bare•bones e-zine: 87th Precinct

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Collecting the 87th Precinct Part 2 of 2

by Peter Enfantino

In the first part of this guide to collecting Ed McBain's 87th Precinct in paperback, we took a look at the stylish Perma editions. This time out we look at the later editions of Dell, Signet and Ballantine. While not nearly as atmospheric as their predecessors, these runs still provide some nice (and at times, graphically violent) images to go with the fabulous stories within. If I didn't mention it enough last time, let me stress that the 87th Precinct was the best police procedural series ever published and certainly had a major affect on TV cop shows in their staccato dialogue, on-going subplots, continuity, and the glimpses at the home life of a police officer. The influence of the 87th Precinct can especially be seen in the work of Steven Bochco and his Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.

As with the Permas, I've provided the book's number and date so as to make it easier for some one to track the particular edition down. I've also provided cover artists where identified.

Let's start with the Dells:

There were 12 Dells published from 1966-1970, some with photo-based cover images (this is the weak link I mentioned in the last installment—most of these look like bad Maurice Binder knock-offs), a few with very sharp illustrations (Dean Ellis' art for He Who Hesitates would fit comfortably on the cover of Manhunt).

1966 He Who Hesitates (3598) (ca: Ellis)

1966 Doll (2086) (ca: Ellis)

1967 Eighty Million Eyes (2234) (ca: Ellis)

1967 The Pusher (7169) (ca: Ellis)

1967 Lady Killer (4623) (ca: Ellis)

1967 Killer's Wedge (4497) (ca: Ellis)

1968 'Til Death (8907)

1968 King's Ransom (4549)

1968 Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (2909)

1969 See Them Die (7795)

1969 The Mugger (5911)

1970 Killer's Choice (4478)

And now the Signets:

By the time Signet picked up the gauntlet in 1973, McBain had already seen 28 of his 87th mysteries in print. Between 1973 and 1982, the publisher produced 24 books, all with the instantly recognizable artwork (always featuring lead detective Steve Carella) and yellow bar at the top of the cover announcing that this was "an explosive sizzling 87th Precinct mystery." Note that five of the original books were not published in this series as their rights were bought by Ballantine (and were published concurrent with the Signets). Also, I've listed them in order of publication. In some cases, they were published out of order. To add to the confusion, Fuzz was first published by Signet in 1969 (T5151). When the Burt Reynolds-Raquel Welch film came out in 1972, a movie tie-in was issued. The book went through several printings, including an edition in 1978 during this run. I don't consider this book part of the run as it doesn't include the uniform "Steve Carella" cover art. Nor does Shotgun (T4319), which was first published by Signet in 1970 and re-issued in 1979. Other unique Signets include Jigsaw (T4464) issued in 1970; Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here (T5063) from 1972; and Sadie When She Died (Q5570) from 1973. All three were issued by Signet with unattractive covers and then re-released with the "Carella" covers. Unfortunately, it becomes difficult when placing these three in the grand scheme of things since they don't list the latest publishing date.

One other note: several of McBain's non-87th Precinct novels were dusted off and given the same kind of cover art as the run (sans Carella, of course). One could be fooled by these "drop-ins" as they also include the yellow banner across the top. In this case, the title of the book replaces the 87th blurb. These include the books originally published under McBain's Richard Marsten alias: Death of a Nurse (Y6903-original title: Murder in the Navy), Vanishing Ladies (Y7069), Big Man (Y7544), Even the Wicked (Y7402), and Runaway Black (W7928). The only adult Marsten novel not reprinted in the series was The Spiked Heel. The Marsten name was used for two "young adult" science fiction novels published by Winston in the 1950s: Rocket to Luna and Danger: Dinosaurs! There was also a reprinting of The April Robin Murders, a novel that was unfinished at the time of "co-author" Craig Rice's death, later finished by McBain and reprinted during this run (W7794).

1973 Cop Hater (Q5617) oct

1973 Pusher (Q5705) dec

1974: Let's Hear It For the Deaf Man (Q5794) feb

1974 The Con Man (Q5863) apr

1974 Killer's Payoff (Q5939) june

1974 Lady Killer (Q6067) sep

1974 Killer's Wedge (Q6219) dec

1975 'Til Death (Y6320) feb

1975 King's Ransom (Y6467) may

1975 Hail to the Chief (Y6548)

1975 Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (Y6683) sep

1975 Bread (Y6754)

1976 The Heckler (Y6839) jan

1976 See Them Die (Y7030) june

1976 Lady, Lady, I Did It! (Y7151) sep

1976 Like Love (Y7221) nov

1977 The Empty Hours (Y7287) jan

1977 Ten Plus One (Y7463) may

1977 Ax (Y7654) sep

1977 So Long as You Both Shall Live (W7749)

1979 Jigsaw (E8707)

1979 Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here (E8855)

1979 Sadie When She Died (E8930)

1982 Blood Relatives (AE 1854)

And finally, the Ballantines:

As mentioned above, Ballantine had the rights to only five of the 87ths and published them twice each with variant covers. The first printings featured gritty, noirish paintings by Charles Lilly, while the second (painted by Walter Rane) had a scene of violence below the title and Steve Carella's painted face above.

