Collins White Circle Authors Part XIII - Ballard

Willis Todhunter Ballard (1903-1980) was an energetic writer for the pulps. Starting in 1942 four novels by Ballard about amateur Hollywood PI Bill Lennox were published, the first two also in editions by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd in their White Circle reprint paperback line. He also wrote under pseudonyms, including P. D. Ballard used on the 1963 Fawcett PBO below.

Oddly Collins published the two out of sequence. The second novel Murder Can't Stop first and the first Say Yes to Murder (renamed Murder in Hollywood) second.

 

White Circle C.D. 496 - 1951

 

White Circle C.D. 496 back

 

White Circle C.D. 525 - 1951

 

White Circle C.D. 525 back

 

Gold Medal d1352 - 1963

 

Gold Medal d1352 back

White Circle Twins Part I

Many of the paperbacks published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co Canada in their 1940s White Circle imprint were also published in the US. One example is Edgar Lustgarten's (1907-1978) first novel One More Unfortunate. First published as A Case to Answer in the UK (London, 1947), the American edition was renamed.

The first American paperback edition is distinguished by being one of 27 books published by Bantam from 1945 to 1949 with a dust jacket. Interesting how the DJ version cover has the same scene as the White Circle edition. Both are tamer than the original Bantam cover.

 

White Circle 374 - 1948

 

White Circle 374 back



 

Bantam 360 - February 1949

 

Bantam 360 back

 

Bantam 360 Dust jacket

Canadian Collins White Circle Collecting

Long time readers of this blog know that one of the three significant early paperback publishers in Canada was Wm. Collins Sons & Co Canada Limited. They were the earliest, starting in 1942, and by any measure the best. The  imprint was White Circle Pocket Library and 459 books were published between 1942 and 1952. But, if you are a collector of these lovely early paperbacks, you'll need to find more that 459 books to complete the collection. How many? I don't know.

At least sixty-three of the books come in two or more variants. That can be another printing or different ads or different back cover or edge stain or anything else that distinguishes one version from another. The variant total is 143. The remaining 396 books exist in one version. So there are at least 539 books a collector needs to find. But I'm sure there are some variants of which I'm not aware. So if anyone would like to help make sure there is a complete count of the books let me know and I will send lists.

Meanwhile for your viewing pleasure.

 

White Circle "P" - 1942

 

White Circle 88 - 1944

 

White Circle 208 - 1944

 

White Circle 281 - 1946

 

White Circle 329 - 1947

 

White Circle CD 411 - 1949

 

White Circle CD 471 - 1950

 

White Circle C.D. 516 - 1951

Harlequin and Victor Mature

In an earlier post, Noel Coward, I talked about the artist Paul Anna Soik's use of a celebrity's image on one of the many covers he created for Harlequin Books in the 1950s. Here is another, the actor Victor Mature.

Another example from an early PBO published by Penguin Books of New York is below. The copy shown is the more uncommon second printing from October 1947. The image, by Robert Jonas, is identical to the August 1947 first printing but the movie, staring Mature, is referenced at the top unlike the first printing. The movie was also released in August 1947.

 

Harlequin 420 -  April 1958

 

Harlequin 420 back

 

Penguin (US) 642 - October 1947

 

Penguin (US) 642 back

147 and Counting

The British North American Act, enacted March 29, 1867 by the British Parliament, provided for Confederation of the three British North American colonies, Canada (Upper and Lower), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Now much amended as the Constitution Act, 1867, it was proclaimed into law on July 1, 1867 and Canada was born. The first official birthday celebration was in 1868, July 1 being named Dominion Day in 1879 and Canada Day in 1982.

Dan Ackroyd turns 62 today. What books might his father, Peter, have been reading while waiting for young Dan to arrive? The very last of the White Circle paperbacks from Wm. Collins Sons & Co Canada Ltd may have still been on the stands in the local cigar or drug store in Ottawa. Or perhaps a colourful Harlequin tempted him.

 

White Circle CD539X - 1952

 

White Circle CD540 - 1952

 

White Circle CD541X - 1952

 

Harlequin 171 - May 1952

 

Harlequin 173 - June 1952

 

Harlequin 174 - June 1952

Wm Collins After White Circle Part I

Toronto publisher Wm Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd published 459 books between 1942 and 1952 in their paperback series White Circle Pocket Library. From 1952 until 1990, when Wm Collins merged with Harper and Row, other series were published. Here is an example from one of them - Collins Crime. I don't know how many books were published in this series.

Further on are examples of White Circle Pocket Library crime.

 

1984

 

 

 

White Circle 110 - 1943

 

White Circle 110 back

 

White Circle 106 - 1944 (reprint)

 

White Circle 106 back

It's Fun Raising a Family

Back here I did a post about Kate Aitken and the various books she authored for Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd in the middle of the last century. In this post I'll talk a bit more about one of the books and it's three variants.

It's Fun Raising a Family was a paperback original published in 1955. In addition to a Collins edition there are two branded editions - both for companies that have disappeared.

The edition for Montreal based department store chain Steinberg's (1917-1992) was published half-way through its life. Tamblyn (1904-1978) was a Toronto based drug store chain.

 

Wm. Collins's edition - 1955

 

Wm. Collins's back 

 

 

Tamblyn edition

 

Tamblyn back 

 

Steinberg's Edition

 

Steinberg's back

The Last Export

I have just found the last book from early Canadian paperback publisher Export Publishing Enterprises that I needed to complete my collection. As far as I know there are no further books, including reprints.

This is one of two books published in the American series (with the "A") that were unnumbered in the Canadian series. The edition I was missing was the DJ version.
 

News Stand Library 22A - February 1950

with dust jacket

 

News Stand Library 22A back

with dust jacket

News Stand Library 22A - February 1950

News Stand Library 22A back