A Plea for Help

If I'm going to change these pages regularly, or build up a worthwhile "Images" section, I'll soon run out of suitable magazines - I only have about 30. I collect them, not as "a collector", but as a reader - I find them quite fascinating. Therefore I'd like to buy any that you may encounter, provided I don't already have them. I'm especially interested in 1920 to 1935 - the few I have are mostly from 1932. Older ones would also be welcome, though to be honest you may get a better price elsewhere as they are quite rare and I'm not rich.

I can't afford to pay commercial prices for any of them (dealers sell good-condition single issues at £5 to £8 each), but I'm not overly concerned about condition as long as they're more or less intact and readable. To be honest, if the stapling's disintegrated, at least I can use a flat-bed scanner instead of a hand-scanner without worrying about causing further damage! Ideally I'd prefer to buy in bulk at a couple of pounds an issue, or less for tatty ones, which is how I obtained those I have so far. Even dealers buy and sell at much lower prices when dealing in quantities of 20 or more, so I think that's a fair price. I may be prepared to pay more for individual copies, though in this case I'd prefer to see them first.

In theory I'd also be happy to borrow suitable mags, but I can't guarantee that they will survive scanning completely undamaged. They should ideally be disintegrated already so that I can scan the separate pages, or should be in very good condition - I've scanned a couple in a flat-bed scanner without causing any damage, but the stapling and surrounding paper must be in good enough condition to allow the magazine to be folded open and laid flat with the spine upwards. In all but near-perfect copies this tears the staples out. Early copies are better than later ones, as they consist of one set of sheets stapled through the middle of the spine rather than multiple sets (like a book) stapled through the left-hand side. If you're prepared to risk it, I'm willing to pay postage in both directions, or collect/deliver if possible, and I promise to be as careful with them as possible.

I'd also welcome old photos for the "Images" section - these are much less of a problem for scanning, so perhaps if you have any you don't want to sell, I could borrow them?

If you have any motorcycle mags or photographs that are suitable, or know someone who has, please get in touch by Email