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Classics Illustrated

American comic book series


Summary

American comic book series

FieldValue
imageCC No 01 Three Musketeers.jpg
captionThree Musketeers, issue #1, Classic Comics, published in 1941
ongoingY
publisherElliot Publishing Co. (1941–1942)
Gilberton Company, Inc. (1942–1967)
Frawley Corporation (Twin Circle) (1967–1971)
startyr1941
endyr1969
issues169
artistsLillian Chestney, Henry C. Kiefer, Jack Abel, Matt Baker, Dik Browne, Lou Cameron, Sid Check, L.B. Cole, Reed Crandall, George Evans, Denis Gifford, Graham Ingels, Alex Blum, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Jack Kirby, Roy Krenkel, Gray Morrow, Joe Orlando, Norman Nodel, Norman Saunders, John Severin, Joe Sinnott, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, George Woodbridge
creatorsAlbert Kanter
subcatAmerican comics
sortClassics Illustrated

Gilberton Company, Inc. (1942–1967) Frawley Corporation (Twin Circle) (1967–1971)

Classics Illustrated is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Les Misérables, Moby-Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1969, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies reprinted its titles. Since then, the "Classics Illustrated" brand has been used to create new comic book adaptations. This series is different from the Great Illustrated Classics, which is an adaptation of the classics for young readers that includes illustrations, but is not in the comic book form.

1941–1971: Elliot / Gilberton

Recognizing the appeal of early comic books, Russian-born publisher Albert Lewis Kanter (1897–1973) believed he could use the new medium to introduce young and reluctant readers to "great literature". He created Classic Comics for Elliot Publishing Company in 1941 with its debut issues being The Three Musketeers, followed by Ivanhoe and The Count of Monte Cristo. The first five titles were published irregularly under the banner "Classic Comics Presents", while issues #6 and 7 were published under the banner "Classic Comics Library" with a ten-cent cover price. Arabian Nights (issue #8), illustrated by Lillian Chestney, is the first issue to use the "Classics Comics" banner.

With the fourth issue, The Last of the Mohicans, in 1942, Kanter moved the operation to different offices, and the corporate identity was changed to the Gilberton Company, Inc. Reprints of previous titles began in 1943. World War II paper shortages forced Kanter to reduce the 64-page format to 56 pages. Some titles were packaged in gift boxes of threes or fours during the period, with specific themes such as adventure or mystery.

Classic Comics is marked by varying quality in art and is celebrated today for its often garish but highly collectible line-drawn covers. Original edition Classic Comics in "near mint" condition command prices in the thousands of dollars.

With issue #35 in March 1947 (The Last Days of Pompeii) the series' name was changed to Classics Illustrated. In 1948, rising paper costs reduced books to 48 pages. In 1951 (issue #81), line-drawn covers were replaced with painted covers, and the price was raised from 10 cents to 15 cents (and, at a later date, to 25 cents).

Classics Illustrated benefitted from nationwide distribution (thanks to an agreement with Curtis Circulation) beginning in late 1951, Despite this, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (issue #13) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (issue #15) were both cited in Dr. Fredric Wertham's 1954 condemnation of comic books Seduction of the Innocent, in the first case for reducing the story to little more than its violent elements, and in the second case for simplifying the full characterizations of the book to stereotypes.

Classics Illustrated #65 — Benjamin Franklin (published in November 1949) — written by Adelaide Lee (adaptation) and illustrated by Alex Blum, Robert Hebberd, and Gus Schrotter, was given the 1956 Thomas Alva Edison Foundation National Mass Media Award for Best American History Comic Book.

As Classics Illustrated became more standardized in the 1950s, Gilberton re-issued earlier editions with new art (and sometimes new script adaptations). All editions were re-issued with new cover art in the 1950s and '60s.

In addition to Classics Illustrated, Kanter presided over its spin-offs Classics Illustrated Junior (1953), Classics Illustrated Special Issue (1955), and The World Around Us (1958). Between 1941 and 1962, sales totaled 200 million.

Of the original 169 issues of Classic Comics/Classics Illustrated produced in the period 1941–1969, the writers with the most representation included Jules Verne, with ten works adapted; Alexandre Dumas, with nine; James Fenimore Cooper, with eight; and Robert Louis Stevenson, with seven. Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and H. G. Wells were all well-represented, with five works adapted each. Seven female authors had their work adapted. Up through 1951, all adaptations were from work in the public domain. Beginning in 1952, the series occasionally created authorized adaptations of popular 20th-century fiction by such authors as Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall (four of their novels), Frank Buck (two of his novels), Charles Boardman Hawes (two novels), Erich Maria Remarque, Talbot Mundy, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, and Emerson Hough.

In addition to the literary adaptations, each issue of Classics Illustrated featured author profiles, educational fillers, and an advertisement for the coming title. In later editions, a catalog of titles and a subscription order form appeared on back covers.

The publication of new titles in the U.S. ceased in 1962 for various reasons. The company lost its second-class mailing permit; and cheap paperbacks, Cliff's Notes, and television drew readers away from the series. Kanter's last new title was issue #167 Faust (August 1962), though other titles had been planned. Two of these titles – an adaptation of G. A. Henty's In Freedom's Cause, and the original title, Negro Americans: The Early Years – appeared in the company's foreign editions. In addition, in 1962–1963, the British publisher Thorpe & Porter, which at that point was owned by Gilberton, produced 13 new issues of Classics Illustrated, which were never published in the U.S. Most of the script adaptations were done by Classics Illustrated editor Alfred Sundel.

In 1967, Kanter sold his company to Twin Circle Publishing Co. and its conservative Catholic publisher Patrick Frawley, whose Frawley Corporation in 1969 finally published In Freedom's Cause and Negro Americans, but mainly concentrated on foreign sales and reprinting older titles. After four years, Twin Circle discontinued the line because of poor distribution, and licensed the rights to other companies until it sold the rights to First Classics, Inc. in 2011.

Writers and artists

The work of adapting the source material and writing comics scripts was done by a group of mostly unknown writers. Alfred Sundel, a long-time editor on the series, scripted more than 20 first-edition adaptations and more than 10 revised editions. Others with a lot of script adaptation credits include Ken Fitch (sometimes credited as "Kenneth W. Fitch") with 22 issues, Harry G. Miller (sometimes credited as "Harry Glickman") with twelve, Evelyn Goodman with nine, and John O'Rourke with nine. Other writers with multiple adaptations to their names included Ruth Roche, George Lipscomb, Annette T. Rubenstein, and Sam Willinsky.

Henry C. Kiefer was the main artist for many issues of Classic Comics and Classics Illustrated, and his work came to define the "look" of the series. For Classic Comics, he illustrated the second cover for The Prince and the Pauper, issue #29, cover for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, issue #33, and the first Classics Illustrated issue The Last Days of Pompeii, issue #35. For Classics Illustrated, he drew the majority of at least 20 issues from the series in the period 1947–1953. Alex Blum also illustrated more than 20 issues of the series in the period 1948–1955. Norman Nodel illustrated more than 20 issues of Classics Illustrated (a number of them being re-issues with new art).

Other artists who contributed to Classic Comics include Lillian Chestney (Arabian Nights, issue #8, and Gulliver's Travels, issue #16), Webb and Brewster (Frankenstein, issue #26), and Matt Baker (Lorna Doone, issue #32). Oliver Twist (issue #23) was the first title produced by the Eisner & Iger shop.

