Bidspirit auction | 1951-1971 Group of Five Vintage

1951-1971 Group of Five Vintage Science Fiction and Mystery Mass-Market Paperbacks - This collection features five vintage mass-market paperback books published between 1951 and 1971, including science fiction, mystery, and military combat titles. The group is comprised of works by notable authors and editors from the mid-20th century. The first book is a movie tie-in edition of THX 1138 by Ben Bova, based on the screenplay by George Lucas and Walter Murch. The front cover features a stylized illustration of a futuristic figure in a helmet labeled 45 (photo 23). The title page bears a black printed logo for Paperback Library, identified as A Kinney Service Company, New York (photo 27). The first interior page has a blue ink ownership inscription reading M. Hogan / 8175, S.F. (photo 26). The copyright page indicates a first printing of April 1971 (photo 28). The second book, Preferred Risk, is a science fiction novel by Edson McCann, a pseudonym for Frederik Pohl and Lester del Rey. This volume is noted as the winner of the Galaxy-Simon and Schuster Science-Fiction Contest. The front cover and spine bear the printed mark DELL R114 (photo 2). The interior copyright page indicates this is the first Dell printing from March 1962 (photo 5). The third book is Date with Death by Leslie Ford. This volume is a Dell Mystery edition, number 547 (photo 10). It features a distinctive map back design on the rear cover illustrating locations in Annapolis, including the U.S. Naval Academy (photo 11). The interior features endpapers with a repeating blue pattern of keyhole motifs (photo 16). The title page lists the publisher as Dell Publishing Company, Inc., New York (photo 13). The fourth book is a science fiction anthology titled The Other Side of the Moon, edited by August Derleth. The front cover lists featured authors including A. E. van Vogt, Theodore Sturgeon, and Murray Leinster. It bears the printed mark BERKLEY BOOKS G249 35c (photo 17). The title page identifies it as a Berkley Book published by Berkley Publishing Corp. (photo 20). The fifth book is titled Frogman! (Suicide Mission) by J. E. Macdonnell. The front cover bears a yellow corner mark G473 PYRAMID 35c (photo 31). The title page notes the book was published by arrangement with Horwitz Publications Inc. Pty. Ltd., with a Pyramid Books Edition date of January 1960 (photo 34). The collection shows typical signs of age and wear for mass-market paperbacks of this era. THX 1138 shows heavy creasing and several small tears at the head and tail of the spine (photo 25) along with significant surface rubbing and corner bumping to the covers (photo 23). Preferred Risk exhibits extensive spider-web style cracking and creasing to the cover lamination (photo 2) and significant toning to the page edges (photo 5). Date with Death shows creasing along the length of the spine and a vertical crease on the front cover near the hinge (photo 12). The Other Side of the Moon displays moderate edge wear, a slanted spine with creases, and heavy oxidation/toning to the internal pages (photo 19). Frogman! has a prominent diagonal corner crease at the bottom right of the front cover (photo 31) and minor spine wear (photo 33). All volumes show varying degrees of page yellowing.