Nipper and Ngaio

I've been thinking of how to introduce a newly published book to the blog without compromising its raison d'etre. The book is The Collected Doug Wright staring Nipper, recently published by Montreal's Drawn & Quarterly which gets my vote for not only the best book published in 2009 on Canadian culture but the best book, fiction or non-fiction published last year. You need to buy and look for the second volume out this year.

The connection I found is Montreal where Doug Wright lived and worked. My blog's subtitle is Canadian paperbacks of the 40s and early 50s. This is not strictly true as paperbacks published in Quebec will rarely be seen - for the good reason that I know virtually nothing about them. But here is one published in 1950 in Montreal by La Revue Moderne in the Collection Petit Format imprint. The author is Ngaio Marsh who had eight books published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. in the White Circle imprint. Four of her "death" books are presented here. The first is 1943, the rest 1944.

White Circle 76

White Circle 113

White Circle 114

White Circle 117

Collins White Circle Artists Part X - John Fernie Part (4)

Here are the last of the 21 covers John Fernie did for Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd.'s White Circle imprint. It's interesting to note that during the period Fernie was doing WC covers he lived in New York, then Connecticut. He did start doing commercial work in Toronto where he likely made contact with Collins Canada before moving to the US.

The first is 1950, the rest 1951.

White Circle CD 480

White Circle C.D. 494

White Circle C.D. 501

White Circle C.D. 526

Fireside Publications Limited - Part I

Fireside Publications Limited was a Canadian publisher in the late 1940s/early 50s responsible for a variety of books and periodicals that are very little known today. In this first part I'll present six magazine size paper bound books described as "A $3.00 IMMORTAL CLASSIC". All are 64 pages, undated and approximately 21cm x 27 or 28cm. The books had ads with coupons to be mailed to the Arcade Building in Toronto. The Arcade Building was at Yonge and Victoria streets in downtown Toronto until 1954.

Interesting to note that among the authors are Defoe, Verne, Flaubert, Gautier as well as three works still in print.

ad on back of Playthings of Desire

D. Rickard - Part I

In an earlier post I talked about D. Rickard, an artist for Canadian paperbacks from 1949 to 1953, with most of the work in 1949 and 1950. I noted that I could find no information about him or her. That is still the case. For example he is not in the Artists in Canada data base maintained by the Canadian Heritage Information Network.

His career is odd - working for so many publishers in such a short time then seemingly disappearing. With only Harlequin surviving beyond 1952 perhaps his work was not right for other commercial work. So all that's left is the covers which I'll start showcasing by year, starting with 1949. The first group are all from Export Publishing Enterprises Ltd. I've indicated if signed or not. An unsigned cover is presented if I believe it is more likely than not his work.

News Stand Library 35 (March 1949) - unsigned

News Stand Library 39 (April 1949) unsigned

News Stand Library 41 (May 1949) unsigned

New Stand Library 43 (May 1949) - signed

News Stand Library 54 (June 1949) - signed

Collins White Circle Title Pages

Cover free post today. We'll be looking at the title pages used by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. in their White Circle imprint. There were three primary styles of title pages used over the 10 year life of the imprint. A reminder that numbers 73, 100, 119-199, 209, 212, 430, 543 were not used and number 527 was used twice.

The first title page design had five variants. The first three had the British head office 48 Pall Mall London address and three different decorative features borrowed from the British White Circles. They were used on 122 books (first 50 books plus 51-98, 101-110, 112-117, 200-207 and 211) from 1942 to 1944.

The final two variants used the address for the Canadian company - 70 Bond Street in Toronto. The first on 12 books (99, 111, 118, 214-222) and the second on four books (208, 210, 213, and 223). Book 223 had a slight difference with “By” instead of “by”. These books are late 1944/early 1945.

 

The second type was used on 67 books (224-256, 259-291) from early 1945 through 1946. Eight books (280, 282, 283, 285, 288-291) have “by” between the title and author and three books (283, 288, and 290) do no have italicized author names.

The third and final type came in three variants and was used 1947 through 1952. The first had no street address (16 books: 257, 292-302, 304-307). The second the 70 Bond Street address (62 books: 303, 308-365, 367-369) and the third with the final address, 53 Avenue Road (176 books: 366, 370-545).