New English Library were a publishing phenomenon of the 1970s, cashing in on youth crazes and exploiting 'moral panics' by churning out pulp novels about Hell's Angels, speedfreaks, and most famously skinheads with the 'Joe Hawkins' stories by one 'Richard Allen'. The books caught on among kids, featuring lots of violence and gritty language. Many people thought that the Joe Hawkins books were written by a real skinhead speaking from personal experience, but it turned out years later that 'Richard Allen' was a Canadian pensioner living in Bournemouth! Other examples of his hackwork include "Teeny Bopper Idol", "Glam" and (his last book) "Mod Rule".
I've been collecting NEL paperbacks for a few years now. Some are quite collectable, but I found loads in charity shops. One of the things that I like most about them are their covers - here's a small selection. I love the well-hard bird on "Knuckle Girls". Grr! Which one's your favourite?
