Harlequin Reprints Part XXII

Here are the 13th and 14th of 19 titles that Harlequin reprinted as new numbers in the series from 1949 to 1959. Both have new front and back covers. The Murder on the Links is a reprint (that is, text has not been reset) but Maverick Guns has new page breaks such that the first edition has 124 pages of text and the second 122. There is no notice of the first edition in the second edition of Maverick Guns.

Harlequin 75 - September 1950

Harlequin 75 back

Harlequin 417 - March 1958

Harlequin 417 back

Harlequin 242 - August 1953

Harlequin 242 back

Harlequin 441 - October 1958

Harlequin 441 back

Are Any of Harlequin Books 61 - 70 Worth Reading?

It's been a while since a post in my series on Harlequin Worthies®. This group of 10 reveals one western, one historical, one Mountie and seven crime/thrillers. Once again only the crime/thrillers have any potential.

61 Halleran, E. E.          Shadow Of The Badlands
62 Merwin Jr., Sam        Message From A Corpse
63 Brandon, William      The Dangerous Dead
64 Michel, M. Scott        Sinister Warning [The X-Ray Murders]
65 Clamp, H. M. E.        Bridewell Beauty
66 Moore, Amos            Royce Of The Royal Mounted
67 Tracy, Don               Criss Cross
68 Bogart, William         The Queen City Murder Case
69 Schofield, Wm. G.      Payoff In Black
70 Merwin Jr., Sam         Knife In My Back

Criss Cross is the basis for the 1949 film noir of the same name starring Burt Lancaster. That deserves a Worthy®.

Harlequin 66 - August 1950

Harlequin 66 back

Harlequin 67 - Auguts 1950

Harlequin 67 back

Harlequin 69 - August 1950

Harlequin 69 back

A Dictionary from Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Part I

The "King's English" Self-Pronouncing Pocket Dictionary and Vocabulary Builder by J. M. Parrish and John R. Crossland is one of two early paperbacks from Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada in a numbered series starting with S. In the case of the dictionary, S3, noted at the base of the spine. There is a S4 but I've never seen S1 or S2. The copyright date is 1942 but a two page advertisement for "Books in Canada" at the back provides a date for the printing. This list of books includes four from the White Circle paperback series, including Literary Lapses which was published in 1945.

The "King's ... is a reprint of The New Improved Standard Dictionary. The only difference is the title page with the new title, a reset author listing and the addition of the street address in Toronto, 70 Bond Street.

Collins S3 - 1945

Collins S3 back

Collins White Circle Reprints Part XII

Another in my favourite series of early Canadian paperback reprints from Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. First published in 1939 by the Scottish-British parent Wm. Collins Sons & Co., Belt of Suspicion is one of 17 1943 books reprinted with the same cover design but in different colours.

White Circle 110 - 1943

White Circle 1943 back

White Circle 110 -1945

White Circle 110 - 1945 back

The Last Russell Teed

A couple of years ago I discussed the first two adventures of Russell Teed, a P.I. in early 1950s Montréal. New editions were being published by Vehicule Press of Montréal. Happily the third and final Teed adventure, The Body on Mount Royal by David Montrose, has just come out. Unlike many new "editions"  the text has been reset and there is an introduction which nicely sets up the story.

Kudos to Vehicule Press and consulting editor Brian Busby.

Harlequin 262 - December 1953

Harlequin 262 back

Collins White Circle 1942 Books Part II

Back in part I I discussed the numbering of the 1942 White Circles published by Toronto's Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd.

The absence of a number on the cover has led to all sorts of confusion. Most listings just list the books alphabetically by author and describe them as NN (no number) but then put a number beside the book. Then, when those lists are used, that number suddenly becomes that book's number. But the books were sequentially identified with a combination of letters and numbers.

Until recently I was missing the identifier for three books (L, M and N below) but they are now known. So here is the full list plus images of two of these three books.

Spring list:

A King's Enemies Walsh, J.M.
B Death on Sunday Rhode, John
C Death Before Honour Hume, David
D The Stoat Brock, Lynn
E The Bell of Death Gilbert, Anthony
F Death Pays a Dividend Rhode, John
G Wreckers Must Breathe Innes, Hammond
H Make Way for the Mourners Hume, David
I Spades at Midnight Maddock, Stephen
J Jewel Thief Mills, Arthur
K Death Leaves No Card Burton, Miles
L Wanted for Murder Holt, Henry
M Sweet Poison Penny, Rupert
N Mr Babbacombe Dies Burton, Miles
O The Calendar Wallace, Edgar
P Mr. Mortimer Gets the Jitters Gray, Berkeley
Q Dames Don't Care Cheyney, Peter
R Doorway to Danger Maddock, Stephen
S Death at the Bar Marsh, Ngaio
T Overture to Death Marsh, Ngaio
A1 Seven Dead Farjeon, Jefferson
A2 Belt of Suspicion Wakefield, H. Russell
B1 U-Boat in the Hebrides Divine, A.D.
B2 Secret Weapons Walsh, J.M.
B3 The Mystery of the Smiling Doll Holt, Henry
B4 Conquest Takes All Gray, Berkeley

