Charles Chilton's Autobiography

Charles Chilton, MBE:
Journey into Space
Riders of the Range
Oh, What a Lovely War!

The eagerly anticipated autobiography of Charles Chilton, MBE, is to be published soon by the media company Fantom Films. 

Titled Auntie's Charlie (which is an appropriate title considering its author's 46-year career with "Auntie", as the BBC is affectionately known in some quarters),  the book will be published coincidentally (though not by chance!) with a new reprint edition of Journey into Space: Operation Luna. The latter is Charles Chilton's own novelisation of the first of his famous British 1950s science fiction radio serials, which has been out of print for 40 years.

Although most famous as the creator/writer/producer of Journey into Space (which he also wrote as a comic strip for Eagle's rival publication, Express Weekly, Charles is also remembered by Eagle's readers as the author of the western strip 'Jeff Arnold and the Riders of the Range', which he wrote weekly for Eagle for more than twelve years - see our earlier post on Eagle writer Charles Chilton. Another of Charles' accomplishments was his research and writing contribution to the musical Oh, What a Lovely War!, a critique of the First World War, which was famously first staged and produced by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in 1963. 

Auntie's Charlie (ISBN: 978-1-906263-72-0) is to be published in August 2011 in a hard-back Limited Collectors' Edition of 200 copies, priced at £24.99 (UK) or £27.99 (abroad). Details are available at the Fantom Films website. Those pre-ordering before 15th August will receive an invitation to the Charles Chilton Book Launch where their copy can be personally signed by the author.

Journey into Space: Operation Luna (ISBN: 978-1-906263-73-7) is also to be published August. The second and third Journey into Space novels, The Red Planet (ISBN: 978-1-906263-74-4) and The World in Peril (ISBN: 978-1-906263-75-1), are due to follow in November 2011 and February 2012, respectively. All three books will be published in hard-back Limited Collectors' Editions of 200 copies each, and priced at £12.99 each (UK) or £14.99 (abroad). Again, details are available at the Fantom Films website. Those pre-ordering Journey into Space: Operation Luna before 15th August will receive an invitation to the Charles Chilton Book Launch where their copy can be personally signed by the author. 

Alternatively, a subscription can be taken out for all three Journey into Space books at £34.99 (UK) or £39.99 (abroad). Subscribers to the Journey into Space books will receive a limited edition postcard signed by Charles and a pin-badge, as well as an invitation to the Book Launch.

The Charles Chilton Book Launch will be held from 4pm - 6pm on 20th August 2011 at the George IV Public House & Comedy Club, Chiswick (London).