is a knockabout crime noir adventure comedy full of slapstick humour, terrible puns and exciting action. it stars canine detectives Kirk Bergman and Duncan McBoo fighting crime in their home city of Muttropolis as they tackle villains such as evil Wah Wah Johnson and thuggish Pug Ugly, trade lines with femme fatale Fifi La Confiture and occasionally disguise themselves in unconvincing beards.
__It's daft exciting fun and it's got milkshakes in it: what more could you want?

Good Dog, Bad Dog Book 1 by Dave Shelton. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385619250, 4 March 2010, £9.99 h/c.

The world of MeZolith awaits.
__10,000 years ago, the Kansa tribe live on the western shores of the North Sea Basin, where danger is never far away. Each season brings new adventure, each hunt has its risks, and each grim encounter with the neighbouring tribe is fraught with threats. Poika, a boy on the verge of manhood, must play his part and trust the strength and wisdom of his elders. This is a tale of beasts and beauty, man, magic and... horror.

Mezolith Book 1 by Ben Haggarty & Adam Brockbank. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385618267, 1 April 2010, £9.99 h/c.

They tell a prophecy of our homelands being crushed by a falling sky. That fate has been a shadow over our people ever since. The end has begun... in my lifetime.
__Bekka and her people are facing the end of times. They must do all in their power to save themselves from the fate they believe is theirs. But destiny is like a tightly coiled snake. Which Bekka must unfurl without getting bitten...

The Spider Moon Book 1 by Kate Brown. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385618274, 29 April 2010, £9.99 h/c.

Give 'em your support and hopefully we'll being seeing more from the DFC crew.

And, finally...

Twenty-five years ago Alastair Crompton wrote the excellent The Man Who Drew Tomorrow, the biography of one of Britain's greatest comics' artists, Frank Hampson. Now, just in time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of Eagle and Hampson's famous creation, Dan Dare, Alastair has written a new biography of Hampson. Tomorrow Revisited is a thorough revision of the earlier book and packed to the gills with artwork taken from original boards and including some of Hampson's 'lost' work, in book form for the first time.

Check out the advert above for further details of the various editions that will be appearing when the book arrives in April. I've invited Alastair to pen a short piece about the book which I'll post next week. In the meantime, the publishers are offering a discount for orders placed before 30 April, so now would be the time to start thinking about picking up a copy. You can order the book via the PS Publishing website.

(* Our column header is the unadulterated opening page of 'The Return of the Red Prince', volume 19 of the Storm series and now newly translated for Storm--The Collection Volume 10. Artwork by Don Lawrence, missing text by Martin Lodewijk © Don Lawrence Collection / Lis Lawrence / Martin Lodewijk.)

Princess Tina Diary

by Jeremy Briggs

It is the time of year for new calendars and new diaries. While there have been many calendars tying into comics over the years, including this year's Broons and retro Beano calendars, diary tie-ins with comics have always been uncommon. Letts TV 21 Diary for 1971 is perhaps the best known but in 1972 Collins produced this little pocket diary to tie-in with Fleetway's Princess Tina comic.

Princess Tina began in September 1967 as an amalgamation of the long running Princess comic magazine which had been around for more than 7 years and the Tina comic, an abortive attempt at a pan-European weekly publication, which lasted only 30 weekly issues in the UK. Just over a year later the title absorbed Lady Penelope comic, by then simply known as Penelope, and it continued on until December 1973 when it was amalgamated into the magazine Pink. As such this diary dates from the later years of the comic.

The diary itself has few tie-ins to the comic however the crown design repeated on the cover was the logo of the comic and was also used in the design of the comic’s club badge. Internally the diary has an extensive run of articles and information at the beginning before the date pages appear. While these include the inevitable London Underground map as well as dates and geographical information, it also includes photos of various child actresses, the winners of the Crufts Dog Show from 1964 to 1971 and, most bizarrely, a complete knitting pattern for a “smart knitted jacket”.

The only true tie-in to the comic inside the diary is an editorial page written by "Linda and Jeffy" the comic's fictional editorial characters who promote the comic and its club on a single page. The address that they give for the club couldn't be more appropriate for this blog.

With thanks to the young Lesley Wallace who, in 1974, decided not to throw this away.

Comic Cuts - 5 February 2010

Another good news week. Wells Fargo is finished! I did the last bits of artwork on Monday, read through the introduction and wrote a back cover blurb on Tuesday and that's all the work I need to do until I start getting proofs back from the designer.

For a change of pace, I've been finishing off The Thriller Index, which covers Cowboy Comics, Thriller Picture Library, Super Detective Library, the previously unindexed Australian A.P. comics, plus various annuals and anthologies. This is the follow-up volume to the War Libraries Index published back in 2007. A lot of the work was done in 2008, shortly after I was laid off from Look and Learn, but various delays have meant that I've only just gotten around to completing work on it. The artists' index took two days to compile but I'm hoping that I can have the authors' index finished today (Friday).

I finished work on the 19th Storm album The Return of the Red Prince last weekend and will hopefully have started working on number 20, The Von Neumann Machine, by the time you read this. So that will be the 10th volume of Storm—The Collection almost completed; volume 11, which completes the run of Don Lawrence's 22 albums, is in hand and I'll get to it shortly. Then it's a volume of H. Rider Haggard stories.

I must say 2010 is starting off at a hell of a clip! In fact, things picked up in December; I've written something like 68,000 words over the past two months—only 28,000 of which will actually earn me some money, admittedly, but I'm pleased to see I'm back up to averaging a thousand words a day. Nothing compared to Brian Stableford—who reveals in the latest Ansible that he knocked out 1.86 million words last year, which is over 5,700 words a day and no time off for good behaviour.

I'm happy to say that some of those words I write do actually get read. The Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History book has made it onto the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009 in the Art Books category.

And on that cheery note, I'm going to get back to my scriptwriter index. With any luck, by this time next week I'll be telling you that I've managed to complete three books in six weeks. Start placing your bets.

(* Our column header is an original board for "Pony Express" by Don Lawrence, one of the strips we'll be reprinting soon; artwork © Look and Learn Ltd.; the cover for Sci-Fi Art is by Vincent Di Fate.)