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

[Surfing Alien]

1 hour ago, aardvark88 said:

Actually the bottom 2 paperback pics have covers painted by Jeff Jones.

Thanks, I have those. I think the ones I actually quoted are the Frazettas 

[Surfing Alien]

In the mailbox today, some winnings from the seemingly endless Taco auctions, including my ultimate Ray Johnson/James Bond grail, a  presentable copy of "You Asked For It". Fleming famously broke his deal with Popular Library over their changing James Bond to Jimmy Bond and the title change.

This book rarely comes up for sale at auction and is notoriously fragile and prone to heavy rubbing and creasing, so to win a solid copy like this was a mission on my part. I wasn't going to be denied but still only paid half the price of some of the wrecked copies for sale at rare booksellers.

These other Popular Library's from the same period are all Ray Johnson as well. It's funny, when I began collecting he was always know as the mystery Avon guy because he painted so many of their most famous Golden Age covers, but working on his bio and checklist has revealed he did far more for Popular Library than for Avon. At least 150 and maybe 200 altogether. We're identifying new ones all the time. Like every PB artist, some were created with more care than others. This bunch all feature great, fully realized scenes with his typical guys smirking, smoking and ogling bad girls.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Surfing Alien

[OtherEric]

2 hours ago, aardvark88 said:

Actually the bottom 2 paperback pics have covers painted by Jeff Jones.

The post he was quoting was all Frazetta, the two by Jones were in the next post

[Randall Dowling]

2 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

In the mailbox today, some winnings from the seemingly endless Taco auctions, including my ultimate Ray Johnson/James Bond grail, a  presentable copy of "You Asked For It". Fleming famously broke his deal with Popular Library over their changing James Bond to Jimmy Bond and the title change.

This book rarely comes up for sale at auction and is notoriously fragile and prone to heavy rubbing and creasing, so to win a solid copy like this was a mission on my part. I wasn't going to be denied but still only paid half the price of some of the wrecked copies for sale at rare booksellers.

These other Popular Library's from the same period are all Ray Johnson as well. It's funny, when I began collecting he was always know as the mystery Avon guy because he painted so many of their most famous Golden Age covers, but working on his bio and checklist has revealed he did far more for Popular Library than for Avon. At least 150 and maybe 200 altogether. We're identifying new ones all the time. Like every PB artist, some were created with more care than others. This bunch all feature great, fully realized scenes with his typical guys smirking, smoking and ogling bad girls.

Great grabs, SA!  I've gotten a few in but haven't had a chance to post them.  At some point, I'll organize and catch up!  

[frozentundraguy]

A few weeks ago there was a small discussion on having a checklist with when searching for more books to avoid duplicates. I found the list that I used for the Ace double collection. I had 2 copies this one and one for my wallet that I folded in fourths. This list is approximately 5 1/5 by 7 inches. Pardon my well worn comic book used for scale.

 

[Surfing Alien]

So nice i'm sharing it twice. Posted this over in the Pulps so sharing here. A grail that I've been looking for the right one/right price for a while now 

[Surfing Alien]

It's been a great week at the mailbox. One of the few Cornell Woolrich pbs i've never had a copy of and one of Belarski's last covers at Popular Library.

[OtherEric]

We slipped to page 2?  That’s unacceptable.  Found at my favorite local store today:

[Pat Calhoun]

Galaxy of Ghouls includes 'Desertion' by Clifford D. Simak, quite possibly the greatest story ever written (it's also included in 'City') gently guiding us past human boundaries in a most winning way.

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Pat Calhoun

[Surfing Alien]

On 4/17/2021 at 5:02 PM, OtherEric said:

We slipped to page 2?  That’s unacceptable.  Found at my favorite local store today:

And a fortuitous post to me Other Eric! I've seen this cover before and thought it looked a little like Ray Johnson's hand but the figures were small and I never noticed it was signed "B.Thomas" I also somewhat dismissed the notion because, before the posting of Doug Ellis' original of "The Metal Monster"  that started the attribution journey, didn't think of Johnson as a sci-fi painter. Turns out he painted a lot more topics than we ever knew.

From Bruce Brenner, I've learned that "Ben Thomas" was a pseudonym Ray used in the Men's Adventure Magazines, notably "Real For Men" in the mid-1950's, which was a Martin Goodman Publication, just like this 1955 Lion Library is.

For fun, I'm attaching one of the Ben Thomas illustrations from the September 1956 Real for Men titled "Wild Widow Greenhow: No. 1 Spy" All the interior illos in these mags are top notch, from a large stable of top artists.

 

 

[Surfing Alien]

On 4/18/2021 at 2:52 PM, Pat Calhoun said:

'Desertion' by Clifford D. Simak, quite possibly the greatest story ever written

Not sure if i've read that one Pat. Will have to with that accolade! Nice tribute to Simak as well!

[frozentundraguy]

23 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

Not sure if i've read that one Pat. Will have to with that accolade! Nice tribute to Simak as well!

I recently read "Desertion", as it's in one of the books I have. Radically different story and top notch.

[frozentundraguy]

This book just arrived today via an Abe book purchase. The combination of the setting along with the gun didn't scare him line were enough to snag me into purchasing this book. Inside the cover is a quote of interest from "Shropshire Lad" by A. E. Houseman.

"If the heats of hate and lust

In the house of flesh are strong,

Let me mind the house of dust

Where my sojourn shall be long".

[Surfing Alien]

Won a real nice large lot on the bay. Part of it was this group, all 1st prints. I know some of you like these a lot so figured i'd post 'em here:

[PopKulture]

2 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

I know some of you like these a lot

(Raises hand)  

Edited April 22, 2021 by PopKulture

[Randall Dowling]

Gorgeous books, as always, SA!!  

Here are few fun items that arrived this week.  One, I've been looking for my copy for a long, long time...

While not a perfect copy, the staples are clean, pages white and the cover is glossy.  

The next is an addition to my collection of Maguire covers.  I give you... Prison Nurse.

My grandmother's brother wrote this next one and I've always liked the various early paperback covers.  It was cheap.

And for some reason this next one just called to me... 

[Surfing Alien]

15 hours ago, Randall Dowling said:

My grandmother's brother wrote this next one

Whoa, your grand uncle was James Clavell?  He had quite a career!

Nice books, as usual - Nurses and Weed, powerful combo lol! That Marihuana is nicer than most, congrats! The fragile black cover makes it really tough so they're never perfect.

[Surfing Alien]

Couple of digests in this week. Working sloooooowly on the Phantoms. They're just not for sale often and the competition is stiff when they're nice (actually, even when they're rags!) Just a great cover on this one.

I've always loved this cover and will still pick up British scifi digests if the time/price is right

[Pat Calhoun]

Nice - that early (no#) Panther logo is killer. Despite the cool sf trappings of the Ron Turner cover, save perhaps for a 'time travel' framing of the story, is prehistoric adventure, a sequel to 'Mammoth Man' (Feb 1952) by the redoubtable Brit writer and editor H J Campbell. Also showing Panther #67 by Campbell 1953.

Edited April 24, 2021 by Pat Calhoun

[Surfing Alien]

Serendipity... I've been strongly outbid on this classic JD digest twice in the last year, only to stumble on this pretty decent copy in a lot of 10 vintage pbs that I won for $30 shipped  I'll take lot finds all day long