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

[Darwination]

On 3/19/2024 at 3:56 PM, johnenock said:

One more nice one:

 

New one to me, cool book!

[The-Collector]

I've been after this one for a while. It's very tough and always shows up in bad condition. So very happy to have any copy. 

[Darwination]

I feel like I know my way around comics and magazines pretty well, but these paperbacks give me fits.  Is there some place I can find a list of Superior paperbacks like the one above?

[OtherEric]

On 3/19/2024 at 9:19 PM, Darwination said:

I feel like I know my way around comics and magazines pretty well, but these paperbacks give me fits.  Is there some place I can find a list of Superior paperbacks like the one above?

I was going to suggest bookscans, but I only see one Superior there and it's not that one.  Sorry.

[The-Collector]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:19 PM, Darwination said:

I feel like I know my way around comics and magazines pretty well, but these paperbacks give me fits.  Is there some place I can find a list of Superior paperbacks like the one above?

It's hard especially with non-US books. I don't know of any organised source like Comic Books Plus or the Grand Comics Database. I mostly just google a lot and look through posts on the FB paperback group and Instagram. For sci fi isfdb.org is pretty comprehensive and includes scans of nearly all covers. 

[Darwination]

Ah, thanks, gentlemen.

I've been given a list via an io group that seems to be about some hardcore sort of paperback indexing.  It'd definitely be nice to have a place for paperbacks like the Fictionmags Index for magazines (I'm a regular contributor) or the GCD (if there's a more user unfriendly system for entering data, I haven't encountered it, but I do have a guy that'll index my scans for me, lol). 

Bookscans does look like it has some barebones info for most series, though, hadn't really looked around at it much til now.  Don't get me started on itty bitty thumbnails

I'm guessing this is just the list of digests.  I'm also seeing what looks to be a "Superior Reprint" series as well

Anonymous - Cartoon Parade. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Anonymous - Daylight Murder Mystery. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Anonymous - Jam-Session Slayer. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
√ Anonymous - Lips of Death. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
√ Anonymous - Lurking Shadows of Death. Superior (Canadian), ª, 40's .
√ Anonymous - Marijuana Murder. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
Author Unknown - Black Cat. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Case of the Powdered Films. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Claws of the Dragon. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Damned Lover. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Death Was Her Escort. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Doctor's Patient. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - (ed) Exposed: True Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Faithless Kisses. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Killers on the Loose. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Love Thief Checks Out. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Passion Plots Murder. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Phantom Alibi. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Prize True Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Trigger Slammer. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - True Canadian Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - True Prison Tales. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Unwise Love. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Weeping Widow. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - When Sinners Marry. Superior (Canadian), .
Campbell, Cliff (Pseudonym of Herbert Arthur.) - Guns of Wrath. Superior (Canadian), .
Campbell, Cliff (Pseudonym of Herbert Arthur.) - Outlaw of Eagle's Nest. Superior (Canadian), .
Collison, Wilson - One Night with Nancy. Superior (Canadian), .
Dekobra, Maurice (Pseudonym of Ernst-Maurice Tessier.) - Bedroom Eyes. Superior (Canadian), .
Dresser, Davis (Also writes as Brett Halliday.) - Lynch-Rope Law. Superior (Canadian), .
Field, Peter - Powder Valley Pay-Off. Superior (Canadian), . House pseudonym used by Davis Dresser.
la Varre, William - The Fated Woman. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Owen, Ethel - Unwilling Bride. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Rud, Anthony M. - The Stuffed Men. Superior (Canadian), . (.25)
Todd, Robert Henry - True Mysteries and Murders. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Westland, Lynn (Pseudonym of Archie Joscelyn.) - Wagon Train Westward. Superior (Canadian), .

 

Edited March 20 by Darwination

[Darwination]

Woowee, some ghosty books on that list.  I'm not surprised, Canadian stuffs, geez.

I did come across a fairly common oddity, though, a couple of books in the Superior Reprint line that have dustjackets. PAPERBACKS WITH DUSTJACKETS. Huh?

 

Are there other examples of publishers doing this?

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:16 AM, Darwination said:

Ah, thanks, gentlemen.

I've been given a list via an io group that seems to be about some hardcore sort of paperback indexing.  It'd definitely be nice to have a place for paperbacks like the Fictionmags Index for magazines (I'm a regular contributor) or the GCD (if there's a more user unfriendly system for entering data, I haven't encountered it, but I do have a guy that'll index my scans for me, lol). 

Bookscans does look like it has some barebones info for most series, though, hadn't really looked around at it much til now.  Don't get me started on itty bitty thumbnails

I'm guessing this is just the list of digests.  I'm also seeing what looks to be a "Superior Reprint" series as well

