Comics, Pulps, and Paperbacks: Why such a discrepancy in values? 20 20

[Pat Calhoun]

A recent Atlas digest pickup (H) paired well with one I already had (D), and contemplating the two made me wonder if any other Treat 'alphabet' books existed in cool pb editions... So I got these:
The B cover is a bit tame, but Bonded is a fun series with a distinctive feel and published in Hollywood.
Q has one of those semi-surrealistic covers with an awesome palette that were a Dell specialty.
T comes on strong with Raymond Johnson's luridly dramatic close-up cover: Avon calling.

[Surfing Alien]

Very nice set Pat, and nice "connections" as well . I've got a big bunch of some real killer books on the way but got a scattering of cool items in the meantime.

A couple of Lions with Lou Marchetti covers (I'm 99% sure now on Frankenstein but checking with some friends). Frankenstein is a duplicate but I have to check if it's an upgrade, it's pretty close to my current copy iirc so I had to grab it. It's one pb I have never seen a fine or near fine copy of...

And a couple more Berkleys with biblical connotations.

Cover by Charles Copeland

Cover uncredited but it has always been considered a classic since I began collecting in the 1980's. I've had multiple copies and always pick them up if I can reasonably because it's an easy flip. I think i've sold 5 copies in the last year.

 

[frozentundraguy]

Recently ventured over to Dreamhaven books, our local goldmine of PB's and also offering  a pretty extensive lineup of pulp magazines. I had been looking for an early 'Sumuru" title to go along with the one I have. Alas no luck, so I switched focus and picked up this 63 edition of 'Shadow of Fu Manchu' instead.

 

I also obtained 'Q as in Quicksand' by Treat, and it's a map back cover as well.

Further adding to the mystery stash I added 'Drury Lane's Last Case' by Ellery Queen. As an added bonus the clues are highlighted on the back cover.

This copy of the 1949 version of H. W. Roden's "Too busy to die", originally published in 1944 also grabbed my attention.  The front cover presents nicely but it has a piece out of the back cover.

Edited December 8, 2022 by frozentundraguy

[Blorgon scum]

Three anthologies edited by the same team. For some reason I sold volume 1 of Fantasic Imagination.

[Surfing Alien]

Even though I mostly work at home, it was a long week at work getting year end stuff squared away so it was nice to get some high grade Friday fun in to share.

 

Although several of us have posted this classic before, including myself, I've been looking for a "Forever" copy of it since I began collecting again and this beats my undercopy by far. Cover art by Robert Crowl

 

I don't collect a lot of westerns but I couldn't let a sharp Dell by Elmore Leonard with a cover by George Gross get by me.

 

A Day Keene novel I didn't have yet. Zenith Books ZB-31. Cover art by Mort Kunstler. Zenith must have been related somehow to the Goodman empire because the artist stable is right out of his Men's Adventure Mags, similar to Goodman's Lion Books.

 

I've been trying to up my Handi Books game and this one is a beaut. #130 by Robert O. Saber aka Milton K. Ozaki. Cover artist uncredited but sweet and will go nicely with the July 1952 Strange: The Magazine of True Mystery I have with the art re-used.

 

Lion 153 Tough Guy (Long Haul) By A. I. Bezzerides. It's the second paperback edition after Dell #416 with the Robert Stanley cover but both are hard to find in any kind of decent condition. This one has better cover art imho and this copy was amazing. Cover art credited in various places to Rafael DeSoto and I tend to agree, especially the square jawed trucker, although I see some Harry Barton in the hitchhikers face.

 

I'll post a few more as I go through them

[Surfing Alien]

Here's a few more pretty pbs...

This is the last of the Woolrich/Irish Popular Library titles I needed. I've held out because I had to, there just haven't been any nice ones come along. Then this shows up and I don't think it's improvable. It's also Belarski's last cover at Popular Library. Raymond Johnson started at number 452 and became the primary artist after Belarski.

Speaking of Raymond Johnson, this is an upgrade to my current copy which is really nice except for a small but nagging corner crease

I had never seen this James Meese cover before. The lady is so tough and the copy is really sharp so I had to bring it home

This is another Avallone book, via pseudonym. I dislike the giant font covers but it's a pretty uncommon Frazetta cover and super sharp so it's in the keeper pile now.

This one is for @frozentundraguy, a little earlier than the one he posted (I think it's the first Pyramid Fu Manchu) and maybe the brightest pages and edge stain I've seen in a 60 year old pb. Cover by Mort Engle.

 

 

[frozentundraguy]

On 12/10/2022 at 5:44 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Here's a few more pretty pbs...

This is the last of the Woolrich/Irish Popular Library titles I needed. I've held out because I had to, there just haven't been any nice ones come along. Then this shows up and I don't think it's improvable. It's also Belarski's last cover at Popular Library. Raymond Johnson started at number 452 and became the primary artist after Belarski.

