2003 Archive 
Recently, Simon Wickes< found a person who uncovered a box of Little Golden Books in a warehouse. This unopened box contained mint condition copies of "SUPERCAR", printed in 1962. He was kind enough to arrange a sale between the original finder and several members of the FAB-L mailing list. I was one of those grateful people who received a copy of the book. And I have to say it is indeed in mint condition, suffering only from a little scuffing on the back cover, which is an obvious result of being stacked in a box for so long. Color is completely unfaded, as is the paper. No yellowing around the edges. Perfect mint condition!
The book is very well presented, featuring watercolor cover and inside illustrations in full color. No black and white. Very well done. Representations of the Supermarionation characters and Supercar itself seem very good. Since I am not TOO familiar with all of the characters in the TV show Supercar, I can only speak for those characters I have seen from photos, and they are very accurate. Supercar itself is shown in several angles, and is accurately painted.
The story, as with most Little Golden Books, is for children, aged 4-8 probably. It's a good story in those terms. A little simplistic, and uses outdated terminology. In other words, it's not politically correct as it would be if it were written today. In fact, I may one day translate it into '90s.
Until I watch an actual episode of the show, I can't relate how it feels in relation to the TV series, but I would have enjoyed it immensely as a child. I enjoy it now for its value, which is high, considering the condition and original publishing date.
The following is a transcript. Page breaks are denoted by a horizontal rule, like this:
(Cover) A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK 492 29¢
SUPERCAR
Supercar by George Sherman Pictures by Mel Crawford Golden Press, New York
This is a brand-new book, written and illustrated especially for Golden Books. © Copyright 1962 by Independent Television Corporation, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Designed and produced by Artists and Writers Press, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. by Western Printing and Lithographing Company. Published by Golden Press, Inc. New York, N. Y. Published simultaneously in Canada by the Musson Book Company, Ltd., Toronto.
10...9...8...7... The countdown had begun. The giant rocket sat on its pad, ready for take-off. The crowd of scientists stood by, waiting and watching.
6...5...4... Doctor Beeker and Professor Popkiss, the inventors of the rocket, clutched each other breathlessly. "Don't worry," said Mike Mercury, "Super Rocket is going to be every bit as good as Supercar."
3...2...1...BLAST OFF! There was a great flash and the rocket rose slowly off the launching pad. Soon it had disappeared, leaving only a trail of white in the sky.
Anxiously the scientists waited for the first signals from the spaceman. But there was nothing! There was no sign on the radarscope. The radio was silent. The rocket had disappeared!
Professor Popkiss turned to Mike Mercury. "We must find out what has happened," he said. "Take Supercar and look for that rocket." There was not a moment to lose. Mike leaped into Supercar, where Jimmy and Mitch the Monkey were waiting for him.
Quickly Mike Mercury adjusted Supercar for a trip to outer space. Then, before the men in the control room could say, "Good-bye," Supercar was in the air. Mike Mercury followed the same course the space-man had charted.
Supercar soared higher and higher into space. The sky was no longer blue - it turned into a deep black - darker than the darkest night. Mike Mercury looked about him. He could see no trace of the lost spaceship.
"Masterspy may be behind this strange disappearance," Mike said. "If I can find Masterspy, I bet I'll find the spaceman close by." Jimmy nodded, and Mike headed back to earth. He coasted to a smooth landing at the North Pole.
Mike looked around. There were icebergs, and some fat polar bears and a party of playful seals. But no spaceship. Mike asked an Eskimo, "Have you seen the spaceship?" "Ugh, no. Many whales...many bears. But not a spaceship," said the Eskimo.
Supercar, traveling faster than a bullet, left the North Pole and landed on a South Sea island. There were palm trees and grass huts and lovely flowers. But no spaceship. Mike asked a girl, "Have you seen the spaceship?" "No. Many fish... volcanoes... the rain and the sun... but not a spaceship."
Supercar shot away in an instant. Soon it was on the Sahara Desert. There were sand dunes and camels and big shady tents. But no spaceship. Mike saw an Arab and asked, "Have you seen a spaceship?" "Salaam. No. Much sand...and sand...and sand. But not a spaceship."
Supercar left the desert and cruised over the African jungle. Mike turned on his new HearAll super-sensitive radio and heard a familiar voice: "Stupid dolt, Zarin. I send you out to capture Supercar, and all you get is a rocket and a spaceman." Mike recognized the voice. It belonged to his dreaded enemy, Masterspy!
In the depths of the jungle, hidden from view, was the lost spaceman. Masterspy and Zarin had used a strong magnetic ray-gun to draw the spaceship from orbit into their jungle hide-out. Zarin said, "But sir, capturing the rocket is not a loss. We can trade the spaceman for the blueprints of Supercar."
Supercar circled low over the jungle. Mike turned to Mitch the Monkey. "Mitch, you must help us find Masterspy's hide-out. You know the jungle better than we do." Mitch pointed to the river far below, and Supercar zoomed down.
Supercar speedboated up the jungle river. The picture on Clearvu showed they were getting close to the lost spaceship.
"I am going to sneak up on Masterspy under water," said Mike. Mitch and Jimmy nodded in agreement. Mike pressed a button, and Supercar dived under water like a submarine.
"We're here!" said Mike suddenly. He steered Supercar to the door of a large hut. Then he leaped out and threw open the door. And there was Masterspy and Zarin and ... the missing spaceman!
"Thank goodness you are safe," said Mike as he untied the spaceman. But while he worked at the knots, Masterspy and Zarin escaped! They raced to their high-powered Thunderbolt car and zoomed away. "Hurry! We must catch them," said Mike.
Supercar was not to be outraced by a mere Thunderbolt! Mike, Jimmy, Mitch the Monkey and the spaceman chased Masterspy along the narrow, overgrown jungle trail.
Mike pushed another button on the control panel. And as Supercar got behind the racing Thunderbolt, a scoop reached out. It lifted the big car as easily as if it were a toy.
Supercar lifted Masterspy and Zarin up, up, up, far into outer space. Then - zoop! - Supercar flipped them into orbit. "With any luck," said Mike, "they won't come down to earth for a hundred years!"
The next day the spaceman climbed into a new rocket built by Doctor Beeker. Mike called to him, "When you're in orbit, don't forget to wave to Masterspy." The spaceman grinned, and the countdown began again.
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