Fly-by-night: Second Two News Stand Pocket Library Editions

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Second Two News Stand Pocket Library Editions

The first two News Stand Library Pocket Editions from Export Publishing Enterprises Ltd were published in the summer 1948. So were the second two, the first to be numbered.

Number 03 is The Ravager by David Lord, first published New York: Frederick Fell, 1947. The binding is seven stapled signatures - the first five are 12 leaves each and the last two 16 each for a total of 92 or 184 pages. The first printing is undated but the second printing has June 1948 for the first and October 1948 for the second. The page count for the second printing jumps to 192 or 96 leaves - six signatures of 16 leaves each. The second printing's number is R03. The first printing is 173 x 114 mm and the second is 173 x 106 mm.

Number 04 is Possess Me Not by Fan Nichols. The first edition is New York: Frederick Fell, 1946. There are two undated Export variants, the second likely an unacknowledged second printing. The first variant is 173 x 114 mm with 232 pages, the second 173 x 108 mm and 240 pages. The first variant's collation is 1-5¹²6-7¹⁶ 8-9¹²; the second variant's is 1-3¹⁶4¹²5-7¹⁶8¹². The spine lettering is black on the first variant, red on the second.