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Quick Reader |
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There is very little information on these books. The price guides and paperback histories give almost none. I take some of my descriptions from an article by Jon D. Swartz in an issue of Paperback Parade. Developed by Royce Books, of Chicago, Illinois, in 1944 The company was apparently closed in 1945. There were only 49 books printed, beginning with #101. Each was 128 pages, but the books vary somewhat in width, depending on the type of paper used. Remember, these were the war years, and paper was a precious commodity. According to Swartz, there is no real evidence that the series was designed for servicemen in the war; though, like most paperbacks, there were statements urging citizens to send them. The books were very small (4 ½ X 3 ¼), illustrated and highly abridged. They were stapled and folded, like Dell 10¢ books, and I’m not really sure what the price was. None is listed, and I haven’t been able to find out from other sources. I assume they were either a dime or 15¢. This was the price on a small series of Canadian Quick Readers published in 1939 in Toronto (printed by a different company). The covers try to give a sort of 3-D impression of a hardcover book viewed from the lower left. It was an impressive presentation that, as far as I know, was never used in any other book cover illustration. There were two Trophy Books also published by Royce. They were roughly digest-sized, had a cover price of 15¢, and there were only two of them.
This section was updated in June 2020
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