Ace Books

Ace Books is oldest Publisher of Science-fiction and Fantasy still in activity. The company, founded in New York in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, publishes first of all detective novels and Western S. It diversifies quickly in other kinds, publishing its first titles of science fiction in 1953. This innovation is crowned success and, in the space of a few years, the titles of science fiction take a dominating place with the detriment of the police officers and westerns. Other kinds also appear: novels drawn from actual facts, Romance Gothics, Novélisation S of other love story media or .

Ace is known for its format of edition “back-to-back” employed for good number of its first books, though the concept is former for him. Ace continues to publish books of various kinds in this format “Ace Double” until 1973. They are very snuffed collectors: certain rare titles were sold with more than 1000 dollars.

With Ballatine Books, Ace is one of the principal editors of science fiction during its first ten years of existence. However, with died of its founder A.A. Wyn, in 1967, the company starts to decline. Two directors of the publication of importance, Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr, leave in 1971, and in 1972, Ace is sold with Grosset & Dunlap. In spite of financial problems, new successes follow, in particular the third series Ace Science Fiction Specials , published by Carr. After other fusion-acquisitions, the company becomes part of Berkley Books. Ace becomes then a collection within Penguin Group; its leading team is also with the head of the collection Roc Books, although the two collections preserve distinct identities.

Foundation and creation of the Ace Double

In 1952, Donald A. Wollheim works as director of the publication at Avon Books, but this employment displeases to him. Seeking another work, it tries to convince Aaron A. Wyn of launching a new company of edition of paperbacks. Wyn is then already a book publisher and of pulp S established well, under the name of A.A. Wyn' S Magazine Publishers . Among his magazines, one finds titles like Ace Mystery and Ace Sports , titles which are perhaps at the origin of the name of Ace Books. The idea of Wollheim likes Wyn, but it does not take action pursuant to it during several months; during this time, Wollheim postulates for various employment, of which one of assistant with Pyramid Books. By error, Pyramid requires references to the woman of Wyn, Rose, believer that Wollheim had worked for it. When Rose learns with her husband that Wollheim sought an employment elsewhere, Wyn decides and engages immediately Wollheim.

The first book published by Ace Books is a duet of detective novels “back-to-back”: Too Hot for Hell , of Keith Vining, and The Grinning Gismo , of Samuel W. Taylor; it costs 35 hundreds and carries the D-01 serial number. The format “back-to-back” is generally regarded as an invention of Ace, which is false, but this house publishes hundreds of titles published thus during the two decades which followed and thus becomes the editor using this most famous format. The novels of recognized authors are often related to texts of less known writers, in order to make them discover with a greater number of readers. The principal disadvantage of the format “Ace Double” is that the two books must be of a fixed size, generally between 256 and 320 pages; sometimes, one of the novels, even both, must be crossed or revised to enter this mould, in spite of the indication " And Unabridged" supplements; integral on the cover.

Among the major titles of the commencement of the series D, one can quote D-15, Junkie , the first novel of William S. Burroughs (under the pseudonym of William Lee), and of many novels of Philip K. Dick, Robert Bloch, Harlan Ellison, Harry Whittington and Louis the Love, of which those written under its pseudonym “Jim Mayo”.

The last Ace Double of the first series is Life with Lancelot of John T. Phillifent, coupled with Hunting one Kunderer of William Barton, published in August 1973 (#48245). If Ace takes again the use of the name “Ace Double” in 1974, the books from now on are arranged in a conventional way rather than “back-to-back”. The last Ace Double appears in 1988. In all, Ace published nearly 650 doubles, including more than 600 in the format “back-to-back”.

“If the Bible were published like a Ace Double , pointed out an editor, it would be cut in two parts of 20.000 words, the Old Testament would be called the Master of Chaos and New Testament the Thing with the Three Hearts . ”

- Charles McGrath, NewYork Times, May 6th, 2007

The years 1950 and 1960: specialization

The second title published by Ace (still one “back-to-back”) is a western: Bad Man' S Return of William Colt MacDonald, coupled with Bloody Hoofs of J. Edward Leithead. The first thirty titles alternate regularly police and westerns, with some titles belonging to none of these two kinds, such as for example Quick Service of P.G. Wodehouse, coupled with The Code off the Woosters , of the same author. In 1953, Ace publishes The World off No one-HAVe ( Le Monde of Ā ), coupled to The Universe Maker ( Créateur of universe ), two novels of A.E. van Vogt which marks the first incursion of the publisher into the science fiction. Another double of science fiction follows the same year later, and this kind is established soon like important source on the one hand benefit of Ace. As from 1955, the group publishes more science fiction books each year than of police officers or westerns, and as from 1961, more than of these two joined together kinds. In the years 1950, Ace also publishes a certain number of novels slap-with-the eye based on the juvenile delinquency, today very required of the collectors, like D-343, The Young Wolves , of Edward De Roo, or D-378, Out For Kicks , of Wilene Shaw.

The domination of the market by Ace is not reflected only by the number of books published: Ace published the first novels of several authors of science fiction recognized during this period, of which:

The apogee and decline

In 1964, the author of science fiction Terry Carr joined the publisher, and in 1968, it launches the collection Ace Science Fiction Specials , which publishes original novels acclaimed by the criticism of Alexei Panshin, R.A. Lafferty, Joanna Russ and Ursula Guin, inter alia. During second half of the years 1960, Ace obtains also the rights to publish original novels drawn from the successful series of the time: in particular two dozen books Of the very special agents follows and a trilogy based on the Prisoner .

