February sees the publication of a new novel by Martin Amis,The Pregnant Widow, his first for ten years. There is sure to be vast media coverage for this, so we have taken the opportunity to assess the career and collectability of a controversial figure some would argue to be the leading novelist of his generation.

We give a full run-down on the achievements of John F. Kennedy, America’s greatest post-war President. There is a very large body of work covering his life and also the creation of “Camelot” at the White House.

For those of you who prefer collecting magazines we take a look at the successful Pearsons Magazine which enjoyed a long run of success from the late Victorian era into the 1930s, and was the chief rival to the popular Strand Magazine. Where the Strand had Sherlock Holmes, Pearsons could boast of Kipling, among their stable of leading authors. Mike Ashley looks at the prices of bound and single volumes.

Only Book and Magazine Collector provides dedicated collectors with comprehensive bibliographies and price guides for a range of authors and this issue is no different! Jack Kirby is rightfully called The King of Comics and in his 50-year career from the 1930s to the 80s, he oversaw such classics as Captain America, Superman and the X-Men. We give a comprehensive survey of his career and a full bibliography and priceguide to his output.

Rupert Croft-Cooke is a prime example of a gifted writer who wrote on poetry, biography and history, but also flourished with detective fiction in the Golden Age before the Second World War, primarily with a crime series featuring Sergeant Beef. We cover the large output of this multi-talented author. Djuna Barnes, the France-based American writer, is best known for her novel Nightwood, but she had a long and distinguished career and was much praised by T.S. Eliot. We look at this neglected woman author.