This weeks random author is Glendon Swarthout (08/04/1918 to 23/08/1992) who was an American writer and novelist. Several of his novels were made into films including ‘Where the Boys Are’, ‘They Came to Cordura’ and ‘The Shootist’, which was John Wayne’s last work. These were all published by PAN plus another three. I couldn’t find if I had a second printing of ‘They Came to Cordura’ so I bought a cheap bundle with this included. I then found the copy misplaced on the shelf so was a bit miffed until they arrived when I found they were all titles in unread condition. I replaced all but one of the copies I already had with them. I’m looking for a copy of ‘Skeletons’ as the only one I’ve found so far is in India. Glendon was inducted into the Western Writers Hall of Fame which is in the library of the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming. Just as an aside I have been to this museum a few years ago when we stayed in one of Buffalo Bill’s cabins. The 83 log cabins originally housed workers building the City of Cody in 1914.
I’m still trying to find out if PAN actually published a third printing of ‘Trouble in July’ by Erskine Caldwell for which I have the artwork by Hans Helweg. I made a page of the 1964 Caldwell titles that are down as re-do in Helweg’s ledger for which he got paid £50 16s for each but I’ve just found I missed one, namely ‘Georgia Boy’ so the omission is now rectified. I asked Elly, PAN archivist, if she knew if the 1964 re-do was used but she only has a record for the 1959 and 1960 printings which both use the same Helweg artwork although it does say new cover.
I have a stack of later PANs which I will add to the site when I feel like it. This week pick is ‘Thy Neighbour’s Wife’ by Gaetano ‘Gay’ Talese (07/02/1932) He is an American writer who worked as a journalist for The New York Times and Esquire magazine during the 1960s. and wrote 14 novels of which ‘Thy Neighbour’s Wife’ with cover artwork by Peter Collins is the only one published by PAN. Peter Collins ARCAS (1923 to 2001) studied at the Royal College of Art, winning a scholarship. Leaving in 1950 he then worked as a commercial artist producing some well-known posters for clients including British Railways and British European Airways. He was the Art Director at Odhams Press and spent time designing for both ICI and Shell.