Well after writing my first blog on the great 'Falcon' series I thought I would now introduce you to my next collection and give you some information on 'Rainbow' books, just as collectable, just as brilliant and like most digest books from the early 50's you get amazing art by guys like Howell Dodd, George Gross & Harry Barton.
You have to remember that these books were bought from newspaper kiosks at Train and bus stations, due to their size (they were slightly larger than a typical paperback sized book) they were unable to sit in the normal books racks and were either placed at the back or under the counter as they were considered slightly risque for their day ! The gents that bought these more than likely disposed of them before returning home to the wife or they were folded into jackets and briefcases and sneaked into his garage or den, this is why these books are incredibly hard to find and when you do there is damage, either a fold down the middle or just from being well thumbed !
Rainbow books ran for 30 issues from numbers 101 up to 130 from 1951 to 1953 ! this series unlike Falcon which had it's talons firmly on the crime noir side, Rainbow put emphasis on sex & sleaze and they really were very sleazy, I now own the entire set.....so here we go and lets say hello to .....
Rainbow Books.
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| Rainbow Colophon |
Books published by Rainbow are on a par with Falcon in terms of rarity and collect ability, with titles also commanding big big money ! Again condition is important and Rainbow books have some great authors and artists, so if you find any ......don't delay....pay !
Right lets kick things off with the first issue # 101 - 'Thrill Girl' by Gene Harvey printed in late 1951 and this was quickly followed by racy titles like 'Reno Tramp', 'Her Candle Burns Hot', 'She Devil' & 'Moment Of Rapture' .
Here is a full title list ......
101 - Thrill Girl - Gene Harvey
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| Thrill Girl # 101 - Gene Harvey |
102 - Reno Tramp - Florence Stonebraker.
103 - Wild Is The Woman - Laura Hale (Lawrence Heller)
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| Wild Is The Woman # 103 |
104 - Moment Of Rapture - Jon Balmer
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| Moment Of Rapture # 104 - Art by George Gross |
105 - Four Dames Named Sin - Mark Reed (Norman A. Daniels)
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| Four Dames Named Sin # 105 - Art by R. Nappi |
106 - Nora's No Angel - Tom Stone (Florence Stonebraker)
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| Nora's No Angel # 106 - Art by George Gross |
107 - Street Of Dark Desire - Mark Reed (Norman A. Daniels)
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| Street Of Dark Desires # 107 |
108 - Passion Has Red Lips - R.R. McCollum
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| Passion Has Red Lips # 108 - Art by Howell Dodd |
109 - Her Candle Burns Hot - Hodge Evens (Dean Owen)
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| Her candle Burns Hot # 109 - Art by Howell Dodd |
110 - Sleepy Time Honey - Kathryn Culver (Davis Dresser)
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| Sleep Time Honey # 110 - Art by Howell Dodd |
111 - Walk The Evil Street - David Wade (Norman A. Daniels)
One book I have just read is 'Walk The Evil Street' again by David Wade pseudonym of Norman A. Daniels .....this is a cracking crime novel, corruption runs deep, very deep. Andrew Mason a crime reporter in New York cuts a deal for some diaries from big time crime lord Sam Linehan, the deal .....to get his daughter Joyce to kick her Heroin addiction or the deals off....what follows is a superb crime story full of baddies, sex, guns and drugs !! And to top it all off it has some terrific art (see below)
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| Walk The Evil Street #111 |
112 - Red Headed Wench - Tom Stone (Florence Stonebraker)
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| Red Headed Wench #112 - Art by Howell Dodd |
113 - Play Rough - Rick Wayne
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| Play Rough #113 - Art by Howell Dodd |
114 - Tease The Wild Flame - Mark Reed (Norman A. Daniels)
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| Tease The Wild Flame # 114 - Art by H. Dodd |
115 - Carnival Of Passions - Val Munroe
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| Carnival Of Passion # 115 - Art by George Gross |
116 - She Walks By Night - David Wade (Norman A. Daniels)
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| She Walks By Night # 116 |
117 - Bedroom In Hell - Norman A. Daniels.
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| Bedroom In Hell # 117 - Art by George Gross |
118 - Kiss Of Fire - Laura Hale (Fredric Lorenz)
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| Kiss Of Fire # 118 |
119 - Joy Ride - Roger Treat.
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| Joy Ride # 119 - Art by George Gross |
120 - The Nude Stranger - Mark Reed (Norman A. Daniels)
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| The Nude Stranger # 120 |
121 - Seven Hungry Men - Lionel White.
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| Seven Hungry Men ! # 121 - Art by George Gross |
122 - The Madam Who Blushed - Terry O.K. Burleson
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| The Madam Who Blushed # 122 |
123 - Vice Cop - Mark Reed (Norman A. Daniels)
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| Vice-Cop # 123 |
124 - Bedroom With A View - David Wade (Norman A. Daniels)
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Bedroom With A View # 124 - Art by George Gross
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125 - Tender Hearted Harlot - Val Munroe
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| Tender Hearted Harlot # 125 - Art by Harry Barton |
126 - She Devil - Robert Turner.
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| She Devil # 126 - Art by George Gross |
127 - The Big Woman - Mel Colton
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| The BIG Woman # 127 - Art by Harry Barton |
128 - The Twist - Norma Dann (Norman A. Daniels)
Some great titles listed above and some are really hard to find, all the pictures on this blog are copies I own and if your maths is any good I own 27 issues and only 3 to complete the set !
Just like the 'Falcon' Book series, Norman A. Daniels contributes eleven titles to the Rainbow editions, one under his own name, five under pseudonym Mark Reed, four as David Wade and one as Norma Dann .
Some rare titles to look out for are 'Seven Hungry Men' # 121 by Lionel White, 'Street Of Dark Desires' # 107 , 'Vice Cop' # 123 and 'Play Rough' # 113 by Rick Wayne , these books will seriously damage your wallet or purse, so don't be surprised if you see prices over £100 for each title !! crazy but worth every penny !!!
One other book of note is 'The Big Woman' # 127 by Mel Colton, apart from being a very good read it has great artwork on the cover by Harry Barton, The original artwork below left quite clearly shows a man peeping through the blinds and a tasty looking rifle leaning beside the table ! Where the published copy on the right you can no longer see the man at the blinds or the gun !!!
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| The Big Woman # 127 - Mel Colton |
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| Original art by Harry Barton |
Finally I always like to give a BIG high five to the back covers and Rainbow never disappoints, here is just a small selection of the best ones I own !
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| Back cover -Tease The Wild Flame # 114 |
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| Back cover - Bedroom With A View # 124 |
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| Back Cover - The Big Woman # 127 |
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| Back Cover - The Twist # 128 |
So there you have it .....Rainbow books, hard to find, even harder to find in good condition and you will need very deep pockets indeed if you see one !
Next blog to follow will be on Exotic & Ecstasy novels .......and boy will they blow you away !!
Great blog! I really like Rainbow books and so far only have 2 in my collection Street of Dark Desires and Red Headed Wench! Hopefully more will be added in the future
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of Street of Dark Desires which I'm interested in selling, would you be interested in buying it? I could send you some photos of the book and it's condition which I would rate as good +
ReplyDeleteLet me know how much you want for the book, contact me via cordwoody53@hotmail.co.uk with some photo's and I am sure we can sort something out Oliver. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteGreat collection of rainbow books digest! Unfortunately I don’t have any - but I’m still on the hunt for them.
ReplyDelete