Both books are paperback originals with cover art by Wilf Long. Here is a cover by Long for one of Valentine's pulps - Uncanny Tales.
Handy Library 1
Handy Library 1 back cover
Handy Library 2
Uncanny Tales Vol. 2 No. 14 - February 1942
Monday, 22 February 2010
Handy Library - an Early Imprint
Here we're looking at the first Canadian digests in the modern (1935 on) paperback era. Published by Al Valentine's Adam Publishing Company in October 1941 the Handy Library imprint lasted two issues. Valentine was the publisher of pulps, some of which are listed on the back cover of Handy Library 1.
Both books are paperback originals with cover art by Wilf Long. Here is a cover by Long for one of Valentine's pulps - Uncanny Tales.
Both books are paperback originals with cover art by Wilf Long. Here is a cover by Long for one of Valentine's pulps - Uncanny Tales.
Collins White Circle Authors Part VIII
Among the 142 authors whose work was published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. in their White Circle imprint were two who used pen names. Geoffrey Martin Bennett wrote as Sea-Lion and Lewis Anselm da Costa Ritchie (Ricci) as bartimeus. Both were serving officers in the Royal Navy and as such could not use their names on published works. All three books were originally published by the parent firm Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. All stories involve naval settings and characters.
Ritchie's only WC title, Steady as You Go, was one of two White Circles reprinted with a different cover.
Ritchie's only WC title, Steady as You Go, was one of two White Circles reprinted with a different cover.
White Circle 52 - 1943
White Circle 52 reprint - 1943 (Margaret Paull artist)
White Circle CD 403 - 1949 (D. Rickard artist)
White Circle CD 456 - 1950
Friday, 19 February 2010
Canadian Best-Seller Library Part I
This blog is subtitled "Canadian Paperbacks of the 40s and early 50s" but books from the 60s and 70s will find a home here from time to time. A couple of recent posts included books from the New Canadian Library series published by McClelland & Stewart from 1958 to 1978. The series was one of a number of series that M&S published to feature Canadian writing. The original NCL series had 152 books. After a three year hiatus the series started up in 1981 and continues to this day. Among the other series that M&S published was the 46 book Canadian Best-Seller Library (CBL) from 1964 to 1968. Three-quarters were non fiction (with iconic Canadian writers such as Pierre Berton, Peter Newman and Farley Mowat).
Some of the fiction were recycled as part of the NCL including one of the two books described here.
The Incomparable Atuk was Mordecai Richler's fifth novel, published in 1963, four years after The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. The American title is Stick Your Neck Out. Unlike any of his previous novels, Atuk is a broad satire on Canadian celebrity and culture. As a recent Richler biography says "Richler exposes all the pettiness and smallness of the cultural scene as he saw it, hanging out to ridicule the pretensions and absurdities patently obvious in the cultural nationalism of the day" (M. G. Vassanji, Mordecai Richler, Toronto: Penguin, 2009, p. 26). M&S published the first paperback edition in 1965 as CBL 7, then again as NCL 79 in 1971.
Leslie McFarlane has almost certainly had more of his books sold than Richler. Under the publishing house name Franklin W. Dixon he wrote 21 of the Hardy Boys adventures. His hockey novel McGonigle Scores! was published as CBL 21 in 1966 as a paperback original.
Some of the fiction were recycled as part of the NCL including one of the two books described here.
The Incomparable Atuk was Mordecai Richler's fifth novel, published in 1963, four years after The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. The American title is Stick Your Neck Out. Unlike any of his previous novels, Atuk is a broad satire on Canadian celebrity and culture. As a recent Richler biography says "Richler exposes all the pettiness and smallness of the cultural scene as he saw it, hanging out to ridicule the pretensions and absurdities patently obvious in the cultural nationalism of the day" (M. G. Vassanji, Mordecai Richler, Toronto: Penguin, 2009, p. 26). M&S published the first paperback edition in 1965 as CBL 7, then again as NCL 79 in 1971.
Leslie McFarlane has almost certainly had more of his books sold than Richler. Under the publishing house name Franklin W. Dixon he wrote 21 of the Hardy Boys adventures. His hockey novel McGonigle Scores! was published as CBL 21 in 1966 as a paperback original.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Canadian Paperbacks - Other Editions Part III
Frederick Niven is a little remembered Scots-Canadian author who shares some facts with the much better known Canadian author Stephen Leacock. Both were born outside of Canada, both died in 1944 and both have a literary award named after them. The Frederick Niven Literary Award was administered by the Scottish Centre of International PEN and given every three years for a novel by a Scot. I say "was" because I can find nothing to indicate that the award is still given. The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour is given annually to the best book of humour written by a Canadian.
