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

[mrwoogieman]

An eclectic mix from the local junk shop at 2 for $5

 

 

[Robot Man]

Not something that is ever posted here. But in looking through the few pb boxes I kept when I sold off most of my collection, I found these.

Complete set of the first 20 MAD paperbacks. All first editions and most in very high grade.

First one I ever got was “Son of MAD”. My dad bought it for me to keep me quiet. I read my original to pieces.

I remember seeing “Inside MAD” and wondering what the little images were. I had never seen a comic book version. Started me down the long, dark road of a complete MAD collection. My first was #9.

Starting with “The Bedside MAD” (the start of the magazine reprints), Alfred E Neuman was featured on all the rest of the covers.

An interesting fact. After the JFK assignation, the cover of The MAD Frontier” was revised to this more “ tasteful” cover.

[Robot Man]

Many believe that MAD #21 in a small illustration was the first appearance of Alfred E Neuman. Some believe it was MAD #30. But “The MAD Reader”, (the first paperback), was indeed his first appearance beating out #21 by a month or two. 

[Robot Man]

Here is an interesting book. The only hardback version I have ever run into that reprinted a paperback. There could be more, but I have never seen any, 

[Darwination]

On 9/23/2023 at 8:07 PM, mrwoogieman said:

An eclectic mix from the local junk shop at 2 for $5

 

 

 

I'm not sure that looks like Spencer Tracy

I went to the IMDB to refresh my mind on the movie and see I gave it 8/10, so it's a good one.  Sort of a weird modern western iirc where an honest man finds himself in the middle of a dishonest town and involving a unexpectedly sober look at anti-asian discrimination in wartime.

I didn't know there was a literary source (there often is).

Edited September 24, 2023 by Darwination

[OtherEric]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:41 AM, Robot Man said:

Here is an interesting book. The only hardback version I have ever run into that reprinted a paperback. There could be more, but I have never seen any, 

Is that a reprint, or did someone rebind a copy of the paperback?  From the bottom of the image, it looks like that might be the edge of the original cover slightly above the new board.

[Surfing Alien]

On 9/24/2023 at 11:53 AM, OtherEric said:

Is that a reprint, or did someone rebind a copy of the paperback?  From the bottom of the image, it looks like that might be the edge of the original cover slightly above the new board.

I've seen a several of these over time and thought the same. I haven't seen any reference to them being published this way, but must confess, I haven't dug too deep either.

[Surfing Alien]

On 9/24/2023 at 10:34 AM, Robot Man said:

Not something that is ever posted here. But in looking through the few pb boxes I kept when I sold off most of my collection, I found these.

Complete set of the first 20 MAD paperbacks. All first editions and most in very high grade.

First one I ever got was “Son of MAD”. My dad bought it for me to keep me quiet. I read my original to pieces.

I remember seeing “Inside MAD” and wondering what the little images were. I had never seen a comic book version. Started me down the long, dark road of a complete MAD collection. My first was #9.

Starting with “The Bedside MAD” (the start of the magazine reprints), Alfred E Neuman was featured on all the rest of the covers.

An interesting fact. After the JFK assignation, the cover of The MAD Frontier” was revised to this more “ tasteful” cover.

Great set! I've been working on these over the last several months and have to say, it is devilish figuring out what the actual first printings are   Some of the first numbered, have several printings, then they re-issued them with a new number and same cover, which went through several printings, then went to a new publisher edition with same cover etc. etc. I've mostly figured it out but weeding them out is tough, and for that reason I think those first prints, properly identified are well worth seeking out (and paying a premium for) The books, at first glance seem very common, but those 1sts, not so much, then of course there's condition to consider...

[Robot Man]

On 9/24/2023 at 8:53 AM, OtherEric said:

Is that a reprint, or did someone rebind a copy of the paperback?  From the bottom of the image, it looks like that might be the edge of the original cover slightly above the new board.

Definitely a reprint by Warner Books with a $1.50 price. It is numbered 10 which is the 10th MAD paperback. Because of the numbering, I suspect there are others. I just haven’t run into any others. At this stage, I doubt I will be actively looking for them. 

