In March 1926 the Union Jack carried a front cover that was a photograph rather than an illustration for the complete Sexton Blake novella carried inside. The photo showed a seven-inch high bust of the fictional detective, whose name was a British household word in the 1920s and '30s. Plaster models of the bust were offered "free" to the paper's readers. In fact, it was a circulation-builder; a reader who wanted to claim a bust had to recruit five new readers, so the ornament cost him ten pennies.
I've just uploaded the UJ issue containing all the details plus the story "The Case of the Sexton Blake Bust." As described by the Editor, this yarn, though a "sample of UJ excellence", was of "pure detective work; others [UJ issues] contain those of a more adventurous twist or of strong human dramatic appeal." In replies to reader correspondents (page 26) the Editor responded to a reader's report that some grown-ups thought of his paper as "blood-curdling trash."
Some 40 years after the issue appeared, story-paper historian Bill Lofts in July 1967 described the Sexton Blake bust as "one of the most treasured and sought-after of collectors' items." In Lofts' circle, "of all the busts that were made, only about a round dozen are known to exist today." The mold and casts were manufactured by a Clerkenwell Road, London, firm, Regali & Son, from an original sculpted by the most popular Blake illustrator, Eric Parker.
Although the models were not particularly robust, today's technology can allow readers to decide for themselves whether the novella has stood the test of time. Soon, I hope you will be able to find it in the Union Jack section of CB+'s Pulp Fiction area.
