The Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series

[j d worthington]

Perhaps I've missed it here somewhere, but I've not been able to find a thread on the old Ballantine Adult Fantasy series that came out during the 1960s-1970s; and I was wondering how many here may have read the set (or part of), how many here may have been started on fantasy with them, or been fantasy fans, but been opened to how wide a variety fantasy offers, etc. So, in order to facilitate matters (should anyone want to discuss this one), here are a couple of links, both to help those who haven't encountered them before to know about them and maybe keep an eye out in the used book shops, and for those who enjoyed them (or not?) to refresh their memories or find particular volumes they'd care to discuss:

Ballantine Adult Fantasy series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BIBLIOHOLICA: Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series

 

[Dr. Atomic]

Interesting bit of trivia...

Both Ballantine and ACE released paperback editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the ACE editions actually getting to the shelves first.

According to The Great American Paperback, by Richard A. Lupoff, Tolkien's books, first published in the U.K., were originally only available in the States as imports. Houghton Mifflin, an American publisher, obtained the rights for the U.S. For the first editions, they used sheets imported from England, which were bound in the U.S. and then issued to stores.

Copyright law, says Lupoff, dictates a limit on the number of books that can be imported and sold in the U.S., and unbound sheets count torwards this total. Anything beyond this number must be printed in the U.S. Houghton Mifflin ran over the allowable total, and therefore LOST copyright protection in the States.

Donald Wollheim, who ran ACE Books (and later formed DAW Books), quickly issued a paperback edition of the trilogy -- with cover paintings by Jack Gaughan. (ACE numbers A-4, A-5, and A-6)

Ian Ballantine, of Ballantine Books (um... obviously) "struck a deal with Houghton Mifflin and with Tolkien himself," writes Lupoff, "to bring out an authorized edition of the books. Tolkien revised the text of his books just enough to create a 'new' edition (not that any reader would notice the difference) and Ballantine issued the revised version of the books with genteel cover paintings by Barbara Remington."

So the Ballantine books are the Tolkien-endorsed "official" editions, while the ACE versions were the result of quick thinking on Donald Wollheim's part -- and, due to their hitting the stands first, in a limited run with great covers, are more desireable among collectors today.

 

[j d worthington]

Yes, they're highly collectible. However, it caused no end of problems when Wollheim did this, and was some time before Tolkien ever saw a cent from them (I believe that eventually he was paid some portion in lieu of royalties, but I could be mistaken). There's still a split on this particular action to this day, as it caused a lot of animosity and distrust. Don Wollheim did a lot for the sf community, and was often a very good editor, but this one... it's caused a lot of bad blood.

 

[Dr. Atomic]

Lots of bad blood, indeed. I don't agree with Wollheim's actions, but I can understand why he did it. (Actually, Ballantine and Wollheim's issues go back to a previous, similar situation with Edgar Rice Borroughs. Wollheim definitely didn't have a problem taking advantage of whatever opportunity came his way.)

The truth is, both Ian Ballantine (and his wife, Betty) and Don Wollheim were innovative book editors/publishers/whatever, and they each ushered in revolutions within the paperback industry: Ballantine's issuing of books in both paperback and hardcover, and his decision to publish sf as serious literature (with top notch authors and "fine art" covers by Richard Powers); And Wollheim's creation of the ACE "Double", and launching of DAW Books.

Competition between the two was inevitable...

(WHY am I still awake...?)

 

[j d worthington]

Competition between the two was inevitable...

Indeed it was.

(WHY am I still awake...?)

LOL. I've been asking myself the same question....

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Actually, while the covers for the Ace editions of LOTR are better than the Ballentine ones, they're all pretty awful by modern standards.

I recently uncovered a poster of that Barbara Remington artwork, one that I didn't even remember that I had, and the art is even worse than I remembered.

As for the Adult Fantasy series, I bought and read most of the early books as they came out. I'm still wondering what happened to many of those -- we used to move house pretty often, and somehow, somewhere along the way, quite a few books that had been stored in boxes due to lack of space were damaged or misplaced or otherwise disappeared. Anyway, I've slowly been replacing those lost books (along with some other classics) when I come across them in used-book stores. Not always the same editions; a few are reprints with different art. I'm not trying to specifically collect old editions; I just want to read the books again, and have them for the future. Some are as good or better than I remember them, some not.

 

[K. Riehl]

I have the entire set and I have found that in general they are high quality stories, well worth searching out and reading. The series will introduce new readers to some authors that seem to have gone out of print. Arthur Machen, William Morris, Ernest Bramah, even Evangeline Walton.

 

[BAYLOR]

Lots' of great books in that series.

 

[Extollager]

Hi, Baylor! You revived this one after nine years. Now here's the thread again.

Would some Chrons people like to check the Wikipedia list of the books in the series and identify the ones they've read? Perhaps sort those into good and not so god?

I know one person, Pierre Comtois, editor of Fungi and several books on Marvel comics, who owns the entire series and has read most of them, at least, if I'm not mistaken. He's just reread Hannes Bok's Beyond the Golden Stair and thumbs-downed it.

 

[hitmouse]

Bok was a very interesting and stylish SF artist, a rather eccentric individual, and an indifferent writer.

 

[Extollager]

That Bok Beyond the Golden Stair is apparently a longer version of a story called "The Blue Flamingo."

Bok seems to me limited, as an artist, but I suspect he could have done an enticing illustrated edition of David Lindsay's Voyage to Arcturus!

 

[hitmouse]

The cover of that book is not by Bok himself, ironically.
Bok's pictures were highly stylised and whimsical, to the extent that they are very recognisable. E.g.

 

[BAYLOR]

The cover of that book is not by Bok himself, ironically.
Bok's pictures were highly stylised and whimsical, to the extent that they are very recognisable. E.g.

Cool artwork.

 

[soulsinging]

Actually, while the covers for the Ace editions of LOTR are better than the Ballentine ones, they're all pretty awful by modern standards.

I recently uncovered a poster of that Barbara Remington artwork, one that I didn't even remember that I had, and the art is even worse than I remembered.

All subjective I guess, because I only recently came upon those covers and love them. Very psychedelic and vastly superior to the hideous 80s covers I had, which made the fellowship look like the lamest bunch of country club stuffed shirts ever. I like them way better than the usual covers involving guys with open shirts, rippling chest muscles, a HUGE... sword, and a buxom lady at his feet being rescued.

"You see Frodo, this pocket ring was an heirloom from my grandmother's side."

 

[Cathbad]

Wow! Some big time names, on that list!

 

[Randy M.]

I like Bok and his contemporary, Virgil Finlay.

My preference for LOTR cover art goes to the following:

Tolkein's own watercolor work. Their use as covers for me places emphasis on a somewhat under discussed theme of LOTR: The doings of man and Hobbit are transient, and even the doings of elves and dwarves are only somewhat less transient, but the land abides, and the behavior and attainments of those species is dependent on the land. Part of the glory of LOTR for me was the trek through the various regions and how vividly JRRT brings them to life.

Meanwhile, back on topic, the covers of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series were terrific. I have a few around and the cover art -- particularly by Gervasio Gallardo -- was amazingly perceptive, time and again indicting the feel of the books whether or not illustrating some specific person or scene in the book.

Randy M.

 

[Matteo]

Just five for me: