Dean's Pop-Up Book of Motor Cars

New Zealand charity shops are not the wonderful palaces of rare and wonderful things that they are in Britain. However, there is one that is worth a look every time I am in the area, and my most recent visit turned up an old Pop-up book.

Dean's Pop-Up Book of Motor Cars was one of several transport-related Pop-ups produced by Dean & Son Ltd. The copyright date inside is 1961, but no author or artist is credited, although the cover painting is signed Gordon.

It is a small hardback book, 234 mm by 168 mm. There are three pop-up scenes.

The first shows a B.R.M. racing car on the track, with an empty oil drum marker. The next two pages show a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and a Super Porsche 90.

The next scene has a fire engine on its way to a fire, with a Police car racing ahead to clear the way - 'just in case any cars, lorries or carts are taking up too much room on the road'. So, carts were still a traffic hazard in 1961.

Then a Formula Junior Lotus, an Aston Martin DB4, and the new Jaguar type 'E'. The final pop-up scene shows a Daimler double-decker bus over-taking the M.G saloon.

A nice little piece of history, and only $3 NZ (about £1.44).

I do not have a full list of these pop-up books by Dean & Son, but the transport series included books on ships, trains, trucks and tractors. But it seems there were none on aircraft ?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

INTO SPACE WITH ACE BRAVE

‘Into Space With Ace Brave - Space Master’, a pop - up book produced in the mid fifties and drawn  by Ron Turner.

Inspired by the similar Dan Dare pop-up book which came out in 1953, Ron’s version was produced after he had finished working for ‘Tit - Bits’ comics and was looking for other work.

The first pop up shows the command deck of  the space ship ’Asteroid’. The ship is on it’s way to Mars to rendezvous with the deep-space ship, ’Aspirant’.

To while away the journey, Ace Brave recalls some of his adventures.

Peril! - Ace along with fellow spacemen, Rex Manley and ‘Rocky’ Cragg  land on  Venus and do battle with a Terrathon.

Crash Landing! -  While taking off from Mars, the rocket fuel pumps packed up half a mile above the ground. Ace managed to land the ship using the nose rockets.

Space Patrol -  Interceptor rockets blast off  from Moon Control to ward off Space Pirates that are threatening Ace’s ship.

At the end of the book, Ace and his crew board ‘The Aspirant’. Twenty four hours later they blast off into deep space. One day, Ace says, he’ll be back to tell you all - what lies beyond!

Ron never did do a follow up - During an interview conducted by John Lawrence in  The Comic Journal  he did recall doing another pop-up book but believed that may have been a western.