New Series No. 3 March-April. 1933

Wanted: For Sale: Exchange

Wanted: Fox’s Boys Standard, Boys Leisure Hour, Boys Champion Journal, Halfpenny Standard, Vol 7 and 8 Boys Comic Journal, Vol 37 Boys of England. Also Young Ching-Ching, Green as Grass, That Rascal Jack, The School on the Sea, Cheeky Charlie. Robert Dodds, 3 Garngad Hill, Glasgow.

Wanted Bullseye 4-9, 12, 13, Plucks, any Jack, Sam & Pete items, Aldines, De Witt’s Claude Duval, etc. Have for exchange Boys of England, vol. 13, Comrades, vol 3, Tom Tartar, etc. Parks, Printer, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Eng.

WANTED

Newnes BLACK BESS LIBRARY, 2d nos. (small series). No. 16.

Newnes DICK TURPIN LIBRARY, 4d & 3d. nos. Nos. 1 to 24, 26 to 28, 30 to 36, and any after No. 138.

Aldine ROBIN HOOD LIBRARY, 2d. nos. Nos. 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39

40, 44, 45, 46, 47. 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 63. Parks, Printer Saltburn-by-Sea, Yorks, Eng.

STORIES I LIKED MOST—AND LEAST

BECAUSE he knew me vaguely as a writer for boys, a jovial doctor from the next village repeatedly stopped his car to chat with me about old-boy literature. He had happy memories of Jack Harkaway and Ralph Rollington, but his favourite tale was “Don Zalva the Brave,” by Alfred R. Phillips

“Write as you will, Goodyear, you will never write anything as good as ‘Don Zalva,’” he said. “No, of course not,” I laughingly agreed. We parted then for the last time, for within a week he was dead. It is good to recollect that he retained his boyish zest for the old penny-number yarns to the last.

“Don Zalva the Brave” appeared before my time, as also did Roland Quiz’s “Giantland” and “Tim Pippin.” I read reprints of Pippin stories in Young Folks’ Paper, wherein R. Louis Stevenson’s first three serials, “Treasure Island,” “The Black Arrow,” and “Kidnapped” appeared: but nothing in that beloved magazine from Red Lion House held me so much as did the Boys’ Comic Journal serials, “The Spies of the School” in particular.

Two tales which stick in my mind were called “Caractacus the Unconquered” and “Poor Ben o’ the Barge.” Perhaps some of the readers of the Collector’s Miscellany can recall in which periodicals these serials appeared. I graduated from them to “The Master of the Sword” in the Boys of the Empire and to “Mat Marchmont’s Schooldays” in the Boy’s Popular Weekly, which awarded me my first prize for literary work when I was eight. Those yarns threw a glamour over my young life which glows in my veins yet.

My parents “took in” the Weekly Budget Novels, but I never could read them—they were too “adult” for me. My chief joy was to pore

over the titles of the novels—hundreds of them all in small print at the back of each novel. Buffalo Bill figured prominently in them, but the only one I recollect clearly was “Oriana, or The Castle of Gold,” which I have fondly rolled round my tongue many times since.

I catch myself wondering if the boys of to-day will retain the same deep affection for the stories written now as we old boys do for the stories of long ago. I fear not. The old yarns were more human and nearer to the common run of life. To-day’s stories are more mechanical—too much concerned with aeroplanes and speedboats and the like.

As a boy I never could finish a story by Jules Verne or G. A. Henty. I turned with relief to “The Slapcrash Boys,” “Handsome Harry,” “Tom Tartar at School” because they were merry and bright and tinged with natural humour throughout. Now and then I come across books which dear old E. Harcourt Burrage (what did the E. stand for?) wrote for publishers like Partridge and Sampson Low: they read tamely by comparison with his robust Ching Ching series, than which nothing livelier was ever produced for boys.

Last year I completed a cycle of forty big books for boys, mainly stories of school life, but alas! I have no feeling that they will be as affectionately regarded 30 years hence as Burrage’s yarns are now. His style was sometimes slipshod—he wrote a tremendous lot and often in haste, with the printer’s imp at his elbow—but always his stuff pulsed with animation and vivid incident, conceived by one of the most fertile imaginations that ever devoted itself to the entertainment of boyhood.

I notice that publications like the Weekly Budget Novels and the magazines issued by Hendersons—Young Folk’s Paper, The Garland, Nuggets, Scraps, etc.,—are not sought much by ardent collectors like, Barry Ono, Joseph Parks, and Henry Steele, who seem to prefer the brighter looking penny bloods. I don’t blame them. As a playwright in a modest way I yearn to put upon the stage my own version of “Dick Turpin” and “Sweeney Todd,” but such melodrama requires too much staging and too many period costumes, which my amateur companies, touring all over North and East Yorkshire, cannot carry with them.

R. A. H. GOODYEAR

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A Newport, (Mon.) collector of old boys’ books is the proud possessor of the following:—Young Folks, Vol. 1 - 49; Boy’s World, Vol. 1 -9 ; Young Englishman, Vol 1 - 10; Boy’s Comic Journal, Vol. 1 - 50. All clean and complete, and many of them bound.

