Beaver Publications Part IV

Part I introduced Canada's first mass market paperback publisher, Hamilton's Beaver Publications. I've added a bit more information in subsequent posts as I've come across it. Here is more.

The last of Beaver's three books, Cherchez la femme?, was published in December 1941. There is a note in the back that says:

        "Our 'service' pocket library editions are now in circulation [and] are obtainable in boxed sets of the three titles. Red for the Navy, Blue for the Air Force and Khaki for the Army."

This is interesting because there are also variants of each book with illustrated covers. This note suggests that the illustrated covers were the retail issues and the text cover issues were published later as service editions only. I had thought that, like the LA Bantams and Red Arrows, the Beaver illustrated versions came after the text versions in order to boost sales. I've never seen the illustrated versions so I wonder if this note is in Cherchez la femme?.

Collins White Circle Artists Part XXII - Margaret Paull (9)

The first 47 of 67 signed covers by Margaret Paull for Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd's White Circle imprint are discussed in parts I to VIII. Here are the next five. All were published in 1946.

White Circle 247

White Circle 249

White Circle 250

White Circle 251

White Circle 252

Harlequin Nurses Part II

Part I introduced the popular nurse romance published by Harlequin Books. One of, to my mind, the oddest aspects of their nurse books was referring to doctors by their first name, like minor English royalty. Instead of Dr Knowitall, we have Dr Jack.

My mother was a nurse before, during and after this mid-century nurse craze and I never heard her refer to a doctor this way. In fact I've never heard anyone say "I was well satisfied that Dr Jill removed my bunion."

Here are a couple of examples.

Harlequin 381 - March 1957

Harlequin 381 back

Harlequin 388 - May 1957

Harlequin 388 back

From White Circle to Rupert

The smallest corner of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire is book publishing, specifically HarperCollins, with 4% of consolidated revenue.

HarperCollins was created in 1989 with the merger of the American Harper & Row and the Scottish/British firm Wm. Collins Sons & Co. In 1936 Wm. Collins began publishing a reprint paperback line in Britain - White Circle Pocket Library. The paperbacks were sold in Canada until 1942 when the Canadian subsidiary began its own White Circle imprint. This lasted until 1952.

Here are some early White Circles when Rupert was a wee laddy.

White Circle 89 - 1944

White Circle 69 - 1943

White Circle 81 - 1943

White Circle 82 - 1943

White Circle 93 - 1944

White Circle 102 - 1943

White Circle 104 - 1943

Export's News Stand Library US Series Part IX

Toronto's Export Publishing Enterprises Ltd published 28 books for the American market in 1949 and 1950. Export put dustjackets on 20 of the books. I've discussed 18 of them in previous posts. Here is one more plus a DJ example from an American publisher.

With three exceptions books in the US series were also published in the Canadian series. Of the 25 US issues, 24 had a date the same as or after the Canadian issue. Death Be My Destiny is the only exception with a January 1950 Canadian date and a November 1949 US date.

Paired with Death Be My Destiny is the only early paperback from Dell with a dust jacket. Note that the DJ is used to opposite effect. The Export DJ covers a more "sexed-up" cover while the Dell does the opposite. There is also a remarkable design similarity between the books.

News Stand Library 14A with DJ - November 1949

News Stand Library 14A with DJ back

News Stand Library 14A without DJ

News Stand Library 14A back

Dell D114 with DJ - 1952

Dell D114 with DJ back

Dell D114 without DJ

Dell D114 back