A Rare Publishing Event

This month, thanks to Montreal publisher Vehicule Press, Canadians will see in bookstores, for the first time in nearly 75 years, a paperback cover with a very unusual history.

Toronto paperback publisher Export Publishing Enterprises was in business from mid 1948 to early 1951. In addition to books sold in Canada, Export published 28 titles for the US market. Here is my first post on these books. Twenty of the books were published with a dust jacket, including Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street by Al Palmer. Vehicule has just published its second edition of the title reproducing the US dust jacket cover. The first edition has the original cover seen in Canada.

None of the other nineteen covers have been seen since their original publication. And likely never will. Sadly the dust jacket artists are unknown.

Vehicule Press - November 2024

Vehicule Press - back

News Stand Library 20A - February 1950

News Stand Library 20A  - cover under dust jacket

Vehicule Press

The latest, 14th, Ricochet offering from Montreal publisher Vehicule Press is out - Kenneth Orvis's The Damned and the Destroyed first published in 1962.

The intro author (also author of The Dusty Bookcase) says it's Orvis's best book.

Here is his first book from Harlequin Books.

Harlequin 367 - April 1956

Harlequin 367 back

Export Publishing Bibliography Part VIII

Here is the third and final title from Toronto's Export Publishing that has recently been published by Montreal's Vehicule Press. There is a Canadian Export edition (84) and an US edition (20A).

84 Sugar Puss on Dorchester Street

A1.a.

SUGAR PUSS | ON | DORCHESTER STREET | [ornament: company logo] | By | AL PALMER

Collation: pp. [1-4] 5-7 [8] 9-15 [16] 17-21 [22] 23-39 [40] 41-45 [46] 47-67 [68] 69-73 [74] 75-79 [80] 81-93 [94] 95-122 [123] [124] 125-141 [142] 143-149 [150] 151-159 [160]; 177 x 107 mm.

Contents: p. [1] About this book…; [2] NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION | First Printing NOVEMBER, 1949 | Printed and Bound in Canada | Export Publishing Enterprises Limited | TORONTO LONDON NEW YORK; [3] title; [4] blank; 5-7 PREFACE; [8] blank; 9-10 THE CHARACTERS; 11-159 text; [160] blank.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers pattern with logo – vivid red.

Note: Paperback original. Signed art by D. Rickard. 

A1.b.

Collation: [1-5¹⁶]; pp. [1-4] 5-6 [7] [8] 9 [10] 11-21 [22] 23-39 [40] 41-45 [46] 47-67 [68] 69-73 [74] 75-79 [80] 81-93 [94] 95-117 [118] 119-122 [123-124] 125-141 [142] 143-159 [160].

Binding: Stapled gatherings. Inside covers pattern with logo – moderate brown. “SUGAR PUSS” on back cover shifted 7 mm to left.

20A Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street 

A1.a.

SUGAR-PUSS | On Dorchester Street | To Sean Edwin | who didn’t give a damn either! | by Al Palmer

Collation: pp. [1-7] 8 [9] 10 [11] 12-39 [40-42] 43-78 [79-81] 82-125 [126-129] 130-159 (but with an unnumbered first page for 21 of the 25 chapters) [160]; 176 x 106 mm.

Contents: p. [1] the book at a glance; [2] | NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION | First Printing February, 1950 | Printed and bound in Canada | [ornament: company logo] | Export Publishing Enterprises Limited | TORONTO LONDON NEW YORK;  [3] title; [4] ALL NAMES, CHARACTERS, | AND EVENTS IN THIS BOOK | ARE FICTIONAL, AND ANY |  RESEMBLANCE TO REAL | PERSONS WHICH MAY SEEM | TO EXIST IS PURELY CO- | INCIDENTAL.; [5]-159 text; [160] blank.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers pattern with logo – moderate brown. “KN” on spine printed red, “20A” on spine black. Back cover copy: “Sugar Puss | ON DORCHESTER STREET” at top of blurb and “Sugar Puss” larger font size; “A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION” at bottom of blurb.

Note: Paperback original. Signed art by Sid Dyke.

A1.b.

Binding: Inside covers pattern as A1.a.“KN” on spine printed black, “20A” as A1.a. Back cover blurb as A1.a.

A1.c.

Binding: Inside covers pattern with logo – vivid blue. “KN” and “20A” on spine as A1.a. Back cover blurb as A1.a.

A1.d.

Binding: Inside covers pattern with logo – vivid red. “KN” on spine as A1.a, “20A” printed red. Back cover copy is advertisement for In Passion’s Fiery Pit.

