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

[Surfing Alien]

Just a simple beauty with the Hoffman cover showing the lazy river life. I've always had a copy of this book and thought it important, but of course, not a shocking cover by any stretch and likely will always only be of interest to completist/historical interest types, like some of us here. The back cover reveals what the intent was, to print quality paperback editions of more costly hardcover editions.  A quiet 1945 launch of a long major pb line that featured many classics, including much more graphic covers later on, when it became apparent what sold books.

[Surfing Alien]

Of course, what has really led the way in price increases in my experience is GGA, which I have to assume is comic collector cross-over to some degree. So much so that I pay a lot more attention to romance/sleaze books than I ever did in earlier years. In the thought of "what is a $100 book/" these days, my experience looking at auctions there's probably more $100+  sleaze/GGA titles than all the other genre's combined. I've seen dozens and dozens of books that were never even listed in the price guides get crazy action if they had a Ward or Stanton cover, and also many Midwoods and Beacons with Rader or other top line artists, including any imprint with uncredited artists if the title was outrageous or lesbian themed.

Here's a few recent "pickups"

The Girl in the Black Chemise has always been a classic in my memory, I think it was pictured in one of the early guides, one of Owen Kampen's best covers by far. The Unashamed is one of Rader's many lesbian themed covers and they tend to be bold and bright like this one.

[Darwination]

New one

[Randall Dowling]

On 11/5/2023 at 6:49 PM, Darwination said:

New one

One of McGinnis' best, IMO. 

[PopKulture]

I was in one of my banker boxes of tall-format books today and thought it would be fun to take a group shot. When these are mixed together, it really is like opening a present Christmas morning. The trouble is, as I’ve recounted here before, you do start to lose track of what you have. Mind you, when I was younger, I had a sharper memory and I didn’t look at books here, the Bay, BookScans, etc. all the time, so if I had a clear recollection of the cover, I knew I probably owned the book. These days, I can’t always recall correctly if I actually have a book or I just see it frequently on my eBay watchlist! As prices continue to rise, I don’t want to keep buying doubles, unless it’s a vast upgrade at a sensible price. I already have too many copies of all the Erskine Caldwell books…

[pmpknface]

On 11/7/2023 at 1:39 PM, PopKulture said:

I was in one of my banker boxes of tall-format books today and thought it would be fun to take a group shot. When these are mixed together, it really is like opening a present Christmas morning. The trouble is, as I’ve recounted here before, you do start to lose track of what you have. Mind you, when I was younger, I had a sharper memory and I didn’t look at books here, the Bay, BookScans, etc. all the time, so if I had a clear recollection of the cover, I knew I probably owned the book. These days, I can’t always recall correctly if I actually have a book or I just see it frequently on my eBay watchlist! As prices continue to rise, I don’t want to keep buying doubles, unless it’s a vast upgrade at a sensible price. I already have too many copies of all the Erskine Caldwell books…

I knew I should have gone to "Sin School!"  Nice Spidey too!  

[Surfing Alien]

On 11/7/2023 at 1:39 PM, PopKulture said:

I was in one of my banker boxes of tall-format books today and thought it would be fun to take a group shot. When these are mixed together, it really is like opening a present Christmas morning. The trouble is, as I’ve recounted here before, you do start to lose track of what you have. Mind you, when I was younger, I had a sharper memory and I didn’t look at books here, the Bay, BookScans, etc. all the time, so if I had a clear recollection of the cover, I knew I probably owned the book. These days, I can’t always recall correctly if I actually have a book or I just see it frequently on my eBay watchlist! As prices continue to rise, I don’t want to keep buying doubles, unless it’s a vast upgrade at a sensible price. I already have too many copies of all the Erskine Caldwell books…

Nice selection all around, but Dude, that copy of "The Fountainhead" looks killer!

[PopKulture]

On 11/7/2023 at 4:48 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Nice selection all around, but Dude, that copy of "The Fountainhead" looks killer!

Thanks. It’s in nice shape for a triple. I had most space-wasters like the Popular Giants and the Bantam Giant A-series books in storage, but because the covers are so noteworthy, I’ve brought a bunch home lately - so much so, that even my wife noticed the new boxes lurking about.  

[Surfing Alien]

A couple of Minty fresh early Dells

 

"Four Frightened Women", Dell Books #5 from 1942, is the first Mapback and the second Gerald Gregg cover.

 

"The Unicorn Murders" Dell Books #16 from 1943 is just a great early Gregg  Art Deco cover. This copy is definitely a unicorn

 

There's something about the Giant Eyeball/Keyholes on the fronts of the earlies that is super appealing.

 

[Pat Calhoun]

that Dell #5 is pretty sweet: I do have the comic book pb version...

Edited November 9, 2023 by Pat Calhoun

[Darwination]

On 11/8/2023 at 7:23 PM, Surfing Alien said:

A couple of Minty fresh early Dells

 

"Four Frightened Women", Dell Books #5 from 1942, is the first Mapback and the second Gerald Gregg cover.

 

"The Unicorn Murders" Dell Books #16 from 1943 is just a great early Gregg  Art Deco cover. This copy is definitely a unicorn

 

There's something about the Giant Eyeball/Keyholes on the fronts of the earlies that is super appealing.

 

That eye is so damn creepy.

