Just back from a six day tour of Shropshire to try out our new motorhome. The vehicle was excellent, it was just the lack of second hand bookshops that spoilt the trip. I visited the two I knew of in Much Wenlock and found an interesting looking one in Cleobury Mortimer with the helpful sign in the window “We are open sometimes” It was closed!
Following on from a blog of July 2012 I did find PAN Books in another historic venue namely Wightwick Manor  The house belonged to the Mander (Paints) family and has a fine collection of arts and crafts paintings, glass and ceramics plus furnishings by William Morris but it was in the Day Nursery I spotted something much more valuable on the top shelf of a bookcase namely 4 PAN titles.The 4 titles are GP33 ‘Boldness Be My Friend’, 397 ‘The Last Enemy’, GP76 ‘Squadron Airborne’ and 273 ‘The Colditz Story’

After mentioning Sam Peffer and his sad demise this month I was pointed in the direction of a photo of him in “British Film Poster” by Sim Branaghan. He is shown at a book fair in London in 2005 along with another gentleman in a hat. I was particularly pleased to see this as it was a name I know well but had never seen a picture of him. If you want to know who it is click on the photo.

While looking through a local paper ‘The Black Country Bugle’ I noticed three articles all mentioning Bantock House. The first was about it being praised by Michael Portillo visiting as part of his railway journeys series, the second was the council wanting to close it down to save money  but the third was the one that caught my eye. Unfortunately I was to late to see it but they had run an exhibition called ‘A Tribute to Agatha Christie” and the picture showed some book covers. It was ‘Dumb Witness’ that jumped out and so I’ve made a page to show all the PAN editions that I found I have.
I’ve also added an extra Somerset Maugham cover, a 1974 edition of ‘The Moon and Sixpence’ but it seems this is a ‘one off’ as I’ve not found any others with this style of cover.

I intended to put this on last month around the time of Someset Maugham’s birthday but Russell Braddon got there first alphabetically speaking as they were both born on the 25th January. Someset Maugham was born in Paris (in the British Embassy so he can be called British) in 1874 and died in Nice on the 16th December 1965. I have put together a page of the titles PAN published over 30 years and I know there are some titles not included. I found a couple published by Penguin but were they also published by PAN at sometime? I’m sure someone will let me know.
Incidentally I mentioned the title ‘The Explorer’ in a previous blog and I’m still looking for the edition with the back cover actually printed from the block I have.

While looking at Hodder ‘Saint‘ covers as mentioned recently I noticed a couple were signed Gordon King. I thought this name sounded familiar and on further investigation I found a few he painted for PAN. Thanks to the net I managed to get an email address for him and after sending him a few covers he kindly replied confirming or rejecting ones I wasn’t sure about. I have put together a page to show the covers I know of including some from PAN plus other publishers.

This is Gordon holding a cover for an unknown title, does anyone recognise it? I think it looks a little like some in the ‘PAN Romance’ series (a work in progress) while others Mills and Boon! Gordon has now moved on from book covers to more lucrative commissions.

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.

While idly searching for all things PAN I found a reference to a book “The Charge of The Light Brigade” which including a cardboard model to cut out and make of a Hussar by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The site stated it was published by PAN but it was not one I knew. I do have “The Railway Children”  and “Cromwell” both published by PAN and both including cardboard models by Godley and Creme. On further investigation I found it was actually published by Cato O’Brien and even though not PAN I’m going to add it to my informal ‘wants’ list so if anyone out there has a spare copy …….?

I recently acquired the press promo pack for the 1960 film “Midnight Lace” and included was a single page insert from PAN. I’ve scanned this along with the rest of the pack and made into a flash book. On the single page it states:
“PAN Books are the publishers of the paper-back edition of “MIDNIGHT LACE” They are issuing 2,000 showcards to their many stockists throughout the country backing up this promotion. Additional showcards can be obtained free on request from Ad-Sales Dept”
What happened to those 2,000+ showcards, did anyone think one was worth keeping or did they all get thrown away?

Visited the annual book fair at NT Baddesley Clinton on Saturday and this time it wasn’t raining. Vast range of books of all vintages and it’s run by someone who knows and appreciates them. Came away with a few bits and pieces, some later PANs, upgrade copies and one I thought was interesting. It was ‘Flight Into Danger’ and had a sticker on the front for Singapore Airlines in-flight library which got me thinking of how many other inappropriate titles could they have chosen? Also when putting together the page I couldn’t help but notice the authors billing chances backwards and forwards over the editions.

PAN published ‘Hotel’ by Arthur Hailey in 1966 using the same cover as the hardback edition published in 1965 in the UK by Michael Joseph in conjunction with Souvenir Press and in the States by Doubleday.

PAN’s 1st printing edition already has the “Now filmed in Technicolor ….” blurb so I’m wondering why they felt the need to change  the cover a year later (3rd printing which I’d not seen before and  have just got from Australia) as this was usually the reason for a new edition? The 1970 edition was the 8th printing so does anyone know if there are other different versions in between?