REGENCY BOOKS Publisher: Regency Books, 1580 Sherman Ave, Evanston, IL ‐ #s 101 ‐ 114 [same] Box 1217, Evanston, IL ‐ #s 115 ‐ 306 Regency Books, Inc., 1236 Sherman Ave, Evanston, IL ‐ #s 307 ‐ 324 Distributor: ASN (All‐States News Co.) #s 101 ‐ 118 MAC (Macfadden) #s 301 ‐ 324 Format: tall paperback Price: 50¢ The owner and publisher of Regency Books was William Lawrence Hamling (1921‐2017). Hamling had started his publishing career with a science fiction fanzine in the early 40's. He turned to pulp writing after the war and then to editing, and eventually to publishing his own magazines. His science fiction magazines died in 1958, leaving him with only Rogue, a playboy imitation, so he refocused his efforts toward more sexually oriented publications. Although Hamling would eventually become one of the most prolific publishers of pornographic paperbacks, as late as 1961 he was still publishing only Nightstand Books, his first soft‐core imprint. Regency Books was intended as a mass‐market paperback line, presumably an attempt to re‐diversify his publishing activities. The intent was to publish "controversial" books, featuring both fiction and non‐ fiction that addressed social, political, and religious issues, including such topics as race relations, political corruption and mob psychology. As provocative as they were, they were poorly distributed and struggled to find an audience. All of the books were registered for copyright, leaving a complete record of the books' issuance. It is clear that the books were always issued in pairs, starting in June 1961 and ending in July 1963, although they were not always issued in strict numerical order. Regency also failed to issue any books dated July 1961 or February 1962. The Imprint was briefly suspended between April and August 1962. When it started up again there were three changes. The numbering, which had originally begun at #101 and had been suspended with #118, now resumed with #301. Regency Books also had a new distributor, and the imprint's logo itself had changed. Unfortunately, changing distributors does not seem to have improved sales and the line finally sputtered out in July 1963, after only 42 books. Harlan Ellison was Regency's first editor, superseded fairly quickly by Algis Budrys. It is my under‐ standing that in each case, their editorial duties included editing the Nightstand Books line as well. Unlike other such short‐lived imprints, many Regency Books are now considered significant and highly desirable, leaving a sense of wistful pride in everyone involved with them. Regency Books published 24 fiction and 18 non‐fiction titles. Although there were 5 crime/mystery titles and 3 science fiction titles, most of the other fiction defies any kind of genre categorization, being contemporary or "mainstream" fiction of one sort or another. One book was a substantial rewrite of a previous published paperback; all the other books were original. Earl Kemp was one of Hamling's long‐time editors and his on‐line fanzine, eI (hosted on efanzines.com), has provided much information about Hamling's various publishing ventures over its many issues. Issue number 11 in particular contains a wealth of background material on Regency Books and is recommended to anyone looking for more detailed information on this imprint. Most books carried an artist credit on the back cover, even for the photographic covers. One book had a typographical cover and one book lacked a cover credit. 40 of the 42 covers are in the Bookscans database. All 42 are pictured in eI #11, from which I shamelessly cribbed the few art credits I had not managed to find elsewhere. Copyright 2011, 2013, 2020 by Kenneth R. Johnson 1 REGENCY BOOKS NUMERICAL LISTING RB 101 Bloch, Robert Firebug Dillon [©] Jun [30] 1961 RB 102 Ellison, Harlan Gentleman Junkie Dillon [© 6/30] 1961 (Collection, first edition. Not seen in this edition; contents from Leslie Kay Swigart’s Harlan Ellison bibliography, page numbers supplied by Don D’Ammassa.) Contents: 9 Introduction, by Frank Robinson 11 Preface 13 Final Shtick 20 Gentleman Junkie 27 May We Also Speak? 