IVAN SOUTHALL and SIMON BLACK Page updated 15th January, 2008. Every Australian Boys' Hero of the 1950s. Before 'Inspector Rex' there was Rex the Wonder Dog! 'Meet Simon Black' was my first Southall book. Unlike many of the 'Biggles' books which I borrowed from the local library, read, returned and promptly forgot about, 'Simon Black' gained my complete attention. They featured a believable character, a science-fictional aircraft but first and foremost were set in my own country: Australia. Comments

I recall back in 1960 during my first year of high school and having won a prize of a book, being asked to pick a title. "The latest Simon Black Book, please!" It was 'Simon Black Takes Over' with an arresting dust jacket design: Simon confronting a little alien, green with a light bulb-like head in a helmet. I could barely wait to reach home, whereupon I opened my book and soon lost myself within. Sadly, this was the second last of the series with 'Simon Black at Sea' coming out in 1961. This was a disappointment in more ways than one.

Ivan Southall went on to write many other books, but so far as I'm concerned, will always be remembered for Simon Black. Born in Melbourne in 1921, Southall grew up in the suburb of Surrey Hills and won a part-scholarship to Box Hill Grammar School. Tragedy intervened: his father died and he had to leave school at 14, eventually landing a position on the Melbourne Herald as a copy boy, after a number of minor jobs. What spare time he had was taken up writing short stories and a number of these saw publication in the paper. By the time the war arrived, Southall had written four novels, one of these eventually being revised and published by Angus and Robertson in 1950. Originally titled 'Full Throttle to Fortune', it became 'Meet Simon Black'. During the war, Southall flew Sunderlands for the RAAF over the seas surrounding Britain and won a DFC for sinking a German U-boat. With the war over, he became a war historian in England before returning to Victoria, eventually moving to the Dandenong Ranges. He has since authored around 60 mostly children's books and happily is still writing. A number of these have won 'Book of the Year' awards.

The State Library of Victoria held an exhibition of Ivan Southall's works and life, in the Queen's Hall, Melbourne a few years ago, but the web page is no longer online.

The SIMON BLACK* books
All published in Australia by Angus and Robertson, and overseas in many foreign language editions. The early books were printed on poor quality paper with crudely (but attractively) illustrated jackets on at least the first three. See the copy of -IN PERIL illustrated. The reprints were much nicer, jacket-wise, and on better paper. The artists were 'I Maher', Wal Stackpool and Frank Norton. Does anyone have information on these artists?
*BEWARE of the ABRIDGED editions which came out in plain laminated boards and paperbacks!

Version #2 jacket. See #1 at top.

Version #1 jacket

Version #2 jacket

1. MEET SIMON BLACK, first published 1950. Full colour jacket on 1957 reprint.
Ex-Squadron Leader Simon Black, DSO, DSC and Bar, and now a mechanic and garage proprietor in a small valley east of Melbourne, has invented a supersonic aircraft, 'Firefly'. Simon's offsider at the garage is teenager Johnny Grant. He looks after the business while Simon and elder brother Alan Grant work on their aircraft at Stanton Farm. Their secret is guarded by the faithful dog, Rex. The author was ahead of his time, the 'Firefly' being a VTOL (= Vertical Take-Off and Land) aircraft, rocket-powered with horizontal props in both wings - a primitive 'Harrier'. This introductory book takes you through the test flight, which is caught by a Mr Stanton of the 'Telegraph'. Simon and Alan decide to 'call in' on Simon's father, an aircraft manufacturer, in Sydney. After playing 'tag' with an RAAF Meteor over the City, Alan takes the controls and screams beneath the Harbour Bridge. Great stuff! All this in the first 30 pages. The duo eventually are given the task of finding a professor who has gone missing on a secret expedition to New Guinea. The story moves along at a fast pace, the style timeless.

2. SIMON BLACK IN PERIL, first published 1951, my reprint 1952, original jacket.
[The cover illustration of the 'Firefly' on the original jacket is incorrect, as readers will discover.]
Simon is commissioned by the Secret Service (ASIO?) to investigate the disappearance of a number of merchant ships in the Pacific. This turns out to be the work of a group of nazis, based on an island stronghold. How will Simon and Alan destroy this group of saboteurs?

3. SIMON BLACK IN SPACE, first published 1952, my reprint 1957.
Our heroes have improved on the original aircraft. Firefly 3 is capable of travel outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Mysterious flying discs have appeared over Australia. Simon and Alan have been ordered to find one and follow it to its source. To tell you more would ruin the story. Science fiction with a touch of 'The X Files'.