Fall list:

B5 Death of a Peer Marsh, Ngaio
B6 A Maid and a Million Men Dunton, James G.
B7 This Man is Dangerous Cheyney, Peter
B8 He Packed a Gun Sanders, C.W.
C1 Death at Dyke's Corner Lorac, E.C.R.
C2 Five Aces Hume, David
C3 Aunt Sunday Sees it Through Farjeon, Jefferson
C4 The Man From Peace River Reid, Wallace Q.
D1 Fighting Buckaroo Curran, Tex
D2 The Turquoise Trail Tuttle, W.C.
37 Verdict of Twelve Postgate, Raymond
38 Death on a Boat Train Rhode, John
39 Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Leacock, Stephen
40 The Nutmeg Tree Sharp, Margery
41 Attack Alarm Innes, Hammond
42 My Own Murderer Hull, Richard
43 Ironsides of the Yard Gunn, Victor
44 Thou Shell of Death Blake, Nicholas
45 The Creaking Chair Meynell, Laurence
46 Vultures Ltd. Gray, Berkeley
47 Goose Feathers Digby, George
48 The Flying Years Niven, Frederick
49 The Sky Pilot Conner, Ralph
50 Treasure Island Stevenson, Robert Louis

White Circle L - 1942

White Circle M -1942

The Scarcest White Circle

Wm. Collins & Sons Co. Canada Ltd. published 459 books in its White Circle series from 1942 to 1952. Until recently I had 453 of the first printings. But, thanks to an American book dealer, four of the missing six have been found, including the scarcest White Circle. This is Wanted for Murder, one of 50 books published in the first year. The books were not numbered on the cover but were sequentially lettered and numbered inside.

White Circle L - 1942

White Circle L back

Harlequin--Pan Edition Part II

I've recently posted about Penguin and Harlequin and Pan and White Circle combinations. Here's a Harlequin and Pan combination. The difference is that there was a business connection between the two publishers. The Man in the Brown Suit is a "Harlequin-Pan Edition" as described on the copyright page, one of 11.

Harlequin 337 - May 1955

Harlequin 337 back

Pan 250 - 1953

Pan 250 back

Pan and White Circle Part II

There were 429 titles published in the White Circle Pocket series by the Canadian publisher Wm. Collins & Sons Co. Canada between 1942 and 1952. Pan Books in England began publishing in 1945 and continues as Pan Macmillan. According to a collector's site there are 2,391 numbered Pans. How many of the 429 White Circles were also published by Pan? We shall see. But here is another one.

White Circle 335 - 1948

White Circle 335 back

Pan G269 - 1959

Pan G269 back

Pan and White Circle Part I

I recently began a series of posts on titles published by both Penguin and Harlequin. Here's another British and Canadian publishing pair - Toronto's Wm. Collins & Sons and Co. Canada Ltd. (White Circle) and London's Pan Books. How many titles were published by both companies? Not sure yet.

White Circle 211 - 1944

White Circle 244

Pan 40 - 1948

Pan 40 back

Penguin and Harlequin Part II

Another entry in the short list of titles published by Harlequin Books of Winnipeg and Toronto and London's Penguin.

Harlequin 273 - February 1954

Harlequin 273 back

Penguin 1038 - 1955

Penguin 1038 back

Penguin and Harlequin Part I

Penguin began publishing mass market paperbacks in 1935, 14 years before Harlequin. Both are very much still in business, but it is unlikely that the same title has been published by both publishers in over 50 years. However until 1959 there were a few titles so honoured. How many? Not sure yet. For your viewing pleasure, here is one.

Harlequin 210 - July 1953

Harlequin 210 back

Penguin 1116 - 1954

Penguin 1116 back

Black and White

In 2011 Vintage Books, a division of Random House, started a new series - Pocket Black Lizard. Four books were published then four more in 2012. The format of the series appeals to me because it mirrors a favourite series of mine from the 1940s - White Circle Pocket, published by Toronto's Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. In addition to an obvious mirroring of the names the new series has a feature rarely seen today - stained edges. In this case black. The White Circles were stained red or green/blue in the early years then red only.

Another feature is the trim size. The new series is a bit larger than a mass market paperback but smaller than a trade paperback. They have the feel of the well made White Circles.

Also the new series has published in a genre that was very popular in the White Circle series - crime/thriller. Crime and Guilt is a collection of true crime stories. White Circle had a similar collection.

White Circle CD 378 - 1949

White Circle 378 back