Other notable artists who drew multiple issues of Classics Illustrated included George Evans, Lou Cameron, Reed Crandall, Pete Costanza, L.B. Cole, John Severin, Gray Morrow, and Joe Orlando. Lesser-known names with multiple credits include Rudy Palais, Arnold Hicks, Maurice Del Bourgo, Louis Zansky, August Froehlich, and Bob Webb, Jack Abel, Stephen Addeo, Charles J. Berger, Dik Browne, Denis Gifford, Roy Krenkel, John Parker, Norman Saunders, Joe Sinnott, Al Williamson and George Woodbridge.

''Classics Illustrated Junior''

Main article: Classics Illustrated Junior

Classics Illustrated Junior featured Albert Lewis Kanter's comic book adaptations of fairy and folk tale, myth and legends. In 1953, Classics Illustrated Junior debuted with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; the line eventually numbered 77 issues, ending publication in 1971. Issues included miscellanea such as an Aesop fable and a full-page illustration to color with crayons. Artists included John Costanza and Kurt Schaffenberger.

''Classics Illustrated Special Issue''

Despite numbering that aligns with the main Classics Illustrated title, Classics Illustrated Special Issue is generally regarded as a separate title; instead of adaptations, subjects were historical or biographical. Published in December and June from December 1955 to 1964, issues were generally 100 pages long — twice the size of a typical Classics Illustrated. Notable artists included Angelo Torres, Bruno Premiani, Don Perlin, Edd Ashe, Everett Kinstler, George Evans, Gerald McCann, Graham Ingels, Gray Morrow, Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers, Joe Orlando, John Tartaglione, Norman Nodel, Pete Morisi, Reed Crandall, Sam Glanzman, and Sid Check.

1990–1991: First Comics

In 1988 First Comics partnered with Berkley Publishing to acquire the rights, and announced it was reviving the Classics Illustrated brand with all-new adaptations. In 1990 (after some delays), Classics Illustrated returned after a nearly 30-year hiatus, with a line-up of artists that included Kyle Baker, Dean Motter, Mike Ploog, P. Craig Russell, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Staton, Rick Geary and Gahan Wilson.

The line lasted only a little over a year, publishing 27 issues. Titles solicited but never published were Kidnapped, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, The Red Badge of Courage, The War of the Worlds, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Last of the Mohicans. Kidnapped, adapted by Mike Vosburg, was later published by Papercutz in 2012.

1997–1998: Acclaim Books

In 1997–1998, Acclaim Books (the successor to Valiant Comics) published a series of recolored reprints of the Gilberton issues in a digest size format with accompanying study notes by literary scholars. The Acclaim line included Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with art by Frank Giacoia; and The Three Musketeers, illustrated by George Evans. The series favored Mark Twain, also with reprints of Pudd'nhead Wilson, The Prince and the Pauper and Tom Sawyer. Other reprints in this series were Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. The series lasted 62 issues, with three of the final four issues being all-new adaptations.

2008–2014: Papercutz

In 2007, Papercutz acquired the Classics Illustrated license and announced that they would begin publishing new graphic novels ("Classics Illustrated Deluxe") as well as reprints of the First Comics series from 1990 to 1991. The new modern adaptations were largely produced in France; Papercutz published 12 volumes – including The Wind in the Willows, Frankenstein, Treasure Island, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – from 2008 to 2014.

The First Comics reprint series of adaptations was published by Papercutz in a different order from the originals and emphasized some of the later, low-circulation volumes. 19 issues were published (out of the original 27) from 2008 to 2014.

1989–present: First Classics, Inc.

First Classics, Inc., formed in 1989, eventually took over management of the Classics Illustrated rights licensed to First Publishing (formerly First Comics) by the Frawley Corporation.

Starting in 2002, First Classics enlisted Jack Lake Productions (JLP) of Canada to produce Classics Illustrated and Classics Illustrated Junior books based on the original Gilberton lineup, many of them remastered by JLP.

In August 2011, First Classics purchased the rights to the Classics Illustrated family of books from Frawley Corporation.

In 2020, First Classics and Jack Lake Productions settled their long-running dispute over the rights to Classics Illustrated. Some main outcomes of the settlement were that Jack Lake Productions and the artists involved with the CI book remastering will be cited in books that use the remastered art, and reaffirmation of First Classics as the rights holder to Classics Illustrated.

Through the years, First Classics worked with Trajectory, Inc. to license Classics Illustrated throughout the world, and also to create and make available many titles in the Classics Illustrated family of books in e-book format. First Classics currently publishes these e-books. Classics Illustrated continues to be published throughout the world in various languages through license from First Classics. In English, Classic Comic Store (CCS Books) of the UK re-publishes much of the Classics Illustrated lineup.

Digital editions

In 2011, Marblehead, Massachusetts-based Trajectory Inc. issued the first digital editions of Gilberton Classics Illustrated regular and Junior lines. In 2014, Trajectory Inc. was granted the exclusive worldwide rights to produce, distribute and license the brand. The primary rights-holder for the digital editions is First Classics, Inc.

International editions

CountryPublisherClassics Illustrated native namePublication startPublication endIssuesNotesSource
AustraliaAyers & JamesClassic Comics (later Classics Illustrated)1947195372
BrazilEditora Brasil-América LimitadaEdição Maravilhosa19481961200
CanadaGilbertonClassics Illustrated1948195178
CanadaJack Lake ProductionsClassics Illustrated2003201386
DenmarkI.K.Illustrerede klassikere19561974227In 1969, I.K. began publishing Stjerneklassiker ("Star Classics"), featuring more Classics Illustrated reprints; this series was continued beginning in 1970 by the successor to I.K., Williams lasting until 1974.
FranceWilliams FranceLes classiques illustrés1973197415
GermanyInternationale KlassikerIllustrierte Klassiker19561972204Publisher later became Bildschriftverlag (BSV). BSV was acquired by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) in 1966. In October 1973, the publisher became Williams (independent of BSV), with its headquarters on Elbchaussee in Hamburg.
GermanyNorbert Hethke VerlagIllustrierte Klassiker19912002206Reprints of German I.K./BSV/Williams versions
GermanyBSV HannoverIllustrierte Klassiker2015present36Revived the title with issue #206; it continues to the present day
GreeceEkdóseis Pechlivanídi (Ατλαντίς / Πεχλιβανίδης)Klassiká Eikonografiména (Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα)19511990806Three separate series (1951–1970, 1975–1980, 1989–1990); many reprints of their own publications, but also created 90 original adaptations of Greek myths and stories
IcelandGudmundar KarlssonSígildar Sögur1956195726
IndiaH. R. PublicationsClassics Illustrated1994199442
ItalyEditrice il PicchioI Classici Illustrati197919798
MexicoEditora de Periódicos La PrensaClásicos Ilustrados19511973182Some new covers for the Mexican audience
NetherlandsClassicsIllustrated Classics19561976214Williams]]" in the early 1970s; most of its remaining titles were acquired by Kontekst in 1979.
NorwaySerieforlagetIllustrerte Klassikere19541976229Series acquired in 1957 by Illustrerte Klassikere, another European branch of Gilberton; later renamed Williams Forlag
PhilippinesG. Miranda & SonsFamous Classics Illustrated1971197226Although the logo design and covers emulated the original series, much of the content seems to have been original. Its serial numbering differs.
PortugalEmpresa Nacional de Publicidade (ENP)Obras-Primas Ilustradas1955196414
SwedenIllustrerade KlassikerIllustrerade Klassiker19561976549Publisher reorganized into Williams Förlags AB in 1965; published many reprints of their own issues. Some early issues, at least, were original Scandinavian adaptations, often written by Alfred Sundel. The art for these was usually from a Spanish studio like Editorial Bruguera, with many covers by Antonio Bernal Romero.
United KingdomThorpe & PorterClassics Illustrated19511963181Produced and published 13 new issues of the series which were never released in the U.S.
United KingdomClassic Comic StoreClassics Illustrated2008present87
YugoslaviaVecernje novosti - KekecNovosti za decu - Klasici u stripu1968196821

Brazil

In 1948, the Brazilian comic book publisher (EBAL) launched the ** series, which reprinted many issues of Classics Illustrated, and which included original adaptations of Brazilian novels.

