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

[frozentundraguy]

I received my copy of Drums of Dambala by H. Bedford Jones yesterday. I became interested in him as he was the featured author in a 1934 Argosy pulp I bought. Checking further on him he was quite prolific and is credited with writing 200 novels and perhaps 1,000 short stories.

From an article on him in the Pulp Super fan site.

https://thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2019/05/27/h-bedford-jones-king-of-the-pulps/

His main publisher was Blue Book magazine; but he also appeared in Adventure, All-Story Weekly, Argosy, Short Stories, Top-Notch Magazine, The Magic Carpet/Oriental Stories, Golden Fleece, Ace-High Magazine, People’s Story Magazine, Hutchinson’s Adventure-Story Magazine, Detective Fiction Weekly, Western Story Magazine, and Weird Tales. Stories tell of him writing two to four works at the same time on different typewriters, and he used about two dozen or so pseudonyms, which makes it harder to figure out what he wrote.

I thought given all of the books he wrote there must be some vintage PB's with his works. Turns out most of what I found was post 2,000 reprints with the exception of this 1953 Harlequin novel "The Drums of Dambala". Further research shows he used the name of actual historical figures from the late 1700's in Haiti as that is the setting for the story. The Dambala name had had me thinking the book's setting was Africa. However Haiti was heavily populated by slaves from Africa brought in to work the plantations by the Spanish and French.

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by frozentundraguy

[Book Guy]

Here's a First of WE CAN BUILD YOU. Later Printing  (at least some of them as I recall) have a number code. There is also a Canadian version according to my notes in the Levack Bibliography. Some of the later Bibliographies probably have more info, but I don't want to go to the trouble of digging them up. Currey's Bibliography says the First is what I'm showing you and later printings state 'First Printing' with a number code. The inscription is to PKD girlfriend Joan Simpson!

[OtherEric]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:36 PM, Book Guy said:

Here's a First of WE CAN BUILD YOU. Later Printing  (at least some of them as I recall) have a number code. There is also a Canadian version according to my notes in the Levack Bibliography. Some of the later Bibliographies probably have more info, but I don't want to go to the trouble of digging them up. Currey's Bibliography says the First is what I'm showing you and later printings state 'First Printing' with a number code. The inscription is to PKD girlfriend Joan Simpson!

What an amazing copy!

I just wish sellers were more diligent listing exactly what copy they have, even if it has the right cover it's not necessarily a 1st.

[moonpool]

[davet75]

 Archer Press and Leisure Library paperbacks featuring captivating cover art by Reginald Heade

Edited April 12, 2023 by davet75

[Surfing Alien]

@OtherEric got me thinking about closing out my PKD's. I still don't have the Signet  DADOES but picked up this tough Pop in nice shape

+ A couple of pretty sleaze titles...

A gorgeous Rader "girl"

And a rare Imperial Book. The art is uncredited but high quality for a small sleaze imprint and I love the color palette.

[Surfing Alien]

It wouldn't be Friday without some Friday fun...

A couple more nice Frazetta's. These are all firsts...

One of Maguire's best Berkley compositions. These John Dickson Carr novels are usually trashed.

And finally a staggeringly gorgeous GGA  cover by Freeman Elliott. Elliott was a high end commercial artist who only stooped to do a few paperback covers that I know of but boy, when he did 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Surfing Alien

[Sarg]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:52 PM, Surfing Alien said:

.

 

 

One of Maguire's best Berkley compositions. These John Dickson Carr novels are usually trashed.

 

IIIaguire is the GOAT for GGA. His women are not simply sexy. They are dangerously sexy.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Sarg
edit

[Sarg]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:52 PM, Surfing Alien said:

IAnd finally a staggeringly gorgeous GGA  cover by Freeman Elliott. Elliott was a high end commercial artist who only stooped to do a few paperback covers that I know of but boy, when he did 

I immediately went to ABE Books hoping to find a copy of this for sale. No such luck, but I did find a 2020 reprint. I had no idea that people were still repacking these old books in new covers. Alas, the great painted covers have long since been replaced by photographs. Yawn.

[Surfing Alien]

On 4/14/2023 at 8:36 PM, Sarg said:

I immediately went to ABE Books hoping to find a copy of this for sale. No such luck, but I did find a 2020 reprint. I had no idea that people were still repacking these old books in new covers. Alas, the great painted covers have long since been replaced by photographs. Yawn.

I agree, although it is good for "Pulp Fiction" in general, bringing new fans. That Dell First Edition is a rare little beast and well scooped up by quiet accumulators 

[moonpool]

Time to begin a major rebagging endeavor.

[OtherEric]

Some days, you just need to risk a little on a lot of books with a single bad photo.  The books are in low-to-mixed enough grade that it's not a total jackpot of a purchase,  but at just a hair over $4 a book I still feel like I got my money's worth.  (There were also copies of a couple Merrits I already had in the lot, one of which was an update for me.)

Several of these are on the upgrade cheap list, and in the case of "About the Murder of a Startled Lady" it's on the not even necessarily cheap upgrade list.  But still a nice addition to my overall run:

[OtherEric]

Finally grabbed this from a local store today, after dithering for several months. Ex-Library copy, although pretty nice as Ex Lib copies go, with an unclipped jacket.

[Surfing Alien]

On 4/15/2023 at 12:40 AM, OtherEric said:

Some days, you just need to risk a little on a lot of books with a single bad photo.

Nice score! Some of my best pb scores have involved this strategy. I usually figure, "They're so cheap. What do I have to lose?" But man it's gotten a lot tougher lately 

Seems like everyone is looking for cheap classic vintage pbs lately 

[Robot Man]

Missed out on a box full of ‘40’s/‘50’s era PBs at the flea market yesterday. Walked up and the guy was negotiating for the whole box with the seller. All I could do was watch. Too bad because they were all the sexy girl crime covers. He really scored!

Used to be I would run into stuff like this as well as old comics and pulps out in the wild. But times have changed. Most of this stuff has already been dug out of old houses and garages. There is still a little left but fewer and far between. 

[catrick339]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:34 AM, Robot Man said:

Missed out on a box full of ‘40’s/‘50’s era PBs at the flea market yesterday. Walked up and the guy was negotiating for the whole box with the seller. All I could do was watch. Too bad because they were all the sexy girl crime covers. He really scored!

Used to be I would run into stuff like this as well as old comics and pulps out in the wild. But times have changed. Most of this stuff has already been dug out of old houses and garages. There is still a little left but fewer and far between. 

There's still stuff out there. Local comic show yesterday, a dealer from out of state was cleaning house. I got a longbox of pulps and a shortbox of BLB's for $200 cash and $100 trade. Pulps were mostly readers, but I got two gorgeous Adventures, an Argosy with a Howard story, a Phantom Detective and some sweet condition SF pulps, mebbe ten out of sixty or so. They'll be making their debut this weekend at Windy City. The BLB's were kind of  toss-in, I'll know more today as I sort through them. 
Pix if I get the time. 

[catrick339]

Pix

[catrick339]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:59 PM, catrick339 said:

Pix

The giant spider is Virgil Finlay

[Surfing Alien]

Anyone who knows this book knows it always shows up faded, especially the spine, and poorly centered. Well my former top copy was nice but this new chart topper here has about the strongest colors and best centering I've seen. Has a touch of spine wear at the lower front edge but no front cover creasing and just a one surface crease on the back.

 

[moonpool]

Bouncing around the book room to Harlequin