Bear Alley Books

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Ranger The National Boys' Magazine

Ranger The National Boys' Magazine is the latest in Bear Alley's series of titles covering the history and contents of some of Britain's most fondly remembered comics. Ranger may not have lasted as long as Lion – our previous title – but it was home to some memorable stories and features, including one of comics' finest creations, 'The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire'.

'Trigan Empire' wasn't the only story in Ranger to feature artwork by Don Lawrence. The book's creators' index includes an astonishing array of famous names, including Frank Hampson, Ron Embleton, John Millar Watt, Mike Hubbard, Jesus Blasco, Colin Merrett, Graham Coton, Francis Marshall, Henry Seabright, Will Nickless and Theo Page. With stories by talents as diverse as Captain W. E. Johns and John Creasey, Ranger was able to offer boys' some of the best reading material on offer, including Richard Armstrong's Carnegie Medal-winning novel Sea Change; its photos, cutaway drawings and heavily illustrated features covered everything from duels in the sky to exploding islands, from James Bond's DB6 to the Mariner Mars expedition.

Compiled by Steve Holland and David Slinn, Ranger: The National Boys' Magazine explores the history and background of the magazine, its contents and its lasting legacy. The book also includes an extensive index to the paper's contents, as well as title and creators' indexes.

To give readers a flavour of the contents, the book also includes the full run of the 'Famous Fighting Aces' feature by Colin Merrett as well as two complete comic strips, 'The Adventures of Macbeth' by Ruggero Giovannini and 'Moby Dick' by Franco Caprioli.

Bear Alley Books has previously published King Solomon's Mines and Treasure Island from the pages of Ranger. Now find out the full story behind this classic of British comics.

Format
Ranger: The National Boys' Magazine is published in A4 perfect-bound format, 162 b/w pages with an iconic cover by Ferdinando Tacconi and a rear cover featuring the work of Don Lawrence and Frank Hampson.

Publication Date
Published on 15 April 2013.

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(Please note, postage & packing is extra as noted)

UK: £15.99 + £4.00

EU: £15.99 + £6.50

US: £15.99 £6.50

RoW: £15.99 + £8.50

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Please contact me via the e-mail address below the top-left photo.

(* Ranger © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

King Solomon's Mines

On the opposite side of the chamber were some wooden boxes. "There are the diamonds," I cried. Sir Henry held the light over the top box, which had been rendered rotten by time. Smashing my hand through the wood, I drew it out full, not of diamonds, but of gold pieces.

Welcome to H. Rider Haggard's classic novel adapted in full colour by Mike Hubbard, originally serialised in the pages of Ranger and reprinted for the first time! This was a daring attempt to publish the novel in its original language, using Haggard's own words, although abridged, making it one of the most faithful of all adaptations.

Author Mike Butterworth is better known for writing 'The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire', but his career began many years before as a scriptwriter and editor for the Amalgamated Press's Sun, where penned dozens of stories featuring historical characters (Billy the Kid, Dick Turpin, Robin Hood) as well as creating 'Max Bravo, the Happy Hussar' and 'Battler Britton'. For Comet he wrote authentic historical dramas as well as creating the science fiction adventurer 'Jet-Ace Logan'. Editorially he created the innovative Playhour Pictures, Valentine and the teenage magazine Honey. A prolific novelist, he wrote crime thrillers, bodice-rippers and historicals under a variety of pen-names.

Mike Hubbard was born in Ireland of English/Irish parents but grew up in England. He became a prolific illustrator in the 1930s, producing covers and illustrations for The Thriller, Detective Weekly, The Passing Show and Everybody's. Shortly after the war he was introduced to comics through a series of adaptations of the classics in Knockout. He also became the assistant to Norman Pett on the Daily Mirror's 'Jane', which he took over the drawing of between 1948 and 1959. Returning to comics he visualised the delightful 'Jane Bond, Secret Agent' as well as bringing a further series of classics – ranging from King Solomon's Mines to The Secret Garden – back to life.

Format
King Solomon's Mines is published in US Letter saddle-stitch format, 44 pages colour with a stunning cover by Don Lawrence.

Publication Date
Published on 15 March 2013.

