TOWN MOOK
SUPER VISUAL SPECIAL 4
ITC SF MECHA GRAFFITI
Published by Tokuma Shoten (Town Mook) Publications 1985

The Japanese have always produced quality items relating to the various Anderson series, and this book is no exception. Packed with photographs from Supercar to Terrahawks, it concentrates mainly on the vehicles, but does touch on the characters and settings as well.

Five pages on Joe 90, including plan views of Mac's Car.

Printed in Japan (Japanese text), 84 pages, ¥980.

IT'S EASY TO PLAY
TV ACTION THEMES
Arranged by Frank Booth/Roger Day
© 1987 Wise Publications

One of around fifty books in the It's Easy To Play range. Those of you who can read music are given the chance to dust off your Bontempi and knock out fairly simple renditions of such televisual action themes as... erm... Bergerac, er... Tales Of The Unexpected, and... ah... The Gentle Touch. Sorry, it did say action themes didn't it?

Alright, there are some themes that warrant the title, like The A-Team and Knight Rider. The theme from Joe 90 features across a mere two pages - which can't really do justice to Mr. Gray's composition. Well, it doesn't if I try to play it.

Printed in England, 48 pages.

THE COMPLETE GERRY ANDERSON
EPISODE GUIDE
by Adam Pirani
© Titan Books Ltd 1989
Published by Titan Books Limited

Sadly known to many fans as The Incomplete and Largely Inaccurate Gerry Anderson Episode Guide.

Contains a guide to Joe 90 episodes, but has the usual mistakes that many guides make - Mission X-14,The Big Fish and Splash Down instead of Mission X-41, Big Fish and Splashdown - because the information is lifted from the ITC Story Information Book and not checked against the episodes themselves. Makes you wonder what else is wrong...

Printed in England, 168 pages, £8.99.

YES, M'LADY
by Sylvia Anderson
© Sylvia Anderson 1991
Published by Smith Gryphon Limited 1991

A somewhat meandering set of recollections, mainly concentrating on Thunderbirds - so much so that the other shows are only really mentioned in passing. Joe 90 hardly gets a look in.

I personally found it a difficult book to read, as the story rambles back and forth in time with no real chronological structure. But it is interesting nonetheless, and there are some nice behind the scenes photographs from the Thunderbirds television series and films.

Printed in Great Britain, 118 pages, £9.99.

21ST CENTURY VISIONS
by Derek Meddings (with Sam Mitchell)
© Dragon's World 1993
Published by Dragon's World 1993

Superb book about the special effects work of the late Derek Meddings. Packed with information about his miniature work on many of Anderson's shows, and overflowing with amazing pictures from in front of and behind the camera. Highly recommended.

Several pages about the effects and model work on Joe 90, with fantastic photographs.

Printed in Hong Kong, 128 pages, £12.96.

GERRY ANDERSON'S THUNDERBIRDS
© ITC Entertainment Group Limited 1993
Published by Asahi Sonorama Co., Ltd. 1993

Without a shadow of a doubt, the very best book on the Anderson series and films to come out of Japan - and the most expensive. Now highly sought after (one sold on eBay in March 2005 for £280), it has more than 350 pages crammed with photographs, many unfamiliar to even the most ardent fan. Covering everything from models, puppets & actors to props, sets, behind the scenes shots & merchandise, this book has it all.

With twenty pages dedicated to Joe 90, featuring many of the guest vehicles and craft used in the series, this is a "must have" for any Anderson collector - if you can find a copy.

Printed in Japan (Japanese text), 376 pages, hardback ¥13,500.

THE GERRY ANDERSON MEMORABILIA GUIDE
Compiled by Dennis W. Nicholson
© 1994 Dennis Way Nicholson
Published by Cooee Concepts Pty. Ltd.

Available only via mail order, this has become something of a bible to the serious Anderson memorabilia collector. While not complete and with some inaccuracies (it states it is a guide, not an encyclopaedia), it is an almost comprehensive listing of merchandise from The Adventures Of Twizzle right up to the 1991-1994 repeats of Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons.

With over 400 pages (11 on Joe 90), more than 3000 black & white photographs, and a buyers' price guide, this cannot be recommended highly enough. Now we just need a reprint in a couple of years time when the current merchandising spree ends...

Printed in Australia, 404 pages, £19.95 + £5.95 P&P.

GERRY ANDERSON
THE AUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY
by Simon Archer & Stan Nicholls
© Stan Nicholls and the Estate of Simon Archer 1996
Published by Legend Books 1996

Gerry's biography makes fascinating reading. Taking a chronological route from his birth and childhood, through every production from The Adventures of Twizzle right up to Lavender Castle, it gives an extraordinary  insight into his life and work. Sadly, despite being proof read by some members of the Fanderson committee, the book is full of factual and typographic errors. The club did however publish a comprehensive errata which can be found here.

Only just over two pages on Joe 90 (with two errors), and a small photo as part of a montage on the back cover.

Printed in England, 228 pages, hardback £15.99, paperback £7.99.

N.B. Revised and republished in 2002 as What Made Thunderbirds Go!