Comics, Pulps, and Paperbacks: Why such a discrepancy in values? 25 25

[Surfing Alien]

On 7/1/2023 at 12:15 AM, PopKulture said:

I think Pockets are vastly under-rated, especially for their historical import as you note. As comics, pulps and paperbacks have become increasingly cover-centric, I suppose they’ll continue to lose ground on the more lurid digests or Avons and Populars, but astute collectors should always make a little space in their collections for some Pockets.  

All true, especially since it gets lost in the GGA sauce of other publishers that Pocket pioneered the nipple cover with "Nana" (top left) in May 1941 ! and, over time, published many cool GGA and other garish delights like Warren Baumgardner's awesome "Head of a Traveler".

 

Some killer Pocket's, from left to right, top to bottom:

Nana by Emile Zola - cover artist uncredited

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - in GGA backshot dust jacket painted by Stanley Meltzoff

My Late Wives by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) - trip inducing cover by famed comic book artist Louis Glanzman (I wonder if Lou Marchetti saw this one before he painted "Cry Plague"?)

Rampart Street by Everrett and Olga Weber - torture/hanging GGA cover by Barye "The King" Phillips

Head of a Traveler by Nicholas Blake - decapitation cover by Warren Baumgardner

Trouble is my Business by Raymond Chandler  - branded chest/headlights GGA cover by Herman Geisen

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler - sweet, moody GGA cover by Robert Schulz

Pick-up On Noon Street by Raymond Chandler - Incredible Robert Maguire GGA cover.

The biggest problem with Pockets is that they published so many titles, non-fiction and mainstream fiction alike, that there is no collector interest for, so it's like mining for gems and takes some work to find the sci fi, the hard boiled mystery's and all the GGA that is dotted around the run.

I got some cool stuff in today that i'll try to post later

 

 

 

 

 

[Pat Calhoun]

these look good and are all super-fave reads as well. New Tales of Space and Time features Kris Neville's masterpiece novella 'Bettyann', one of the highlights of fifties SF, the best of the best.

[Pat Calhoun]

had to scan this: when I got back from my 'world tour' (selected Europe + Morocco, Afghanistan) funded by selling my GA collection in 1969 I was broke but still managed to put together one of my most important collections: I resolved to acquire and read every vintage pb sf anthology I could find. Cost was the fun of cruising bookstores (+ 'Pocket' change) and deep immersion into classic sf short stories, novelettes, and novellas. At any rate: this was the oldest (not this copy) of the group: first print: March 1943.

[Pat Calhoun]

another fresh scan and fable. In those wonderful 'bookstore cruising' days I mentioned above, one trip to Bargain Books in downtown San Diego brought me face-to-face with a copy of the below: pinned in a bag to the wall and priced at one dollar. I was thunderstruck at such an astronomical amount being asked -a wide rushing Rubicon ran right before me- but I crossed it and manned up to pay the price: no regrets.

[Surfing Alien]

On 7/1/2023 at 3:02 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

another fresh scan and fable. In those wonderful 'bookstore cruising' days I mentioned above, one trip to Bargain Books in downtown San Diego brought me face-to-face with a copy of the below: pinned in a bag to the wall and priced at one dollar. I was thunderstruck at such an astronomical amount being asked -a wide rushing Rubicon ran right before me- but I crossed it and manned up to pay the price: no regrets.

I still need this one 

Here's a pic of some of the other silver spine Science Fiction titles. They make a great set to collect but are a bear to find without major chipping and rubbing to the silver on the spine edge. These are the best of each I've managed to hunt down.

Some great artists here, Bergey, Powers, Schulz, Dunn and Meltzoff, off the top of my head.

[Pat Calhoun]

silver spine Science Fiction: one more

 

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Pat Calhoun

[Surfing Alien]

On 7/1/2023 at 5:55 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

silver spine Science Fiction: one more

 

 

Need that one too 

Seems like there's always one more to get in vintage paperback world  Part of what I love about it!

