Thanks to Rog Peyton who spotted a mistake, not one of mine I hasten to add, but in the Signal toothpaste flyer. It listed PAN books due to be published in June but got the numbers wrong. They are listed as ‘G’ but in fact were actually ‘X’ I have checked with Elly, the PAN archivist, and she confirms they have no listing for any title with a number past G717. I see that elusive X705 is in there as G718! In the catalogue for June 1967 they have the numbers right.

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I caught a trailer for Alan Carr’s TV programme ‘Chatty Man’ I’ve not been watching it but something caught my eye. There was a clip of an adult Alan Carr next to someone playing him as a teenager and it was the book he was reading. It is the 13th printing of ‘Dumb Witness’ from 1978 with an ISBN. PAN also published ‘Dumb Witness’ as number 82.

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Last year we bought annual passes to the gold award winning Black Country Living Museum and realised they were nearly up so we fitted in a visit. We were glad we did as last month the reconstructed library opened. The historic Woodside Library from Dudley has been rebuilt brick-by-brick at the Black Country Living Museum. It opened on March 18th, 2026 as a centerpiece of its new 1940s-1960s high street development. Originally built in 1894, the restored library features over 6,500 books chosen from the 60,000 donated and reflects post-war community life and I was wondering if they might have something …….. and I wasn’t disappointed.

This weeks random author‏ is Australian Kathleen ‘Kylie’ Tennant 12/03/1912 to 28/02/1988) She was born in Manley, NSW and became a novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian. PAN published three of her titles namely X87 ‘The Battlers’, MP67 ‘Australia: Her Story’ and a later printing of ‘Australia: Her Story’ and finally a Piccolo ‘All The Proud Tribesman’

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Amongst the many David Tayler roughs I recently acquired was a pencil one for ‘The Somme’ by A H Farrar-Hockley. The background is very similar but the larger characters at the front are not included on the finished cover. General Sir Anthony Heritage Farrar-Hockley (08/04/1924 to 11/03/2006) was born in Coventry. He was a British Army officer, nicknamed ‘Farrar the Para’ and a military historian who fought in a number of conflicts and ended his career as Commander-in-Chief of NATO’s Allied Forces Northern Europe.

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With the Hay on Wye Literary Festival almost on us I got an email from Roo Waterhouse to say she has been chosen to be the artist decorating this years tote bags. Her three designs include Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit and Agatha Christie as it is 50 years since she died.

Our random author of the week is E E Vielle. Eugene Emile “Tubby” Vielle OBE (29/4/1913 to 02/04/2015). He was born in Lambeth and his early education was at Dulwich College while later he was admitted to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. From there Viellee joined the Royal Air Force where he flew as many as 150 different types of aircraft before retiring from the RAF in 1957 as a group captain. He wrote eight books of which PAN published two, namely ‘The Shadow of Kuril’ and ‘No Subway’  Has anyone any idea as to who the cover artist might be?

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This weeks David Tayler rough is for ‘Gale Force’ by Elleston Trevor. He was born Trevor Dudley-Smith on the 17th February 1920 and died 21st July 1995.  Trevor was a novelist and playwright who wrote under several pseudonyms including a series of Cold War thrillers featuring the British secret agent Quiller, written under the pseudonym Adam Hall. Trevor wrote over 100 books under names such as  Simon Rattray, Howard North, Roger Fitzalan, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith and Lesley Stone. PAN published at least ten of his novels I can think of off the top of my head. I may have to make a page to include them all.

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Back in 1967 Signal Toothpaste gave away 12 PAN Book titles which they claimed were by world famous authors and they are probably right. To get one you needed to sent the ends of three toothpaste packets but they also listed other PAN titles that could be bought. I’m wondering if the give away copies were special promotional ones or just standard pritings?