The Book of Paperbacks : A Visual History of the Paperback.

Laminated illustrated wrappers, 8vo, xi, 259 pp, numerous plates, many in colour. An excellently-illustrated study focussing on the "cover art" of American mass market paperbacks in the 1940s and 1950s, but including much general information on paperback history along the way. "This book is not intended as a history of American publishing. It is a sketch of the graphic development of American paperbacks through the years. It may seem to you as though you're on the wrong side of Alice's looking-glass, but in this volume the designers and artists of book covers will receive more attention than will authors, editors, printers, binders, distributors and salesmen. Some insight into the history of the major paperback publishers will be necessary, however, to get the picture of this graphic development, and I hope to give the reader that insight in Part One.The period we're interested in runs from 1939 to 1959." - from the introduction. Contents include Part One : The History of the Paperback; Part Two : Paperback Covers; Part Three : Appendices ( including a Year by Year survey, an Overview of American Paperback Publishers, a Who's Who in Cover Art, The First Hundred (for each of several publishers); and Paperback Collecting). Originally published as "Paperbacks U.S.A." by Loeb Publishers, Amsterdam in January 1981. Near Fine, very slight traces of wear at corners.…