half an ace books ''ace double''' format mmpb printing, first edition
classic tête-beché format, two front covers and texts upside-down with respect to one another
not a novel, and not a fix-up, but published without a table of contents,
reprint collection of the three society of time series novelettes, text abridged to fit the half double
originally published in successive issues of science fantasy #25, #26, #27; 3/1962, 5/1962, 7/1962
cover art by jack gaughan (uncredited, unsigned; attribution from ace image library)
cover price 40¢
½ 256pp. including 2 x titles, indica etc, advertising pp. in-between the double's halves
re-reading it after three decades, yr hmbl srppnt. can confirm that my blurb on the back of the hamlyn paperbacks edition is a fair indicator of the book; the cover art is, er, ''somewhat overpowering'', but it's a perfectly reasonable representation of one of the major episode's scenes - and it shouldn't be surprising it's - rather restrainédly, for him - ''fairly melvynesque''. (this comment is from another edition of this book)
elmfield press hcvr first printing, first h/cvr edition, first uk edition
not a novel, nor a fix-up, but features the one main protagonist and presented as a single work,
collection of the three society of times stories, revised 1969 and 1974 by john:
"spoil of yesterday" (novelelette) science fiction adventures #25, 3/1962;
cover story, art by brian lewis
"the word not written" (novelelette) science fiction adventures #26, 5/1962
"the fullness of time" (novelelette) science fiction adventures #27, 7/1962;
cover story, art by brian lewis
cover (d-j) art by josh kirby (unsigned sfaicr, credited on d-j front flap)
cover (d-j) price £3.95 on elmfield press price gun sticky label on d-j front flap
240pp? including titles, indica etc, end pp. bound with endpapers between covered boards (this comment is from another edition of this book)
random house ballantine books mmpb near-identical first printings sharing merkin-printed covers
del rey series - but this was not yet a separate imprint
cover art by michael ferris (apparently unsigned, credited)
cover price $3.25 (canadian-carcassed copies intended for distribution north of the parallel)
cover price $2.50 (wholly merkin-printed copies for general distribution)
208pp? including titles, indica etc, end pp. advertising
refer to indica to see if carcass ("book") of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be
follows the 1974 elmfield press revised edition text; i.e. cut 1962, revised & expanded1969, 1974 by john (this comment is from another edition of this book)
ace books mmpb second printing of 1969 re-expanded edition, cat# duly increased by 1
cover art by don punchatz (credited)
cover price 95¢
160pp. including titles, indica etc, end pp. advertising
undated near-identical ace books mmpb third printing of the 1969 re-expanded revised edition
cat# 81272 (duly increased by 1 further)
isbn 0-441-81272-4
cover art by don punchatz retained
cover price $1.50
160pp. including titles, indica etc, end pp. advertising (adverts may differ)
this printing must have been published c.1976-to-1978 by interpolating the $1.50 cover price (in the light of the book's 160pp. extent) into a listing of ace books of comparable extent. (this comment is from another edition of this book)
hamlyn paperbacks p/b first printing, first uk p/b edition
cover art by melvyn grant (art is signed "melvyn")
cover price £1.10, australia $3.95°
°recommended price
(so should be re-flagged "international" by respected moderator's rule;
or not, according to respected moderator's heartfelt plea)
240pp. (check) including titles, indica etc, end pp. advertising
follows the elmfield press h/cvr 1974 text. (this comment is from another edition of this book)