Ace Books - Latest Updates

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Comment by ppint.:

thank-you jimess.

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Comment by JimEss SUBS:

Added covers.

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Comment by ppint.:

forerunner (planet warlock) series #2:

#1: "storm over warlock" (1960), q.v. for series listing and links.

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Comment by JimEss SUBS:

Cleaning up these publishers is undoubtedly a long term project. Maybe a very long term project. However, someone did a very nice job of combining Ballantine Books USA a while back. Thanks for doing that. So far, it still looks good.

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Comment by ppint.:

concerning bookcat's cataloguing of ace books - yes, it's a mess:

or possibly several superimposed messes:

ace - 1302 "bookcat items"
ace books - 191 items
ace charter - 11 items
ace fantasy books - 7 items
ace science fiction - 16 items
ace star - 4 items


charter - 22 items
charter communications, inc. - 3 items

sunridge press - 3 items, a charter communications imprint appears quite closely associated with ace

mason/charter - 2 items, may or may not be connected

charter uk - 1 item, rather murky background; may be an entirely illegal publication. it bears an 0-425- berkley block isbn, a uk price on the front cover, one copy only known, apparently, bought in texas.

(excluding ace books ltd. which was an unconnected uk publisher, and the ace/stoneshire imprint whose origins, existence and disappearance are, to put it mildly, shadowy - but appear to be british.)
(also excluding new infinities books, gary gygax's publishing co. whose mmpbs were distributed by ace / the berkley publishing group and bore 0-441- ace, ace charter, charter block isbns,
also excluding the iron crown tolkienquest/merpquest gamebooks distributed by ace/berkley,
and definitely excluding prestige & ace/prestige titles, which are a whole other complication, being part of the extremely messy collapse and bankruptcy of lancer books and its aftermath.)

ace books, later the ace imprint, timeline:

1953 - 1969/70 ace books set up & owned by a. a. wynn, ace books inc.
1969/70 - ?1971? ace books, charter communications, inc. who also publish charter books, ace/charter books, and own other imprints and possibly also own other publishers.
charter communications, inc. run out of cash, and ran out of any credibility with authors and agents.
?1971? - 1983 publishers grosset & dunlap, inc. buy charter communications, inc. and ace books, possibly simultaneously (likeliest), eventually straighten out certain accounting problems that have come to light, turn it around, continue ace books as a profitable and properly-run publishers
1983 the berkley publishing group (or putnam-berkley publishing group) buy ace books or grosset & dunlap publishing including the ace imprint
1996 penguin or random penguin buy the putnam / berkley publishing group, including the ace imprint
2013 random house and penguin merge to become random penguin or similar, which since some time in 2020 has been wholly owned by the bertelsmann multinationalmegaconglomerate.

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Comment by ppint.:

jimess: well spotted; as to the month of publication - that "may" should be "march" (source: jad smith's john brunner bibliography); correction submitted.

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Comment by JimEss SUBS:

This has a different date than its "double" on F-133. Also a variant publisher name, which means they show up in different gallery views.

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Comment by ppint.:

the first lord darcy series collection:

#1: ''too many magicians'' (1967), q.v. for series listing, and links.

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Comment by ppint.:

contents:
four lord darcy alternate history mystery stories, three from analog:

the eyes have it (novelette) vol.lxxii #5, 2/1964, 4 b+w illustrations by john schoenherr
a case of identity (novella) vol.lxxiv #1, 9/1964, cover story & 2 b+w illustrations by john schoenherr
the muddle of the woad (novella) vol.lxxv #4, 6/1965, 3 b+w illustrations by john schoenherr
a stretch of the imagination (short story) ''men and malice'' ed. dean dickinsheet (1973), q.v.

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Comment by ppint.:

9/1981 near-identical second ace books mmpb printing differs:
isbn 0-441-58541-6
cover price $2.50

9/1982 near-identical thrid ace books mmpb printing differs:
isbn 0-441-58542-4
cover price $2.75

1984 near-identical probable fourth ace books mmpb printing differs:
isbn 0-441-58543-2
cover price (not seen/seen reported)

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Comment by ppint.:

the second lord darcy series collection:

#1: ''too many magicians'' (1967), q.v. for series listing, and links.

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Comment by ppint.:

contents:
four lord darcy alternate historical mystery series stories:

a matter of gravity (novelette) analog vol.xciv #4, 10/1974
the ipswich phial (novelette) analog vol.xcvi #12, 12/1976 (2 b+w illustrations by frank kelly freas)
the sixteen keys (novelette) fantastic vol. 25 #3, 5/1976 (a b+w illustration by richard olsen)
the napoli express (novella) iamsf vol.3 #4, 4/1979 (cover art + 4 b+w illustrations by jack gaughan)

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Comment by ppint.:

ace books mmpb first printing, first edition
half a classic "ace double" format mmpb with two front covers, contents tête-beché to each other

cover art by ed emshwiller (signed, uncredited)
cover price 40¢
½ 224pp. (check) including 2 x 4pp. titles, indicia etc, advertising pp. in-between the double's halves

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Comment by ppint.:

a somewhat belated "thank-you, jimess".

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Comment by ppint.:

thank-you jimess.

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Comment by JimEss SUBS:

Cover added.

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Comment by ppint.:

gregg haljan #2:

#1: ''brigands of the moon'' (1931), q.v.

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Comment by ppint.:

half ace books mmpb first printing, first edition
half a classic ''ace double'' format mmpb with two front covers, contents tête-beché to each other

cover art unsigned, uncredited; attributed to ed valigursky in the ace image library
cover price 35¢
½ 320pp. including 2 x titles, indicia etc, advertising pp. in-between the double's halves


doubled with ''the paradox men'' charles harness (1953 as ''flight into yesterday''), q.v.

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Comment by ppint.:

thank-you, jimess.

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Comment by JimEss SUBS:

Cover added.

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Comment by starshinesquirrel:

Added a larger, clearer cover scan than the one I posted before and a spine variant from this edition's first printing (the Ace logo is an earlier version).