Having a checklist of books can be a welcome addition for any collector although they are not always complete. While sorting through boxes I found one I had forgot I had got. I think most serious collectors know of the Richard Williams list from Dragonby Press of which there were 200 first editions and 300 second (still a couple for sale from Dragonby on AbeBooks) The one I found published by Dave Gregory predates these of which there were 15 first editions and 20 second. It is useful in that it does list many variants, some of which I still need to find, but doesn’t list all the dustjackets for titles such as PAN 68 ‘Late and Soon’ of which the one I have is the only one I’ve ever come across. I’m also grateful to Rog Peyton for the checklist he has complied of PAN covers artists up to G717.
I came across a page in ‘The Bookseller’ which was published shortly after Alan Bott’s death. It is dated 27th September 1952, just ten days after he died, and has a couple of tributes to him. I wish I could find details of the memorial service to Alan which was held at St. Martins-in-the-Field parish church. The church is at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated in honour of Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval period. .When its medieval and Jacobean structure was found to be near failure, the present building was constructed in an influential neoclassical design by James Gibbs in 1722–1726.
I’m still trying to match up the sketches I got from Hans Helweg’s wife and when I saw ‘Four Wheel Drift’ I thought it was one of his. Hans did several covers for Puffin and when I looked at the title page it didn’t mention the cover artist so I took a chance and bought it. It was only when I got home and compared it to the sketches I could see they were all very similar, particularly with the placing of the cars, but not quite there and having a better look at the book I found it did say the cover was by Dexter Brown. Any more guesses as to a title for the artwork?
I have a few signed Jack Higgins titles and when “The Eagle Has Landed’ came up in a search on eBay it made me look twice but I don’t think I’ll go for it.