In the 1990s, Editora Abril published some stories from the First Comics Classics Illustrated series. In 2010, HQM Editora published Through the Looking-Glass, originally adapted in 1990 by Kyle Baker for the First Comics series.

Canada

Gilberton published a Canadian version of Classics Illustrated in the period 1948–1951, putting out 78 issues.

In 2003, Toronto's Jack Lake Productions revived Classics Illustrated Junior, creating new remastered artwork from the original editions. In 2005, Jack Lake Productions published a Classics Illustrated 50th-anniversary edition of The War of the Worlds in both hard and softcover versions. In November 2007, Jack Lake Productions published for the first time in North America Classics Illustrated #170 The Aeneid (originally published in the UK) along with issues #1 of The Three Musketeers, #4 of The Last of the Mohicans, and #5 of Moby Dick.

In October 2016, Jack Lake Productions republished under the Classic Comics banner eleven remastered original Gilberton titles:

  • #11 Don Quixote
  • #14 Westward Ho!
  • #17 The Deerslayer
  • #20 The Corsican Brothers
  • #21 Three Famous Mysteries
  • #22 The Pathfinder
  • #79 Cyrano de Bergerac
  • #122 The Mutineers
  • #123 Fang and Claw
  • #168 In Freedom's Cause
  • #174 Captain Blood – new addition, originally published in Stories by Famous Authors Illustrated #2 (Seaboard Publishing, 1950).

Germany

The German publisher Internationale Klassiker, later renamed Bildschriftenverlag (BSV), was founded in 1956 to publish translated editions of Classics Illustrated (as Illustrierte Klassiker). The company released 204 issues of the title from 1956 to 1972. BSV was acquired by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) in 1966. In October 1973, the publisher became Williams (independent of BSV), with its headquarters on Elbchaussee in Hamburg. In 2013, the publisher BSV Hannover revived the title with issue #206; it continues to the present day.

Meanwhile, beginning in 1991 and lasting until 2002, the German publisher Norbert Hethke Verlag reprinted the Illustrierte Klassiker series.

Greece

In Greece the series is named Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα (Klassiká Eikonografiména, meaning "Classics Illustrated") and has been published continuously since 1951 by Εκδόσεις Πεχλιβανίδη (Ekdóseis Pechlivanídi, Pechlivanídis Publications). It is based on the American series, with the difference that well-known Greek illustrators and novelists work to adapt stories of particular Greek interest. In addition to the titles that were translated from the US Classics Illustrated more than 70 titles were published with themes from Greek mythology and Greek history. Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα are read by thousands of young Greeks, and the first issues are of interest to collectors.

The publishing house of Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα, Εκδόσεις Πεχλιβανίδη (Pechlivanídis Publications), was founded by three brothers of the Πεχλιβανίδης (Pechlivanídis) family from the Greek-speaking parts of Asia Minor: Μιχάλης, Michális, Michael; Κώστας, Kóstas; and Γιώργος, Giórgos, George), collectively known as αδελφοί Πεχλιβανίδη (Pechlivanídis brothers). They had extensive experience in publishing from the 1920s, mainly in advertising – but also in children's books after 1936, when Κώστας Πεχλιβανίδης (Kóstas Pechlivanídis) finished his studies in the – then modern – printing techniques in Leipzig.

The Pechlivanídis brothers had inherited the printing press of Bavarian lithographer Grundman – and his experience as well. Having worked for years with offset printing, the Pechlivanídis brothers founded after the war the Εκδόσεις Ατλαντίς (Atlantis Publications) house in order to restart publishing children's books. They had read Classics Illustrated while traveling in the US, and arranged to publish them in Greece as well.

The first issue of Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα was made available on 1 March 1951. It was an adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, and attracted extensive critique in Greece, both positive and negative. It was the first "American" kind of comic in Greece and also the first four-color or tetrachromatic offset (with 336 multicolored illustrations as the front page advertised). Its cost at the time was 4,000 drachmas, and the first edition (90,000 copies) went out of print quickly and was reprinted twice in the following days. According to Atlantis, it sold about a million copies.

United Kingdom

Thorpe & Porter / Williams

The British publisher Thorpe & Porter published Classics Illustrated reprints (and a few original stories) from 1951 to 1963. Of the 181 British issues, 13 had never appeared in America. Additionally, there were some variations in cover art.

The British Classics Illustrated adaptation of Dr. No was never published under the U.S. Classics Illustrated line, but instead was sold to DC Comics, which published it in 1963 as part of their superhero anthology series, Showcase. The comic followed the plot of the film with images of the film's actors rather than Ian Fleming's original novel.

In 1976–1977, the successor company to Thorpe & Porter, Williams Publishing, released the Double Duo series, which for the first time reprinted translated issues of Classics Illustrated originally published in Swedish (by Illustrerade klassiker / Williams Förlags AB) in the period 1964–1970. Each digest-sized issue contained two stories, coming in at a total of 68 pages per issue. All the stories were illustrated by members of a Spanish comics studio.

Classic Comic Store

In September 2008, Classic Comic Store, based in the U.K., began publishing both the original Gilberton Classics Illustrated regular and Junior lines for distribution in the U.K., Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The issue number sequence is different from the original runs, although the Junior series was in the same sequence as the original, but with numbering starting at 1 instead of 501. The covers were digitally 'cleaned up' and enhanced, based on the original US covers. In September 2009, Classic Comic Store Ltd announced that although they would continue to publish the Classics Illustrated titles, they were no longer publishing the Junior series after issue 12, but rather importing the issues from Canada. This meant that the numbers used would be as per the Canadian issues (i.e. the first one imported would be issue 513). In October 2012 (when issue 44 had been dispatched), Classic Comic Store Ltd no longer continued with a subscription service in the UK, because of the costs involved. The company told subscribers that they were planning on producing four issues at a time, but not on a specified time scale. The first of these batches (issues 45–48) was produced in October 2013. The second batch (49, 57–62) was available in August 2016 (although the issues stated "First Published May 2016"). The gap (50–56) was a result of the artwork for them being unavailable to Classic Comic Store in refreshed form, the intention being to publish them at a future date; this was completed by March 2019, after which issues continued to be produced in order from the last previously published issue.

