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Handi-Books |
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Handi-Books appeared on the scene in 1941, and lasted for ten years. It was a product of Quinn Publishing, Kingston, NY (which would later publish "IF" magazine). One of the real oddities about the earlier Handi-Books was their size. Smaller than digests, but certainly bigger than other mass market paperbacks, Handi sort of developed a format of their own. They were folded and saddle stapled on the spine through #33, then transitioned to a regular "square" spine. Several books were westerns, but there were only four that were actually designated "Handi Western" books in a separate numbered series. (There were, however, a few westerns in the original series, interspersed in numerical order.) The earliest cover art was rather primitive, compared to standards of the day at other paperback houses, but that soon changed, and many later covers were very good. The first eight books were unnumbered. Those book numbers are assumed, based on the blurbs written on the back covers, which referenced earlier titles. Then, beginning with #9, they bore book numbers on the INSIDE of the volumes. Starting with #10, the back covers began advertising the NEXT book in the series referencing the number. Book numbers finally started appearing at the base of the spines beginning with #36. The books ran consecutively through 139.
Several Handi's demand very high prices today.
NOTE: See Kenneth R. Johnson's Index for Handi. Click HERE
This page was updated in June, 2022
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