Harlequin and White Circle Twins Part II

The first part of this series of posts introduced the first of five titles that were published both by Harlequin Books and Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd in their White Circle line. Here is the second and the best known of the five. Joesph Mitchell's (1908-1996) McSorley's Wonderful Saloon was first published by Duell Sloan and Pearce (New York: 1943). The next year Wm. Collins published it as White Circle 208 and nine years later in July 1953 Harlequin 210 was published. McSorley's is still around.

The White Circle edition comes in two variants - one with green edging and one with red edging - no priority. The cover artist is York Wilson. The Harlequin cover artist is Friede, about whom I know nothing.

White Circle 208

White Circle 208 back

Harlequin 210

Harlequin 210 back

Collins White Circle Artists Part XIX - York Wilson (3)

As I detailed in part I York Wilson's work for Wm. Collins & Sons Canada Co. Ltd's White Circle imprint in the mid 1940s is unsigned but there is documentary evidence for seven covers. In part II I discussed four of eight other covers that I believe he did. Here are the next four. All are 1945.

White Circle 234

White Circle 235

White Circle 236

White Circle 237

Where Did The White Circles Come From? Part II

Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. published 429 titles in their White Circle imprint from 1942 to 1952. Ten were paperback originals. Some three-quarters of the reprints were originally published by the Scottish-English parent company Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. The rest came from over 40 publishers. The second most reprinted publisher was the American Duell, Sloan and Pearce with 17. Here are the first six. The first two White Circles are 1943, the next two 1944 and the last two 1945 and 1946.

WC 75 Barometer Rising, Hugh MacLennan (first published 1941) - cover from Duell Sloan edition

WC 79 The Commandos, Elliott Arnold, (1942) - cover art by Margaret Paull

WC 99 Kitty, Rosamund Marshall (1943) - cover art by York Wilson

WC 208 McSorley's Wonderful Saloon, Joseph Mitchell (1943) - cover art by York Wilson

WC 220 From This Day Forward, Elswyth Thane (1943)

WC 273 Miss Dilly Says No, Theodore Pratt (1945)

Collins White Circle Artists Part XIV - York Wilson (2)

Part I showcased the seven documented but unsigned covers that Canadian artist York Wilson did for the White Circle imprint of Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. in 1944 and 1945. There are eight other covers that I believe are likely by Wilson based on his distinctive style. This style can be seen on his non commercial work from this time - for example.

Here are four of these covers. The first three are from 1944, the last 1945.

White Circle 91

White Circle 201

White Circle 202

White Circle 220

Collins White Circle Artists Part II - York Wilson (1)

This is the second in a series about cover artists for Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd.'s White Circle imprint. The first was Margaret Paull.

York Wilson was a Canadian artist who did commercial work until the late 1940s. He illustrated a number of covers for Collins in 1944 and 1945. We know this because, while he never signed his Collins work, his records (York and Lea Wilson Fonds - R4154) held at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa have a file ("Collins White Circle Pocket Novel" - Book Covers Container 10, File 20) on the work. In the file there are seven covers which I present below. In another post I'll speculate on other WC covers that, based on style, I believe he illustrated. The covers have a lightness and humour that I find appealing. The cover for Stuart Cloete's Congo Song has to be the funniest in the series.

White Circle 99 - first printing

White Circle 208

White Circle 210 - same cover used on new edition in 1952 - #532

White Circle 238

White Circle 239

White Circle 240

White Circle 241