Anonymous - Cartoon Parade. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Anonymous - Daylight Murder Mystery. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Anonymous - Jam-Session Slayer. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
√ Anonymous - Lips of Death. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
√ Anonymous - Lurking Shadows of Death. Superior (Canadian), ª, 40's .
√ Anonymous - Marijuana Murder. Superior (Canadian), , 40's .
Author Unknown - Black Cat. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Case of the Powdered Films. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Claws of the Dragon. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Damned Lover. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Death Was Her Escort. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Doctor's Patient. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - (ed) Exposed: True Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - Faithless Kisses. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Killers on the Loose. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Love Thief Checks Out. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Passion Plots Murder. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Phantom Alibi. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Prize True Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Trigger Slammer. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - True Canadian Detective Stories. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Author Unknown - True Prison Tales. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - Unwise Love. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - The Weeping Widow. Superior (Canadian), .
Author Unknown - When Sinners Marry. Superior (Canadian), .
Campbell, Cliff (Pseudonym of Herbert Arthur.) - Guns of Wrath. Superior (Canadian), .
Campbell, Cliff (Pseudonym of Herbert Arthur.) - Outlaw of Eagle's Nest. Superior (Canadian), .
Collison, Wilson - One Night with Nancy. Superior (Canadian), .
Dekobra, Maurice (Pseudonym of Ernst-Maurice Tessier.) - Bedroom Eyes. Superior (Canadian), .
Dresser, Davis (Also writes as Brett Halliday.) - Lynch-Rope Law. Superior (Canadian), .
Field, Peter - Powder Valley Pay-Off. Superior (Canadian), . House pseudonym used by Davis Dresser.
la Varre, William - The Fated Woman. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Owen, Ethel - Unwilling Bride. Superior (Canadian), .
√ Rud, Anthony M. - The Stuffed Men. Superior (Canadian), . (.25)
Todd, Robert Henry - True Mysteries and Murders. Superior (Canadian), 1945.
Westland, Lynn (Pseudonym of Archie Joscelyn.) - Wagon Train Westward. Superior (Canadian), .

 

Real simple. Find yourself a copy of Jon Warren's paperback price guide from 1992. Prices are dated but It has just about everything. I keep telling people this but no one listens and tons of wasted typing on here  

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:22 PM, The-Collector said:

I've been after this one for a while. It's very tough and always shows up in bad condition. So very happy to have any copy. 

To say I'm jealous is an understatement! That's high grade for that unicorn 

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:01 AM, Darwination said:

Woowee, some ghosty books on that list.  I'm not surprised, Canadian stuffs, geez.

I did come across a fairly common oddity, though, a couple of books in the Superior Reprint line that have dustjackets. PAPERBACKS WITH DUSTJACKETS. Huh?

 

Are there other examples of publishers doing this?

Bantam, Penguin and Pocket most notably. They go for far more than their unjacketed counterparts, except the Penguins with non pictorial covers, which are kinda cool if you run into them dirt cheap but very un-thrilling compared to the "lurid covers over banal covers" that the cool ones have. 

[Randall Dowling]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:01 AM, Darwination said:

 

I did come across a fairly common oddity, though, a couple of books in the Superior Reprint line that have dustjackets. PAPERBACKS WITH DUSTJACKETS. Huh?

 

Are there other examples of publishers doing this?

That copy of The Mighty Blockhead was the first vintage paperback I ever purchased around 35 years ago.  I was so excited about purchasing this book from the 40s (even in 1989!).  Ten years later, I discovered that it originally had a dust jacket which my copy was missing.  Always meant to grab a copy with the jacket but still haven't gotten around to it.  Fun to see it again. 

FYI, Frank Gruber is always an easy read and that's a fun little story inside.

[OtherEric]

On 3/20/2024 at 5:38 AM, Surfing Alien said:

Real simple. Find yourself a copy of Jon Warren's paperback price guide from 1992. Prices are dated but It has just about everything. I keep telling people this but no one listens and tons of wasted typing on here  

 

Most of the copies I see on ABEBooks say 1991, is the 1992 version a revision?

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 12:50 PM, OtherEric said:

Most of the copies I see on ABEBooks say 1991, is the 1992 version a revision?

No, it's my brain needs a revision 

I'm pretty sure there was only one print but I could be wrong

Edited March 20 by Surfing Alien
Detail

[OtherEric]

On 3/20/2024 at 10:53 AM, Surfing Alien said:

No, it's my brain needs a revision 

I'm pretty sure there was only one print but I could be wrong

Thank you.  Copy ordered!

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 1:54 PM, OtherEric said:

Thank you.  Copy ordered!

Perfect to take on your forays in the wild 

[Darwination]

On 3/20/2024 at 11:46 AM, Randall Dowling said:

That copy of The Mighty Blockhead was the first vintage paperback I ever purchased around 35 years ago.  I was so excited about purchasing this book from the 40s (even in 1989!).  Ten years later, I discovered that it originally had a dust jacket which my copy was missing.  Always meant to grab a copy with the jacket but still haven't gotten around to it.  Fun to see it again. 

FYI, Frank Gruber is always an easy read and that's a fun little story inside.

I like Gruber a lot.  His Pulp Jungle is a killer look at life as a pulp writer - evading the management in cheap hotels while you wait for your next story to sell, surviving on the cheapest foods to be found in NY at the time, etc.  Many insights on other pulp writers in there as well:

https://archive.org/details/gruber-frank-the-pulp-jungle-1967

[Darwination]

On 3/20/2024 at 1:00 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Perfect to take on your forays in the wild 

Ha!  I ordered one, too! Ex-library, delivered for 7.00

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:31 PM, Darwination said:

Ha!  I ordered one, too! Ex-library, delivered for 7.00

Perfect bargain for a reference 

[GrasshopperFF]

On 3/20/2024 at 1:53 PM, Surfing Alien said:

No, it's my brain needs a revision 

I'm pretty sure there was only one print but I could be wrong

My copy of this price guide arrived yesterday — Jimjum’s recommendation.  Should I order this one too? 

[Surfing Alien]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:53 PM, GrasshopperFF said:

My copy of this price guide arrived yesterday — Jimjum’s recommendation.  Should I order this one too? 

I don't have it but have flipped through and Lovisi's guide is listed by subject matter with many color photos, which is great but not a true reference catalog. It's actually kind of like how modern collectors might collect, rather than old school run collectors.

Warren's guide is listed by publisher, then series then number and is meant to be a complete reference. It lists 40,000 paperbacks with far fewer pictures. It has a fantastic author index in the back which is great for author collectors. The cover artists credits (not indexed) aren't perfect but still the best pre-internet collection of credits.

Having both isn't a bad thing