Welcome to Froglets Publications online

Froglets is the name of a white weatherboarded cottage high on the Greensand Ridge near Toys Hill in Kent. It is surrounded by woodland still showing the scars of the greatest storm ever to hit the south-east. This unlikely setting is also the headquarters of Froglets Publications which made a massive and almost legendary impact on the book business through its enormously successful title In The Wake of The Hurricane which was written by Bob Ogley and published by him and his partner Fern Flynn after being rejected by Hodder and Stoughton.

Like the great storm of October 1987, the company is 20 years old but in that time Froglets has published 32 titles. Six were regional books about the storm, of which two found their way into the British top-ten paperback list — the national edition enjoying a run there for 28 successive weeks.

During that time there were warm tributes from people all over England including Margaret and Dennis Thatcher. The Observer described Froglets as a publishing phenomenon, The Times voted the company as one of their "winners of 1988" and the Independent, Guardian, Mail and Express all enjoyed Froglets' "sensational victory over a condescending publisher."

This real cottage company has continued to publish "best-sellers" — most of them written by Bob. For Froglets, the Great Storm is now one hundred and eight thousand pounds away. That's how much this "publishing phenomenon" has raised for charity!

Those of you who have older computers should drag the arrow down on the top right hand side of this page in order to access all the title pages. Thank you.

Biggin Hill Air Fair Fern and I met many old friends and made several new ones at the Biggin Hill Air Fair in early June. Thanks to all those who bought a book, or books, and thanks to the organisers, Colin and Fran of International Air Fairs for a great site on which to park our caravan and set up shop. Ron David from Washington, making a welcome return to the commentary team, stayed with us for a couple of days in order to glean more about the history of Biggin Hill. Ron is the president of Silver Wings Over Washington, a club dedicated to aviation and has invited me (Bob) to give a talk to his members later in the year. Biggin on the Bump and Ghosts of Biggin Hill have raised more than £34,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund. That says much for the affection people have for this famous old fighter station.

Latest news

• Bob makes a return to Radio Kent after an absence of a few weeks to continue his weekly review of the Kent villages.
  This week Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey falls into the spotlight, followed by Hextable, Milstead and Wormshill.
  You can hear Bob on the Pat Marsh Show on Thursday afternoons after 2.30
• Bob has a regular weekly page in the Bromley Times (and the Kentish Times Series), the Gravesend and Dartford Reporter and the Sevenoaks Chronicle. Most of his articles reflect local lore and legend collected during his 50-year career as a journalist. However, he also encourages readers to write their own reminiscences.
• As president-elect, Bob will be taking charge of Sevenoaks Rotary Club from 28 June and will be keen to find new members from the West Kent area. More details will follow.
• In the Wake of the Hurricane (national edition) has been reprinted by popular demand. Available from October 2007 — see latest titles
• The Kent Weather Book has been updated to include the years up to 2007 — see latest titles
• There is now a list of Bob's forthcoming talks on the Bob Ogley page.

• Our twentieth anniversary

  The anniversary of the Great Storm not only prompted us to reprint the national edition of our most popular book, it also gave newspaper, television and radio companies an opprtunity to tell our story of those amazing events 20 years ago.

  We were featured on BBC Countryfile with presenter John Craven introducing the programme from our garden in Brasted Chart. He was delighted with Fern's description of the night. She had not forgotten her acting skills!

  The BBC One Show spoke to Bob about the seven oaks and BBC South East took him on a helicopter above the Kent countryside to describe the astonishing recovery of the woodland canopy. Radio Kent's outside broadcast on the morning of the anniversary of the storm took place in the Fox and Hounds pub at Toys Hill with Bob and Fern arranging the guests.