I have a built in mechanism that leads me to take screen captures of DJs I admire when I stumble across them on the bookselling websites. Most of the time it's because my brain goes, "Hey I have that book! Cool DJ. I should blog about that sometime soon." **CLICK!** And the photo promptly goes into the huge folder on my MacBook Pro labeled "TBR Scans". I also tend to come across lots of books I wish I could buy and read yet can only take photos of.
So once again here's a sampling from my enormous collection of photographs of DJ artwork from books I wish I could own, but reside only on my hard drive as I lust after them and dream that they were in my library.
This is the 18th "Jacket Required" post. I hope to have this feature return every Sunday for the rest of the year. I'm planning on a new feature called "Impressive Imprints" tracing the history of the US mystery imprints from their heydey during the 1930s to the mid 1950s. I've previously written about the short-lived
Scarlet Thread Mysteries and Doubleday's much more successful Crime Club (
here,
here and
here). There are about twenty more imprints from publishers who helped make mystery and detective fiction popular and I own several examples of DJs from all of them.
I have precisely one of these in jacket!
ReplyDeleteMost of them are by unrecognizable writers. I didn't expect anyone to admit owning any of them. That's partly why I chose showing these particular titles. I do know which one you have. It's the Mary Collins, right? I learned of her from your blog and bought a slew of her books (all Bantam paperbacks) a few days later. This particular copy was for sale on eBay. I was intending to buy it, but foolishly waited a few days until I got paid. By then it was too late and it had been sold.
DeleteI simply must get a copy of The Golden Wang-Ho! How could you lose with a title like that?
ReplyDeleteI saw that title and roared. Had to have a photo of it. One of my favorite mystery book titles ever!
DeleteYou know how much I love vintage book covers so I will enjoy this feature very much. If I were rich, that would be what I spent my money on. And more room to display them in.
ReplyDeleteSorry no skull or skeleton artwork on this post, Tracy, which I know you collect. But look to tomorrow's post. A veritable explosion of skeletons on one DJ!
DeleteLovely to see the cover for the Chronicles of Martin Hewitt- Morrison is one of my favourite authors and I only have the ebook edition. One area where proper books will always be better!
ReplyDeleteThe Morrison book is actually a cheat. It's from a paperback cover and not a DJ from a hardcover. Don't know the exact date or publisher. My guess is it's a 1920s edition, perhaps the 30s. No matter. I still wish all my Martin Hewitt books had DJs. Some have attractive illustrated boards which is always a good substitute for no DJ.
DeleteAbsolutely wonderful (the Roan is especially lovely and evocative)
ReplyDeleteMy tastes lean to the lurid and garish when it comes to crime fiction artwork. I also chose some strictly for the titles --like the Fergus Hume book-- and not so much the illustration.
DeleteLove, love, love these John! Glad this will be a regular feature again. I have a Virginia Perdue title, but, alas, not this one and not near as nice an edition.
ReplyDeleteI've known a Wang Ho or two in my life, but don't call them that to their faces. :-)
ReplyDelete