[Robot Man]

On 9/24/2023 at 9:20 AM, Surfing Alien said:

Great set! I've been working on these over the last several months and have to say, it is devilish figuring out what the actual first printings are   Some of the first numbered, have several printings, then they re-issued them with a new number and same cover, which went through several printings, then went to a new publisher edition with same cover etc. etc. I've mostly figured it out but weeding them out is tough, and for that reason I think those first prints, properly identified are well worth seeking out (and paying a premium for) The books, at first glance seem very common, but those 1sts, not so much, then of course there's condition to consider...

I have had most of them for a LONG time. Some I bought new when they came out. I have another 12 or so first editions but am missing a couple. I also have the Don Martin, Dave Berg and Sergio early short runs in first editions and similar condition.

Not real hard to figure the editions in hand but yeah, real hard to find in HG. 

[OtherEric]

On 9/24/2023 at 9:47 AM, Robot Man said:

Definitely a reprint by Warner Books with a $1.50 price. It is numbered 10 which is the 10th MAD paperback. Because of the numbering, I suspect there are others. I just haven’t run into any others. At this stage, I doubt I will be actively looking for them. 

I've definitely seen a few other paperbacks like that, but I'm not sure if they were MAD paperbacks or not.  I'll keep my eyes out for more like it, just for the discussion here.

[alecholland]

On 9/23/2023 at 8:07 PM, mrwoogieman said:

An eclectic mix from the local junk shop at 2 for $5

 

 

I just finished reading Ursula LeGuin's The Tombs of Atuan yesterday. I started the third book in the trilogy today (The Farthest Shore). I never read them when I was younger, but they are really, really good YA fantasy IMHO.

[Pat Calhoun]

good call: 'The Farthest Shore' is by far my fave in the trilogy: a great fantasy novel

[OtherEric]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:34 AM, Robot Man said:

Not something that is ever posted here. But in looking through the few pb boxes I kept when I sold off most of my collection, I found these.

Complete set of the first 20 MAD paperbacks. All first editions and most in very high grade.

First one I ever got was “Son of MAD”. My dad bought it for me to keep me quiet. I read my original to pieces.

I remember seeing “Inside MAD” and wondering what the little images were. I had never seen a comic book version. Started me down the long, dark road of a complete MAD collection. My first was #9.

Starting with “The Bedside MAD” (the start of the magazine reprints), Alfred E Neuman was featured on all the rest of the covers.

An interesting fact. After the JFK assignation, the cover of The MAD Frontier” was revised to this more “ tasteful” cover.

I do find it interesting how Gaines felt the name to slap his name on several volumes after Kurtzman left...

[themagicrobot]

I found an Australian pulp with a UK Thorpe and Porter ink price stamp on it today. This sent me into Detective mode to find out more about Australian pulps. I didn't even realise such a genre existed. The Australian pulp Detective series I Hate Crime/Larry Kent ran for decades (in excess of 800 issues) from the 1950s into the 1970s and appear to have carried on in paperback form. Dunno if by this time the paperbacks were reprinting earlier stories. Many of these were written by Don Haring. He was an American who lived and married in Australia in the 1950s. These was also a shortlived Australian comic featuring Larry Kent published by Young's Merchandising.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by themagicrobot

[OtherEric]

I've got a few of those Australian digests:

[themagicrobot]

[Darwination]

"I Hate Crime!"

These are great.  Crime cutie here looks to be the same artist as the middle book in the first post of these.

I sometimes like to tease the UK and Aussie crowd about their pulp art, but the truth is there are a lot of nice ones (in with some horrible ones) with something of a unique style.

An example, I posted a pin-up from an early Adam recently that I'm just crazy about, artist unknown.

 

There's a nice freely available epub from an Australian uni on their pulps you can check out at the IA

You Go High, We Go Low: Australian Pulps 1939-1959 - Stuart Kells

https://archive.org/details/kells-stuart-you-go-high-we-go-low-australian-pulps-1939-1959/mode/1up

or if you are even more interested, an interview with the author upon its release

My two faves from the book:

[Darwination]

[themagicrobot]