Cumulative Paperback Index 1939-1959

by R. Reginald & M.R. Burgess

1973, Gale Research Company, Book Tower, Detroit. Over-size hardcover issued without jacket. 362 pages. This is probably the only true bibliography of vintage mass market books ever written. Having said that, several of the price guides list far more volumes than this does. The listing includes 14,000 titles from 33 publishers issued under 69 imprints (Dell Publishing Company, for example, issued imprints such as Dell, Dell 10¢, Dell Laurel, Dell First Edition, etc). It is limited to "paperback-sized" books, so you won't find ASE's, for example, or the many, many digest book publishers. Also, most Price Guides list books from the 60's, and this list stops dead at the end of '59. The book is arranged by Author, then gives his/her titles by publisher and book number. This provides an excellent reference for finding titles that were printed by more than one publishing house (like some of those seen in my "Interpretations" section of the database). I consider the book to be pretty scarce. It has taken me years to obtain a nice copy of it, but it's certainly worth buying if you find one. One of the first reference books, and still one of the best.