New publications for Classic Comic Store editions:

  • July 2011: Nicholas Nickleby (issue #32) became the first new title in the 48-page series since Gilberton's 1969 publication of #169 (Negro Americans: The Early Years). The artwork came from the November 1950 Stories by Famous Authors Illustrated (Seaboard Publishing) edition of Nicholas Nickleby and retained the original Gustav Schrotter interior art.
  • October 2012: The 39 Steps (issue #44) became the second brand-new title to the Classics Illustrated canon.
  • September 2013: The Argonauts (issue #48) was published – one of 13 which were never issued in the US collection but only in the UK.
  • March 2019: The Aeneid (issue #72) was published – another which was not issued in the original US collection but only in the UK – although in 2007, it was issued in North America as #170.
  • March 2019: Through the Looking-Glass (issue 73) was published – this was not issued in the original US collection, but was published in 1990 as #3 in the First Comics run.
Expanded World Series Facsimile Series

In March 2024, Classic Comic Store started publishing a new series under their Classics Illustrated Joint European Series (JES), which publishes classic stories and true histories from all over the world, available in English for the first time.

Current titles:

  • March 2024 :# Stalingrad (originally published in 1962 in Spanish by Editorial Novaro) :# Dunkirk (originally published in 1962 in Spanish by Editorial Novaro) :# D-Day: The Normandy Invasion (originally published in 2015 in Spanish by Editorial Novaro) :# Beowulf (originally published in 1963 in Spanish by Editorial Novaro) --

Issues

Original Elliot/Gilberton run

Authorship is based on William B. Jones Jr.'s Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, second edition (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2002), Appendices A and B; as well as the information held by Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections Division in their Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection as well as the Grand Comics Database.

