issn 1036-3688
Page finalised 5th November, 2010.
Page editor John

Just one page on the Australian Collecting Books & Magazines website.

Golden Years magazine (GY) was published by Front Row Magazine (FRM) in Sydney, Australia between 1986 and 1995. There were 26 issues produced at irregular intervals. The first series consisted of 13 issues and the second or 'new' series of 13 issues. The magazine was curtailed due to time restraints and eventually became the basis of the Collecting Books and Magazines website, with much of the information finding its way onto the various pages. Content was devoted mainly to the old prewar Amalgamated Press story papers with an occasional mention of W E Johns, Elsie Oxenham and even E Brent-Dyer. Also included were book search travel reports, books wanted and for sale, clubs and magazines information, reviews and repros of story papers. A spin-off was the Book and Magazine Collectibles Advertiser (BMCA) which filled the gap between GY and the establishment of the CB and M website. Main contributors were the surviving members of the Sydney Golden Hours Old Boys' Book Club (Ernie Carter and Bill Hall), Bill Lofts and Tom E (see Aust and NZ Collectors page). 'The Editor's Ramble' by yours truly, a regular in all later issues, became 'Juvenile Adventures' in the Australian Book Collector.

Editor's contributions aren't listed.

First series
1. (mid-1986) A4 format.
Mostly old articles from newspapers about Billy Bunter, Charles Hamilton plus photos of the original Golden Hours Book Club in Sydney.
2. (20th November, 1986) A4 format, 40pp inc covers, photocopied, limited to 20 copies.
Old articles from newspapers on the hobby, reproduced story paper inserts, includes article on Felix Costa, the famous Sydney book and paper collector who sold his collection by weight. Articles on the Billy Bunter TV series plus a clipping 'How William Began' being an interview with Richmal Crompton.
3. (14th February, 1987) A4 format, 36pp inc covers, photocopied, limited to 12 copies.
Reproduced articles include 'The brotherhood of Happy hours' from the NZ Listener, 10.8.51, a lengthy article on story papers and collectors, 'Billy Bunter is now 50' from a 1957 London paper, 'No.1669 - 14 more to go' about Hastings, New Zealand collector, John (Jack) Murtagh who needed only 14 more issues of 'The Magnet' to complete his collection, 'Money for old chips', about the increasing value of old British comics, an obituary on Charles Hamilton, 'Readers Exploded when Biggles got soppy' being an article about W E Johns from the Sydney Daily Mirror, 2.10.1968. A review of Butcher's 'Greyfriars Prospectus', 20.11.1965 can be seen plus 'Bunter's Back' by former Magnet sub-editor, Frank Snow (1964). 'From Collector to Printer' is the story of famed Canadian collector, Bill Gander (1.8.1963). 'Greyfriars Nationalised' from Punch, 15.4.1953 and 'Billy Bunter's Last great Gorge' from Saturday night, 12.1965, fill out this issue.
4. (June, 1987) A4 format, 36pp inc covers, photocopied, limited to 20 copies.
Includes 'In the Magnetic Field' from Nation, 22.7.1972, a comprehensive article on Frank Richards and his schools. 'Billy Bunter's Stepfather', on C H Chapman, 'Biggles' from Sydney's People magazine, 15.12.1954.
5. (November, 1987) A5 format, 32pp inc covers, pages are numbered.
3 * Lofts, Bill * Investigations Unlimited ar
12 * Ebbage, Tom * The Modern Boy - Ahead of its Time ar pt.1 of 2
23 * na * OBBC * report of Sydney meeting 1.1952
25 * Neville, Gail * Old Radio Shows of the Fifties Revisited ar
29 * Lethbridge, C * The Victor Melda 'Sri Lanka' Collection ar
6. (July, 1988) A4 format, 40pp inc covers, pages are numbered.
3 * Ebbage, Tom * The Modern Boy - Ahead of its Time ar pt.2 of 2
38 * Lofts, Bill * C H Chapman - Greyfriars Artist ar
7. (Christmas, 1988) A4 format, 32pp with 5 x A3 one-side pull-out comic repros.
3 * Lofts, Bill * A Great Partnership - G H Teed and E S Brooks ar
8 * Ebbage, Tom * Charles Hamilton's Views on the Suffragettes ar
30 * Ebbage, Tom * A Great Red Magnet - No.45 ar
Other contents inc a Jack Keen story from Kinema Comic, etc.
8. (October, 1989) A4 format, full-colour cover, 28pp.
3. * Cook, Jim * An Unforgettable Series [in the NLL] ar
5 * Lofts, Bill * A Living Ghost? ar
12 * Lofts, Bill * The Origin of Sexton Blake ar
23 * Ebbage, Tom * The Green Man Inn and the St Jim's Stories ar
9. (April, 1990) A4 format, 28pp.
3 * Ebbage, Tom * Charles Hamilton's Early Sea Stories ar
9 * Curran, Graham * Farewell to The Strand ar
13 * Ebbage, Tom * A comprehensive Guide to the St Jim's Portrait Galleries ar
10. (August, 1990) A5 now standard format, 28pp unnumbered
5 * Hughes, Jack * Pilot Officer Percy Prune, RAF ar
7 * Ebbage, Tom * 'The
Golden Hours' Revisited - Syd Smyth's Excellent Magazine ar
11. (March, 1991) 32pp with 12pp insert
3 * Ebbage, Tom * The Long Life of 'The Champion' ar
20 * editor * Bill Hall Interview ar
12. [missing]
13. (Spring, 1991) 32pp