They also share paperback publishers. In an earlier post I discussed Leacock's Literary Lapses, published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd and McClelland & Stewart. Niven's The Flying Years was also published as a Collins's White Circle and a M&S New Canadian Library.
The first WC edition was one of the initial 50 published in 1942. A second edition was published in 1944 and then reprinted the next year. The NCL edition came 30 years later in 1974. This book demonstrates some of the sloppy work often seen in the NCL series. The copyright page states the book was originally published in 1942, not the correct 1935. The back cover notes 1935 as the "written" date, not the publishing date. The text is printed (poorly) from the Collins WC edition of 1944 rather than being reset.
The WC edition was discussed in an October 10, 1942 Globe & Mail story titled "White Circles". The article starts with "Canadian-made reprints of books of proven popularity mean a long step forward in local publishing" and the last paragraph says "there are plenty of other titles; new ones are being added fast, and copies are being absorbed by the public in very large quantities." The article is unsigned but likely W. A. Deacon.
They also share paperback publishers. In an earlier post I discussed Leacock's Literary Lapses, published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd and McClelland & Stewart. Niven's The Flying Years was also published as a Collins's White Circle and a M&S New Canadian Library.
The first WC edition was one of the initial 50 published in 1942. A second edition was published in 1944 and then reprinted the next year. The NCL edition came 30 years later in 1974. This book demonstrates some of the sloppy work often seen in the NCL series. The copyright page states the book was originally published in 1942, not the correct 1935. The back cover notes 1935 as the "written" date, not the publishing date. The text is printed (poorly) from the Collins WC edition of 1944 rather than being reset.
The WC edition was discussed in an October 10, 1942 Globe & Mail story titled "White Circles". The article starts with "Canadian-made reprints of books of proven popularity mean a long step forward in local publishing" and the last paragraph says "there are plenty of other titles; new ones are being added fast, and copies are being absorbed by the public in very large quantities." The article is unsigned but likely W. A. Deacon.
White Circle - 1942
White Circle 1942 back cover
White Circle 116 - Margaret Paull artist
White Circle 116 back cover
New Canadian Library 102
New Canadian Library 102 back cover
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Canadian Paperbacks - Other Editions Part II
Stephen Leacock's self published his first literary book, Literary Lapses, in 1910 when he was 40. In 1939 the first paperback edition was published by Penguin Books. Six years later Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. published its White Circle edition. In January 1958 Canadian publisher McClelland & Stewart published Literary Lapses as one of its first four offerings in the New Canadian Library (NCL) imprint. Coincidentally the Penguin edition is 212 and the White Circle edition is 213. The Penguin edition has a dust jacket identical to the book's covers except for the flaps.
A Bibliography of Stephen Leacock by Carl Spadoni (Toronto: ECW Press, 1998), pages 97 and 98, notes that the Penguin edition sold over 46,000 copies in the first five months after publication. The bibliography also notes that McClelland & Stewart held the Canadian rights to the book and refused Collins (who were Penguin's agent in Canada) permission to sell the Penguin edition in Canada. But in 1945, the year after Leacock died, Collins was able to publish the first Canadian paperback edition. The Collins edition has been printed from the same plates as the Penguin edition.
The Penguin edition has a short biography of Leacock but no introduction. B. K. Sandwell, a Canadian editor and author, provided a three page introduction to the Collins edition which also had a couple of photographs of Leacock by the celebrity photographer of the day, Karsh. The NCL edition has a five page introduction by Robertson Davies and remains in print. The texts are the same except the NCL edition doesn't have a one page of acknowledgements from the author.
A Bibliography of Stephen Leacock by Carl Spadoni (Toronto: ECW Press, 1998), pages 97 and 98, notes that the Penguin edition sold over 46,000 copies in the first five months after publication. The bibliography also notes that McClelland & Stewart held the Canadian rights to the book and refused Collins (who were Penguin's agent in Canada) permission to sell the Penguin edition in Canada. But in 1945, the year after Leacock died, Collins was able to publish the first Canadian paperback edition. The Collins edition has been printed from the same plates as the Penguin edition.
The Penguin edition has a short biography of Leacock but no introduction. B. K. Sandwell, a Canadian editor and author, provided a three page introduction to the Collins edition which also had a couple of photographs of Leacock by the celebrity photographer of the day, Karsh. The NCL edition has a five page introduction by Robertson Davies and remains in print. The texts are the same except the NCL edition doesn't have a one page of acknowledgements from the author.
Penguin 212
Penguin 212 back cover
Penguin 212 DJ flaps
White Circle 213 - Margaret Paull artist
White Circle 213 back cover
New Canadian Library 3
New Canadian Library 3 back cover
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