Wm Collins and the Second World War

One of the fascinating book collecting avenues is paperback editions that were published exclusively for the armed forces in the second world war.

British publishers including the Scottish-British publisher Wm Collins & Sons with their White Circle Pocket Library series brought out services editions. The Canadian subsidiary did not but did ask that books make their way to the forces. Here are some examples.

White Circle Services Edition -1945

White Circle Services Edition back

White Circle 58 - 1943

White Circle 58 back

The British Publishers Guild S227 - 1946

The British Publishers Guild S227 back

The Mystery League and Harlequin Part II

In part I I introduced The Mystery League, a publisher of 30 mysteries in the early 1930s, which shares three authors with the Canadian reprint publisher Harlequin Books. The second author is Sydney Horler (1888 - 1954) who had two books published by The Mystery League and five by Harlequin. Here is two plus one.

Harlequin 307 - July 1954

Harlequin 307 back

Harlequin 322 - September 1954

Harlequin 322 back

Vehicule Press

Montreal publisher Vehicule Press continues its honourable program of new editions of Canadian noir classics. The ad below from the latest issue of Maisonneuve shows the four books in the series, including the latest, Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street, first published in 1950 by Export Publishing Enterprises of New Toronto. This means that at least one book from each of the big three early Canadian paperback publishers, Export, Harlequin and Wm. Collins & Sons Canada, is now in print. Here are the original editions.

News Stand Library 84 - 1950

White Circle C.D. 516 - 1951

White Circle C.D. 539X - 1952

Harlequin 262 - 1953

Collins White Circle Authors Part XII - Leacock (2)

Stephen Leacock was a popular author with early paperback publishers; editions of Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town include two numbers by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Canada in their White Circle series, a Penguin and a Penguin New Zealand. All published in 1941 - 1945.

White Circle 39 - 1942

White Circle 39 back

White Circle 223 - 1945

White Circle 223 back

Penguin 320 - 1941

Penguin 320 back

Penguin New Zealand - 1944

Penguin New Zealand back

Wm. Collins's Ceylon Editions Part II

Another of the Ceylonese White Circles from the Scottish-British publisher Wm. Collins Sons & Co. This one is joined by the Indian and Canadian editions. The Indian and Ceylonese editions are undated but circa 1945.

Ceylon

Ceylon back

India

India back

White Circle 221 - 1945

White Circle 221 back