Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part VI

In the first of the series on early American paperback publisher Quinn Publishing Company I described the close relationship between Harlequin and Quinn. Nearly 30 percent (39) of the 139 titles published by Quinn were also published by Harlequin. Here are two.

Sam Merwin's Knife in My Back was first published in 1945 by Mystery House. The Window With the Sleeping Nude is a PBO.

The Harlequin edition of Knife in My Back is not abridged - at least to the extent the Quinn edition is. It may be abridged from the original.

 

Handi-Book Mystery 44 - 1945

 

Handi-Book Mystery 44 back

 

Harlequin 70 - August 1950

 

Harlequin 70 back

 

Handi-Book Mystery 118 - 1950

 

Handi-Book Mystery 118 back

 

Harlequin 106 - April 1951

 

Harlequin 106 back

Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part V

Continuing our look at the shared publishing history of Quinn Publishing (New York and Kingston, NY) and Toronto's Harlequin Books in the 1940s and 50s.

The 38 titles shared by Harlequin and Quinn (Handi-Book imprint) had 76 covers - 30 sets are different, two similar and six identical. Here is one of the two sets with similar covers plus a set with semi-different covers.

Harlequin 81 - October 1950

Handi-Books 87 - 1949

Harlequin 139 - October 1951

Handi-Books 110 - 1950

Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part IV

The 38 titles shared by Harlequin and Quinn (Handi-Book imprint) had 76 covers - 30 sets are different, two similar and six identical.

The first sixty or so Handi-Books have distinctive covers different from Harlequin and other mass market publishers of the time. Here is one set with an example of these early covers plus a set with a later Quinn offering.

Harlequin 98 - February 1951

Handi-Book 46 - 1946

Harlequin 366 - August 1956

Handi-Book 138 - 1951

Harlequin Artists Part VII

In part V of this series of posts I showed two of the 480 ilustrated covers on Harlequin Books published between 1949 and 1959 that are among the few that are not original. Here are two more.

The cover for the Harlequin edition of The Window with the Sleeping Nude has two significant differences from the Quinn Publishing version. One is obvious - more people looking at the nude. The other is less obvious. In the Harlequin version the view is from inside the store with the people outside (see the reversed sign on window). The Quinn version has the view from outside with the people on the inside.

Neither Harlequin cover is signed.

Harlequin 106 - April 1951

Handi-Book 118 - 1950

Harlequin 245 - September 1953

Robert Hale - 1952

Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part III

The 38 titles shared by Harlequin and Quinn (Handi-Book imprint) had 76 covers - 30 sets are different, two similar and six identical. 

The first sixty or so Handi-Books have distinctive covers different from Harlequin and other mass market publishers of the time. Here are two sets which include examples of these early covers. Sweet Murder was given a new title by Harlequin.

Harlequin 42 - 1950

Handi-Book 47 - 1946

Harlequin 79 - October 1950

Handi-Books 13 - 1943

Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part II

Part I introduced the shared publishing history of Quinn Publishing Company and Harlequin Books - 38 books published by both companies in the 1940s and early 1950s. Of the 139 titles published by Quinn, 30 were originals and Harlequin subsequently published 14 of them. Here are three.

Harlequin 88 - December 1950

Handi-Book 111 - 1950

Harlequin 105 - March 1951

Handi-Book 119 - 1950

Harlequin 106 - April 1951

Handi-Book 118 - 1950

Harlequin and Quinn (not the Eskimo) Part I

Operating out of New York City (1941 - 1945) and Kingston, NY (1945 - 1951), the Quinn Publishing Company published 141 paperbacks (139 titles) from 1941 to 1951. There were two series - 137 Handi-Books and 4 Handi-Book Westerns. One-quarter (39) of the titles were also published by Harlequin Books, 16 western and 23 crime/thriller. The breakdown by year published by Quinn is:

1942     1
1943     1
1945     2
1946     4
1947     3
1948     3
1949     7
1950    14
1951     5

In a run of 91 Harlequin books from 1950 to 1952 (issues 70 to 160) a third (32) had been published by Quinn. Here are three from 1950.

Harlequin 43 - May 1950

Handi-Book 63 - 1947

Harlequin 73 - September 1950

Handi-Book 89 - 1949

Harlequin 84 - November 1950

Handi-Book 52 - 1946