Paperback Collection: What is your favorite publisher? Books from the 40's to the 70's 0

[Hap Hazard]

Started this thread to show off my collection,

Long box of Ace books, Ace doubles have always been one of my favorite titles, especially the Science Fiction titles.

[Surfing Alien]

Falcon Books digests are probably my favorites, along with Phantom Books digests...

 

[OtherEric]

Aces & Avons

 

[Hap Hazard]

On 6/29/2024 at 8:58 PM, OtherEric said:

Aces & Avons

 

Great pics need my glasses to see them though!!

[OtherEric]

On 6/29/2024 at 9:20 PM, Hap Hazard said:

Great pics need my glasses to see them though!!

I have bigger scans of all of them if you have any you want to see, my Ace D/S/G collection is currently at 491 covers with all the doubles.  I think it's 329 books at the moment, with a few more on the way.

[Hap Hazard]

On 6/29/2024 at 8:50 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Falcon Books digests are probably my favorites, along with Phantom Books digests...

 

They new how to make the covers stand out on the News Stand!

 

[jimjum12]

It's hard for me to narrow down to a favorite, but if I had to, probably Avon would be my #1. Midwood and Ballantine rarely disappoint. The Avons that I'm picturing are mostly my keepers, but a couple were sacrificed to fund other PBs. Lowell has me appreciating Pyramid now, but there are just so many, and my interests are widespread. For example, I like Westerns, and yet I also want a mint copy of "The Life Of The Octopus". I may be too new to have an opinion, I may need to be quiet and let the adults talk. I told that to someone on MSN once, it got yanked as a violation of community standards  They also are reticent to allow the term "butthurt". GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Edited Sunday at 12:07 PM by jimjum12

[alecholland]

On 6/30/2024 at 6:59 AM, jimjum12 said:

It's hard for me to narrow down to a favorite, but if I had to, probably Avon would be my #1. Midwood and Ballantine rarely disappoint. The Avons that I'm picturing are mostly my keepers, but a couple were sacrificed to fund other PBs. Lowell has me appreciating Pyramid now, but there are just so many, and my interests are widespread. For example, I like Westerns, and yet I also want a mint copy of "The Life Of The Octopus". I may be too new to have an opinion, I may need to be quiet and let the adults talk. I told that to someone on MSN once, it got yanked as a violation of community standards  They also are reticent to allow the term "butthurt". GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Avons are awesome!!

Ace are also one of my favorites. The Ace Doubles are what got me into collecting paperbacks, so they are a sentimental favorite.

[Hap Hazard]

Here's a series that is 40's pulp reprints but were given new life with great covers by Robert Bonfils

This company was mainly printing Adult paperbacks but they published these in 1965 and 1966. Bad distribution and a higher price

point put a end to their publication. Corinth/Regency  published 48 books I have 47 to show.  Phantom Detective, Operator 5, Secret Agent X, Dusty Ayers and

his Battle Birds, Dr. Death and Terror Tales.

[NoMan]

Orrie Hitt. 

Best writer of "sex" books.

Period

[Book Guy]

An almost impossible question to answer! When I first started I really liked the Avons and Pop Librarys with the really swank over-the-top Pulp influenced illustrations and bright colors. I think these two publishers probably continue to draw in people new to the hobby. At the beginning, and pretty much to this day I collected Paperbacks mostly 'by Author' and somewhat less by cover than many. So many great publishers to choose from! I couldn't give an answer nowadays.

[johnenock]

I like the Avons and Popular Library glossy covers, but Ace Doubles are right up there.

[Sarg]

Avon circa 1948 to 1953 is the epitome of paperbacks IMO. Their artists were not as good as Avati or Belarski -- but they were still very good. What pushes them over the edge is their insistence on using unique hand-lettering for most titles during this period, whereas most other publishers just used typesetting, and rather plain type at that. Whoever did the title lettering on their 1948-53 covers was simply the finest at that neglected craft. Avon's overall sense of color was very appealing. Some of their covers are overly sleazy or campy, but on the whole, their covers are graphically irresistible, I think. From a literary perspective, they did not have many great books, but they didn't just churn out trash, either. 

I would love to have every Avon book published between 1948 and 1953. It's a shame that so little is known about their art direction from this golden period. I'm not even aware of a photo of Avon's publisher (Joseph Myers) ever being published.

Edited Tuesday at 10:00 PM by Sarg
clarity