The Three Printings of Avon No Number #38 - The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

 

 

 

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler  Avon NN No.38, 1943. Cover art by Paul Stahr.

 

    I've had many discussions with other collectors about early Avon printings - which ones had globe endpapers, which were later printings, and how to identify them, since they have never been codified anywhere. 

    This article will identify the 3 printings of the Paul Stahr "Skull & Poppies" cover classic, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, issued by Avon during the "No Number" on the cover period (No. 1-41), for which the numbering can be gleaned from the highest re-order numbers located in the back of the book. usually on the last page or back cover.

    The first printing, issued in 1943, is distinctive in two ways, it has a highest reorder number of 40, for Dorothy Sayers' "In The Teeth Of The Evidence" on the inside back cover.

 

Inside cover of the First Printing with HRN of 40.

    The first printing is further distinguished by having a different back cover than the two later printings, with a large "New Avon Library" at the top with a few words of text blurb, set in a black rectangle frame. with red lettering.

 

 

Back cover of the First Printing with "New Avon Library" at the top and Black Border.

 

    The second printing, is distinguished by a highest reorder number of 58, which would indicate a release around 1945.

 

 

Inside cover of the Second Printing with HRN of 58.

    The back cover of the second printing has "New Avon Library" in the middle, inside a densely worded red frame with black lettering.

 

First Printing on the left, Second Printing on the right - with dense text and Red Border line.

    The third printing is distinguished by a a highest reorder number of 73, indicating a release around 1945. It has the same back cover as the second printing, with the small Shakespeare head inside the densely worded red rectangle with black lettering. 

    A further distinguishing characteristic of the third printing is that it is thinner than the first two printings, probably due to the relaxing of wartime paper restrictions that required pulpier stock for the first two. 
 

    I don't currently have a copy of the third printing available to show the HRN but the picture below, from an online seller who mentions the HRN of 73, shows the same back cover with red border and the slightly thinner spine.  

 

    If anyone has a copy of the third printing and can provide a picture of the HRN page, it would be appreciated. I had one long ago but it has gone the way of many of my undercopies, to another collector.

    This numbering priority is backed up by the comprehensive copyright information inside the Pocket Books (3rd) paperback edition of the Big Sleep, which shows that there were 3 Avon printings. 

 

Comprehensive printing history of "The Big Sleep" inside the 1950 Pocket Books edition of "The Big Sleep".  These copyright pages inside the Pocket Books editions are very valuable research tools for figuring out the priority of vintage paperback (and other) editions..

    The first paperback edition, the Avon Murder Mystery Monthly Digest Number 7, printed in January 1943, is listed as the "Illustrated Edition" due, I guess to the limited small illustrations inside the MMM edition.

Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 7, January, 1943 at left, Avon NN No.38 October, 1943 at right.

 

    Interestingly, despite being the true 1st paperback edition, the MMM No. 7 trails the NN No.38 in price fetching, likely due to the incredible Paul Stahr cover art on No. 38, which has long been an iconic symbol of rare vintage paperbacks.