Between 1981 and 1990 Philip T. Asdell published 33 well researched newsletters about Arthur W. Upfield and his Australian detective, Bony. The newsletters were titled The Bony Bulletin and comprised a total of
213 pages. The bulletins included some articles written by others,
but most of the material was researched and written by
Mr. Asdell who was born in England and grew up
mostly in New Zealand.
One of the seminal features of the bulletins is a 24 part series,
“Bony Was There,” in which Mr. Asdell discusses the location
in which each novel is set or, in the case of fictitious
settings, he painstakingly reconstructs the likely
location. Other articles (typically a series in two to four
parts) include women in Upfield’s novels, his use of
flora and fauna, Upfield’s literary references,
Upfield's use of Aboriginal culture, and subtle
changes in Bony that occur throughout the series.
The Bony Bulletin, of course, is out of print.