IssueOriginal publicationTitleAuthorOriginal adaptationOriginal illustratorLater adaptationLater illustratorIssued as Classic Comics titlesIssued as Classics Illustrated titles
1October 1941The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas, pèreMalcolm KildaleMalcolm KildaleGeorge Evans
2December 1941IvanhoeWalter ScottAlbert KanterEdd AsheNorman Nodel
3March 1942The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas, pèreRay Ramsey; Allen Simon; Vivian LipmanLou Cameron
4August 1942The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore CooperRay RamseyJohn Severin; L. B. Cole; Stephen L. Addeo
5September 1942Moby DickHerman MelvilleLouis ZanskyLouis Zansky (with Harvey Kurtzman)Norman Nodel
6October 1942A Tale of Two CitiesCharles DickensEvelyn GoodmanS. M. Zuckerberg (as "Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg")Annette T. RubensteinJoe Orlando (with George Evans)
7December 1942Robin Hood(Uncredited; based in part on Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle)Evelyn GoodmanLouis Zansky and Fred EngAnnette T. Rubenstein?Jack Sparling
8February 1943Arabian Nights---Alfred SundelLillian Chestney; Charles BergerAlfred SundelCharles Berger
9March 1943Les MisérablesVictor HugoEvelyn GoodmanR. H. LivingstoneAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
10April 1943Robinson CrusoeDaniel DefoeEvelyn GoodmanS. M. Zuckerberg (as "Stanley Maxwell")Sam Citron; Charles Sultan
11May 1943Don QuixoteMiguel de CervantesSamuel AbramsonLouis Zansky
12June 1943Rip Van Winkle and the Headless HorsemanWashington IrvingDan LevinR. H. Livingstone (as "Rolland Livingstone")Norman Nodel
13August 1943Dr Jekyll & Mr HydeRobert Louis StevensonEvelyn GoodmanArnold HicksLou Cameron
14September 1943Westward Ho!Charles KingsleyDaniel KushnerAllen Simon
15November 1943Uncle Tom's CabinHarriet Beecher StoweEvelyn GoodmanR. H. Livingstone
16December 1943Gulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftDaniel KushnerLillian Chestney
17January 1944The DeerslayerJames Fenimore CooperEvelyn GoodmanLouis Zansky
18March 1944The Hunchback of Notre DameVictor HugoAlfred SundelEvelyn GoodmanAlfred SundelReed Crandall and George Evans
19April 1944Huckleberry FinnMark TwainEvelyn GoodmanLouis ZanskyMike Sekowsky & Frank Giacoia
20June 1944The Corsican BrothersAlexandre Dumas, pèreStephen BurrowsAllen Simon
21July 1944Three Famous Mysteries (The Sign of the Four, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Flayed Hand")Arthur Conan Doyle/Edgar Allan Poe/Guy de MaupassantDan LevinLouis Zansky; Allen Simons; Arnold Hicks
22October 1944The PathfinderJames Fenimore CooperEvelyn GoodmanLouis ZanskyAlfred Sundel (unpublished)Norman Nodel (unpublished)
23July 1945Oliver TwistCharles DickensGeorgina CampbellArnold HicksAlfred SundelReed Crandall and George Evans
24September 1945A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's CourtMark TwainRuth Roche and Tom ScottJack HearneJack Sparling
25October 1945Two Years Before the MastR. H. Dana Jr.Ruth RocheBob Webb (as "Robert Hayward Webb") and David Heames
26December 1945FrankensteinMary W. ShelleyRuth RocheBob Webb (as "Robert Hayward Webb") and Ann Brewster
27April 1946The Adventures of Marco PoloMarco Polo; Donn ByrneEmanuel DembyHomer Fleming
28June 1946Michael StrogoffJules VernePat AdamsArnold Hicks
29July 1946The Prince and the PauperMark TwainScott Feldman and Jack BassArnold Hicks
30September 1946The MoonstoneWilkie CollinsDan LevinDon Rico
31October 1946The Black ArrowRobert Louis StevensonTom Scott and Ruth RocheArnold Hicks
32December 1946Lorna DooneR. D. BlackmoreRuth RocheMatt Baker
33January 1947The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles)Arthur Conan DoyleLouis Zansky with Henry C. Kiefer
34February 1947Mysterious IslandJules VerneManning StokesDavid Heames; Bob Webb (as "Robert Hayward Webb")
35(March 1947)The Last Days of PompeiiEdward Bulwer-LyttonI. ThosHenry C. Kiefer (as "H. C. Kiefer")Alfred SundelJack Kirby and Dick Ayers
36(April 1947)TypeeHerman MelvilleHarry G. MillerEzra Whiteman
37(May 1947)The PioneersJames Fenimore CooperSam WillinskyRudy Palais
38(June 1947)The Adventures of CelliniJohn Addington SymondsLeslie KatzAugust FroehlichAlfred SundelDino Battaglia
39(July 1947)Jane EyreCharlotte BrontëHarry G. Miller (as "Harry Glickman")Harley GriffithsAlfred SundelH. J. Kihl
40(August 1947)Mysteries ("The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall," "The Fall of the House of Usher")Edgar Allan PoeSamuel WillinskyAugust Froehlich; Henry C. Kiefer; Harley Griffiths
41(September 1947)Twenty Years AfterAlexandre Dumas, pèreHarry G. MillerRobert C. Burns
42The Swiss Family RobinsonJonathan WyssElspeth CampbellHenry C. KieferNorman Nodel
43(November 1947)Great ExpectationsCharles DickensHenry C. Kiefer
44(December 1947)Mysteries of ParisEugene SueAlbert AvitabileHenry C. Kiefer
45(January 1948)Tom Brown's School DaysThomas HughesHomer FlemingAlfred SundelJohn Tartaglione
46KidnappedRobert Louis StevensonJohn O'RourkeBob Webb and David Heames
47Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaJules VerneHenry C. Kiefer
48David CopperfieldCharles DickensGeorge LipscombHenry C. Kiefer
49Alice in WonderlandLewis CarrollAlex Blum
50Tom SawyerMark TwainHarry G. MillerAldo Rubano
51The SpyJames Fenimore CooperArnold Hicks
52(October 1948)The House of the Seven GablesNathaniel HawthorneJohn O'RourkeHarley GriffithsGeorge Woodbridge
53(November 1948)Christmas CarolCharles DickensGeorge LipscombHenry C. Kiefer
54(December 1948)The Man in the Iron MaskAlexandre Dumas, pèreJohn O'RourkeAugust FroehlichKen Battefield
55(January 1949)Silas MarnerGeorge EliotHarry G. Miller (as "Harry Glickman")Arnold Hicks
56(February 1949)Toilers of the SeaVictor HugoHarry G. Miller (as "Harry Glickman")August FroehlichAlfred SundelAngelo Torres
57(March 1949)The Song of HiawathaHenry Wadsworth LongfellowAlex Blum
58(April 1949)The PrairieJames Fenimore CooperRudy Palais (as "Rudolph Palais")
59Wuthering HeightsEmily BrontëHarry G. Miller (as "Harry Glickman")Henry C. Kiefer
60(June 1949)Black BeautyAnna SewellAugust FroehlichAlfred SundelL. B. Cole, Norman Nodel, and Stephen Addeo
61The Woman in WhiteWilkie CollinsJohn O'RourkeAlex Blum
62(August 1949)Western Stories ("The Luck of Roaring Camp," "The Outcasts of Poker Flat")Bret HarteHenry C. Kiefer
63The Man Without a CountryEdward Everett HaleJohn O'RourkeHenry C. KieferAlfred SundelAngelo Torres and Stephen Addeo
64Treasure IslandRobert Louis StevensonKen FitchAlex Blum
65Benjamin Franklin – AutobiographyBenjamin FranklinAdelaide LeeAlex Blum; Robert Hebberd; Gus Schrotter (as "Gustave Schrotter")
66(December 1949)The Cloister and the HearthCharles ReadeLeslie KatzHenry C. Kiefer
67The Scottish ChiefsJane PorterJohn O'RourkeAlex Blum
68Julius CaesarWilliam ShakespeareHenry C. KieferAlfred SundelReed Crandall and George Evans
69Around the World in 80 DaysJules VerneHenry C. Kiefer
70The PilotJames Fenimore CooperAlex Blum
71(May 1950)The Man Who LaughsVictor HugoAlex BlumAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
72The Oregon TrailFrancis ParkmanJohn O'RourkeHenry C. Kiefer
73(July 1950)The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas, pèreKen FitchAlex Blum
74(August 1950)Mr Midshipman EasyFrederick MarryatKen FitchBob Lamme
75(September 1950)The Lady of the LakeWalter ScottGeorge LipscombHenry C. Kiefer
76The Prisoner of ZendaAnthony HopeKen FitchHenry C. Kiefer
77The IliadHomerAlex Blum
78Joan of Arc---Sam WillinskyHenry C. Kiefer
79Cyrano de BergeracEdmond RostandKen FitchAlex Blum
80(February 1951)White FangJack LondonKen FitchAlex Blum
81The OdysseyHomerHarley Griffiths
82The Master of BallantraeRobert Louis StevensonKen FitchLawrence Dresser
83(May 1951)The Jungle BookRudyard KiplingAlex Blum; William BossertNorman Nodel
84(June 1951)The Gold Bug and Other StoriesEdgar Allan PoeAlex Blum
85The Sea WolfJack LondonJohn O'RourkeAlex Blum
86Under Two FlagsOuidaKen Fitch (as "Kenneth W. Fitch")Maurice Del Bourgo; John Bulthuis
87A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam ShakespeareSam WillinskyAlex Blum
88Men of IronHoward PyleJohn O'RourkeLawrence Dresser; Gus Schrotter (as "Gustav Schrotter"); Harry Daugherty
89Crime and PunishmentDostoyevskyRudy Palais (as "Rudolph Palais")
90Green MansionsW H HudsonGeorge LipscombAlex Blum
91The Call of the WildJack LondonKen FitchMaurice Del Bourgo
92The Courtship of Miles Standish and EvangelineLongfellowAlex Blum
93Pudd'nhead WilsonSamuel L ClemensHenry C. Kiefer
94David BalfourRobert Louis StevensonRudy Palais
95May 1952All Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria RemarqueKen FitchMaurice Del Bourgo
96Daniel BooneJohn BakelessKen FitchAlex Blum
97King Solomon's MinesH. Rider HaggardKen Fitch (as "Kenneth W. Fitch")Henry C. Kiefer (as "H. C. Kiefer")
98The Red Badge of CourageStephen CraneGus Schrotter (as "Gustav Schrotter")
99HamletWilliam ShakespeareSam WillinskyAlex Blum
100Mutiny on the BountyCharles Nordhoff & James Norman HallKen FitchMorris Waldinger
101William TellFrederick SchillerKen FitchMaurice Del Bourgo
102The White CompanyArthur Conan DoyleKen FitchAlex Blum
103Men Against the SeaCharles Nordhoff & James Norman HallKen FitchRudy Palais
104Bring 'Em Back AliveFrank Buck and Edward AnthonyKen FitchHenry C. Kiefer
105From the Earth to the MoonJules VerneAlex Blum
106Buffalo Bill(Uncredited; possibly based on An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill by William Cody)Maurice Del Bourgo
107King of the Khyber RiflesTalbot MundySy Moskowitz
108Knights of the Round Table(Uncredited; based in part on The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle)Alex Blum
109Pitcairn's IslandCharles Nordhoff & James Norman HallKen FitchRudy Palais
110(August 1953)A Study in ScarletArthur Conan DoyleKen FitchSy Moskowitz
111The TalismanWalter ScottKen Fitch (as "Kenneth W. Fitch")Sy Moskowitz (as "Seymour Moskowitz")
112The Adventures of Kit CarsonEdward EllisKen Fitch (as "Kenneth W. Fitch")Rudy Palais
113The Forty Five GuardsmenAlexandre Dumas, pèreKen FitchMaurice Del Bourgo
114The Red RoverJames Fenimore CooperPete Costanza
115How I Found LivingstoneHenry M StanleySal Trapani and Sal Finocchiaro
116The Bottle Imp (also "The Beach of Falesá")Robert Louis StevensonLou Cameron
117Captains CourageousRudyard KiplingIra ZweifachPete Costanza
118Rob RoyWalter ScottHarry G. MillerRudy Palais and Walter Palais
119Soldiers of FortuneRichard Harding DavisHarry G. MillerKurt Schaffenberger
120HurricaneCharles Nordhoff & James Norman HallHarry G. MillerLou Cameron
121Wild Bill HickokWild Bill HickokIra ZweifachMedio Iorio and Sal Trapani
122The MutineersCharles Boardman HawesHarry G. MillerPete Costanza
123Fang and ClawFrank BuckLin Streeter
124The War of the WorldsH. G. WellsHarry G. MillerLou Cameron
125The Ox-Bow IncidentWalter Van Tilburg ClarkLorenz GrahamNorman Nodel
126The DownfallÉmile ZolaLou Cameron
127The King of the MountainsEdmond About (translated by Mary Louise Booth)Norman Nodel
128MacbethWilliam ShakespeareLorenz GrahamAlex Blum
129(November 1955)Davy Crockett(Uncredited; based on A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee by Davy Crockett)Lou Cameron
130Caesar's Conquests (see also Caesar's Civil War)Julius CaesarAnnette T. RubensteinJoe Orlando
131The Covered WagonEmerson HoughAnnette T. RubensteinNorman Nodel
132The Dark FrigateCharles Boardman HawesAnnette T. RubinsteinEd Waldman; Bob Webb
133The Time MachineH. G. WellsLorenz GrahamLou Cameron
134Romeo and JulietWilliam ShakespeareGeorge Evans
135WaterlooChatrian ErckmannGraham Ingels
136Lord JimJoseph ConradGeorge Evans
137The Little SavageFrederick MarryatGeorge Evans
138Journey to the Center of the EarthJules VerneNorman Nodel
139Reign of TerrorG. A. HentyGeorge Evans
140On Jungle TrailsFrank BuckNorman Nodel
141Castle DangerousWalter ScottStan Campbell
142Abraham Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln: A Biography)Benjamin P. ThomasNorman Nodel
143KimRudyard KiplingJoe Orlando
144First Men in the MoonH. G. WellsGeorge Woodbridge; Al Williamson; Angelo Torres; Roy Krenkel
145The CrisisWinston ChurchillGeorge Evans
146With Fire and SwordHenryk SienkiewiczBetty JacobsonGeorge Woodbridge
147Ben HurLew WallaceBetty JacobsonJoe Orlando
148BuccaneerBased on the Cecil B. DeMille film, which was in turn based on the novel Lafitte the Pirate by Lyle SaxonBob Jenney; George Evans
149Off on a CometJules VerneGerald McCann
150The VirginianOwen WisterNorman Nodel
151Won by the SwordG. A. HentyJohn Tartaglione
152Wild Animals I Have KnownErnest Thompson SetonL. B. Cole
153The Invisible ManH. G. WellsAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
154The Conspiracy of PontiacFrancis ParkmanAlfred SundelGerald McCann
155The Lion of the NorthG. A. HentyAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
156The Conquest of MexicoBernal Diaz Del CastilloAlfred SundelBruno Premiani
157The Lives of the HuntedErnest Thompson SetonAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
158The ConspiratorsAlexandre Dumas, pèreAlfred SundelGerald McCann
159The OctopusFrank NorrisAlfred SundelGray Morrow
160The Food of the GodsH. G. WellsAlfred SundelTony Tallarico
161CleopatraH. Rider HaggardAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
162Robur the ConquerorJules VerneAlfred SundelDon Perlin
163The Master of the WorldJules VerneAlfred SundelGray Morrow
164The Cossack ChiefNikolai GogolAlfred SundelSid Miller
165The Queen's NecklaceAlexandre Dumas, pèreAlfred SundelGray Morrow
166Tigers and TraitorsJules VerneAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
167(August 1967)FaustGoetheAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
168Winter 1969In Freedom's CauseG. A. HentyAlfred SundelGeorge Evans; Reed Crandall
169Spring 1969Negro Americans, the Early Years(biographical sketches of Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem, Prince Hall, Prince Whipple, Oliver Cromwell, Spy James, Deborah Gannett, Benjamin Banneker, Phillis Wheatley, James Beckwourth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, William Carney, Martin Delany, Charles H. Davis, Henry Flipper, Isaiah Dorman, Nat Love, Daniel Hale Williams, Elijah McCoy, Garrett A. Morgan, Granville T. Woods, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, and Matthew Henson)Deena WeintraubNorman Nodel; Martin Nodell; Gray Morrow170November 2007

