I would like to make contact either with Franklyn Wood or, if he is no longer alive, with his heirs. Does anyone have any information that would help, please?
Leaper:
I would like to make contact either with Franklyn Wood or, if he is no longer alive, with his heirs. Does anyone have any information that would help, please?
Wasnt Franklyn Wood the publishers ?
Leaper:
I would like to make contact either with Franklyn Wood or, if he is no longer alive, with his heirs. Does anyone have any information that would help, please?
Try writing to his publishers – that works with most authors – if not then try their agent !!
W.H. Allen & Co Ltd
44 Hill Street
London
WIX 8LB
This is the best I can do for you !!
What makes this book so sought after - usually goes for about £150 on fleabay - anybody on here actually own a copy ?
I own a paperback copy 
£150 
I gave mine away years ago!! 
I’ve got a hardback, review copy - with the comments slip in the front and a clear plastic dust cover. Paid £20-odd quid on an online booksellers site before the collectors got wind of it. I shudder to think how much I could get for it if i put it on eBay - the prospect of having to try & find another copy stops me from selling it.
Hi Guys
I must be one of the few lucky one,s I have a personal signed copy ,Peter Cannon got it for me when I was away ,Bob Paul ask me to take him on his trip but I turned it down as I had no passenger seat my loss I supose,he ended up with Snowy and the wing Comander,the best story tellers on Astrans 
Its worth a lot more than £150.there are only a handfull of signed coppies .(put you bid here start at five figures and you might be in with a chance)
Roger Haywood
Just read on another site that Cola Cowboys is being reprinted by Old Pond publishing in 2010 cananybody confirm this
Suedehead:
What makes this book so sought after - usually goes for about £150 on fleabay
Like gold, it is one of those things which is only valuable because everybody agrees it is. 
I read it years ago, and have most of the other trucking classics (Danger, Heavy Goods, a Thousand Miles from Nowhere etc) and would definately buy it if it is reprinted.
guys
I will photo copy mine stick it together with duck tape ,sign it and its all yours for the price of the paper,will chuck a bit of sand in the middle, so when you open it up you will get that all over ME sensation.
Roger Haywood
Old Pond Publishing plans to reprint it in March.
Harry Monk:
Suedehead:
What makes this book so sought after - usually goes for about £150 on fleabayLike gold, it is one of those things which is only valuable because everybody agrees it is.
I read it years ago, and have most of the other trucking classics (Danger, Heavy Goods, a Thousand Miles from Nowhere etc) and would definately buy it if it is reprinted.
Whats that “A thousand miles from nowhere” like ?
Thousand miles to nowehere about a run to ussr in a S.A Strato silver night and a inter state run in the us in a peterbilt
Suedehead:
Whats that “A thousand miles from nowhere” like ?
Yep, well worth a read and not expensive to buy. As stated elsewhere it is about two road trips, one to Moscow and the other across the USA.
Had a copy of Cola Cowboys from my son and family last christmas 
I had two copies of the paperback version in the early 80’s and lent them out shortly after - never to be seen again!! I still see one of my mates to whom I lent a copy and he denies any knowledge of ever having it!! It really annoys me that having had two such sought after possessions that i simply lost them.
It was a really good read but having never gone further than Greece in my years of driving, I took it at face value but there are others with greater experience who thought that some of the stories were exagerated - probably by the drivers he interviewed!
I seem to remember that Franklyn Wood was a reporter with the Sunday Times. It was first serialised in a magazine and my girlfriend at the time bought me the first copy on the back of reading the article. The magazine took delight in announcing that one of the drivers who regularly made the trip was a former convicted bank robber. Another was a musician and one other I think was something like an accountant.
Hopefully it will be published again so that I can buy it, or even better, my mate will find it one day in his attic or garage and return it to me!!
Moonraker:
my mate will find it one day in his attic or garage and return it to me!!
cant see that happening.
Hi Moonraker
Dont get so worked up at loosing your coppies , im sure one will come your way soon, if you are in dire need you can have mine for a few quid ,the stories in the book are real ,but condensed into one trip by Trevor Long and ■■■■ Snow,two Astran Drivers who are no longer with us ,if you wish to know more about the ME there are many stories on Astran Middle East Drivers,take a look.
Cheers
Roger Haywood
Hi Sinbin
Thanks for the offer - I do look at all the posts on Astran and the M/E and thoroughly enjoy them - especially the photos of the trucks that were used.
I just missed out on the M/E opportunities but would have loved to do one trip. I did a trip to Greece a month ago and was away for 11 days - that seemed a long time. I don’t think I could handle 6 - 8 weeks away now. I hardly saw any British trucks on the trip (I did go via Ancona) and the era of British trucks going far and wide seems to have ended. It seems that the majority of UK registered trucks heading abroad are specialist transporters such as boat, pop band, racing car and furniture transporters. Anything else seems to be put onto an eastern european truck at non-competitive rates.
I enjoyed the trip - I went to Corfu to collect a household removal. I drove a Daf drawbar and my colleague took a 3.5 ton van. Everything had to be transferred from the house using the 3.5 ton van and took 3 days to load. Both vehicles were full. Driving back over Mont Blanc without an exhaust brake tested the nerves somewhat - as did paying £225.00 to go through the tunnel (£111.00 for the 3.5 ton van). The tolls are so dear in France now that it is working out at about 30p per mile to use the Autoroutes!
I shan’t do another trip like that in a hurry - most of our work is moving people to and from France and you can normally get there and back within 5 days.
Regards
Pete (Salisbury)