This front cover of the 1907 edition was found yesterday by my friend Kath and both of us decided that this offered up a story that couldn’t be turned down.
It wasn’t just the connection with the Arsenal but a curiosity about Sexton Blake who I knew only from the telly.
Sadly to date neither of us has been able to track the book down but in the process I discovered that there have been over 4000 Sexton Blake stories since the first in 1893 written by 200 authors.
Added to which along with the books there have been countless films along with plays and TV series.
So you learn something new every day and perhaps A Woolwich Arsenal Mystery will yet turn up and maybe even discover more about its author who was E J Gannon.
But undaunted by such obstacles Kath with more persistence than me tracked down the BLAKIANA site dedicated to Sexton Blake.*
And there for 1907 was an entry for A Woolwich Arsenal Mystery, which sadly had no more than THE BOYS' FRIEND LIBRARY • Issue 27 • Oct. 1907 • Amalgamated Press • 3d
A WOOLWICH ARSENAL MYSTERY
by Anon. (E. J. Gannon) • Illustrator: Unknown
Other content: None
Notes: I own a copy of this issue but its cover is missing.
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But that is a start and I guess the next step with be to contact the organisers of the site.
All of which leaves me to reflect that “the world has not heard the last of Sexton Blake in Woolwich” which of course is the pub quiz question ................. who said the original and when?
Picture; A Woolwich Arsenal Mystery, 1907 found by Kath May
*BLAKIANA, http://www.mark-hodder.com/Blakiana/
**BIBLIOGRAPHY 1907, http://www.mark-hodder.com/Blakiana/year-1907/
Picture; A Woolwich Arsenal Mystery, 1907 found by Kath May
Looked at British library record for Boys Friend Library and issue 27 is missing.
ReplyDeleteI shall investigate
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