James Eastwood - I’d forgotten about him! I’m not a fan of photo covers but these are about as good as you can get. I had the first two books but not the third, I believe it’s pretty rare nowadays and gets a good price when one turns up for sale.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Yes, it doesn’t take too much thought on who Shag Preston was based upon 😁
Harlan Ellison wrote many pulp novels before he became a “respected” science fiction author. Incidentally, Hal Ellson is not a pseudonym of Harlan Ellison, it’s his own name (Harold Ellson) and he had a large output of pulp novels, mainly in the juvenile delinquency vein, it’s just one of those stranger than fiction coincidences.
I’m going to be starting a thread soon devoted to “Pulp” which will cover books, magazines, comics and movies. Hopefully there will be something of interest there for some of the AJB gang.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I know this is a bit off topic but are any of these books actually any good? I mean, I kind of wonder if they read okay or what the standard is here? I suppose they're the equivalent of those romantic slush novels for women. It's an entire industry that doesn't exist any more, at least the sexy pulp aimed at men anyway.
The standard ranged from excellent to downright dreadful - it’s something I will be discussing in my forthcoming Pulp thread that I’m hoping to begin within the next few days…time permitting, as I’m very busy at the moment with various things - who said retirement was relaxing? 😂
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
That is interesting you say they are second and first editions as the publication dates for these are all in the 1930s. That's from all that Saint research I've been doing. I know paperbacks didn't come into fashion much until after the second world war, but were they really that late for The Saint? Did Hodder [the original publisher] issue paperback editions prior to Pan or were Hodder only a hardback community?
@chrisno1 The first Saint paperbacks were published in the very late 1940’s by PAN, the ones above being published in the early 1950’s with the second editions as stated in 1955 and 1956. Hodder only published the hardcovers of The Saint (the same as Cape did with the Bond’s) with the paperback rights being obtained by PAN for both series. Hodder did print a form of paperback called “yellowjackets” in the 1920’s, before the accepted term of paperbacks came into being, including the Bulldog Drummond series. I will be covering the yellowjackets in one of my articles in my new Pulp thread at some point.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
love those early Saint covers, its fun looking for what the stick figure is doing in each picture. are there any more?
@chrisno1 raises a good question: if a new publisher gets the rights to a book that has been published before by someone else, is their 1st printing identified as 1st printing on the interior page with the publishing fine print, or does the numbering continue from the previous publisher?
for example, when Panther took over the Fleming books from PAN in the late 70s, did they begin with a 1st Panther printing or was it the 21st (or whatever) printing?
@CoolHandBond I'm looking forwards to your Pulp Fiction thread
@caractacus potts Usually the publisher would begin as a first printing under their own brand but would usually acknowledge the first printing as well with something like - 1st published by Jonathan Cape 1953. This may well vary between publishing houses, though.
I have posted quite a few Saint covers on this thread and will post some more at a later date.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Comments
James Eastwood - I’d forgotten about him! I’m not a fan of photo covers but these are about as good as you can get. I had the first two books but not the third, I believe it’s pretty rare nowadays and gets a good price when one turns up for sale.
Good artwork on these…
A few more…
Very, er, evocative!
Some good artwork here…
The book "Shark!" above - can I take a wild guess that it escaped, er, was released not long after "Jaws"?
Yes, came out very soon after Jaws was released - I didn’t read it but sold every copy that came into stock over the years.
Sword and sorcery book covers were always popular…
A random selection this week…
Shag Preston, eh? Gee, I wonder who he's based on. I've read some Ellison though that was SF, where he was well respected., and not the titles above.
Yes, it doesn’t take too much thought on who Shag Preston was based upon 😁
Harlan Ellison wrote many pulp novels before he became a “respected” science fiction author. Incidentally, Hal Ellson is not a pseudonym of Harlan Ellison, it’s his own name (Harold Ellson) and he had a large output of pulp novels, mainly in the juvenile delinquency vein, it’s just one of those stranger than fiction coincidences.
I’m going to be starting a thread soon devoted to “Pulp” which will cover books, magazines, comics and movies. Hopefully there will be something of interest there for some of the AJB gang.
Count me in, CHB. 👍
Some covers that sell the book regardless of the content…
It may not be very PC nowadays but half naked women are an invaluable selling aid. 😉
They certainly are, and prices on these pulp paperbacks are rising healthily year on year.
I know this is a bit off topic but are any of these books actually any good? I mean, I kind of wonder if they read okay or what the standard is here? I suppose they're the equivalent of those romantic slush novels for women. It's an entire industry that doesn't exist any more, at least the sexy pulp aimed at men anyway.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The standard ranged from excellent to downright dreadful - it’s something I will be discussing in my forthcoming Pulp thread that I’m hoping to begin within the next few days…time permitting, as I’m very busy at the moment with various things - who said retirement was relaxing? 😂
Some nice painted The Saint covers from the brilliant PAN Books company - nice to see him in Western gear!
Roughly when were those, CHB? I had a few Saint books back in the day but not with those covers, 60s or 70s ones.
Barbel, they are from 1955 and 1956 - 2nd editions - apart from The Saint Steps In which is a 1st edition, 1958.
As you say, they're very nice. I understand why people collect them. I have a few from that era myself, mainly Bonds of course.
That is interesting you say they are second and first editions as the publication dates for these are all in the 1930s. That's from all that Saint research I've been doing. I know paperbacks didn't come into fashion much until after the second world war, but were they really that late for The Saint? Did Hodder [the original publisher] issue paperback editions prior to Pan or were Hodder only a hardback community?
@chrisno1 The first Saint paperbacks were published in the very late 1940’s by PAN, the ones above being published in the early 1950’s with the second editions as stated in 1955 and 1956. Hodder only published the hardcovers of The Saint (the same as Cape did with the Bond’s) with the paperback rights being obtained by PAN for both series. Hodder did print a form of paperback called “yellowjackets” in the 1920’s, before the accepted term of paperbacks came into being, including the Bulldog Drummond series. I will be covering the yellowjackets in one of my articles in my new Pulp thread at some point.
The 1950’s was a great decade for paperbacks, especially those Bond covers!
@CoolHandBond thnaks for the info
love those early Saint covers, its fun looking for what the stick figure is doing in each picture. are there any more?
@chrisno1 raises a good question: if a new publisher gets the rights to a book that has been published before by someone else, is their 1st printing identified as 1st printing on the interior page with the publishing fine print, or does the numbering continue from the previous publisher?
for example, when Panther took over the Fleming books from PAN in the late 70s, did they begin with a 1st Panther printing or was it the 21st (or whatever) printing?
@CoolHandBond I'm looking forwards to your Pulp Fiction thread
@caractacus potts Usually the publisher would begin as a first printing under their own brand but would usually acknowledge the first printing as well with something like - 1st published by Jonathan Cape 1953. This may well vary between publishing houses, though.
I have posted quite a few Saint covers on this thread and will post some more at a later date.
Paperbacks with girl or girls in the title were always popular…
Girl In A Jam - "tastes like strawberries." 🍓