Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - November - 2004 Issue
Vintage Paperbacks From Black Ace Books
Just a few of the
Most books tend to fit within certain popular fields, mystery, romance, science fiction which is more fiction than science, and, of course, "adult." Some are tie-ins to movies or television shows. Adventure books such as war stories and westerns were popular, probably among men, who, I suspect, and this is just a guess, were the minority of these readers. As to whether that means men read more weighty books, or don't read at all, you can be the judge. Here are a few samples of the titles Black Ace has to offer, and where available, a brief description.
The Abominable Earthman is a collection of short stories by Frederick Pohl. You not only get the title piece in this collection, but other classics such as "We Never Mention Aunt Nora," and "The Martian Star-Gazers." $9. If you want to know what Cabbagetown is about, you'll have to buy the book as I haven't a clue. Cabbagetown is a section of Toronto, but I do not know whether there is a connection between this book and the neighborhood where people of limited means once grew vegetables on their lawns. $10.
The book Nurse or Woman leads me to the question: can't she be both? $8. Here's an odd combination: Shaft Among the Jews. What was he doing there? Shaft, of course, was the Black investigator, lead character of the best known of the "Blaxploitation" films of the 1970s. In this book, Shaft is hired by a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews to investigate the goings-on in the diamond trade. Sadly, this Shaft tale never made it to the big screen. But, you see this cat Shaft is still a bad mother...(shut your mouth). And so, undoubtedly, is Ernest Tidyman's book. $8.
Here's a book that traditional book collectors will appreciate: Judgement on Janus. Notice the spelling "judgement." This Ace version of Andre Norton's first novel about life on the planet Janus uses the incorrect (or at least not preferred) spelling of the word. However, other editions have it "judgment." For those who love variants, here's a paperback variant, and it costs only $10.
Looking for a topic to collect within paperbacks? How about those derived from television series? There's Charlie's Angels #3: Angels on a String. $9. Going back further, there's Sergeant Bilko, with Phil Silver's face on the cover. $11. And there's Kojak in San Francisco. $9. Or Happy Days #3: The Invaders. $9. Or Welcome Back, Kotter #4: Sweathogs. $10. Or Dragnet: The Case of the Crime King. It has Jack "Joe Friday" Webb's picture on the cover. $12.50. Of course if you prefer movies, there's the classic Gidget Goes Hawaiian. $10.
