Grosset

Grosset and Dunlap publishers were founded in 1898. Their creative approach to publishing included rebinding cheap paperbacks, putting their own dust jackets on surplus books from other publishers, binding loose sheets purchased from other publishers, and printing books from purchased plates. All of these practices contribute to confusion today when trying to properly identify a G&D book. The key in most cases is the binding, which identifies the book as a G&D product and often shows that the copyright page information is incorrect.



The most obvious example is Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan series. These were originally published by McClurg, but G&D would purchase the plates to produce reprints. Unfortunately, they did so without removing the "first edition" notation on the copyright page, leading untutored booksellers to misclassify the books, and enabling the unscrupulous to misrepresent them. Any "first edition" statement on the copyright page is incorrect if G&D is not named as the publisher; any "first edition" statement on the copyright page where G&D is named as the publisher may not be correct and must be verified by reliable sources.



Although G&D is primarily known as a reprint house, they produced a number of first edition titles, which can be roughly divided between series and individual books.



Some Grosset & Dunlap highlights:



Original Series:

1. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

2. The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

3. Tom Swift by Victor Appleton (first series 1910-1935)

4. Tom Swift, Jr. by Victor Appleton II (second series 1954-1971)

4. Rick Brant Electronic Adventures by John Blaine

5. Photoplay editions ("first thus" due to inclusion of movie stills)

6. Judy Bolton by Margaret Sutton

7. Tom Corbett Space Cadet by Carey Rockwell

8. The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope

9. Lone Ranger by Fran Striker

10. Cherry Ames by Helen Wells



and many more.



Please note that only the first printing or each title is considered a first edition, with later printings properly classified as reprints. In typical G&D fashion, there is no good way to identify firsts from reprints without reference to "points of issue".



The popular general references, however, are unreliable when it comes to G&D. McBride's incorrectly states "Originals only, c. 1960s up):Fp; earlier titles are reprints of other publishers originals; no designation by G&D". Zempel and Verkler does not provide any information, and Ahearn's entry is very incomplete. Good information can be found in specialty references (see Additional Reading), but it is important to note that errors exist in most references, so the best practice is to cross check information among several sources.





Some Individual Titles of Note:

1. KING KONG, by W. Delos Lovelace, conceived by by (sic) Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper 1932 (a first thus, indisputably the most valuable of the G&D's)

2. J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (reprint)

3. Zane Grey's The Red-Headed Outfield (first edition)

4. Thomas Pynchon's V (reprint)

5. Norman Mailer's Marilyn (reprint)

6. Zane Grey's Thunder Mountain (reprint edition limited to 500 [?] copies)

7. Sax Rohmer's The Golden Scorpion Omnibus (first edition)

8. Agatha Christie's Secret of Chimneys (reprint, dust jacket scarce)

9. Agatha Christie's Murder on the Links (reprint, dust jacket scarce)

10. Agatha Christie's Poirot Investigates (reprint, dust jacket scarce)





Other Notables:

Among the most collectible G&D are the early Tarzan reprints. The copyright page has only the copyright date, so it takes some knowledge to correctly identify these. Heins' 1965 bibliography has complete descriptions, but in general look for two characteristics: 1) Red boards with black lettering, and 2) All the interior illustrations of the McClurg FE's.



The major exception to these tell-tales is "Cave Girl" (not a Tarzan, of course), which appeared early in blue covers, and later in red.



ANY edition with a top-condition dust jacket has collector potential, as there are a number of Burroughs' completists out there.



Almost inevitably, you will find an untutored book dealer who is misled by the copyright page into thinking that they have a valuable first. The G&D is the dead giveaway, of course, but the best way to offer a gentle correction is to refer them to one of the links listed under "Further Reading".





Value:

Roughly 75-90% of the value is in the dust jacket and the condition thereof. A worn book without a dust jacket can in many cases be worth $10 or less, whereas a book and dust jacket in top condition can bring ten times as much or more. As with any collectible, the value will depend not only on condition and scarcity, but on the fluctuations of an economically imperfect market.





Collecting Directions:

With hundreds of titles over more than three-quarters of a century as an independent publishing house, there are ample opportunities for G&D titles to gain collector interest. Unfortunately, G&D's reputation as a reprint house has trained booksellers to consider their titles unworthy of attention. One example is the "Famous Horses" series, published from roughly 1950 to 1970. These were almost exclusively reprints, yet a collection of the 35 or so titles would be a challenge despite the modest cost of individual titles.



Further Reading:

An article titled "Grosset & Dunlap - From Pirates to Kings" can be found on the ABBookman website.



Information on Grosset and Dunlap reprints of the Tarzan series can be found on the ERBFirst and ERBList websites.



These references contain photos of hundreds of books:



Axe, John. "All About Collecting Boys Series Books", Hobby House Press, 2002

Axe, John. "All About Collecting Girls Series Books", Hobby House Press, 2002



Numerous books have been written on collecting a particular series, from Tom Swift to Nancy Drew. Many are expensive or no longer in print and may be hard-to-find. Ask the reference librarian at your local library for assistance.





Credit:

This Guide is an expanded and edited compilation of a discussion thread that appeared on the eBay Booksellers Board in August 2005. It was reworked into Guide form and posted as a draft, and changes were made based on suggestions received.



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Orignal From: Grosset