THE JAMES HENDERSON’S PUBLICATIONS

I HAVE been asked by our esteemed Editor to contribute a few words relative to this well known and prolific Publisher, and his Celebrated Publishing Office at Red Lion House, Red Lion Square, Fleet Street, London, whence for a great number of years the Henderson Publications were dispatched to all parts of the world.

Many collectors will remember the various publications from this office, the most notable being beyond a doubt the Young Folks Weekly Budget made famous by its first publishing Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped,” and not the least by the celebrated Tim Pippin stories by Roland Quiz, the classical stories by Charles A. Read, the thrilling romances by Alfred R. Phillips, and other well known revered authors and writers, not forgetting the inimitable illustrations by John Proctor under the pen name of “Puck.”

They will also recall the hundreds of the 3d. People’s Pocket Story Books of stories, tales and romances, that first appeared in the Weekly Budget, and other publications of Henderson. It was Henderson who first introduced the Ned Buntline, Nick Carter, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West yarns in this country in the Weekly Budget, which was first published in Manchester, under the title of the Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Northern Weekly Budget, on Saturday January 5, 1861, and when Henderson removed to Red Lion House it became the Weekly Budget, and continued as such for 50 years when it was purchased by Mr. Hearst, the millionaire newspaper proprietor of New York, who introduced the American style of Sunday newspaper, containing 8 pages of news matter, 8 pages magazine matter, all fully illustrated, and 4 pages of comic pictures for the children, increasing at times to a total of 24 pages, for one penny. But with all this attraction it failed to take the place of the old Weekly Budget. It was now known as the London Weekly Budget and it ceased publication with Number 2765, on December 28, 1913 in its 53rd. year. It was said that Mr. Hearst lost nearly a quarter of a million pounds during his venture, although during Mr. Henderson’s time it reached a circulation of over 300,000.

Mr. Henderson first published the South London Press in January 1865, and it is still being published, this newspaper, the Weekly Budget and Young Folks Weekly Budget was the backbone of his business. His other publications were the Comic Pictorial Nuggets, Nuggets, Varieties, The Garland, Story Nuggets, The Key, a weekly journal of instruction

and amusing literature, 1863 to 1865, in which several of the stories from the Weekly Budget were continued, and other publications and periodicals.

Mr. Henderson did not however confine himself to what may be termed sensational publications, for in 1868 he published the Orb, a Churchman’s Newspaper and Literary Journal for the People, having for its motto “the Altar, the Throne and the Cottage.” I don’t suppose many collectors will hunt for this particular newspaper.

Of the portraits shown in the picture of Red Lion House, the best known is Roland Quiz, (Mr. Richard Quittenton,) who was first Editor of the Weekly Budget and afterwards for 42 years, Editor of Young Folk’s Weekly Budget. He died at the age of 80, at Hillside, South Benfleet in 1914.

W. W. L’Estrange contributed many stories to Henderson publications. Charles Stevens is principally known as the first owner and publisher of the Boys of England which first appeared November 27, 1866, his first serial being “Alone in the Pirates Lair.” After about ten months he was “bought out” by Edwin J. Brett and not much heard about him afterwards, only that he joined Henderson’s staff for a time. Another famous writer was Percy B. St. John, he had many admirers and his tales of romance were (and are still) much sought after. Mr. Compton Read was probably a brother of Mr. Charles Anderson Read who died November or January 23, 1878. Mr. Walter Percy Viles was Editor of the South London Press for some time. He contributed to the “Silverspear” series of stories etc., under the pseudonym of “Walter Villiers,” to Young Folks and other Henderson publications, and by some people is given the credit of being the author of the celebrated “Black Bess,” the longest yarn of its kind ever written. He was only 33 years of age when he died, January 26, 1884.

Mr. James Henderson died at Worthing, February 24, 1906, aged 83 years, and the business was turned into a Limited Liability Company. I greatly question whether the present day sensational publications will command so great a sensation as these old timers.

I am greatly indebted to a member of Henderson’s staff, (now unfortunately passed away) for much of the information I am able to give here. He was one of my best friends, and if still alive would be able to throw much further light upon the Henderson Publications.

FRANK JAY

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The Boys of England first appeared in November 27, 1866, and ran to 66 vols. The date of the last number 1702, was June 30, 1899, when the stories then running were continued in Up-to-Date Boys. Charles Stevens was the first Editor and the author of one of the first serials “Alone in the Pirates Lair.”

Wanted For Sale Exchange

Juvenile Drama. Wanted plays published by Brett, and other publishers. Also plays in packets, loose sheets, books of words, etc. Parks, Printer, Saltburn-by-Sea, Yorks, Eng.

Wanted British Bloods and Penny Dreadfuls, in volumes or runs, also old songsters, sheet music, broadsides, playbills, etc. James Madison, 465, So. Detroit Street, Los Angeles, Cal., U.S.A. London references furnished.