[PopKulture]

On 11/8/2023 at 7:23 PM, Surfing Alien said:

A couple of Minty fresh early Dells

 

"Four Frightened Women", Dell Books #5 from 1942, is the first Mapback and the second Gerald Gregg cover.

 

"The Unicorn Murders" Dell Books #16 from 1943 is just a great early Gregg  Art Deco cover. This copy is definitely a unicorn

 

There's something about the Giant Eyeball/Keyholes on the fronts of the earlies that is super appealing.

 

Any insight as how these managed to avoid an obvious thumbing-through?? 

[Surfing Alien]

On 11/9/2023 at 11:46 PM, PopKulture said:

Any insight as how these managed to avoid an obvious thumbing-through?? 

I don't know their full life story but they were purchased out of a collection where almost every paperback looked glossy and unread, even many of the 1940's ones, so I'm assuming they were in that collection for a looong time. I suspect that, as our generation ages into retirement, we'll be seeing more nice books emerge. PB's have been a thing mostly starting in the 1980's, as compared to comics, where major accumulations started in the 60's and 70's, so now is the time you'd expect to see some turnover, whether voluntarily or by the passing of the expiration dates of the owners

[damonwad]

On 11/8/2023 at 5:23 PM, Surfing Alien said:

A couple of Minty fresh early Dells

 

"Four Frightened Women", Dell Books #5 from 1942, is the first Mapback and the second Gerald Gregg cover.

 

"The Unicorn Murders" Dell Books #16 from 1943 is just a great early Gregg  Art Deco cover. This copy is definitely a unicorn

 

There's something about the Giant Eyeball/Keyholes on the fronts of the earlies that is super appealing.

 

Those are great looking early (and earliest) mapbacks. 

I must have been distracted by the books, since I just noticed your unicorn joke. Ha.

[Darwination]

On 11/10/2023 at 8:32 AM, Surfing Alien said:

I don't know their full life story but they were purchased out of a collection where almost every paperback looked glossy and unread, even many of the 1940's ones, so I'm assuming they were in that collection for a looong time. I suspect that, as our generation ages into retirement, we'll be seeing more nice books emerge. PB's have been a thing mostly starting in the 1980's, as compared to comics, where major accumulations started in the 60's and 70's, so now is the time you'd expect to see some turnover, whether voluntarily or by the passing of the expiration dates of the owners

It's a grim and macabre thing, eh?  In order for hidden away rarities to come to market, someone has to die. 

A pulp collecting friend in Czechoslovakia passed quickly during Covid before I ever heard any news directly, and I have no idea what happened to his incredible collection that he always made sound like it was kept hoarder-style in giant stacks all over the house.  Having had hoarders pass in my own family, I know the urge to throw it all out is enormous, so hopefully that's not what happened (and his peeps at the very least make some dough from it). 

Ufi did leave behind some nice pulps behind for the rest of us, though:

https://archive.org/search?query=ufikus

[Pat Calhoun]

a thank you into the beyond to Ufi: great gallery and I downloaded couple of faves. the 1910 Cavalier as frozentundraguy and I have been admiring 'sailing ship' covers as a worthy 'subset' for a while now. and the Star Weekly as I'm a Fearn fan, and I love the thought that the housewives and farm fraus of rural Canada spent their time off scooting into space with the Golden Amazon.

[Darwination]

The newspaper inserts can be amazing.  The American Weekly, The Sunday Novel in the Detroit Free Press, Star Weekly Complete Novel, This Week are ones I can think of off the top of my head and they all have pulp elements to them or at the very least similarities to the slicks.

I love ship covers, too.

[OtherEric]

On 11/10/2023 at 4:33 PM, Darwination said:

The newspaper inserts can be amazing.  The American Weekly, The Sunday Novel in the Detroit Free Press, Star Weekly Complete Novel, This Week are ones I can think of off the top of my head and they all have pulp elements to them or at the very least similarities to the slicks.

I've got several This Week issues with John D. MacDonald stories.  One thing I discovered is that there can be layout and art differences between different paper's versions of the same issue, when I saw some scans at the internet archive that didn't match my copies.  Wish I could remember the exact issue...

[Surfing Alien]

The inserts are pretty fascinating. I didn't know much about the weeklies until I started researching Raymond Johnson and then started looking through a lot of them. So many great interiors as well as covers. Johnson's earliest known work we've unearthed was a cover to "This Week" from February 9th, 1936.

He was 20 years old when these got distributed across the country. I can imagine it was a proud moment for a young artist.

Here's the New York Herald Tribune and Dallas Morning News editions.

 

Johnson did a bunch of interiors for "The American Weekly" as well in the late 1940's. Here's a favorite I've never shown before from the San Francisco Examiner, April 11th, 1948. The heroic (and fetching) teacher, holding off a tornado that is blowing down an Illinois schoolhouse door. My wife is a teacher so it's endearing for that reason and for the expressions on the little brats

 

 

 

[OtherEric]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:20 PM, Surfing Alien said:

The inserts are pretty fascinating. I didn't know much about the weeklies until I started researching Raymond Johnson and then started looking through a lot of them. So many great interiors as well as covers. Johnson's earliest known work we've unearthed was a cover to "This Week" from February 9th, 1936.

He was 20 years old when these got distributed across the country. I can imagine it was a proud moment for a young artist.

Here's the New York Herald Tribune and Dallas Morning News editions.

Interesting, the list of contributors at the bottom is different on the separate versions...