Description

The Hotspur was a boys’ paper published from 1933 to 1959, It was a  boy’s story paper, published  weekly by D. C. Thompson & Co. Printed on newsprint, it was relaunched as a  strip comic in October 1959, initially called the New Hotspur, and ceased publication in January 1981. Promotional free gifts were a feature (the first issue included a black mask, and carried a special mail order offer for “an electric shock machine!”

So far as I have been able to establish , there were four booklets in the “Railway Library” series, given as free gifts, but I have never seen a copy of “No.1.”Because of their ephemeral nature, copies are hard to find. Expect to pay between £8 and £30 each!

The text is surprisingly accurate and well informed. It is clearly written without condescending to the young reader, in the way that the Great Western’s  “Books for boys of all ages” sometimes do. Dating from a period before Mr. Ian Allan began publishing his economically priced “Loco Spotters” books there was not much available to the schoolboy interested in railways. At 1/- per month, the leading periodical “The Railway Magazine” was way beyond most boy’s pocket money range, so the occasional effort like this in thejuvenile story paper and magazine field was welcomed.

PREVIEW BELOW – MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD.

PREVIEW BELOW – MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD.

PREVIEW BELOW – MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD.