158 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.

The Star Weekly was published by the Toronto Star from April 9, 1910 until July 1968, then by Southam Press until December 29, 1973. Here we return to 1966 Canada with the May 14, 1966 issue; 100 pages for 20 cents or free with your Saturday newspaper in selected cities.

Star Weekly (40 pages). The cover story is about a different kind of threat to Canadian sovereignty than we see now. It focuses on Canadian corporations sold to foreign ones. An interested reader could also find an article about treasure hunting in the waters off Cape Breton and a column by Wayne and Shuster. Short fiction, recipes, gardening tips and a crossword puzzle are included.

The Canadian (28 pages) Volume 2, number 19. An article on Toronto's first modern skyscraper, the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, is followed by Barbara Frum's "Pretty Hip Dames", about mothers earning PhDs.

Novel (12 pages). The Baron and the Chinese Puzzle by Anthony Morton (John Creasey) (1908-1973). Illustrated by Colette McNeil. Like many of the Star Weekly novels this is promoted as "First Publication Anywhere".

Comics (20 pages). Twenty comics including Dick Tracy, Popeye, Prince Valiant, Steve Canyon, Blondie plus other features.

Star Weekly May 14, 1966

Star Weekly The Canadian May 14, 1966

Star Weekly Novel May 14, 1966

Star Weekly Comics May 14, 1966

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 Wife, two 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

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

Star Weekly Novel Part X

For many years the Toronto Star Weekly novel was described as "complete". I wonder how many readers took that to mean that they had the entire novel in their hands. Or did they understand that "complete" meant not serialized. If the latter they were right. Each Sunday the Star Weekly novel was approximately 45,000 words. This is novella territory, although there are titles described as novels that are shorter.

I imagine the vast majority of the Star Weekly novels were condensed. But in the last decade about 200 novels were published in two parts. At 90,000 words it's likely some were not abridged. 

Here is a discussion of one of the shortened novels.

Three Star Weekly novels:

July 31, 1954 - The Schirmer Inheritance by Eric Ambler (Heinemann, 1953)

April 12, 1948 - Search for a Scientist by Charles L. Leonard (Doubleday, 1947)

September 21, 1957 - Fogbound by Mark Derby. This appears to have been published nowhere else - either before or after the Star Weekly. We can't know if it was condensed from the manuscript.

Star Weekly Novel - April 24, 1948

Star Weekly Novel - July 31, 1954

Star Weekly Novel - September 21, 1957

Star Weekly Novel Part IX

So far I've found 21 US newspapers that had Sunday editions with complete novel inserts. The range of years is 1919 to 1967. Nine of those newspapers used the Canadian Star Weekly novel, just changing the name of the newspaper on the front page. Here are the nine:

Akron Beacon Journal
Bangor Daily News
Bangor Sunday Commercial
Chicago Sun, The
Long Island Sunday Press
Newark Star-Ledger
Philadelphia Record
Sunday Patriot News [Harrisburg, PA]
Washington Post

Note all are in six Northeastern and Midwestern states - New York, New Jersey, Maine, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. The other twelve newspapers are also in these states plus Michigan. Odd that none of the newspapers in the other 41 states appear to have published novel inserts.

Here are three Star Weekly novels.

June 2, 1945 - Angel Without Wings by Martha Ellen Wright (Doubleday, Doran, 1943)

October 21, 1944 - Captain Millett's Island by Katherine Newlin Burt (McCrae Smith, 1944)

October 10, 1953 - The Case of the Hesitant Hostess by Erle Stanley Gardner (W. Morrow, 1953)

Star Weekly Novel - October 21, 1944

Star Weekly Novel - June 2, 1945

Star Weekly Novel - October 10, 1953

Star Weekly Novel Part VIII

The Star Weekly's fiction editor was responsible for the Star Weekly Novel published every Saturday for 35 years. For a significant part of that range the editor was Gwen Cowley. In addition to the novel the Star Weekly published short stories and serials. A 1946 rejection letter to an author describes what she looked for in choosing a work for publishing.

"We like our stories to be full of action and colour, and also to have good strong plots. Our most urgent need at the moment is for good romances, sports, humor and adventure type of story. Our best length for short stories is around 3,500 words. We also use a novel a week, which must condense to around 46,000 words in length and also serials which run from 18,000 to 30,000 words."

Here are three of the novels.

August 1, 1953 - That Girl in Nice by Maysie Greig (Wm. Collins, 1954)

November 8, 1952 - Brave Interval by Elizabeth Yates (Coward, McCann, 1952)

February 23, 1946 - Java Orchid by Helen Eva Yates (first and only publication, not published in book form)

Star Weekly Novel - February 23, 1946

Star Weekly Novel - November 3, 1952

Star Weekly Novel - August 1, 1953

Star Weekly Novel Part VII

From the earliest Star Weekly Novel that I've seen (May 1938) until October 1956 the art work on the front cover was virtually identical. A young, impossibly perfect Anglo-Saxon woman is always on the cover. For most of that period she is the only person shown. Doesn't matter what the genre - romance, western, historical, crime or thriller. 

Finally in November 1956 the style changed and the scene matched the novel. The other change is the length is reduced from 15 1/2" to 14". Here are two examples, both Agatha Christie novels. The earlier cover is a perfect example - a young woman holding a kitten illustrating a story called "Blood Will Tell".

Star Weekly - December 25, 1954

Star Weekly - December 28, 1957

Newspaper Novels Part V

I have 40 of approximately 700 of The Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday novel inserts. In that small sample there are 15 artists whose work is seen on the front cover and inside. One colour predominates, the images have a weighty look and, with five exceptions, the front cover art is not combined with text. This contrasts with the look of the Canadian Star Weekly novel inserts from those years. Well into the 1950s the Star Weekly covers looked like this example (artist William Book) regardless of the genre.

One of the artists is Miriam Troop (1917-?) whose work is also seen on two 1940 Saturday Evening Post covers at the young age of 23.

The Philadelphia Inquirer - June 27, 1943

The Philadelphia Inquirer - November 7, 1943

The Philadelphia Inquirer - December 14, 1941

Star Weekly - May 8, 1943

156 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.

Star Weekly Novels were distributed with the Toronto Star every Saturday for 36 years. But they were not the only novel inserts in Canadian newspapers. Montreal's The Standard also brought novels into mid-century English language Canadian homes, competing with bookstores, commercial book clubs and the local newsstands, drug and cigar stores. Romance, crime, Westerns, historical, thrillers, all available. Here are some examples.

The Standard Book of the Week - June 4, 1960

The Standard Book of the Week - July 26, 1947

The Standard Book of the Week - May 10, 1947

Star Weekly Novel - Part VI

I've mentioned that I estimate around 1880 Star Weekly Novels were published. This assumes they were published every week from 1938 to 1973. So far the oldest I've seen is May 1938 and latest is November 1973. 

The number of titles is an estimated 1700. The reason is a number of two- and three-part novels were published from 1960 to 1973. That works out to an average 2.1 books for each of the estimated 800 authors. Here are three who are among the estimated 600 with only one book.

Murder's Web by Dorothy Dunn (1913-1952) who published over sixty short stories in pulps but this appears to be her only novel. First published by Harper & Row (1951).

Rendezvous on an Island by Tod Claymore (1898-1964), pseudonym for Hugh Desmond Clevely. First published by Cassell (1957).

Black William by Robert Neill (1905-1979). First published by Hutchinson (1955).

Star Weekly Novel - August 26, 1950

Star Weekly Novel - August 20, 1955

Star Weekly Novel - December 7, 1957

Star Weekly Novel Part V

I've mentioned authors and artists in earlier Star Weekly Novel posts. Here I'll start looking at genres. The series lasted for 36 years and nicely lines up with the middle third of the 20th century. From the annexation of Austria into the German Reich and the discovery of fission in 1938 to Watergate and the oil shock in 1973.

It was a time when the number of readers in the US and Canada grew very fast. The post war world of increased education levels and popularity of cheap paperbacks are some of the reasons for this change. The popular fiction genres were historical, romance, crime/thriller and Westerns. I don't yet have any numbers but each is well represented among the Star Weekly Novels.

Here are three Westerns.

Boss of the OK by Brett Rider, pseudonym of Arthur Henry Gooden (1879-1971)

The Galloping Ghost by William Colt MacDonald (1891-1968)

The Big Corral by Archie Joscelyn (1899-1986)

Star Weekly Complete Novel - December 29, 1951

Star  Weekly Complete Novel - May 8, 1943

Star Weekly Complete Novel - October 23, 1948

Star Weekly Novel Part IV

I've been able to find title/author information for 1460 Star Weekly Novels, 80% of the estimated 1880 published. So far I have identified the artwork on only 93 issues. There are 34 separate artists. Here are some examples.

Dance Without Music is illustrated by Mabel McDermott (?-?).  

Stranger in the Little House has an illustration by someone well known to readers of this blog - Harlequin cover artist Paul Anna Soik (1919-1999).

Where is Jenny Now? - art by American George Sottung (1927-1999). Here is more on this novel.

Star Weekly Complete Novel - December 3, 1960

Star Weekly Complete Novel - September 11, 1948

Star Weekly Complete Novel - January 11, 1958

Star Weekly Novel Part III

In the first part of this series about the "Star Weekly Complete Novel" series of newspaper inserts I estimate that around 1880 issues were published. I continue to work on an accurate and complete list for this fascinating series. This post is about the authors.

I estimate there are between 750 and 850 authors whose works were published. From Edward S. Aarons to Phyllis Brett Young and Erle Stanley Gardner with at least 64 to Betty Friedan with one.

Here are some examples.

Star Weekly Complete Novel - July 21, 1945

Star Weekly Complete Novel - July 19,1947

Star Weekly Complete Novel - October 2, 1943

Star Weekly Novel Part II

I introduced the Star Weekly Novel in the last post. There are many intriguing aspects to the series, including the art - classic mid-century art that was also seen in dozens of magazines every month. We're fortunate that the Star Weekly editors noted the artists. Here are three.

Long Lightning - William (Bill) Book (?-?) was a Canadian artist about whom I can find next to nothing. His work is also seen on two Harlequins.

The Case of the Grinning Gorilla - Marshall Dawson (Mark) Miller (1919-2008) was an American illustrator with careers in costume design and wine making.

Blood Will Tell - Jay Herbert (?-?) is a mystery.

There is an obvious theme to the drawings for the two crime, one Western and one romance title. 

Star Weekly Novel  July 25, 1953

Star Weekly Novel June 13, 1953

Star Weekly Novel December 25, 1954

Star Weekly Novel Part I

The Star Weekly Complete Novel was published, as best I can determine, every week for 36 years from 1938 to 1973. That is about 1880 issues. The novel was part of the Star Weekly insert that Canadians saw every Saturday if they bought the Toronto Star. Until 1956 it was usually 16 pages (15 1/2"x11") with 40,000 - 45,000 words. There were a number of two part novels so I estimate around 1700 titles were published.

I recently bought a few of these including Maysie Greig's That Girl in Nice, published on August 1, 1953. This was months ahead of the book, published by Wm. Collins (London, 1954). The Canadian White Circle paperback imprint was no longer around in 1953 but from 1946 to 1949 there were 12 Grieg novels published.

The artist is American Marland Stone (1895-1975).

Star Weekly Novel - August 1, 1953

White Circle 260 - 1946

White Circle 280 - 1946

White Circle 312 - 1947

White Circle 321 - 1947