Genre: Mystery, Sleaze Category: PB Issue List: Incomplete Publication: Ceased Publishers: Gaywood Press (1946);
Alexander Moring, Ltd. (1955);
(Printed by Brodard & Taupin, Paris);
Roberts & Vinter (1961) Editors: | In 1948 Gaywood Press started issuing these Hank Janson ( Steve D. Francis) "Hardboiled" novels in paperback with gorgeous, sexy Reginald Heade covers. They published four "Series" of a dozen each. The books are unnumbered, but were listed by number on the backs of some issues. (Each Series is called a volume in this table.) Many of these covers depict bondage and nudity, and were censored in later editions. Some Heade covers were reprinted in 2004. These early titles often start with a hardboiled slang for a woman, such as "broad", "frail", or "skirt".
From 1955-1959 Alexander Moring Ltd. reprinted most of the novels plus new ones with different less sexy cover paintings with yellow & red bars across the top. (They dropped the bars in 1960). Many of these covers are abreviated versions of the original Head covers, and the titles usually drop the slang for "woman'.
Then Roberts & Vinter took up the task from 1961. Their logo was a guy in a trenchcoat with the word "Thriller". In 1963 they change to an eye logo with the brand "Compact Book" and the words "New Style 64 Series". |