1975 Killer's Choice (24443) / 1981 (29238)

1975 Doll (24530) / 1981 (29289)

1975 Eighty Million Eyes (24604) / 1983 (29292)

1975 The Mugger (24656) / 1981 (29290)

1975 He Who Hesitates (24757) / 1982 (29291)

Because I'm a completist (and so are you, don't deny it!), I'll list the other 24 87th Precinct novels that followed the completion of the Signet run:

1977 Long Time No See

1979 Calypso

1980 Ghosts

1981 Heat

1983 Ice

1984 Lightning

1985 Eight Black Horses

1987 Poison

1987 Tricks

1989 Lullaby

1990 Vespers

1991 Widows

1992 Kiss

1993 Mischief

1994 And All Through the House

1995 Romance

1997 Nocturne

1999 The Big Bad City

2000 The Last Dance

2001 Money, Money, Money

2002 Fat Ollie's Book

2004 The Frumious Bandersnatch

2004 Hark!

2005 Fiddlers

Monday, October 4, 2010

Collecting the 87th Precinct Part 1 of 2

by Peter Enfantino

Thanks to the popularity of Ed McBain, acquiring a collection of the author’s works is as easy as logging on to Amazon.com. Most of McBain’s books remain in print through different publishers, but if you have time, patience and access to used bookstores, abebooks.com, and eBay, you might find more attractive McBain packages waiting for you. While the content of the books themselves remain, for the most part, unaltered, the art on the covers has changed as many times as McBain switched publishers.

In particular, the series of 87th Precinct novels has been graced with some of the most colorful and striking cover art ever produced for crime paperbacks.

For instance, the Perma editions of the first seventeen 87ths depict images just as stark and gripping as those found in the prose of the stories themselves. Perma (a division of Pocket) had the knack of latching onto some of the best cover artists in the business, including James Meese, Charles Binger, and Robert Schulz (all three artists also contributed cover art to many of the classic Gold Medal crime novels of the 1950s). The Perma books were also well constructed, as evidenced by the large number of copies to be found in good condition these days.

In the late 1960s, Dell released a series of eleven 87th reprints with mixed results. The illustrated covers evoke memories of the Permas and Manhunt Magazine (in particular, Dean Ellis’ gorgeous painting for He Who Hesitates), while the photo covers come off as cheesy knockoffs of the James Bond movie intros (the naked girl behind the handgun on See Them Die being the prime example).

Signet brought in the 1970s with an attractively packaged set of McBains, including most of the 87ths and a handful of the author’s novels under other pseudonyms. Again, these covers have the look of a 1950s crime novel and perfectly hint at the dreadful goings-on awaiting the reader inside. Unfortunately, someone at art direction got the bright idea of adding a window shade effect over the art in later printings.

The 1970s also saw a set of five paperbacks released by Ballantine, once again demonstrating that Ed McBain could draw out the best in nastiness from his cover artists. The Ballantines pushed the 87th line from neo-noir right into near-horror. Study the truck driver on He Who Hesitates or the battered Carella on Doll. Interestingly enough, when it came time to reprint these five books in the early 1980s, Ballantine, rather than simply reprinting the old covers, commissioned a set of sharp new paintings. The word “MCBAIN” set across the center of each cover perfectly complimented each grisly murder scene.

The best place to look for vintage McBains (besides the aforementioned sources) is a Paperback Collectors Show. Often held in large metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, a well-run show will have plenty of dealers from across the United States, and it’s a good bet you’ll find those elusive Permas. Unfortunately, these shows seem to be a dying breed. Dealers find they can make vast amounts of money from their computer desks without hauling boxes of books to and from their mini-vans. Which brings us to...

The easiest way these days to fill in those blanks, of course, is that double-edged sword, the internet. Ed McBain was a best-selling novelist for quite a few years, so his print runs typically ran into the several hundred thousands. If you want McBain for his words and not the attractive packaging, Amazon.com can set you up with any of the current in-print titles published by Warner and Pocket, sporting unattractive and sometimes downright ugly covers. Take the case of Lady, Lady, I Did It for example. Signet’s first reprinting in 1976 is graced with a cover depicting the carnage of a double homicide in a bookshop. The victims are splashed with blood and 87th Precinct Detectives Carella and Kling are shown hovering above the bodies with grim looks on their faces. If you’re a crime fan, you know you’re going to read this book fast. Then there’s Signet’s later repackaging of the same title. A handgun resting on a book. That’s it. This could be Agatha Christie or Walter Mosely or Angela Lansbury maybe. The potential buyer has no clue as to the content of this novel, be it hardboiled, cozy, P.I., or whatever other offshoot of the crime genre. Big mistake. The one notable exception to this “happy meal” approach to the contemporary reprintings of the McBains is The Pusher, which includes an afterword by the author detailing the original climax to the novel. It’s a fascinating piece, and one that 87th fans can’t do without.

Whether you want to display that sharp Perma edition of The Con Man on your shelf or devour a dog-eared copy of the Dell Lady Killer you picked up at the flea market for two bits, the best thing about Ed McBain is that you can mix and match. Happy hunting!

The Collectible 87th Precinct Novels: The Perma Years

The following is a listing of the 87th Precinct novels published by Perma in the 1950s and 60s. Note that the five Permas that saw second editions all featured variant cover art.