A1.e.

Binding: Inside covers pattern with logo – vivid red. “KN” and “20A” as A1.d. Back cover copy: “Sugar Puss | On Dorchester Street” at top of blurb, both same font size; “A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION” missing. 

A1.e.DJ

Binding: Inside covers patter with logo – vivid red. Spine and back cover as A1.e. Dust jacket attached at spine – number C8.

Vehicule - 2013

Vehicule Back

Export Publishing Bibliography Part VII

Here is the second of Export's books that have been recently published by Vehicule Press of Montreal. This is an early book from Export which illustrates how messy the bibliographic data are for the early books. There are two Export editions - one sold in Canada (13S) and one sold in the US (2A). The Vehicule Press edition uses the US edition's cover from New American Library.

The Long November has confusing numbering. The November 1948 first printing is numbered “13 S”. There are two versions numbered “R15” which indicates a second printing, but the copyright page is unchanged from the first printing. A stated April 1949 second printing is numbered “3R15” which indicates a fourth printing. I have not seen a copy with “2R15”. There is no book numbered “15”.

  

13 S The Long November

A1.a.

The | LONG | NOVEMBER| By JAMES BENSON NABLO | [ornament: company logo] | A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION

Collation: [1-4¹⁶ 5-6⁸]; p. [1-4] 5-160; 170 x 109 mm.

Contents: p. [1] The Story; [2] Copyright, 1946 | By James Benson Nablo | All rights reserved. | Printed in Canada. | First News Stand Library edition | November, 1948. | EXPORT PUBLISHING ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 3079 Dundas St. W. Toronto 9; [3] title; [4] For | BERTA KASLOW; 5-160 text.

Binding: Stapled signatures. Inside covers illustration – strong yellow green. Title on spine black. Border on back cover on three sides – top, right and bottom. The book description on the back cover differs from the description on page [1].

Note: First published New York: E. P. Dutton, 1946. Signed art by Sid Dyke. Text contains a number of errors including a stray line 11 on page 115 and line 25 repeating line 30 on page 117.

A1.b.

Binding: Stapled signatures. Inside covers illustration – as A1.a. Title and author missing from back cover.

A2. second printing - number R15

Collation: [1-5¹⁶]; pp. as A1.a.

Binding: Stapled signatures. Inside covers illustration – vivid red. Title on spine black and larger than A1.a. Back cover title green and larger than A1.a, author as A1.a. Border on back cover on two sides – top and bottom. Back cover blurb reset.

Note: Errors on pages 115 and 117 not corrected.

A3. third or fourth printing - number 3R15

Collation: as A2.

[2] Copyright, 1946 | By James Benson Nablo | All Rights Reserved. | Printed in Canada. | First News Stand Library Edition | November, 1948 | Second News Stand Library Edition | April, 1949 | EXPORT PUBLISHING ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 3079 DUNDAS STREET WEST TORONTO

Binding: Stapled signatures. Inside covers illustration – blank white. Title on spine as A2.a but green. Book number and “MDS” printed in green. Bands on back cover as A2.a but red. Back cover blurb as A2.a. Front cover red rather than purple as in A1.a, A1.b, A2 and B1.

Note: Errors on pages 115 and 117 not corrected. 

B1. second edition - number R15

Collation: as A2.

Binding: Stapled signatures. Inside covers illustration – strong reddish brown. Title on spine as A1.a. Back cover title and author as A1.a. Bands and blurb on back cover as A2.

Note: Errors on pages 115 and 117 fixed by removing the lines but not resetting the pages.

  

2A The Long November

A1.a.

The | LONG | NOVEMBER| By JAMES BENSON NABLO | [ornament: company logo] | A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION

Collation: pp. [1-4] 5-160; 171 x 109 mm.

Contents: p. [1] This Book in Brief; [2] blacked out [COPYRIGHT 1946 | BY JAMES BENSON NABLO | All Rights Reserved] | FIRST NEWS STAND LIBRARY EDITION | PUBLISHED JUNE 1949 | Export Publishing Enterprises Limited | NEW TORONTO CANADA | Printed and Bound in Canada; [3] title; [4] For | Berta Kaslow; 5-160 text.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers illustration – light purplish gray.

Note: First published – New York: E. P. Dutton, 1946. The description of the book on page [1] is identical to the NSL first series edition (13 S + R15) except that “in Canada” has been deleted from the end of the first sentence.