Carr and Wollheim also Co-publish an annual anthology, Year' S Best Science Fiction , and Carr publishes moreover Universe , a series of anthologies of well received original works, until its departure of Ace Books, in 1971.

In 1965, Wollheim claims that there exists a gap in the Copyright of the American edition of the Seigneur of the Rings of J.R.R. Tolkien. The edition Houghton Mifflin was carried out by using pages printed with the the United Kingdom for the edition Al & Unwin and the American law perhaps thus does not protect the text. Considering this point of view, Ace Book publishes the first edition of pocket of the Seigneur of the Rings , with a cover and title pages illustrated by Jack Gaughan. After a long controversy and the publication of an edition of pocket concurrent and authorized by the author at Ballatine Books, Ace agrees to pay its royalties to Tolkien and not to reprint its however popular edition. Some time later, the theory of Ace Books is refuted and their edition of pocket recognized like a violation of the copyright of Tolkien according to the American law.

Wyn dies in 1967. Ace quickly becomes the collection science fiction of his/her company-mother. At the end of the years 1970 and to the beginning of the year 1980, Grosset & Dunlap launch a collection of detective novels called Ace Charter Books , which sees in particular the republication of the books of the series the Saint of Leslie Charteris.

Carr returns in Ace Books in 1984 as director of the publication in Freelance, as well as works of authors like Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross, Jack McDevitt and Joe Haldeman.

People having worked with Ace Books

This list of people having worked with Ace Books is sorted according to the date of arrival in the publisher, when it is known. It includes the people known for a particular reason, as well as the editors of the current collection.

  • A.A. Wyn, owner (1952 - 1967);

  • Donald A. Wollheim, director of the publication (1952-1971)
  • Stalemate LoBrutto, letters to the Editor (1969 - 1972); director of the publication, section “science fiction” (1974 - 1977)
  • Frederik Pohl, executive director of the publication (1971 - 1972)
  • Tom Doherty, director of the publication (1972 - 1975); editor (1975 - 1980)
  • Jim Baen, department of the complaints (v. 1973 - 1974); director of the publication, “Gothic” section (v. 1974); director of the publication, section “science fiction” (C. 1977 - 1980)
  • Terri Windling, director of the publication (1979 - 1987)
  • Harriet McDougal, director of the publication
  • Susan Al, director of the publication (1980 - 1982); chief editor (1982 - 2006); vice-president (since 1985)
  • Beth Meacham, assistant of direction (1981 - 1982); director of the publication (1982 - 1983)
  • Peter Heck (v. 1991 - 1992)
  • Laura Anne Gilman (v. 1991)
  • Lou Stathis, director of the publication (? - v. 1994)
  • Anne Sowards, assitant of direction/directing of the publication associated (1996 - 2003); director of the publication (since 2003)
  • John Morgan, assitant of direction (1998 - 2003); director of the publication (2003 - 2005)
  • Harlan Ellison, The Deadly Streets (1958, D-312)

Serial numbers

The books published at Ace have two types of classification: one with letters, like “D-31” or “H-77”, and one with figures, like “10293” or “15697”. The letters indicate the price of the books.

  • Series D , 35 hundreds (1952 - 1965)

  • Series S , 25 hundreds (1954 - 1958)
  • Series T , 40 hundreds. This series off appears in The Encyclopedia Science Fiction and Fantasy: Volume 3 of Donald H. Tuck, but the index does not give any example and none is quoted in the bibliographical sources. It is thus possible that this series does not exist.
  • Series F , 40 hundreds (1960 - 1967)
  • Series M , 45 hundreds (1964 - 1966)
  • Series G , 50 hundreds (Series D/S/G, 1958 - 1960; Series G, 1964 - 1968)
  • Series K , 50 hundreds (1959 - 1968)
  • Series H , 60 hundreds (1965 or 1966 - 1968)
  • Série has , 75 hundreds (1965 - 1968)
  • Série NR , 95 hundreds (1965 - 1968)

The first series starts in 1952 with D-01 and continues until D-599 ( Winged Victory for Nurse Kerry , of Patricia Libby), but the series also includes some numbers in G and S, according to the price.

Towards the end of this first series, the series F starts, with a new price, and consequently, there will be always several series published simultaneously. The letters D and S do not appear any more after the first series, but the prefix G acquires its own series, which starts with G-501. The first eight books in G can thus be regarded as pertaining to another series that of “truths” G. After the first, all the series have an independent classification, starting to 1 or 101.

In January 1969, Ace passes to a numerical system. The number of the book depends on its title, and more precisely on the first significant word. For example, The Barons off Behavior , of Tom Purdom, is published about 1972 with serial number 04760. The first letter of “Barons” is “B”, and codes it assigned is thus located among the first possible combinations between 00000 and island. This procedure is employed by Ace at least until the beginning of the year 1990, and perhaps still today. For the Ace Doubles , one of the titles was selected to determine the serial number. For example, the 11560 is composed of The Communipaths (Suzette Haden Elgin) and The Noblest Experiment in the Galaxy (Louis Trimble). The serial number derives here from The Communipaths ; it would have turned around 58000 if it had derived from the title of the book of Trimble.

For the last titles, the number is also included in ISBN of the book: for example, Escape Velocity of Christopher Stasheff has for serial number 21599 and ISBN 0-441-21599-8, 0 correspondent with the language (English) and 441 in Ace Books.

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