''Classics Illustrated Special Issue''

Publication dates from Classics Central.

IssueOriginal publicationTitleChaptersAuthorIllustrator(s)Notes
129ADecember 1955The Story of JesusN/ALorenz GrahamWilliam A. Walsh & Alex Blum
132AJune 1956The Story of AmericaThe Man Who Discovered America, The Birth of America, Paul Revere's Ride, The Star Spangled BannerLou Cameron
135A(December 1956)The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, Joseph and His BrethrenLorenz GrahamNorman Nodel
138AJune 1957Adventures in ScienceThe Story of Flight, Andy's Atomic Adventure, The Discoveries of Louis Pasteur, From Tom Tom to TVPete Costanza
141ADecember 1957The Rough RiderThe Rough RiderBiography of Theodore Roosevelt; "prepared in cooperation with the Theodore Roosevelt Centennial Commission."
144AJune 1958Blazing the Trails West"Gold, Fur and Freedom"; "Daniel Boone"; "The Lewis and Clark Expedition"; "The Santa Fe Trail"; "Fur and Mountains"; "Kit Carson"; "Texas and the Alamo"; "The Mexican War"
147ADecember 1958Crossing the RockiesThe Oregon Trail, Death and the Donners, This Is the Place, The Gold Rush, The Apache Wars, The Overland Mail, The Pony Express, Bound by RailsDon Perlin, Norman Nodel; George Evans; Reed Crandall; Joe Orlando
150AJune 1959Royal Canadian Mounted Police"March to Fort Whoop-Up"; "Pony soldiers"; "Indians and outlaws"; "Unrest and rebellion"; "Patrolling the prairies"; "The gold rush"; "Into the far North"; "The modern Mountie"; "Manhunt!"; "Molding a Mountie"Sam Glanzman; Graham Ingels; Sid Check; Stan Campbell; Ray Ramsey; Norman Nodel
153ADecember 1959Men, Guns and CattleHorns and Hoofs, Iron Fisted Marshall, Wild Bill Hickok, The Chisholm Trail, The Lincoln County War, Dodge City Lawman, The Last Warpath, The West's Wildest Town, The Death of Tombstone, Koohoppers and Cactus Cats, The Closing FrontierGeorge Evans; Gerald McCann; Everett Kinstler; Norman Nodel; George Peltz
156AJune 1960The Atomic AgeAdventure North, The Smallest Particle, Inside the Atom, The Atomic Furnace, The Magic Mineral, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, Atoms for Power, The Radioscope, Atoms and Industry, Atoms and Agriculture, Atoms and Medicine, The Healing Rays, The Atom TomorrowNorman Nodel; Bruno Premiani; Sam Glanzman; Everett Kinstler; George Evans
159ADecember 1960Rockets, Jets and MissilesThe Flight of the X-1, Space Talk, The Jet Is Born, Space Talk, Jet Engines, Jets Around the World, Space Talk, Rockets Through Time, Space Talk, The Wizard of Worcester, Space Talk, Rocket Engines, Don't Do It Yourself, Space Talk, Rockets and Missiles Around the World, Artificial Moons, Space Talk, Seven for Space, Space Talk, Off Into Orbit, Space Talk, Doorway Into TomorrowGeorge Evans; Sam Glanzman; H. J. Kihl; Gerald McCann; Jack Abel; Gray Morrow
162AJune 1961The War Between the StatesApril, 1861: Fort Sumter, The Causes, July, 1861: Bull Run, Battle Report, April, 1862: Shiloh, April, 1862: New Orleans, April–July, 1862: The Peninsula, July, 1862: Kentucky, Battle Report, June, 1863: Brandy Station, June–July, 1863: Gettysburg, April–July, 1863: Vicksburg, September–November, 1863: Chattanooga, Battle Report, May–September, 1864: Georgia, October, 1864: The Atlantic, November, 1864: New York City, April, 1865: Appomattox Court House, Final Report, ReconstructionJack Kirby & Dick Ayers; Sam Glanzman; Till Gooden; George Peltz; George Evans & Reed Crandall; Edd Ashe; John Tartaglione; Pete Morisi
165ADecember 1961To the StarsMan in the Skies, Earth in Space, The Magic Eye, The Giant of Palomar, Our Neighbor—the Moon, The Copper Moon, The Inner Planets: The Gods' Messenger, The Inner Planets: The Goddess, The Inner Planets: The Green World, The Inner Planets: The Red Planet, The Giants, The Georgian Planet, Uranus, Neptune, Planet X, Pluto, Are There Other Planets?, Fiery Streaks and Tails, Figures in the Sky, Star Facts, Our Nearest Star, The Disappearing Sun, Light Years, The Universe, The Universe and LifeAngelo Torres; George Evans; Reed Crandall; Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers; Sam Glanzman; Jo Albistur; Charles Berger; Norman Nodel
166A1962World War IIWorld War II, The Fuehrer, War on the High Seas, Il Duce, The Conquest of Western Europe, The Battle of Britain, Warships and Wolf Packs, The Resistance, The Eastern Front, The Big Three, War in the Pacific, The Doolittle Raid, The Coral Sea and Midway, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, War Leaders, Stalingrad, War Leaders, Lidice and Warsaw, The Death Camps, North Africa, War Leaders, The Italian Campaign, Blockbusters and Buzz Bombs, The Normandy Invasion, The Battle of the Bulge, Victory in Europe, War Leaders, Leyte Gulf, The Mainland War, War Leaders, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Victory in the Pacific, Crimes Against HumanityAngelo Torres; George Evans; John Tartaglione; Norman Nodel
167AJuly 1962Prehistoric WorldIn Search of the Past, Survival of the Fittest, The Wonderful Earth Movie, The First Fishes, Living on Land, The Dinosaurs, Reptiles of the Sea and Air, A Missing Link, Mammals, Bones and Stones, The Treasure of Flaming Cliffs, End of an Era, The Age of the Mammals, Prehistoric Man, The Bulls of Altamira, The Dawn Men, Neanderthal Man, Homo Sapiens, Cro-Magnon Man, The Reindeer Age, The Races of Man, The Early Farmers, The Long Journeys: Into America, Into Africa, The Mixing of Peoples, Across the Pacific, The Stone Builders, The Fuegian Experiment, Primitives TodayAngelo Torres; Reed Crandall; George Evans; Norman Nodel; Jo Albistur; Gerald McCann; Norman Nodel

