Our firm regularly appeared in Ian Allan's "Little Red Book" for many
years. Our director who maintained liaison with them was a prominent
freemason but died about five years ago and we promptly disappeared
from the book.

I wrote to its editor about two months ago asking for a form on which
to supply him with our details so that our listing could be resumed. He
didn't even bother to reply. Given that the Ian Allan Group includes
Lewis Masonic Publishing among its many companies and seems to have an
unhealthy leaning towards freemasonry overall, I can only conclude that
I didn't roll my trouser leg up far enough or pepper my letter with
sufficient references to me being "On the level and only looking for a
square deal" to be felt worthy of a form!

Has anyone else had trouble getting their firm listed in this book? Ian
Allan certainly seem to have  some very strange selection criteria for
inclusion (the most recent edition includes details of a number of
local firms that went bust years ago). If they don't want to offer
buyers of this publication (at £35 a time), most of whom use it as a
mailing list to plug their products, details of a company like ours
with 35 vehicles that's been trading for 40 years and continues to do
so then its value as any kind of definitive guide to the UK PSV
industry definitely seems to look most questionable. On the bright side
though I won't be the one who loses sales at thirty five quid a time
when people realise that "The Little Red Book" isn't a comprehensive
industry listing at all: Mr Allan will have that to deal with, probably
in between getting "Toe to toe, knee to knee, breast to breast and hand
over back" with all his former bus and coach operating mates who've
gone skint but still stayed in the lodge!