Collins Crime Club

The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd and ran from May 6, 1930 to April 1994. Customers registered their name and address with the club and were sent a newsletter every three months which advised them of the latest books which had been or were to be issued; they did not have to promise to buy a certain number of volumes each year.

Collins' intention was to publish new three crime books on the first Monday of every month. All three books were supposedly picked by a panel of experts (only one of whom seems to have been named — Cyril Alington) and they chose for each month one book which they termed a Selection and two which were Recommended.

As a marketing device, the club seems to have been successful in that Collins boasted 25,000 subscribers in 1934. Certainly the number of books published increased beyond the three promised per month, reaching a pre-war peak of 42 books in 1938.

The real reason for the success of the club probably lies in the authors that it had on its list, topped by the best-selling crime writer of all time, Agatha Christie. Under contract to Collins since 1926, all except five of her books were published under the Crime Club imprint from The Murder at the Vicarage onwards and most of her classic titles such as Murder on the Orient Express first appeared as Crime Club books with huge sales.

From 1939, the Crime Club also issued all the remaining works of Ngaio Marsh to be published (starting with Overture to Death) as well as many of the volumes of such 'Golden Age of Detective Fiction' writers such as John Rhode and Freeman Wills Crofts. U.S. writers such as Hulbert Footner and, later, Rex Stout were also well represented.

Wartime paper shortages hit the Crime Club badly. From 1942, it announced on its dustwrappers that they were no longer able to issue quarterly newsletters. The page count of its books reduced from an average of 252–280 pages down to 160–192 with smaller typefaces being used as well as far inferior paper. The number of new books being issued dropped dramatically with an all-time low being reached in 1946 when just 16 new books were issued.

After the war, both the number of books and their quality of production increased as shortages ceased. The Crime Club managed to keep up with the times with far more diverse and gritty novels and was able to claim notable 'firsts' throughout the remainder of its existence, publishing the first editions of all of the early Lovejoy novels by Jonathan Gash from 1977 onwards starting with The Judas Pair and the Dalziel and Pascoe books of Reginald Hill starting in 1970 with A Clubbable Woman.

The end was in sight for the Crime Club when Collins was bought out by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in 1989. The editor of the Club, Elizabeth Walter, managed to keep the imprint going but upon her retirement in 1994, the Club was brought to an end and the final novels to appear under the Crime Club imprint were published in April of that year. HarperCollins' crime fiction output was much reduced and most of the best-selling authors were absorbed into the main imprint of the publishers.

Throughout its 64 years the club issued a total of 2,025 first editions of crime novels and reached a high standard of quality throughout. In the field of crime book collecting, Collins Crime Club is eagerly sought, particularly pre-war first editions in dustwrappers with their vivid and imaginative images.

Complete list of authors published as UK first editions by Collins Crime Club

Anthony Abbot (pen name of Fulton Oursler) Paul Adam Herbert Adams Catherine Aird Cyril Alington Stella Allan Lindsay Anson David Anthony Michael David Anthony Catherine Arley Charlotte Armstrong David Armstrong[disambiguation needed ] Vivien Armstrong Jeffrey Ashford Alex Auswaks Marian Babson Edith-Jane Bahr Edwin Balmer Robert Barnard Nina Bawden George Baxt Ken Begg Kenneth Benton Maisie Birmingham Gavin Black (pseudonym of Oswald Wynd) Lionel Black Nicholas Blake Lawrence G. Blochman Martin Booth Ruth Brandon Lilian Jackson Braun Mary Bringle Lynn Brock Gordon Bromley Pat Burden Eric Burgess Miles Burton (see John Rhode) Roger Busby Gwendoline Butler Michael Butterworth (also published one book in the Crime Club series under the name Sarah Kemp) Alison Cairns Taylor Caldwell Alice Campbell Harriette Campbell Harry Carmichael (see Hartley Howard) Carol Carnac (see E.C.R. Lorac) Sarah Caudwell Nellise Child Agatha Christie Anna Clarke Carol Clemeau Liza Cody G. D. H. Cole and Margaret Cole Norman Collins Barry Cork Mary Craig Freeman Wills Crofts Maurice Culpan Clare Curzon George Davis S.F.X. Dean Anthony Dekker David Delman Michael Delving Dominic Devine Eileen Dewhurst Roy Doliner Sergio Donati Patricia Donnelly Theodora Du Bois Roger East Mignon G. Eberhart Marjorie Eccles A.C. & Carmen Edington Janet Edmonds Aaron J. Elkins Charlotte Epstein Francis Everton J. Jefferson Farjeon (son of Benjamin Farjeon ) Stewart Farrar Katherine Farrer John Ferguson Elizabeth Ferrars A Fielding Nigel Fitzgerald Anne Fleming Joan Fleming

