Westerns Part VI

Before getting to this post's topic I want to announce that an improved (better images) Collins White Circle Paperback Guide is now up.

Earlier posts have highlighted nine of the 44 Western titles published by Wm. Collins and Sons Canada Co. in their 1940/50s paperback imprint White Circle Pocket Library. Here are four more, each from an author with only one book published by Collins.

Will Ermine is a pseudonym for Harry Sinclair Drago (1888-1979). Cowboy, Say Your Prayers was first published in 1939 (New York: William Morrow).

Howard Fast's (1914-2003) The Last Frontier dates from 1941 (New York: Duell, Sloane & Pearce).

The Devil's Saddle by Norman Fox (1911-1960) was published in 1948 by New York's Dodd, Mead.

Wallace Q. Reid is a pseudonym for George Goodchild (1888-1969). The Man From Peace River was published in 1933 by Wm. Collins.

White Circle C4 - 1942

White Circle C4 back

White Circle CD414 - 1949

White Circle CD414 back 

White Circle CD458 - 1950

White Circle 458 back

White Circle 287 - 1946

White Circle 287 back

Westerns Part V

Between 1942 and 1952 Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd published 43 westerns in their White Circle Pocket Library series, exactly 10% of the 429 titles in the series. There were only nine authors with one, Charles Horace Snow, accounting for 31 titles under four pseudonyms. Here are Snow's last three White Circles under the Wade Smith pseudonym. All were first published by the Scottish-British parent Wm. Collins Sons & Co.

White Circle C.D. 491 - 1951

White Circle C.D. 491 back

White Circle C.D. 504 - 1951

White Circle C.D. 504 back

White Circle CD 536 - 1952

White Circle CD 536 back

Westerns IV

The latest Inside Romance from Harlequin Enterprises covers the books published in the 12 week period September 27 to December 20. There are 14 numbered series plus 4 unnumbered series. During this period the cumulative total for the numbered series passes 20,000. With around 65 published every four weeks in the numbered series, this total increases by some 850 every year, 1,100 including the unnumbered books. This is a bit over twice the number of books Harlequin published in their first 10 1/2 years. Another way of saying this is Harlequin now publishes more books in Canada in six months than in their first 10+ years. And this excludes all the foreign editions.

Something that caught my attention is the number of westerns that Harlequin lists for the 12 weeks - 50. All but of a handful are modern with stories about "a rancher who's an undercover FBI agent" or "a wealthy, sexy fun-loving cowboy". My guess is that the Western Writers of America would not consider any of these books western.

Here are a few early Harlequins from the only Harlequin author to have received the WWA's Spur Award (1956) for best western novel.

Harlequin 88 - December 1950

Harlequin 88 back

Harlequin 145 - December 1951

Harlequin 145 back

Harlequin 171 - May 1952

Harlequin 171 back

Westerns Part III

In the first part of this series of posts I gave some detailed statistics on the distribution of westerns for the three large early Canadian paperback publishers. In summary there were 126 titles from a total of 1071 published from 1942 to 1959 - 12%. But 104 of those were published in the eight years 1947 to 1954.

My grandfather (1892 - 1972) enjoyed westerns but I've never read one. The few times I've looked in the western section at the local Indigo/Chapters my eyes glazed over with all the Louis L'Amour and a couple of other authors. But two westerns have recently been published that I'm going to read. One from a Canadian publisher, House of Anansi Press, and one by Mary Doria Russell.

Here's one of six of Harlequin's 73 western titles that was reprinted. The first printing's cover was first seen on the 1952 Quinn Publishing digest edition - Handi-Book Western 137. The first edition is New York: Phoenix Press, 1949.

Harlequin 158 - March 1952

Harlequin 158 back

Harlequin 360 - May 1956

Harlequin 360 back

Westerns Part II

Western novels were important to the early paperback publishers in Canada. Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd published 43 (10% of the total) western titles in its White Circle imprint. In an early post I noted three and here are two from the first year for Canadian White Circles, 1942. The 50 White Circle that Collins published in 1942 had text only covers. Eighteen were reissued with illustrated covers. Only two of the four 1942 westerns were reissued.

Both books were first published in 1938 by the Scottish-English parent company Wm. Collins & Sons.

White Circle B8 - 1942

White Circle D1 - 1942

same back on White Circles B8 and D1

White Circle 329 - 1947

White Circle 329 back

White Circle 115 - 1944

White Circle 115 back

Westerns Part I

The popularity of westerns have waxed and waned but it seems there will always be room on the paperback display for at least a few westerns. Even Harlequin has a western themed romance series. The three large Canadian paperback publishers in the 1940s and early 50s had a number of western titles. Here we'll look at a sample of them.

Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. published 43 western titles, 10% of the total 429. All were reprints. As discussed in an earlier post about White Circle authors, Charles Horace Snow was responsible for 31 of the titles under four pseudonyms. The other authors were Tex Curran (3 titles), Frank Robertson (2) and six with one title each. The distribution of the westerns is interesting. During the WC imprint's first five years (1942-1946) eight were published. The next five years (1947-1951 plus a few months into 1952) saw 35 published. Here I offer three from that first five year period. All are 1944 and the artist is Margaret Paull.

White Circle 80

White Circle 84

White Circle 88

Export Publishing Enterprises Ltd. had 10 westerns, 6% of a total of 165 titles. All but one were reprints. Another interesting distribution - two in the fall of 1948 and then seven in a three month period in 1950. Paul Evan Lehman and William Hopson had two titles each with five single title authors. Here are the two earliest from 1948 with an anonymous artist responsible for both covers.

News Stand Library 11

News Stand Library 12

The third publisher was Harlequin who published 73 westerns, 17% of a total of 426 titles through 1958 when the last western was published. All were reprints. Again an interesting distribution. The first five years (1949-1953) saw 56 westerns published, 21.5% of all titles. During the next five years there were 17 published, 8% of the total. The peak year was 1951 with 31%. There were a number of authors which I'll talk about in another post. The first four westerns were by Charles Horace Snow under his real name. From 1949 here are two of the first four by Snow. The artwork is unsigned. 

 

Harlequin 6

Harlequin 21