Sunday, 29 June 2025

Star Weekly Novel Part XIII

Continuing my discussion of the artists who worked on the Star Weekly Novel from 1938 to 1973. I have identified the artist for 700 of the approximately 1900 issues. There are 99 artists who worked on these 700 issues, 86 with less than 10. Three have more than 50 issues, including William Book (1906-1966) who did 107 of them from 1941 to 1956. Only information on Book I can find is that he was born in North Bay, Ontario.

Here are three of his covers.

January 28, 1950 - Image of a Murder by Paul Capon (1912-1969), T. V. Boardman, 1949. Two illustrations.

July 26, 1952 - Having No Heart by Elisabeth Margetson (1898-?), Ward Lock, 1952. One illustration.

July 7, 1945 - Short Leash by Bertrand Shurtleff (1897-1967), Bobbs-Merrill, 1945. Two illustrations.

Star Weekly Complete Novel January 28, 1950

Star Weekly Complete Novel July 26, 1952

Star Weekly Complete Novel July 7, 1945

Thursday, 19 June 2025

Star Weekly Novel Part XII

Virtually all of the nearly 1900 issues of the Star Weekly Novel published between 1938 and 1973 had at least one illustration. So far I have identified the artist for 320 of the issues with illustrations by 63 artists. Here I'll highlight three of the artists seen on the 64 (76 issues) Erle Stanley Gardner titles published from 1942 to 1973.

October 16, 1943 - The Case of the Buried Clock, two illustrations by Eloise Noel Smith. I can find no information about her.

February 2, 1946 - The Case of the Half-Wakened Wifetwo illustrations by Elsie Julia Miller. Here is a short biography.

June 12, 1954 - The Case of the Green Eyed Sister, one illustration by Mabel McDermott. I have found a 1936 Chatelaine cover by McDermott.

Star Weekly Complete Novel June 12, 1954

Star Weekly Complete Novel February 2, 1946

Star Weekly Complete Novel October 16, 1943

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Star Weekly Novel Part XI

Between 1938 and 1973 Star Weekly published (I estimate) 1700 titles as inserts in the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star and other papers. I have identified about 1325 of those titles by 660 different authors.

Here are three from the last five years of the run when many of the titles were published over two or three weeks. All are 12 pages.

April 12, 1969 (part 2) - The Astrid Factor by Douglas Orgill (1922-1984), Peter Davies, 1968.

February 12, 1972 (part 2) - The Freedom Trap by Desmond Bagley (1923-1983), Wm. Collins, 1971. Filmed in 1973 as The Mackintosh Man with Paul Newman.

July 21, 1973 (part 2) - Decked With Flowers by Elizabeth Cadell (1903-1989), Hodder & Stoughton, 1973. Advertised as "First Publication Anywhere". When published as a book the title changed to Deck With Flowers.

Star Weekly - April 12, 1969

Star Weekly - February 12 1972

Star Weekly - July 21, 1973