Dangerous comics and rare anti-comics items. THREAD CLOSED 5 5

[SOTIcollector]

Another fun thread, with some random goodies, mostly along the lines of SOTI and the anti-comics activities of the late 1940's to mid 1950's.  I do not abuse and overuse the word "rare" in the way some do (e.g. "rare Spider-man 2099 #1").  Yet you'll see at least one truly rare item here.  Maybe more.

Offers are welcome, but  in thread trumps all.

Payment via check or PayPal G&S.  I ship everything via USPS Priority Mail (unless otherwise noted in the listing) within 3 business days of receiving cleared payment.  Returns within 30 days.  If the return is due to my error, you'll get a sincere apology and I'll pay return shipping.

Shipping within the US via Priority Mail:  $8 per raw; comic $15 per slab, with discounts for combining shipping of course.

If you're outside the US, contact me ahead of time regarding shipping costs.  I will only ship via methods that allow me to fully insure these items, so shipping will be expensive.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Peter Penny & His Magic Dollar, educational book produced by Max Gaines' Educational Comics for the American Bankers' Association.

Very hard to find SOTI book.  This is the redrawn version.  Low grade.  $125 SOLD EC Ed

Edited December 11, 2021 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Nightmare #12.  Not a SOTI book, but really cool PCH with a torture cover by Kubert.  CGC 8.0 ow/w.  $525  SOLD

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Comics, Radio, Television and Movies by Josette Frank.

Back in the day when Fredric Wertham was saying that comic books would turn kiddies' brains to mush, Josette Frank was a voice of reason.  She defended comics in this pamphlet and the Senate used her work extensively when looking into the dangers of comics.

This pamphlet was reprinted numerous times, but this is a first print.  Some spine splitting.

$195

Not a comic book, but shipping will be the same as for a raw comic.

[SOTIcollector]

No connection to the anti-comics sentiment of the 40's/50's, but still a pretty cool book.  WWBN 32.  CGC 6.5 OW/W, $2200.  SOLD

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by SOTIcollector

[eccomic]

[SOTIcollector]

US Senate report "Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency" $1,200 shipped in the US.

This is the biggie.  Very rarely offered for sale.  By any measure, the word "rare" is appropriate here.  I see two sales on Heritage, the most recent being one for $776 back in 2016.  This book has three extra staples (Not manufacturing) and a well worn spine.  See photos for condition.

This is a committee print, printed explicitly for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary.  Note that the two copies of this report that were previously sold by Heritage were both later printings.  On the later printings, the report number (62) was printed on the report, where it's just penciled on this report.  The later printings also have the date printed on them (rather than stamped), and there are other differences on the cover. 

There is a photo showing the difference between the two prints.  This listing is for just the committee print.

 

[SOTIcollector]

Teenage Dope Slaves and Reform School Girls TPB.  $15 shipped.  SOLD  Raze

Not rare at all, but this one reprints some really hard to find stuff, like Teen Age Dope Slaves (SOTI book), Reform School Girl (SOTI book), and Lucky Fights it Through (tough EC).  And it includes Trapped, another SOTI book.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Saturday Review Cavalcade (1950).  This includes Fredric Wertham's "The Comics, Very Funny" which originally appeared in 1948 in the Saturday Review of Literature.  The good news:  This article was Wertham's first attack on comics to receive widespread national circulation.  The not-so-good:  When the article was re-presented here, they omitted the illustrations.  You can still see the seeds of SOTI within the article.

$30.

Not a comic book, but shipping is the same as a raw comic.

 

[SOTIcollector]

Parade of Pleasure, abomination edition.  Pure Imagination published this horrible edition of Parade of Pleasure.  Horrible because they left out all the original illustrations and added their own illustrations.  Oh, and they apparently forgot to proofread it after their budget OCR reader generated the text.  But, hey, you'll never get an original 1954 or 1955 edition of POP for this price.

$40 shipped.

 

[SOTIcollector]

I know what you're thinking.  "Do I want to see one copy of SOTI in this thread, or do I want to see two?"  Seeing as how I've been collecting SOTI-related items for decades, I just might have two copies to list.  Tomorrow I'll scrounge for SOTI and more.  Stay tuned...

 

[EC ed]

On 12/9/2021 at 7:54 PM, SOTIcollector said:

Peter Penny & His Magic Dollar, educational book produced by Max Gaines' Educational Comics for the American Bankers' Association.

Very hard to find SOTI book.  This is the redrawn version.  Low grade.  $125

[Raze]

On 12/9/2021 at 9:16 PM, SOTIcollector said:

Teenage Dope Slaves and Reform School Girls TPB.  $15 shipped.

Not rare at all, but this one reprints some really hard to find stuff, like Teen Age Dope Slaves (SOTI book), Reform School Girl (SOTI book), and Lucky Fights it Through (tough EC).  And it includes Trapped, another SOTI book.

 

[SOTIcollector]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:45 PM, EC ed said:

[SOTIcollector]

On 12/9/2021 at 11:32 PM, Raze said:

[vaillant]

Your threads are always so refreshing!

[JDS321]

I'll take Nightmare per PM. thx!

[SOTIcollector]

Whew.  I had an unexpectedly long day today.  No complaints, it was a great day.  But in any event, all I have time for tonight is the SOTIs promised last night.  

Here's that famous book that nearly killed the entire comic book industry back in 1954.  Dr. Fredric Wertham spent seven years "researching" comic books and the detrimental effects (so he claimed) they had on kids.  He presented his case in this book, and in the 1954 US Senate hearings that were investigating the dangers of comic books.  As a result of his work and the anti-comic book efforts of the time, there were organized comic book burnings.  Dozens of publishers went out of business and many talented creators found themselves out of work.  

Here's comic book history.

Seduction of the Innocent, first print (with "R" colophon), second state (no bibliography).  The dust jacket is a reproduction.  In great shape, with a penciled price on the rear free endpaper.  Somebody tried to erase that penciled price, and that took some of the color (as you can see in the photos).  Other than that, a nice, clean, unmarked book. 

Although the original bibliography was removed by the publisher, I have tipped in a photocopy of the bibliography.

Yours for $250 + $10 shipping via USPS Priority Mail.

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:02 PM, JDS321 said:

I'll take Nightmare per PM. thx!

 

[SOTIcollector]

And here's one you don't see every day.  The ultimate SOTI for your collection.

When SOTI was published, the publisher (Rinehart) printed the book with a bibliography (pp. 399-400).  However, due to (likely justified) fears of lawsuits from comic book publishers, Rinehart ordered the bibliography removed from SOTI prior to distribution.  Dr. Wertham didn't even know that was happening until after the book was distributed and people complained to him that their book had been mutilated.  

Some copies of the book made it out before Rinehart ordered the bibliography removed.  So although the bibliography doesn't exist in most copies, it does exist.

Here's a copy with the original dust jacket and bibilography.

Some bleaching to the inside FC and BC.  Penciled price on front free endpaper. Otherwise, a great, unmarked copy.

$1750  shipped in the US.  SOLD Susanville

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by SOTIcollector
Added DJ pics; noted pencil price FFEP.