4. SIMON BLACK IN COASTAL COMMAND, first published 1953, my reprint 1957.
This book takes you back a decade and explains how Simon and Alan first met. Probably the best boys' book to come out of this country in the 1950s, 'Coastal Command' bears the stamp of authenticity, thanks to the author's background. Both Simon and Alan are fleshed out, character- wise. You can believe in these two young fliers. The 'Flying Porcupines', as the enemy has nick-named the Sunderland flying boats, had a majesty all of their own. Bristling with guns, these mighty aircraft were responsible for saving many allied aircrew - and sinking many U-Boats. If you haven't yet read a 'Simon Black' (or any Ivan Southall book), make this your first. It still stands up as a great read, over 40 years on.

Version #2 jacket. See #1 above.

5. SIMON BLACK IN CHINA, first published 1954.
A year after their journey into space, the boys are sent on a perilous trip into China, this time with Johnny as well. The trio must impersonate three men whose aircraft was shot down while transporting some type of secret material to a spy ring in the East. Their Catalina is destroyed so Simon and Co must use the 'Firefly'. This time the author has penned a dramatic thriller.

6. SIMON BLACK AND THE SPACEMEN, first published 1955.
Any blurb on this story will give the plot of 'Simon Black in Space' away, so all you need to know is that the boys are back off into space.

7. SIMON BLACK IN THE ANTARCTIC, first published 1956, my reprint 1958.
The b/w frontispiece gives you a clear illustration of the 'Firefly'. Simon and Alan are dispatched (with Rex) to investigate strange happenings on an Australian Antarctic base. A read of this may remind you of 'The X Files' episode 'Ice', which was based on the original short story 'Who goes There'. I fact the exploration of the Antarctic was the big news story of the mid-1950s.

8. SIMON BLACK TAKES OVER, sub-titled 'The Strange Tale of Operation Greenleaf', published 1959 and very scarce.
The little green men arrive on Simon's home ground. A twisting and always entertaining narrative keeps the reader looking forward to each chapter, wondering what will happen next. I loved it.

9. SIMON BLACK AT SEA, sub-titled 'The Fateful maiden voyage of APM1 Arion', published 1961.
The artist is un-named, probably ashamed of the atrocious dust jack, internal scribbles and frontispiece, not forgetting the endpapers which show an object which looks as if it was designed by a 10 year-old schoolboy! The book itself is a one-off, size-wise, being of a larger format than the previous titles. Simon and Alan are ordered by the Aussie PM to accompany the weird air-sea vessel, 'Arion', condemned by the RAN as a monstrosity, on its maiden voyage. The book isn't poorly written - far from it. The plot is simply ridiculous even if similar events have occurred in real life! I recall how disappointed I was, having eagerly waited for two years - for Simon's next adventure. You knew from the sub-title that things were going to end in disaster, after all!

10. SIMON BLACK IN ARABIA Not published under this name. Any details welcomed opsbooks@aol.com

COMMENTS

I've just discovered your site. I don't have any info on Simon Black in Arabia, but re some of the others:

There is also a title "Simon Black on Venus". As far as I can tell, this is the same as Simon Black and the Spacemen. (Info source: The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy (Paul Collins 1998)) I have a copy titled that, though an "edited" version...

Several of the titles were "edited" for the school trade (& abbreviated, according to MUP Encyc Austn SF&F). I'm reasonably sure edited versions of the following exist:

Simon Black in Space
Simon Black on Venus
Simon Black takes over
Simon Black at Sea

The National Library of Australia generally has anything published in Australia. The following query on their catalogue returns a list of all their holdings with Simon Black in the title & by Ivan Southall:

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?PostSearchSortBy1=PUB_DATE
&HID=793529&HID=1985280&HID=2338557&HID=1041281&HID=953032&HID=1561443&HID=2
071861&HID=2821171&HID=2315383&HID=974498&HID=1423892&HID=709912&HID=1514875
&HID=2229181&HID=2542860&SAB1=simon+black&BOOL1=all+of+these&FLD1=Title+%28T
KEY%29&GRP1=AND+with+next+set&SAB2=southall+ivan&BOOL2=all+of+these&FLD2=Aut
hor+%28NKEY%29&GRP2=AND+with+next+set&CNT=25&PID=25817&SEQ=20071119131007&RE
C=0&RD=0&RC=0&MAILADDY=&EMAILADDRESS=None&LIMITBUTTON=0

The NLA doesn't seem to have a non-edited version of SB on Venus, however The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy does list it. This Encyc. also lists foreign language edns for the SF & borderline SF titles; if you are interested I can transcribe/scan.

I'm fairly sure the cover of _SB in Space_ that is shown on the Fantastic Fiction site is the editted version - I can't lay my hands on my copy at the moment:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/ivan-southall/simon-black-in-space.htm

Regards
Jane

Thanks for your comments and information, Jane.

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