The back covers of the New English Library’s shortlived 1972 comic Dracula – which infamously/confusingly didn’t feature Dracula at all – hosted the above ad for the publisher’s substantial line of fantastical novels. The very best in horror, science fiction and fantasy promised the headline, which wasn’t entirely hyperbole. The NEL did indeed have a list containing many interesting titles alongside, as you can see above, some indubitably great ones too. More than that, it was a publisher that seemed to have the most exciting, the most contemporary, paperbacks of the age. Much of the credit for this lay in its knack for finding exciting cover artists and its keenness to use them in a direct – and indeed often unashamedly exploitative – manner. That willing embrace of the controversial can be best seen in the company’s exploitation titles, which, when racked with their usually more sober fantastical brethren, lent the whole line a gloriously modern, transgressive appeal.
The NEL mail-order offer above wasn’t quite as generous as it might now seem. A reader wanting all 8 titles would have to post £3.55 off, which equates to around £41 in today’s money. Still, if not exactly an outstanding bargain, it was undoubtedly a fair deal which, if only the snazzy cardboard display stand had been thrown in too, would have come close to irresistible. In a world in which few if any local shops could be relied upon to carry the range in any depth, it may well have been a reader’s only reliable way to acquire the editions.
Anyone wanting to catch something of the thrill of fantastical paperback books in 1972 could do alot worse than stare at a gaggle of NEL titles.
Below I’ve added some scans of the tomes in that offer with a smidgen of information about cover artists and publication dates. It is worth saying, however, that the NEL covers were marvellously glossy when encountered as new. Sadly, this effect hasn’t always survived the years since.
Bruce Pennington’s cover for Frank Herbert’s Dune, first published in 1965, first NEL edition 1968.
Richard Clifton-Dey cover for Raymond Giles’ Night Of The Vampire, first published in 1970, with a first NEL edition in 1972.
Bruce Pennington’s cover for Robert Heinlein’s Stranger In A Strange Land , first published 1961, with a first NEL edition bearing this painting in 1967.
Bruce Pennington’s cover for Edgar Rice Burrough’s A Princess Of Mars, originally published 1917, first NEL edition with this painting 1969. It was apparently the first time that the novel had been issued without John Carter appearing on its cover.
Bruce Pennington’s cover for Christopher Priest’s Indoctrinaire, first published 1970, first NEL edition 1971.
Josh Kirby’s cover for Ray Bradbury’s The October Country, first published 1955, first NEL edition 1970.
Jan Parkern’s cover for Michael Moorcock’s The Sleeping Sorceress, first published 1971, first NEL edition 1972.
Bruce Pennington’s cover for Brian Aldiss’ Space, Time And Nathaniel, first published 1957, first NEL edition with this cover 1970.
The Almanac Of The Fantastical will return tomorrow …
The Almanac Of The Fantastical 