1 Now You're in the Box 2 The Rocks of Gogroth 3 Payment Returned, Unopened 4 The Truth 35 Daniel White for the Greater Good 43 Lady Bug Lady Bug 52 Free with This Box 57 There's One on Every Campus 61 At the Mountains of Blindness 68 This Is Jackie Spinning 75 No Game for Children 84 The Late, Great Arnie Draper 87 High Dice 94 Enter the Frantic, Stage Center 101 Someone Is Hungrier 105 Memory of a Muted Trumpet 110 The Time of the Eye 116 Sally in Our Alley 124 The Silence of Infidelity 128 Have Coolth 137 RFD #2 146 No Fourth Commandment 155 The Night of Delicate Terrors RB 103 Marvin, Ronn Mr. Ballerina Dillon [©] Aug [31] 1961 RB 104 Sagebiel, James [L.] The Brain Buyers Dillon [©] Aug [31] 1961 RB 105 Honig, Donald Divide the Night Ron Bradford [© 9/29] 1961 RB 106 Ellison, Harlan Memos from Purgatory Dillon [©] Sep [29] 1961 RB 107 Traven, B. Stories by the Man Nobody Knows Ron Bradford [©] Oct [31] 1961 (Collection, first and only edition.) Contents: 7 The Third Guest 41 Burro Trading 53 Tin Can 65 Midnight Call 89 Frustration 103 When the Priest Is not at Home 115 Submission 136 Effective Medicine 148 Assembly Line Copyright 2011, 2013, 2020 by Kenneth R. Johnson 2 RB 108 Ellson, Hal The Torment of the Kids Richard Frooman [© 10/31] 1961 RB 109 Cooper, Clarence L., Jr. Weed W. A. Smith [© 11/30] 1961 RB 110 Budrys, Algis Some Will Not Die Dillon [©] Nov [30] 1961 (An episodic novel, one self‐contained chapter of which had been previously published as "Ironclad." This revised edition restores cuts made in the first edition and adds material separately published as "Yesterday's Man." Since these two stories are not readily separable in the text of the book, they are not particularized in the Contents Index.) RB 111 Scortia, Thomas N. What Mad Oracle? W. A. Smith [©] Dec [29] 1961 RB 112 Sheckley, Robert The Man in the Water Mel Pekarsky [© 12/31] 1961 RB 113 del Rey, Lester The Eleventh Commandment Dillon Jan [31] 1962 RB 114 Alexander, David Panic! Mel Pekarsky Jan [31] 1962 RB 115 Brannon, W. T. The Crooked Cops Ron Bradford Mar [30] 1962 RB 116 Cooper, Clarence L., Jr. The Dark Messenger Richard A. Thompson Mar [30] 1962 RB 117 Weston, Paul B. Muscle on Broadway Will Gallagher Apr [30] 1962 RB 118 Farmer, Philip José Fire and the Night Dillon Apr [30] 1962 RB 301 Drummond, Walter Philosopher of Evil Ron Bradford [© 8/31] 1962 RB 302 Brossard, Chandler The Pangs of Love Ron Bradford [© 8/31] 1962 (Anthology, first and only edition.) Contents: 7 Introduction by Chandler Brossard 9 Be a Good Eli by Seymour Krim 25 The Open Window by Norma Stahl 44 Virtue in the Ballet by Guy de Maupassant 49 A Sick Boy's Winter by Alberto Moravia 77 Twenty‐six Men and a Girl by Maxim Gorky 91 With the Gathering of Twilight by Chandler Brossard 107 Anna on the Neck by Anton Chekhov 119 The Happiest I've Been by John Updike 133 Pain and Pleasure by William Kelley RB 303 Blum, Neil Elliott The Hills of Creation Ron Bradford [© 9/28] 1962 RB 304 Weston, Paul B. A Hammer in the City Richard A. Thompson [© 9/28] 1962 RB 305 Gilmore, Hobe Bloody Grass Will Gallagher [© 10/31] 1962 RB 306 Roskolenko, Harry White Man Go! R. A. Thompson [© 10/31] 1962 RB 307 Bowling, Jackson M. In the Line of Fire W. A. Smith [© 11/30] 1962 RB 308 Davidson, Avram Crimes & Chaos Ron Bradford [© 11/30] 1962 (Collection of true crime stories. First and only edition. Not seen, contents from Science Fiction Collector #9.) Contents: A Rain of Burning Girls The Furniture Fellow Midwife to Murder The Forgotten Soldier The Death of Henry Clay Beer Like Water The Men Who Killed the Brigade Little Rene The Last Excursion RB 309 Smith, Cordwainer You Will Never Be the Same Ron Bradford [© 1/31] 1963 (Collection, first edition. The stories are loosely connected to form a chronicle of the future.) Contents: 7 No, No, Not Rogov! 25 The Lady Who Sailed The Soul Copyright 2011, 2013, 2020 by Kenneth R. Johnson 3 49 Scanners Live in Vain 83 The Game of Rat and Dragon 97 The Burning of the Brain 107 Golden the Ship Was—Oh! Oh! Oh! 115 Alpha Ralpha Boulevard 143 Mark Elf RB 310 Miles, William E. Damn It! Ron Bradford [© 1/31] 1963 RB 311 Webb, Jack The Gilded Witch Robert Keys [© 12/31/62] 1963 RB 312 Vetter, Hal Women of the Swastika George Suyeoka [© 12/31/62] 1963 RB 313 Cooper, Clarence L., Jr. Black! [© 2/28] 1963 (Collection, first edition. A later book with this title is a three story collection, adding the novel The Dark Messenger, #116, above.) Contents: 7 Yet Princes Follow 103 Not We Many RB 314 Mason, Frank Truman and the Pendergasts George Suyeoka [© 3/29] 1963 RB 315 Gant, Matthew Queen Street Dillon [© 2/28] 1963 RB 316 Bunin, Ed Hack Number 777 Terry Martin Rose [© 3/29] 1963 RB 317 Russell, Eric Frank The Rabble Rousers George Suyeoka [© 4/30] 1963 RB 318 Drummond, Walter How to Spend Money Terry Martin Rose [© 4/30] 1963 RB 319 Haas, Ben KKK Terry Martin Rose [© 5/31] 1963 RB 320 Edmonds, I. G. Hollywood R.I.P. [© 6/28] 1963 RB 321 Reynolds, Mack The Expatriates Ron Bradford [© 6/28] 1963 RB 322 Thompson, Jim The Grifters Terry Martin Rose [© 5/31] 1963 RB 323 Bellah, James Warner Fighting Men, U.S.A.