J. S. Fletcher Pat Flower Hulbert Footner Florence Ford Leslie Ford Malcolm Forsythe Anthea Fraser Timothy Fuller Maurice Gagnon Malcolm Gair Andrew Garve Jonathan Gash (also published one book in the Crime Club series under the name Graham Gaunt) James Gibbins Val Gielgud Anthony Gilbert Josephine Gill Robert Goldsborough C.L. Grace (pseudonym of P. C. Doherty) J.M. Gregson Francis D. Grierson Margaret Haffner Patricia Hall Bruce Hamilton Ian Hamilton Jeanne Hart Steve Haywood Keith Heller James Henderson Reginald Hill John Buxton Hilton Margaret Hinxman Henry Holt Hartley Howard Helen Hull Richard Hull Peter Inchbald Anne Infante Jacquemard-Senecal Terry James Charlotte Jay Simon Jay Roderic Jeffries Cecil Jenkins Selwyn Jepson Hamilton Jobson Sheila Johnson Hazel Wynn Jones Lucille Kallen Frances Kazan H.R.F. Keating David Keith Faye Kellerman Nora Kelly Sarah Kemp (see Michael Butterworth) Michael Kenyon C. Daly King Pauline King Frank Kippax Auguste Le Breton Roy Lewis Conyth Little Vernon Loder E.C.R. Lorac Philip Loraine Ona Low Francis Lyall Thomas McCann Philip MacDonald Ross MacDonald Donald Mackenzie Allan MacKinnon Charlotte Macleod John Malcolm Jessica Mann Paul Mansfield Maxwell March (pseudonym of Margery Allingham) Irving Marder Virgil Markham Ngaio Marsh James Martin Sarah J. Mason Jean Matheson Lew Matthews Nancy Barr Mavity Pat McGerr Margaret McKinlay Donald McLarty Thomas Patrick McMahon

Mary McMullen M.R.D. Meek Brown Meggs Lawrence Meyer Laurence Meynell George Milner Margaret Moore Susan Morrow Patricia Moyes Haughton Murphy Stephen Murray Magdalen Nabb Robert Nicholas Torben Nielsen A.J. Orde Emma Page Stuart Palmer Roger Parkes Barbara Paul Michael Pearce John Penn Rupert Penny Michael Pereira Ritchie Perry Ellis Peters Bernard Peterson R. Philmore Nancy Pickard Martin Porlock (see Philip MacDonald) Raymond Postgate Lester Powell Andrew Puckett Diana Ramsay Clayton Rawson Lawrie Reznek John Rhode Mike Ripley Mary Linn Roby Ralph Rodd A.J. Russell Martin Russell Douglas Rutherford Francis Ryck Walter Satterthwait Gavin Scott Jack Scott Kate Sedley Mabel Seeley David Serafin Robyn Sheffield Evelyn E. Smith Shelley Smith Willard K. Smith Paul Somers Pat Stadley Douglas Stewart Zachary Stone (pseudonym of Ken Follett) Rex Stout John Stephen Strange L.A.G. Strong Julian Symons William G. Tapply Phoebe Atwood Taylor Joseph Telushkin Rosie Thomas Alice Tilton (see Phoebe Atwood Taylor) Robert Tine Simon Troy Peter Turnbull J.V. Turner Jonathan Valin John Wainwright H. Russell Wakefield Edgar Wallace J.M. Walsh Colin Ward John Welcome Charles West Ethel Lina White R.J. White Victor Whitechurch David Williams Pauline Glen Winslow Sarah Wolf Ted Wood Sara Woods Eric Wright L.R. Wright Philip Wylie Shelby Yastrow

External links

• Classic Crime Fiction — Collins Crime Club