Thorpe & Porter new issues

IssueOriginal publicationTitleAuthorAdaptationIllustrator
143(1962)Sail with the DevilDaniel DefoeAlfred SundelNorman Light
146(1962)Adventures of Baron MunchausenRudolf Erich RaspeDenis Gifford
147(1962)Through the Looking-GlassLewis CarrollJennifer RobertsonJennifer Robertson
148(1962)Nights of TerrorWilkie CollinsAlfred SundelMick Anglo
"A Terribly Strange Bed"
"The Signal-Man"Charles Dickens
149(1962)The Gorilla HuntersR. M. BallantyneAlfred Sundel
150(1962)The Canterville GhostOscar WildeAlfred SundelMick Anglo
156(1962)The Dog CrusoeR. M. BallantyneAlfred SundelNorman Light
1571962The Queen of SpadesAlexander PushkinAlfred Sundel
158A(December 1962)Doctor NoIan FlemingAlfred SundelNorman Nodel
159(1963)Master and ManLeo TolstoyAlfred Sundel
161(1963)The AeneidVirgilAlfred SundelReed Crandall
162(1963)Saga of the NorthPierre LotiAlfred SundelTomás Porto
163(June 1963)The ArgonautsApollonius of RhodesAlfred Sundel

''Double Duo'' issues

IssuePub. dateTitleAuthorAdaptationIllustratorOriginal publication (date)
11976"Voyages to the Far East"Fernão Mendes PintoAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #175 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
"The Brigands"Marie-Henri BeyleAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #172 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
21976"The Attack on the Mill"Émile ZolaSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #177 (Illustrerade Klassiker, 1964)
Escape of the IncaWilliam H. PrescottSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #180 (Williams Förlags AB, 1965)
31976March of the Ten ThousandXenophonAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #170 (Illustrerade Klassiker, 1964)
Ship from Buenos AiresHerman MelvilleAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #171 (Illustrerade Klassiker, 1964)
41976"The Open Boat"Stephen CraneAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #169 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
The Denver ExpressAugustus Allen HayesAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #179 (Williams Förlags AB, 1965)
51976Sailing Uncharted WatersAntonio Pigafetta (journal); John Fiske (book)Spanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #182 (Williams Förlags AB, 1965)
The Burma RoadSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #202 (Williams Förlags AB, 1969)
61976"The Blue Hotel"Stephen CraneAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #173 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
A Terrible VengeanceNikolai GogolAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #167 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
71976Battle of JerusalemFlavius JosephusSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #201 (Williams Förlags AB, 1969)
The Castle of OtrantoHorace WalpoleSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #174 (Illustrerade Klassiker, 1964)
81976The Conquest of PeruWilliam H. PrescottAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #166 (Illustrerade Klassiker, 1964)
The Wandering HorsemanNikolai LeskovSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #181 (Williams Förlags AB, 1965)
91977The Death of Captain CookJames CookAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #165 (Illustrerade klassiker, 1964)
The Young CarthaginianG. A. HentyAlfred SundelSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #204 (Williams Förlags AB, 1970)
101977Quest for the GrailWolfram von EschenbachSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #203 (Williams Förlags AB, 1969)
The Seven That Were HangedLeonid AndreyevSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #205 (Williams Förlags AB, 1970)
111977Wreck of Sao JaoBernardo Gomes de BritoSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #188 (Williams Förlags AB, 1966)
Warlord of MexicoDiego DuránSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #187 (Williams Förlags AB, 1966)
121977Martin EdenJack LondonSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #192 (Williams Förlags AB, 1967)
"Apostle of the Indies" (based on The Discovery of America)John FiskeSpanish studioIllustrerade klassiker #191 (Williams Förlags AB, 1966)

First Comics run

The authorship is based on the Grand Comics Database.

