Roger Harris Presents

 

THE MODERN BOY DOT COM

Click here to view all 22 original Modern Boy annuals

 

The web site displays all 610 covers of the Modern Boy and features information about content by W. E. Johns

 

ISSUES 1 – 50

ISSUES 50 – 100    

ISSUES 100 – 150

ISSUES 150 – 200

ISSUES 200 – 250

From 11th Feb 1928 to 19thJan 1929

From 19th Jan 1929 to 4th Jan 1930

From 4th Jan 1930 to 20th Dec 1930

From 20th Dec 1930 to 5th Dec 1931

From 5th Dec 1931 to 19th Nov 1932

ISSUES 250 – 300

ISSUES 300 – 350

ISSUES 350 – 400

ISSUES 400 – 450

ISSUES 450 – 500

From 19th Nov 1932 to 4th Nov 1933

From 4th Nov 1933 to 20th Oct 1934

From 20th Oct 1934 to 5th Oct 1935

From 5th Oct 1935 to 19th Sep 1936

From 19th Sep 1936 to 4th Sep 1937

 

324

Issue 324

 

ISSUES 500 – 523

From 4th Sep 1937 to 12th Feb 1938

(Missing no issues)

 

Issues 1 – 87 (of the “NEW” series)

From 19th Feb 1938 to 14th Oct 1939

(Missing no issues)

 

 

 

 

Biggles

 

356

Issue 356

 

 

First launched on 11th February 1928 and always costing just 2d - two old pence (click here for information about issues costing 4d!) -  the magazine ran initially for 523 weekly issues until 12th February 1938.  The following week, 19th February 1938 it was re-launched in a new size and this new “Modern Boy” was re-numbered from issue one again.  It ran until issue 87 was published on 14th October 1939. Production then ceased due to wartime paper shortages.

 

The beauty of “The Modern Boy” to W. E. Johns fans is the amount of work he did for it.

 

Initially submitting artwork – Johns first painted the cover for the 21st December 1929 issue – issue 98.

 

His first signed article was published in the 6th December 1930 issue (called ‘The Plane Smashers’) – in issue 148

-         but it is believed that he wrote articles prior to that as “Our Air Expert”.

 

He then contributed various articles until issue 257 when his “Biggles” stories commenced publication in serialised form.  Firstly, all the individual stories from ‘The Camels are Coming’ until eventually his new books were first published in “The Modern Boy” in episodic format.  The true first editions!

It is very interesting to note the changes in the text on publication in book form.

 

The Modern Boy was also the place where new and original Biggles stories were published, later collected in the two “Boy’s Friend Library” books –

BIGGLES LEARNS TO FLY and BIGGLES IN FRANCE

All five of the original John Hamilton first published Biggles books were serialised in the Modern Boy

and then the first twelve Oxford published Biggles books - up to ‘Biggles – Secret Agent’

(which was published in ‘The Modern Boy’ as “Castle Sinister” – as a number of the story titles were changed when they were published as books).

 

VISIT MY W.E. JOHNS WEB SITES AT

 

www.wejohns.com

 

www.biggles.com

 

www.popularflying.com

 

 

 

Acknowledgments to “W.E. Johns & Modern Boy – An Index” published in 1994

By  Norman Wright  – which inspired me to collect “The Modern Boy”

 

 

THIS WEB SITE WAS BUILT DURING APRIL, MAY AND JUNE 2010 AND COMPLETED ON 21st JUNE 2010 – THE 42nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF W.E. JOHNS

 

 

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