The Great American Paperback: An Illustrated Tribute to Legends of the Book

by Richard A. Lupoff

Penzler Pick, October 2001: There may be some irony in the notion that a book devoted to paperbacks (the most inexpensive book format--small, easily transportable and disposable) is a huge, expensive,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888054506
• ISBN13: 9781888054507
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Collectors Press
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 4.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 9.4" x 12.3"

Customer Reviews

JUST GREAT!

I received "The Great American Paperback" as a Christmas gift and hardly a week goes by that I don't dip into it. It's an overwhelmingly great book about a fascinating era of American publishing. Lupoff covers artists and writers well-known and unknown. There's a surprise on every page and visual treasure upon treasure. The text is equally interesting as Lupoff tells the stories behind the publishers, but it's clearly the book covers themselves that take center stage here. The layout (which sometimes presents covers slightly overlapping other covers) might have been improved, but overall the images are bright, sharp and big. Very few thumbnail views here. I for one hope we'll one day get to see a "Great American Paperback Volume 2" because as good as this one is, there's enough stuff out there to easily fill a second volume. Buy this book without reservation. If you have any love of Americana in general and pulp/paperbacks in particular, you'll fall in love with this book.

Great research, beautiful book

We've been waiting for this book from writer and fan Dick Lupoff since we first heard of it. The main complaint we have is "it's not big enough" but then, readers would need a forklift to look at it.This is a major undertaking; the Collectors Press folks have once again done a fine job here. The colors and layout work very well. I can't imagine how Lupoff or anyone could have chosen from all the material available. With the information offered by someone who clearly appreciates the genres, who knows his stuff and wants to share it with others, this is a book to be savored and enjoyed over and over. We have Frank Robinson's gorgeous s.f. appreciation by this same company and it's a favorite in our house. We're fans of mystery and s.f., and while we recognized many of the covers show in this book, we loved learning about the others. This book is a must for folks who appreciate and love books, especially paperbacks with their rich and fascinating history.

Covers the history and rise of pulp fiction

Great American Paperback covers the history and rise of pulp fiction, from its experimental appearance in 1938 to the growth of an industry which reached its heyday from the 1940s-1960s. Beautiful covers from all genres of pulp paperbacks are reproduced in full color in a title which presents the history and archives of the best of these paperbacks. An outstanding, beautiful coverage in a keepsake collector's edition.

A beautiful art book and an informative history...

This is an awesome book that combines the scholarship of essential but out-of-print references such as Kenneth Davis' "Two-Bit Culture" and Piet Schreuders' "Paperbacks, U.S.A." with the coffee-table art book quality of Lee Server's "Over My Dead Body." In the latter category especially, "The Great American Paperback" reigns supreme. No other book on vintage paperbacks comes close to this level of production values; the nearest comparisons in quality would be books like Frank Robinson's "Science Fiction of the 20th Century" or Vincent Di Fate's "Infinite Worlds." A few minor quibbles: Sometimes the saturated colors of the backgrounds interfere with the readability of the text; groupings of cover art within sections should have been more carefully thought out; the index is weak. But these complaints are miniscule indeed compared to the overall value. Collectors Press has produced a 320-page, full color, oversized feast of great paperback art from the modest beginnings in the 1930s through the sleaze and cheese of the mid-1960s. Just about all of the best vintage paperback artists are represented.Author Richard Lupoff draws upon the expertise of well-known luminaries such as Gary Lovisi, Rose Idlet, Bill Pronzini, Charles Brown and others. He also brings into play his considerable personal history of working with some of the top publishers in the field, including Ian Ballantine and Donald Wollheim. Lupoff reaches back to the pre-Pocket Books beginnings of paperback publishing, tracing the history of the industry through its trends, its artists, and its major houses. Avon, Dell, Bantam, Gold Medal, Popular Library, Ballantine, and Ace all merit special sections."The Great American Paperback" is a must-buy for any serious paperback collector or student of popular culture. The rarity of many of the paperbacks pictured here guarantee that, in most cases, you'll never see the real thing and certainly not in the condition pictured. Well worth the price of admission!

Excellent resource for Vintage paperback collectors!

This wonderfully illustrated, beautifully designed massive hardback is a excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the mass market paperback in America. Mr. Lupoff knows his stuff! He has written a great book with many details about cover artists, the importance of cover art on books, different publishing companies, the various genres, and the writers and designers involved, as well as a history of how mass market paperbacks got started, etc.. It is interesting for anyone who is interested in this particulair form of popular culture. The book has tons of awesome photos of some of the best and most coveted vintage paperbacks in existence. The lurid cover artwork alone in this book provides plenty of eye candy. With over 600 great covers shown, this book is a must have for anyone interested in art! To a vintage paperback dealer/collector, like myself, this book is a godsend. I think it is the best illustrated book on the market on mass market paperbacks. A beautiful book on books that any bibliophile will appreciate!