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Treasure Island

We had not built a fire the first night we had stayed there, and it seemed strange that there should be one burning tonight. It was at this moment that a shrill voice broke forth out of the darkness. "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!" and so forth, without pause. Silver's parrot, Captain Flint! I turned to flee, and ran straight into the arms of Long John Silver!

Here for the first time since it was serialised in the pages of Ranger is one of the finest adaptations of the classic Treasure Island, beautifully painted by John Millar Watt and retold in Robert Louis Stevenson's original language – making it one of the most faithful adaptations and well as one of the most visually stunning.

Author Mike Butterworth is better known for writing 'The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire', but his career began many years before as a scriptwriter and editor for the Amalgamated Press's Sun, where penned dozens of stories featuring historical characters (Billy the Kid, Dick Turpin, Robin Hood) as well as creating 'Max Bravo, the Happy Hussar' and 'Battler Britton'. For Comet he wrote authentic historical dramas as well as creating the science fiction adventurer 'Jet-Ace Logan'. Editorially he created the innovative Playhour Pictures, Valentine and the teenage magazine Honey. A prolific novelist, he wrote crime thrillers, bodice-rippers and historicals under a variety of pen-names.

John Millar Watt was the creator of 'Pop', one of the most popular comic strips of the 1920s and 1930s. Published in the pages of the Daily Sketch and in a series of his own Pop Annuals between 1925 and 1950. The Scottish-born artist had previously worked in advertising and had exhibited at the Royal Academy. After retiring from the Pop strip in 1949, Watt concentrated on advertising and illustration work, to which he added comic strips in the mid-1950s. His richly painted artwork subsequently graced the pages of Princess, Look and Learn, Ranger and Once Upon a Time.

Format
Treasure Island is published in US Letter saddle-stitch format, 44 pages colour with a stunning cover by John Millar Watt.

Publication Date
Published on 15 March 2013.

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Treasure Island & King Solomon's Mines

You can order both Treasure Island and King Solomon's Mines together and save on postage & packing.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Lion King of Picture Story Papers

Lion King of Picture Story Papers

Bear Alley Books proudly presents the second index in our new series charting the history of British comics. Lion King of Picture Story Papers is a massive, 262-page volume covering the story of one of the most popular titles released in the post-Second World War "silver age" of British comics. Launched in 1952, Lion was Amalgamated Press's answer to Eagle, featuring its own space hero, Captain Condor on its cover.

This was one of the company's first adventure story comics and its twenty-two-year history is the story of British adventure strips in the 1950s and 1960s. Over the years Lion starred some of the most popular characters in British comics, including Robot Archie, Paddy Payne, Karl the Viking, Zip Nolan, The Spider, The Spellbinder, Black Max and Adam Eterno. 290 authors and artists are identified in the index which also covers the Lion Annual, Lion Holiday Special and Lion and Valiant Special Extra.

Heavily illustrated throughout, Lion King of Picture Story Papers includes a lengthy historical introduction, an index to the weekly comic covering comics, text stories and features, contents listings for all 35 Lion Annuals and spin-off annuals, all 17 Lion Holiday Specials and Lion and Valiant Special Extras and includes a title index and creator's index.

Author Steve Holland began writing about British comics over thirty years ago, writing or co-writing a series of indexes between 1990-97. These are now being re-released by Bear Alley Books, thoroughly revised and expanded with a vast amount of new information discovered in the past two decades, alongside a number of previously unpublished indexes. The War Libraries and The Thriller Libraries are already available from Book Palace Books; Hurricane & Champion was published in 2011 by Bear Alley Books.

