Books with one staple during the WWII years?

[tomo]

I've been collecting for a while, but have recently been dabbling in the golden age market now that I have liquidated some of 25+ year collection and have some funds available.

 

I recently came across a listing for a book from 1944 that only has one staple in the middle of the spine, as opposed to the standard two staples. The reason given for this was that to save steel for the war effort, they only used one staple instead of two.

 

I have to confess, I have never before encountered a single staple book, nor ever remember hearing about this ever being done.

 

Was this something that DC did regularly the war years?

[jjeanius]

This was a fairly common practice for several publishers during WW II. Not sure of the specific timeframe for DC specifically, but I believe it was at least one full year in duration...? Possibly longer.

[Primetime]

Yup most publishers (Timely, DC, Nedor, MLJ, Continental, etc) went to one staple for the most part of 1942-1945

[Silver Surfer]

I hate those books as you really have to be careful reading them or risk detaching the cover(s).

[Johnny545]

Some of the early Atlas PCH have only one staple (Strange Tales 1-4) come to mind, which is why if you find one of these with the cover still attached you should consider yourself lucky.

 

These are post war books so I don't think it had anything to do with saving resources, maybe production costs...?

[comicjack]

I hate those books as you really have to be careful reading them or risk detaching the cover(s).

 

I got a few hanging on by a thread

[tomo]

I hate those books as you really have to be careful reading them or risk detaching the cover(s).

 

I got a few hanging on by a thread

 

I was going to guess that would tend to make higher grade copies hard to find, as I can see lots of staple stress happening with only one staple.

[pmpknface]

I have a few Fiction House books with only 1 staple.

[fifties]

In checking my -by no means complete- run of Crime Does Not Pay (Lev Gleason), I found;

 

January '43, two staples

 

September '44, one staple

October '47, one staple

 

May '48, two staples

 

So apparently they went back to using two staples sometime between late '47 and early '48, well after WWII ended.

[thunsicker]

And well after rationing ended in '46. Interesting.

[AJD]

There are many Dells with only one staple as well. I haven't found them to be any more fragile to handle than the double staple ones. I'm surprised at how solid they can be.

[comicjack]

Here's a war period book with only a single staple holding on for dear life.You know most of those books back then were meant to be read and tossed so it's pretty amazing any survided.

 

[vaillant]

In my tiny GA collection I have several books with one staple… a few Walt Disney's Comics and Stories from 1943 come to mind…

 

@comicjack: I just love that book and still regretting when I could have picked a copy for a good price and did not do it.

[fifties]

still regretting when I could have picked a copy for a good price and did not do it.

Eh eh, HOW many books can we say that about? :wink:

[Knightsofold]

A Cap #46 I have has only one staple. I'm not sure if they're all that way.

[comicjack]

In my tiny GA collection I have several books with one staple a few Walt Disney's Comics and Stories from 1943 come to mind

 

@comicjack: I just love that book and still regretting when I could have picked a copy for a good price and did not do it.

Should have could have i think we all have done that !

[vaillant]

In my tiny GA collection I have several books with one staple a few Walt Disney's Comics and Stories from 1943 come to mind

 

@comicjack: I just love that book and still regretting when I could have picked a copy for a good price and did not do it.

Should have could have i think we all have done that !

I just had too many things going on – from the brief period in which I collected GA – in the end that money probably went into some Lev Gleason Daredevil so no regrets.

But that issue is wonderful.

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

Yup most publishers (Timely, DC, Nedor, MLJ, Continental, etc) went to one staple for the most part of 1942-1945

 

I just received an example of this today. Crown Comics # 1 published by McCombs in the winter of 1944/45. The one staple is planted in the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[comicjack]

I like that one

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

I like that one