Speaking of Raymond Johnson, this is an upgrade to my current copy which is really nice except for a small but nagging corner crease

I had never seen this James Meese cover before. The lady is so tough and the copy is really sharp so I had to bring it home

This is another Avallone book, via pseudonym. I dislike the giant font covers but it's a pretty uncommon Frazetta cover and super sharp so it's in the keeper pile now.

This one is for @frozentundraguy, a little earlier than the one he posted (I think it's the first Pyramid Fu Manchu) and maybe the brightest pages and edge stain I've seen in a 60 year old pb. Cover by Mort Engle.

 

 

Those pages in the Fu-Manchu book look like they just rolled off the press.

[mrwoogieman]

Nothing nearly as nice as the targeted collecting you guys put up, but here’s a batch I accumulated after picking through the local junk shops paperbacks. 
 

 

[Surfing Alien]

Another long week but some more friday fun arrived so I'll share some here. Been hooked into some high gloss minty fresh books lately.

The Golden Amazon is the second time I've upgraded my copy. My undercopy is very nice but has a couple of reader's creases and a little rubbing. This copy, despite the little chip is pretty stunning for a Harlequin. I just don't see them with this kind of color strike and gloss. They're usually rubbed to death because of the cheap ink. This one looks never read. Cover art by Paul Anna Soik

A couple of unread earlier Ace doubles. D-50 The art on Bad 'Un by Victor Olson.

 

Ace D-101. Neither covers  is credited but Point of No Escape looks a lot like Olson also.

 

A real sharp Lion with cover art by Mort Kunstler

 

An early Elmore Leonard western with cover art by Harper Johnson

 

And another upgrade, this time on Robert Maguire's first paperback cover, Hal Ellson's JD classic, Tomboy

 

I'll try to post a few more this weekend. I am going to New York City next week for Christmas. It will be the first time I've seen many of my relatives since the damned 'vid and there's nothing that will keep us away this year. Maybe I can find some bricks and mortar book stores to pick if there are any left there

[pmpknface]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:01 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Another long week but some more friday fun arrived so I'll share some here. Been hooked into some high gloss minty fresh books lately.

 

Ace D-101. Neither covers  is credited but Point of No Escape looks a lot like Olson also.

 

 

 

I'll try to post a few more this weekend. I am going to New York City next week for Christmas. It will be the first time I've seen many of my relatives since the damned 'vid and there's nothing that will keep us away this year. Maybe I can find some bricks and mortar book stores to pick if there are any left there

I like this one!!!  

Have fun in NYC!

[Surfing Alien]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:17 PM, pmpknface said:

I like this one!!!  

Have fun in NYC!

Thanks! I love me some boxing covers too!

[Pat Calhoun]

This was sitting at the tip-top of my want list, where I thought it might stay a while, but the good folks at Kayo Books somehow came up with a solid copy for a bargain price - which I pounced on. So I present the first Atlas crime digest, from 1942, Best Detective Novel #1, with a glorious Cardwell Higgins cover.

[OtherEric]

On 12/17/2022 at 12:54 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

the good folks at Kayo Books

You said it right there, Pat... Kayo is, while possibly not my all-time favorite bookstore, (I still miss O'Leary's in Tacoma) is easily my favorite currently operating bookstore.  As my various posts every year when I go visit should amply demonstrate.

Just as a starting point, that's where I got my Ace D-1, D-2, D-13, and D-15... for $133 total.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by OtherEric
Added photo

[Surfing Alien]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:54 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

This was sitting at the tip-top of my want list, where I thought it might stay a while, but the good folks at Kayo Books somehow came up with a solid copy for a bargain price - which I pounced on. So I present the first Atlas crime digest, from 1942, Best Detective Novel #1, with a glorious Cardwell Higgins cover.

That's a stunning cover that I've never looked at before. Aside from the Good Girl, I love the little beckoning Devil with the dagger.

[Surfing Alien]

Group shot of some nice Lions

Along with Pyramid Books, there's something about their small format and skimpy page count (and fragility) that makes them compelling.

[Pat Calhoun]

here's a couple of 1946-ish 'digest doubles' that I acquired recently: a complete set as there were only 2 'Two Complete Mystery Stories'. only 3 authors as Hugh Pentecost is nom-de-pulp-2 for Judson Philips. by Century numbering they are #18 and #30.

[Pat Calhoun]

2 more points of note on Lion: 'twas a Goodman company hence under the 'Atlas' umbrella, and they published some classic Jim Thompson PBOs, including his masterpiece, 'A Hell of a Woman'.

[Pat Calhoun]

[Pat Calhoun]

the first few 'Lions' were published by 'Red Circle'...

[Randall Dowling]

On 12/19/2022 at 7:56 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

the first few 'Lions' were published by 'Red Circle'...

Nice George Gross cover!  First time I've seen that.