Reviews

"Steve Holland’s narrative ... gives a detailed account of how the weekly was created and developed; its successes and failures and the editors, writers, artists and strips. Following his narrative, the book features short interviews with the paper’s first editor, Bernard Smith and with Barrie Tomlinson, who worked on Lion early in his career. The book then goes on to catalogue all the strips, text stories and features in the weekly, the annuals and the Summer specials, with publication dates and remarkably full details of writers and artists."—Steve Winders, Down the Tubes.
"It's a great read in itself and has sent me back to the Lion comic to re-read some of my childhood favourites. The pictures are reproduced crystal clearly and even this old man can read the original art ... It's a gorgeous book and if we are snow-bound as the media has been saying for weeks, I have plenty to keep me amused this chilly January weekend!"—Norman Boyd, Frank Bellamy Checklist Blog
"A very nice book...loads to read and reread for reference."—Peter Gray, Peter Gray's Comics
"Fans of classic British comics will be pleased to hear that Steve Holland has revised and expanded his index for Lion comic into an impressive 262 page A4 softback book. Lion, King of Picture Story Papers is published by Bear Alley Books for £25.99 plus £4 postage. Well worth it for fans of the fondly-remembered weekly, as the book features a 100 page history of the comic, profusely illustrated with sharp, clear samples of strips, behind the scenes photographs of the editorial staff, and the index section itself runs to around 160 pages with details of all the strips in the weekly, annuals, and specials. Even if Lion was before your time this is still an absorbing book for anyone with a genuine interest in the history of British comics. It's a great showcase of the outstanding artistic talent that was working in comics back then, with many full page examples of artwork from Joe Colquhoun, Reg Bunn, Leo Baxendale, Don Lawrence and many more. "—Lew Stringer, Blimey! Another Blog About Comics.

Format
Lion King of Picture Story Papers is published in A4 saddle-stitch format, 262 pages b/w with a stunning colour cover by Ron Forbes and a back cover by Mike Western.

Publication Date
Published on 18 January 2013.

Order now via PayPal
(Please note, postage & packing is extra as noted)

UK: £25.99 + £4.00

EU: £25.99 + £6.50

US: £25.99 + £6.50

RoW: £25.99 + £8.50

Pay by Cheque
Please contact me via the e-mail address below the top-left photo.

(* Lion © IPC Media)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Sexton Blake Annual 1942

Created by Harry Blyth, Sexton Blake's first adventure appeared in the pages of The Halfpenny Marvel in 1893. A year later, Blake became the regular star of the weekly storypaper Union Jack and, in 1915, star of the long-running Sexton Blake Library. With appearances across the company's wide-range of titles, Blake eventually solved over 3,800 cases, with 150 million words dedicated to his thrilling adventures.

In 1938, the Amalgamated Press launched a softcover annual featuring one of the most popular characters they published. The Sexton Blake Annual brought together some of the most popular authors of the Blake saga. This volume contains stories by Donald ("Gerald Verner") Stuart, Gwyn Evans, George H. Teed, John Hunter, Anthony Parsons, Rex Hardinge and others.

The Sexton Blake Annual 1942 contains 10 stories and is the perfect starting place for readers who want to thrill to the action and adventure lurking in the pages behind Eric R. Parker's superb cover.

Format
Sexton Blake Annual 1942 is published in perfect bound format, 164 pages b/w with a stunning colour cover by Eric R. Parker.

Publication Date
Published on 30 November 2012.

Order now via PayPal
(Please note, postage & packing is extra as noted)

UK: £16.99 + £4.00

EU: £16.99 + £6.50

US: £16.99 + £6.50

RoW: £16.99 + £10.50

Pay by Cheque
Please contact me via the e-mail address below the top-left photo.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Sexton Blake Annual 1941

Created by Harry Blyth, Sexton Blake's first adventure appeared in the pages of The Halfpenny Marvel in 1893. A year later, Blake became the regular star of the weekly storypaper Union Jack and, in 1915, star of the long-running Sexton Blake Library. With appearances across the company's wide-range of titles, Blake eventually solved over 3,800 cases, with 150 million words dedicated to his thrilling adventures.

In 1938, the Amalgamated Press launched a softcover annual featuring one of the most popular characters they published. The Sexton Blake Annual brought together some of the most popular authors of the Blake saga. This volume contains stories by Gwyn Evans, George H. Teed, John Hunter, Anthony Parsons, John W. Wheway and others.

The Sexton Blake Annual 1941 contains 10 stories and is the perfect starting place for readers who want to thrill to the action and adventure lurking in the 160 pages behind Eric R. Parker's superb cover.

Reviews
"If you've been meaning to give Sexton Blake's adventures a try, this would be a great place to start. I've seen the actual annuals go on Ebay for three or four hundred bucks, so this is definitely a bargain too." – Singular Point.

Format
Sexton Blake Annual 1941 is published in perfect bound format, 164 pages b/w with a stunning colour cover by Eric R. Parker.

Publication Date
Published on 15 October 2012.

Order now via PayPal
(Please note, postage & packing is extra as noted)