Showing posts with label North Star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Star. Show all posts

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Two Odd-Ball Collins White Circles

I've mentioned in a couple of posts that Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. published 459 of their White Circle imprint. This is the number they published in their consecutively numbered series that ended with number 545 (actually C.D. 545X). However Collins also published two other paperbacks with the White Circle name that were not part of this series.

The first is a real odd-ball. Dear Sir; by Juliet Lowell was a collection of letters written my Americans during WWII. It was published in the US in 1944 in hardcover and paperback. Then, as S4, by Collins in 1945. It is described on the front cover as "A White Circle Pocket Edition" and has ads for other White Circles. But the publisher is North Star which was an imprint of Collins (see post of October 22). Collins isn't mentioned in the book. Collins also published Dear Sir; as a hardback without any reference to White Circle on the front cover.

Below is the White Circle edition and the American paperback edition published by Eagle Books of New York.





The second odd-ball is Harvest Triumphant by Merrill Denison, published in 1949 as a paperback original. This book is described as a White Circle on the cover and inside. The title and copyright pages are identical to other 1949 White Circles in the numbered series. The only difference is the book is not numbered. There is an interesting connection, perhaps coincidental, with the numbered series. The only other Denison White Circle is 431, Klondike Mike, published in 1949 as well. White Circle 430 does not exist. Perhaps Harvest Triumphant was intended to be 430 but the number removed before publishing.



Thursday, 22 October 2009

Collins Other Early Paperback Imprint - North Star

In addition to their White Circle paperback imprint, Wm. Collins Canada published a much shorter-lived one in 1944. An article in the trade magazine Quill & Quire (June 1944, p. 27) announces the North Star series. Three books are discussed, When the Boys Come Home, We All Own Canada and Pictures of Canada, edited by Franklin Davey McDowell. As far as I can determine the third book was never published. We All Own Canada was reprinted in June 1944 and also issued in hardcover.

The publisher tells us that "North Star Books are important factual books by outstanding authorities revealing significant aspects of Canadian topical affairs." A full page ad in the April 29, 1944 [Toronto] Globe & Mail announced the new series. Collins' expectations were clearly not met and the imprint lived only a few months.