  

A1.b.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers illustration – light orange.

Vehicule Press - 2014

Vehicule Press - back

Export Publishing Bibliography Part VI

Montreal's Vehicule Press has just published its 13th Ricochet Book - John Buell's 4 Days. Three of their books were originally published by Export Publishing. Here are the Export bibliographic entries and the Vehicule edition for Waste No Tears. There are two Export editions, a Canadian (116) and an US (27A).

116 Waste No Tears

A1.

WASTE | NO | TEARS | by | JARVIS | WARWICK | A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION

Collation: pp. [1-5] 6-160; 177 x 108 mm.

Contents: p. [1] The Book at a Glance; [2] NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION | First Printing | July 1950 | Printed and bound in Canada | Export Publishing Enterprises Limited | TORONTO LONDON NEW YORK; [3] title; [4] blank; [5]-160 text.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers illustration – slate blue. 

Note: Paperback original. Pseudonym of Hugh Garner. Signed art by Sid Dyke. 

27A Waste No Tears

A1.a.

WASTE | NO | TEARS | by | JARVIS | WARWICK | A NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION

Collation: pp. [1-4] 5-160; 176 x 109 mm.

Contents: p. [1] The Book at a Glance; [2] NEWS STAND LIBRARY POCKET EDITION | First Printing | July 1950 | Printed and bound in Canada | Export Publishing Enterprises Limited | TORONTO LONDON NEW YORK; [3] title; [4] blank; 5-160 text.

Binding: Perfect. Inside covers pattern with logo – light blue.

Note: Paperback original. Pseudonym of Hugh Garner. Signed art by Sid Dyke.  

Vehicule Press - 2014

Vehicule Press back

The Pyx

Just back from Montreal where I bought the newly published twelfth book in Vehicule Press's Canadian noir series - John Buell's The Pyx (New York: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1959). The cover is taken from the original paperback edition - 1960's Crest 408. Although Barye Phillip's signature as artist has been removed.

Vehicule Press - 2017

Farrar, Straus & Cudahy - 1959

Gisele Lepin Returns

Thanks to Vehicule Press Gisele Lepin, like a breath of cool clean air, returns. Originally published by Export Publishing Enterprises in 1949 the Vehicule Press edition of Sugar-puss on Dorchester Street has a lovely adaptation (by J. W. Stewart) of the original artwork by D. Rickard (note initials on the window). Actually its the art on the Canadian edition. There was a further edition for the American market with artwork by Sid Dyke. And yet a third version on the DJ that is found on the American edition. Will Straw, who introduces the Vehicule edition, talks about buying the American edition in the mid 1980s.

 

Vehicule Press - 2013

 

Vehicule Press back

 

News Stand Library 84 - November 1949

 

News Stand Library 20A - February 1950

 

News Stand Library 20A DJ

Vehicule Press

Montreal publisher Vehicule Press continues its honourable program of new editions of Canadian noir classics. The ad below from the latest issue of Maisonneuve shows the four books in the series, including the latest, Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street, first published in 1950 by Export Publishing Enterprises of New Toronto. This means that at least one book from each of the big three early Canadian paperback publishers, Export, Harlequin and Wm. Collins & Sons Canada, is now in print. Here are the original editions.

News Stand Library 84 - 1950

White Circle C.D. 516 - 1951

White Circle C.D. 539X - 1952

Harlequin 262 - 1953

The Last Russell Teed

A couple of years ago I discussed the first two adventures of Russell Teed, a P.I. in early 1950s Montréal. New editions were being published by Vehicule Press of Montréal. Happily the third and final Teed adventure, The Body on Mount Royal by David Montrose, has just come out. Unlike many new "editions"  the text has been reset and there is an introduction which nicely sets up the story.

Kudos to Vehicule Press and consulting editor Brian Busby.

Harlequin 262 - December 1953

Harlequin 262 back

The Return of Russell Teed

Put the Molson quarts in the fridge and find the State Express at the drugstore. The McGill educated Montreal PI Russell Teed has returned. Russell has been missing since 1953 but thanks to Vehicule Press his first two adventures from Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. in their White Circle imprint are back. The final Teed was published by Harlequin.

The blurbs on the backs of the Vehicule Press editions have been taken from the White Circle editions. The artist on Murder Over Dorval is unknown. The cover on The Crime on Cote des Neiges is one of 32 photo covers from Wm. Collins for the White Circle imprint.

Dorval is now Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

White Circle C.D. 516 - 1951

White Circle C.D. 539X - 1952