22 * Sherwin, Debbie * Yorkshire Through 'n' Through - An Appreciation of Stan Barstow ar
25 * Sallis, Greg * Doc Savage - The Man of Bronze ar

New Series
ns1. (Summer 1991-92) 28pp with 10pp supplement
ns2. (Autumn, 1992) 40pp
13 * Godden, Ian * Favourite Writers of Childhood Remembered ar
24 * Brodie, Peter * Books in Sunshine ar
25 * Stockbridge, Grant * Spider ar
ns3. (Winter, 1992) 44pp
3 * Carroll, David * George Greenwood - Sydney Bookseller ar
Available online from David's archive
ns4. (Spring, 1992) 32pp
28 * Ebbage, Tom * Early Issues of The Magnet and The Gem ar
ns5. (Summer, 1993) 48pp with additional 4pp wrapper, cover art by Phil Cornell.
5 * Dunstan, Margaret * Experiences of a Fist-Time Fair Trader ar
8 * Ward, E Honor * Indexing the 'Girl's Own Paper' ar
19 * Whiter, Robert [Bob] * George E Rochester ar
24 * An interview with Edgar Rice Burroughs from Radio Pictorial of Australia, Feb 1, 1943.
32 * Dix, Shane * Used Books ss
ns5. [missing]
ns6. (Autumn, 1993) 32pp
8 * A Radio Times article July 8, 1960 by Gerald Campion; 'Impersonating Billy Bunter'.
21 * Goossens, Darran * All Booked Up ss
ns7. (Winter, 1993) 40pp
10 * McConchie, Lyn * Love in a Bookshop ss
14 * Cridland, Clarissa * Review: William - The Immortal, An Illustrated Bibliography by David Schutte
33 * Reed, Sylvia * Girls in Name Only [men using female pseudonyms] ar
ns8. (Spring, 1993) 40pp
8 * Draper, Brian * Harley's Books ss
28 * Williams, Sean * So You Always Wanted to Know How and Why a Writer Writes? ar
ns9. (Summer, 1993-4) 40pp
13 * Reproduced from The Modern Boy 'When Bradman Scored a Blob'.
ns10. (Autumn, 1994) 32pp
11 * nk * The Magnet in New Zealand
21 * Kennedy, Paul * Whitman Authorised Editions - listing
ns11. (Winter, 1994) 32pp
4 * Lofts, Bill * Introduction only to a news article 'My Old School'
10 * Reproduced from Daily Telegraph Dec 6, 1947 'A&R' History of Angus and Robertson booksellers.
26 * Lofts, Bill * Overseas Readers ar
ns12. (Christmas, 1994) 40pp
3 * Lofts, Bill * Overseas Readers (2) ar
12 * Reproduced story 'The old Book-Room'
ns13. (Winter, 1995) 28pp
3 * Lofts, Bill * Overseas Readers (3) ar
14 * Bursztynski, Sue * Saturday Arvo at the Flicks ar

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