Comics, Pulps, and Paperbacks: Why such a discrepancy in values? 25 25

[OtherEric]

Today's pickups at the local store.  The Avon NN (3) lists 12 titles both inside and on the back cover and has the globe endpapers.   So should be a true first; unless somebody knows something about a variant with a dark blue "4" instead of pink?  Bookscans has an image with the dark blue 4, but no info on when it came out relative to this.

The Pocket 212 is a stated first pocket printing.

[damonwad]

1 hour ago, OtherEric said:

Today's pickups at the local store.  The Avon NN (3) lists 12 titles both inside and on the back cover and has the globe endpapers.   So should be a true first; unless somebody knows something about a variant with a dark blue "4" instead of pink?  Bookscans has an image with the dark blue 4, but no info on when it came out relative to this.

The Pocket 212 is a stated first pocket printing.

Nice ones. Farewell My Lovely is one of my favorites.

Until you mentioned the blue "4" on the Bookscans copy I would have said your Big Four is a first.  Now  . It would be interesting to see the back and insides of that copy.

[OtherEric]

2 minutes ago, damonwad said:

Nice ones. Farewell My Lovely is one of my favorites.

Until you mentioned the blue "4" on the Bookscans copy I would have said your Big Four is a first.  Now  . It would be interesting to see the back and insides of that copy.

The one on Bookscans looks weird, in any case... I didn't think the early Avons were laminated, if they are mine have all completely peeled without leaving much damage.

[damonwad]

7 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

The one on Bookscans looks weird, in any case... I didn't think the early Avons were laminated, if they are mine have all completely peeled without leaving much damage.

I agree it looks weird and  I didn't notice the peeled lamination on that pic. No lamination on my early Avons either.

The blue 4 is at least a pretty early copy because it still says "pocket-size". Maybe some kind of regional test printing? I would have guessed Canadian if not for the the "29c in Canada" copy they show.

[OtherEric]

4 minutes ago, damonwad said:

I agree it looks weird and  I didn't notice the peeled lamination on that pic. No lamination on my early Avons either.

The blue 4 is at least a pretty early copy because it still says "pocket-size". Maybe some kind of regional test printing? I would have guessed Canadian if not for the the "29c in Canada" copy they show.

My guess, with no evidence, is it's a prototype.  The first few books all came out more or less at once; I'm thinking that they were testing laminate or no laminate and decided the 4 didn't show up well.  I can't find any other reference to it, but I admittedly didn't look too hard yet.  Here's the cover we're talking about, if anybody else is interested:

[damonwad]

7 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

My guess, with no evidence, is it's a prototype.  The first few books all came out more or less at once; I'm thinking that they were testing laminate or no laminate and decided the 4 didn't show up well.  I can't find any other reference to it, but I admittedly didn't look too hard yet.  Here's the cover we're talking about, if anybody else is interested:

You could be right. I found about 15 pics on the internet (all pink 4) and found no mention in my 5 or 6 reference books.

[frozentundraguy]

19 minutes ago, damonwad said:

You could be right. I found about 15 pics on the internet (all pink 4) and found no mention in my 5 or 6 reference books.

Five or Six reference books.  Do you mind mentioning those titles?

[damonwad]

2 hours ago, frozentundraguy said:

Five or Six reference books.  Do you mind mentioning those titles?

Except for the Reginald Paperback Index, a better description would have been obsolete price guides. 

Here they are though.

[Surfing Alien]

3 hours ago, OtherEric said:

My guess, with no evidence, is it's a prototype.  The first few books all came out more or less at once; I'm thinking that they were testing laminate or no laminate and decided the 4 didn't show up well.  I can't find any other reference to it, but I admittedly didn't look too hard yet.  Here's the cover we're talking about, if anybody else is interested:

Nice pickups  I'm always jealous of your bookstore adventures... I miss them myself.

I can't think of a better theory than yours on the laminated copy with blue 4. I am trying to think whether i've seen any early Avons with laminate. Laminate started sometime in the circle logo period. I want to say yes but can't place it. It's certainly a rare exception but i'll try to keep a better look out for any.

[OtherEric]

44 minutes ago, Surfing Alien said:

Nice pickups  I'm always jealous of your bookstore adventures... I miss them myself.

I can't think of a better theory than yours on the laminated copy with blue 4. I am trying to think whether i've seen any early Avons with laminate. Laminate started sometime in the circle logo period. I want to say yes but can't place it. It's certainly a rare exception but i'll try to keep a better look out for any.

My best local bookstore got a nice lot of a couple hundred or so books recently; that's what you've been seeing the past few weeks as he gets them priced and out.  I will pretty much be buying one or two every time I get in there until he runs out, I suspect.

[damonwad]

Some more Fredric Brown books.

Jabberwock is the only one of these I've read but it was another Brown winner. A fun crime book with an odd fantasy type undertone. I think it first appeared in a 1944 issue of Thrilling Mystery (pulp).

[damonwad]

Some more John D. MacDonald's.

I haven't read Slam the Big Door yet but really enjoyed both the others.

I guess MacDonald is most famous for his Travis McGee novels but I'm enjoying his earlier work so much that I haven't read any of those yet.

[damonwad]

The westerns you've all been waiting for.

I just "discovered" 20's/30's pulp writer W.C. Tuttle in the last year and he's become one of my favorites. I especially like the western/mystery Hashknife Hartley stories. 

[OtherEric]

2 hours ago, damonwad said:

Some more John D. MacDonald's.

I haven't read Slam the Big Door yet but really enjoyed both the others.

I guess MacDonald is most famous for his Travis McGee novels but I'm enjoying his earlier work so much that I haven't read any of those yet.

Love me some John D. MacDonald any day of the week, McGee or not.  It just gives you something to look forward to. 

I would argue that, while MacDonald is best known for McGee, his best known book is The Executioners.   But people know that better as Cape Fear, since that's what they called the movies...

[OtherEric]

And, despite having run to my local book shop yesterday, a check on their website showed me something else I had to go snag today.  I don't think I've ever seen the Avon 389 before, but it's definitely will go nice next to An Earth Man on Venus and Into Plutonian Depths.  I need to track down an Avon 370 (The Moon Pool) to go with those sooner rather than later.  Are there any other classic Science Fiction/Fantasy covers with the round Avon logo I should be looking for?

And, while I was there, I snagged the Pocket 214 off the shelf.  Stated first Pocket printing:

[Pat Calhoun]

Tuttle sounds interesting: here's my (via my wife) hashknife collection

[Pat Calhoun]

[Pat Calhoun]

[Pat Calhoun]

[OtherEric]

4 minutes ago, Pat Calhoun said:

Thank you, Pat.  I had somehow missed there were a couple "Avon Fantasy Novels"; I'll want the Williamson as well.