The Old Boys' Book Club - Northern Section - was founded in 1950 by collectors and enthusiasts of the story papers which flourished in Great Britain before the Second World War. It is affiliated to other branches in London , Cambridge, and South West.
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About the club Traditionally, there have been three main areas of interest. The first concerns the stories written by Charles Hamilton in The Magnet, in which publication he contributed (writing as Frank Richards) the Greyfriars stories, featuring the (original) Famous Five and Billy Bunter, and also The Gem (writing as Martin Clifford) and featuring St. Jim's. . The second concerns the detective and school stories written by Edwy Searles Brooks in The Nelson Lee Library featuring Nelson Lee, the detective who later became a schoolmaster at St. Frank's school. . The third concerns the stories of Sexton Blake who, together with his assistant Tinker, featured most notably in the pages of Union Jack, Detective Weekly, and Sexton Blake Library . Members' interests have extended to embrace other detective, adventure and school story writers, most notably Anthony Buckeridge (writer of the Jennings stories), who is the vice president of the Northern club, Richmal Crompton (writer of the William Brown stories), and W E Johns (writer of the Biggles stories). . If you are in the Leeds area of Great Britain, you are welcome to attend meetings of the Northern club which take place on the second Saturday of each month at 6.30 pm at SPCK/Holy Trinity Church, Boar Lane, Leeds LS1 6HW, England. . Subscriptions are £12 p.a., or £5 p.a. for Associate Members (who cannot attend meetings but who wish to receive minutes and notes of club news)

Things to do: . E-Mail nobbc@caldicott.demon.co.uk if you wish to make contact with other enthusiasts or collectors, or find out where you can read or collect your favourite story papers; . E-Mail Vic Pratt at houbens@dial.pipex.com to find out how to borrow from London club libraries devoted to Frank Richards, to Edwy Searles Brooks, and to the Sexton Blake stories; or visit the London Old Boys' Book Club web site, . Visit the Story Paper Collectors Digest page to find out how to subscribe to a monthly publication which has already celebrated its unbroken run of fifty years, and which is edited by Mary Cadogan a leading writer and commentator in this field. . Visit the Specialist Dealers page to find out where to obtain story papers, comics, or books you never thought you would see again. . Make another collector happy by checking out the Wanted page and seeing if you have a spare in your collection. Or E-Mail nobbc@caldicott.demon.co.uk if you want to register your own wants, with your e-mail address, on the page . See also the Barbara Cooper site . And The Magnet site . . . . .