Thanks ppint. I'll refer back to this the next time I add a Del Rey book. I may have added some incorrectly in the past. The publisher lists do not currently display cat#s (unlike 45cat) which makes it burdensome having to jump around from book to book, if a check is needed for purposes like this, or for help in dating books by certain publishers like Curtis Books.
ballantine books inc.'s sf (& fantasy) list went from being published under the ballantine books main imprint, which bookcat records as ''ballantine'', with an unfortunate episode of being published by ''ballantine books, an intext publisher'', through into ballantine books, part of the random house group, finally allowing betty and ian ballantine back into sorting out the mess the intext episode had made of their baby/child/adolescent/young adult - and at last retiring from full-time work in the publishing house with its future secured. (bookcat does not recognise the intext / ballantine books identity - or did not, last time yr hmbl srppnt. looked.)
judy-lynn del rey was hired as the editor of ballantine books' sf & fantasy list - possibly, of all of ballantine books - having been a major part of the success of galaxy, if & worlds of tomorrow sf & fantasy magazine group at universal publications & distribution (''universal'') inc. after they'd bought the group from its previous owner-publisher (and from underneath the editor, frederik pohl), where despite achieving recognition as the managing editor, judy-lynn del rey was treated by office management (as opposed to the editor) as junior office staff girl, and expected to make and distribute (tea and) coffee for everyone.
the ballantine books sf & fantasy list continued to appear under the ballantine books imprint - and judy-lynn del rey oversaw and was largely responsible for its becoming the premier sf mmpb list and a significant proportion of the publishing group's turnover and profits.
the random house group management decided to recognise judy-lynn del rey's work and success by promoting her to senior editor & by naming ballantine books' sf & fantasy list the del rey series of books - they were still published as ballantine books mmpbs.
this book in this edition belongs to this period, when the books on the sf & fantasy list were published by ballantine books (part of the random house group) as ballantine books mmpbs, in the del rey series - which is generally noted as ballantine / del rey.
bookcat instructions are that only one name should be given as the publisher - though this instruction is decreasingly honoured - and as the books of this period were published as ballantine books by ballantine books with ballantine cat#s at the top of the page, and the nested circles ballantine books sf (or fantasy) logo, albeit varied from ballantine books to the series name of del rey, ballantine would appear to be the correct publisher for bookcat rules.
judy-lynn del rey hired lester del rey (an established fantasy editor as well as fan, reader, author, and as well as husband) at some point to take on responsibility for relaunching the ballantine fantasy list which had under betty ballantine and lin carter been a critical success but, apart from j. r. r. tolkien's the lord of the rings & ''the hobbit'', not been an outstanding success commercially. if any degree of nepotism were involved, the decision proved extremely successful in business terms.
some of these books have been entered as published by ''ballantine / del rey'', which would appear to be more accurate - but to disobey the bookcat instruction that only one name should be entered.
(deep breath)
random house group management later decided to recognise judy-lynn del rey's work and success by - in addition to further promoting her within the group's management structure - reorganising ballantine books subsidiary, separating the sf & fantasy list out from being a ballantine books series, into being a separate publishing subsidiary named del rey books.
and recognising this separation by publishing the books - hardcovers and trade paperbacks, as well as mmpbs - as del rey books in their own right, and variously as sf titles, or as fantasy titles, giving each their own series logo within the del rey imprint.
these books are definitely published by del rey books, as well as bear the del rey books imprint.
(second deep breath)
whether the bookcat instruction that only one name should be entered in the publisher field should be varied to recognise that people are ignoring it as much as following it is not for yr hmbl srppnt. to decide, let alone dictate.
books published by ballantine books and bearing ballantine cat#s should presumably be entered as ''ballantine'';
books published by del rey books and bearing del rey cat#s should presumably be entered as ''del rey'';
according to the bookcat instruction as it stands, ballantine books from the period when their sf & fantasy list was published as ballantine books mmpbs bearing the ballantine books logo varied with the del rey series small print, but bearing ballantine books cat#s, should presumably be entered as ''ballantine'';
- but if the instruction is relaxed sufficiently to allow ''ballantine / del rey'' to be permitted, this would appear to be more accurate.
near-identical editions/printings sharing merkin-printed covers, and hence also isbn, cat# and
cover art by h. r. van dongen (credited)
b+w map by bob porter (credited to "porter")
cover price $1.75
refer to indica to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed.
no priority established nor liable to be: both are accounted the first edition.