[Surfing Alien]

Saturday mail fun. Stoked to get a high grade copy of one of Steranko's greatest pb covers, inscribed and signed by Steranko.

I love how artfully he wrote to the side of the image. It's to John Pelan, a small press publisher and author/editor of pulp/fantastic publications.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Surfing Alien
Accuracy

[Surfing Alien]

Another nice arrival is this copy of the Arkham House "Kecksies" in the publishers shrinkwrap. It reminds me that I saw these in Forbidden Planet on Broadway in New York in the late 70's when I first started haunting stores for Science Fiction.

This is from 1976, so 47 years old now and cool to have a shrinkwrapped copy of that memory after all that time.  Being a condition freak, I couldn't resist it either!

[Sarg]

On 6/30/2023 at 8:26 PM, Surfing Alien said:

H.P. Lovecraft was profoundly influenced by Hawthorne's "House of the Seven Gables"

Lovecraft's ideas for several stories of generational curses lurking and ghosting in the walls of an ancient New England house came from Hawthorne, the OG of horror novelists.

As well as "The Scarlet Letter." I believe he discovered the word "eldritch" in this book.

[OtherEric]

On 7/1/2023 at 3:44 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Another nice arrival is this copy of the Arkham House "Kecksies" in the publishers shrinkwrap. It reminds me that I saw these in Forbidden Planet on Broadway in New York in the late 70's when I first started haunting stores for Science Fiction.

This is from 1976, so 47 years old now and cool to have a shrinkwrapped copy of that memory after all that time.  Being a condition freak, I couldn't resist it either!

The only time I got an Arkham House in original shrinkwrap, I opened it instantly and got a broadart for it.

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 7/1/2023 at 7:49 PM, OtherEric said:

I opened it instantly

My OCD will not allow this  This shrinkwrap is safe for my tenure as custodian of this copy 

[OtherEric]

A few finds today.  The Savage Pelliucidar may be a 3rd, but the cover is so white it practically glows.

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 7/1/2023 at 7:49 PM, OtherEric said:

On 7/2/2023 at 4:45 PM, OtherEric said:

A few finds today.  The Savage Pelliucidar may be a 3rd, but the cover is so white it practically glows.

 

 

Excellent. I just picked up a copy of "Takeoff" that I need to compare with my current copy to see which one goes for sale, and that Frazetta cover copy of Phoenix Prime looks pretty white too 

[Surfing Alien]

Pretty psyched the USPS has been doing Sunday deliveries around here lately so I can do some Sunday fun pics as well 

This is a real nice double stack came in today. A couple will go behind the glass and a couple will be undercopies i'll probably offer next sale.

[OtherEric]

Today's book.  They used a really heavy paper stock on this one; it's close to an inch thick.

[Surfing Alien]

I guess it's an Avon kind of day. I finally located a nice copy of the 1st print of The Big Sleep nn#38. It took a lot of searching and an open-minded wallet but she's one of the prettiest copies I've seen. 

Skull cover art by Paul Stahr.

[Surfing Alien]

Also in today, an amazing copy of Day Keene's "Moran's Woman." Zenith Books ZB-24, a PBO with the infamous Bettie Page modeled cover art.

It's rare in any condition but I was floored unboxing this one. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/3/2023 at 9:08 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Also in today, an amazing copy of Day Keene's "Moran's Woman." Zenith Books ZB-24, a PBO with the infamous Bettie Page modeled cover art.

It's rare in any condition but I was floored unboxing this one. 

She had the manners of a lady....the morals of a tramp.

And a cracking pair of knockers. 

[OtherEric]

On 7/3/2023 at 12:59 PM, Surfing Alien said:

I guess it's an Avon kind of day. I finally located a nice copy of the 1st print of The Big Sleep nn#38. It took a lot of searching and an open-minded wallet but she's one of the prettiest copies I've seen. 

Skull cover art by Paul Stahr.

Just because I feel like this cover doesn't get posted here enough, here's my copy again. Also a 1st: