2024 Mikenote: an early entry from the blog, so a bit barebones and, given the usual standard of information about British comics online, containing some bits where, if I hadn't bought copies of crumbling old publications myself, I just had to guess what they were like. Though I've been through and tidied it up a bit, where appropriate.
boys friend library next to a commando
Pocket Libraries, despite the claims of War Picture Library being “the first” on the back of the “Unleash Hell” book, have been around since the early 20th century. Of course, the first comic strip ones in the “Commando” style didn't appear until the 1950’s, the earlier ones where text stories. These often came in the form of reprinted (and edited or shortened) serials from the weekly papers, though some, such as the Sexton Blake Library, carried original stories, too.
Who reads these anyway?
The most common size for these books was 64 interior pages, on black and white newsprint with colour covers and features/adverts on the inside covers. This format is continued today in Commando. There were page reductions during times of war and shortages. Others came in larger sizes – some “Holiday Special” editions of the Fleetway libraries such as Air Ace ran to 225 pages!
More pocket libraries than you might think survive today. But they can still be counted on one hand – Commando, The People’s Friend library**, My Weekly library, Fun-Size Beano and Fun-Size Dandy. Crossword/wordsearch/sudoku books of roughly the same size exist also.
2024 Mikenote: The Fun-Size Beano and Dandy didn't have much longer left to live, even when I wrote this in 2008. The People's Friend and My Weekly libraries later switched to a "traditional paperback" format (a format in which you find very few paperbacks, these days), so they could have larger print, for their, ahem, "mature" audience. Don't sleep on the My Weekly Library, though - some of those stories can be surprisingly badass!
This example is a Boys’ Friend library, which ran from 1906 to 1925*, reprinting either original stories or serials from the weekly Boys’ Friend. The book is in remarkable condition for it’s age (due to some ebay wrangling, a US collector was supposed to get ‘my’ good one. But never complained about the knackered example that was meant for me, so the seller sent me the good one). Also despite a general disintrest in / ignorance of storypapers in this day and age issues of the BFL which show up on Ebay always attract bids, often very quickly too. I’d hardly say there was a price war going on though, they show up for 99p – £2.00 and get bids. And as I’m not especially interested I normally let the ones with bids already on them “escape”. (If I ever see “The Black Squadron” I’ll chase it though). 2024 Mikenote: I later learned that Biggles first appeared in the BFL. Whenever one of those comes on the the prices go astronomical!
I havent actually read the issue in question yet, but it appears to be about some film-makers going into the jungle and finding some lost civilisation and “more than they bargained for”. The book is un-dated, but the cover illustration has a 1920 date, it also doesn’t say if the story is a reprint of a serial or one written for the library
One of the most desirable issues of the Boys’ Friend Library (aside from Biggles!) must surely be that containing “Sexton Blake in the Congo”, an important story in the history of that character which originally ran over several issues of the weekly Boys’ Friend in 1908.
*- http://www.philsp.com/data/data046.html
**- Incedentally The People’s Friend must surely be the last surviving storypaper which has remained in regular publication right since Victorian times. Though today of course it is “the best-selling (only) story magazine” and also contains articles on holidays, cooking and many ads for ‘silver’ cruises and life insurance. I suppose I had better cobble up an entry before all of it’s readership pass away. (2024 Mikenote: I remember buying an issue while I was still at uni, but never actually reading any of it!)