A while ago I mentioned the PANOREX display stand designed by Peter Tietjen and if you click on the picture below you can see other bits of ephemera he has stored away. Peter joined PAN in 1971, moving from EMI, when Ralph Vernon-Hunt was the managing director. He was there at the same time as Ken Hatherley who was the studio manager.
Every now and again I come across a series of PAN books that should not really be on the site but the Agatha Christie ‘Double Dagger’ covers just appeal to me. They reasons they don’t really fit are 1) a few years later than the remit of the site but this has never stopped me before and 2) they are photos not ‘real’ artwork.
I think it is the quirky and inventive use of the associated objects to form faces although some are better than others. Up to now I have 14 titles but I’m sure someone will let me know if I have missed any?
My personal favourite
For those embracing the new technologies you can scan the QR code below to go to the page on your mobile device. This will probably be the first and last time I use one of these but having now got a phone that reads them ……….!
Just planning a visit to the above when I remembered photos I took when I was last there. It is not everyday that I use my camera when visiting the toilet but this time I made an exception and if you click HERE you’ll see why.
Whilst talking about remembering, or rather forgetting, I don’t know if I ever put on a link to a page I made about PAN Books despatch centres after I visited a couple in 2012. Please ignore if you have already seen this but if not click HERE.
I recently met up with artist Geoff Tristram who was ‘Mr November’ to my ‘Mr October’ in the display corner of our local museum. I tracked down one of his book covers which he kindly signed for me. His website shows many examples of his work but unfortunately I can’t find any of the paperback covers he has done. The reason I say it may not be a ‘Happy New Year’ for Geoff can be found by clicking on this link!
PS Just caught an item on the radio where the ‘British Medical Journal’ has analysed James Bond’s drinking and the prognosis is not good! They have produced a chart to show their conclusions.
Alan Bott, founder of PAN Books was editor of ‘The Graphic’ from 1926 to 1932
This Cover is by Frederick William Purvis who was born in 1867 and died at 22, Regent Rd on April 4th 1939. He was buried in Surbiton Burial Ground in plot 667. The burial ceremony was conducted by the prolific author Harry George Tunnicliff.
My website www.tikit.net started 14th years ago today. Back then I was an IT Advisor for an education authority and wrote several programs for children and set up the website to distribute them. I wish I could say I made money but I gave the downloads away 90% of the time. When I realised I was paying for hosting which gave me much more space than I actually needed I decided to share my passion for PAN Books with the world – and it’s been all down hill from then on. I now have several websites and a few redirections so ones like www.panfans.net will also find me.
Google started 1998
PAN Fans started 1999
FriendsReunited started 2000
Wikipedia started 2001
Linkedin started 2002
MySpace started 2003
Facebook started 2004
YouTube started 2005
Twitter started 2006
Having started many different blogging packages (not always successfully) I think WordPress has been the one that I have found easiest to use. I have been blogging with it over the last couple of years but it came as a bit of a surprise to discover that this would be my 100th.
So to celebrate I rushed to complete my present opus which was to get all the Nevil Shute copies of the five main PAN series from 1965 to 1982. I know they are a few earlier titles and some later ones but these are the bulk and coincidently come to exactly 100 as well. I have put place markers just in case there is a cover I’ve missed but I think I’ve been very thorough in my research.
Most of the cover artist for the early series are unknown but I do have a name for the one title in the 1971 series that is just a little different from the others but I reveal that in a later blog.
Finally readers may have noticed that I now have a tendency to show several covers on a page like the Shute’s. This is because I once read a great review of my site which said the only down side was that it was one cover per page and it would have been nice to be able to compare ones from a series. This has always stuck with me. I’m hoping to rectify this so my site will be perfect!
It’s always interesting to see blue plaques on buildings and this year I have spotted two for a PAN author, the stalwart Nevil Shute Norway in Howden and Southsea. Google gives me a third but I can’t find a picture of the plaque in Sydney showing its exact location, just a general view of the 47 plaques along the path from the Museum of Modern Art to the Opera House.. I think I’ll have to have a word with my Australian agent Bazeer (of the excellent Piz Gloria site) to look out for it if he ever finds himself around there.
While sorting through some later titles I began to notice how many editions of ‘The Gun’ by C. S. Forester I seem to have on my shelves. As you can see I have found at least 7 different ones albeit some having very subtle differences. The book was made in to the film ‘The Pride and The Passion’ in 1957
The cover artwork is by David Tayler who lived in Brighton. He did several covers for PAN (more in another blog) but he would take two or three weeks to produce a cover whereas others like Sam Peffer would take two or three days hence Tayler didn’t find it very profitable. I’ve also included an image of the 2001 reprint using the same artwork, I wonder if they acknowledge the source?
In my last but one blog I mentioned the recycling of an PAN image used by Hodder for their 60’s ‘Saint’ series. I have now found and added another 10 I had but I still don’t know if any of them feature second hand artwork.
I did find a couple were signed by Gordon King and contacted him. He promptly replied and named another two unsigned ones as his. We are chatting further next month and I’ll list the PAN covers (I know at least 2) that he did along with other examples of his artwork later.
Exhibition update. Still no offers of the last title needed although I did see my doctor (socially I hasten to add) and she has promised to ask around her friends in India.