IssuePub. dateTitleAuthorAdaptationIllustrator
1Feb. 1990The Raven and Other PoemsEdgar Allan PoeGahan WilsonGahan Wilson
2Feb. 1990Great ExpectationsCharles DickensRick GearyRick Geary
3Feb. 1990Through the Looking-GlassLewis CarrollKyle BakerKyle Baker
4Feb. 1990Moby-DickHerman MelvilleDan Chichester & Bill SienkiewiczBill Sienkiewicz
5Mar. 1990HamletWilliam ShakespeareSteven GrantTom Mandrake
6Mar. 1990The Scarlet LetterNathaniel HawthorneP. Craig RussellJill Thompson
7Apr. 1990The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas (père)Steven GrantDan Spiegle
8Apr. 1990Dr. Jekyll & Mr. HydeRobert Louis StevensonJohn K. Snyder IIIJohn K. Snyder III
9May 1990The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark TwainMike PloogMike Ploog
10June 1990The Call of the WildJack LondonCharles DixonRicardo Villagran
11July 1990Rip Van WinkleWashington IrvingJeffrey BuschJeffrey Busch
12Aug. 1990The Island of Doctor MoreauH. G. WellsSteven GrantEric Vincent
13Sept. 1990Wuthering HeightsEmily BrontëRick GearyRick Geary
14Oct. 1990The Fall of the House of UsherEdgar Allan PoeP. Craig RussellP. Craig Russell and Jay Geldhof
15Nov. 1990The Gift of the Magi and Other StoriesO. HenryGary GianniGary Gianni
16Dec. 1990A Christmas CarolCharles DickensJoe StatonJoe Staton
17Jan. 1991Treasure IslandRobert Louis StevensonPat BoyettePat Boyette
18Feb. 1991The Devil's Dictionary and Other WorksAmbrose BierceGahan WilsonGahan Wilson
19Feb. 1991The Secret AgentJoseph ConradJohn K. Snyder IIIJohn K. Snyder III
20Mar. 1991The Invisible ManH. G. WellsRick GearyRick Geary
21Mar. 1991Cyrano de BergeracEdmond RostandPeter DavidKyle Baker
22Apr. 1991The Jungle BooksRudyard KiplingJeffrey BuschJeffrey Busch
23Apr. 1991Robinson CrusoeDaniel DefoeSam WrayPat Boyette
24May 1991The Rime of the Ancient MarinerSamuel Taylor ColeridgeDean MotterDean Motter
25May 1991IvanhoeSir Walter ScottMark Wayne HarrisRay Lago
26June 1991Aesop's FablesAesopEric VincentEric Vincent
27June 1991The JungleUpton SinclairPeter KuperPeter Kuper

Acclaim Books new issues

IssuePub. dateTitleAuthorAdaptationIllustrator(s)
59February 1998Henry IV, Part 1William ShakespeareGregory FeeleyPat Broderick
61February 1998Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassFrederick DouglassLen Wein & Christine ValladaJamal Igle, Ravil Lopez, and Mike DeCarlo
62February 1998The Scarlet PimpernelBaroness OrczyMadeleine RobinsPat Broderick & Ralph Reese

Papercutz''Classics Illustrated Deluxe'' graphic novels

VolumePub. dateTitleAuthorAdaptationIllustrator(s)
12008The Wind in the WillowsKenneth GrahameMichael PlessixMichael Plessix
22008Tales from the Brothers GrimmThe Brothers GrimmMazan, Philip Petit, and Cecile ChicaultMazan, Philip Petit, and Cecile Chicault
32009FrankensteinMary ShelleyMarion MousseMarion Mousse
42009The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark TwainJean-David Morvan and Frederique VoulyzeSeverine Le Fevebvre
52010Treasure IslandRobert Louis StevensonDavid ChauvelFred Simon
62011The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas (père)Jean-David Morvan and Michel DufranneRubén
72011Around the World in Eighty DaysJules VerneLoïc DauvillierAude Soleilhac
82012Oliver TwistCharles DickensLoïc DauvillierOlivier Deloye
92012Scrooge: A Christmas Carol and "Mugby Junction"Charles DickensRodolpheEstelle Meyrand
102013"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and Other TalesEdgar Allan PoeJean-David Morvan and CorbeyranFabrice Druet and Paul Marcel
112014The Sea-WolfJack LondonRiff Reb'sRiff Reb's
122014The Monkey GodWu Cheng'enJean-David Morvan and Yann Le GalJian Yi

Classic Comic Store [UK], 2008 onwards run

The authorship is based on the information held by Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division in their Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection and/or the copyright information inside the books.

The titles and publication dates are obtained from a personal collection.

IssuePublication DateTitleAuthorUS Issue
1October 2008The War of the WorldsH. G. Wells124
2November 2008Oliver TwistCharles Dickens23
3December 2008Robin Hood(Uncredited)7
4January 2009The Man in the Iron MaskAlexandre Dumas54
5February 2009Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare134
6March 2009Journey to the Center of the EarthJules Verne138
7April 2009Les MisérablesVictor Hugo9
8May 2009The Jungle BookRudyard Kipling83
9June 2009Mutiny on the BountyCharles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall100
10July 2009Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë59
11August 2009Knights of the Round Table(Uncredited)108
12September 2009Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë39
13October 2009FrankensteinMary W. Shelley26
14November 2009The Time MachineH. G. Wells133
15December 2009Christmas CarolCharles Dickens53
16January 2010Moby DickHerman Melville5
17February 2010MacbethWilliam Shakespeare128
18March 2010The Invisible ManH. G. Wells153
19April 2010Huckleberry FinnMark Twain19
20May 2010Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens43
21June 2010Treasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson64
22July 2010Alice in WonderlandLewis Carroll49
23August 2010Black BeautyAnna Sewell60
24September 2010KidnappedRobert Louis Stevenson46
25October 2010The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas1
26November 2010Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The SeaJules Verne47
27December 2010Ben HurLew Wallace147
28January 2011The Last Days of PompeiiEdward Bulwer-Lytton35
29February 2011IvanhoeSir Walter Scott2
30March 2011Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare68
31May 2011Around the World in 80 DaysJules Verne69
32June 2011Nicholas NicklebyCharles DickensNew titleFrom the issue's introduction: "Classic Comic Store has now added the November 1950 [Famous Authors Illustrated] edition of Nicholas Nickleby to the Classics Illustrated series as issue No. 32, the first title in the 48-page series since the 1969 publication of No. 169, Negro Americans:The Early Years. Nicholas Nickleby retains the 1950 [Gustav] Schrotter interior art." ()
33August 2011Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeRobert Louis Stevenson13
34October 2011The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper4
35November 2011Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens6
36December 2011The Hunchback of Notre DameVictor Hugo18
37January 2012A Study in Scarlet (also contains The Speckled Band)Arthur Conan Doyle110
38February 2012The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas3
39April 2012HamletWilliam Shakespeare99
40May 2012David CopperfieldCharles Dickens58
41June 2012First Men in the MoonH. G. Wells144
42July 2012The Ox-Bow IncidentWalter Van Tilburg Clark125
43September 2012Robinson CrusoeDaniel Defoe10
44October 2012The 39 StepsJohn BuchanNew titleFrom the subscriber's letter: "Collectors among you may notice that number 44, John Buchan's The 39 Steps, is our second brand new title to the Classics Illustratedcanon, after introducing Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby as number 32."
45September 2013CleopatraH. Rider Haggard161
46September 2013The Gold Bug and Other Stories (consists of "The Gold-Bug," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Cask of Amontillado")Edgar Allan Poe84
47September 2013Off on a CometJules Verne149
48September 2013The ArgonautsApollonius of RhodesNot issued in the US
49August 2016A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare87
50May 2018In an email sent out on 16 January 2018, Classic Comic Store announced "There are now 4 great new Classics Illustrated Replica titles available to pre-order, as we continue to fill in the gap in our numbering – numbers 50–53 now available for pre-order. Shipping begins in May."The DownfallÉmile Zola126
51May 2018The IliadHomer77
52May 2018The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan Doyle33
53May 2018The OdysseyHomer81
54March 2019Issues 54–55, 72–73 had a release date of May 2019 on the Classic Comic Store website, with "First Published: April 2019" on the copyright notices inside the books, but they were in fact first sent out to purchasers in March 2019.Tom SawyerMark Twain50
55March 2019The Prisoner of ZendaAnthony Hope76
56October 2017From an email in March 2017 from Classic Comic Store: "The 5 titles this October will be All Quiet on the Western Front, Joan of Arc, The Man Who Laughs, Daniel Boone and The Song of Hiawatha. This will take us to number 71 (with All Quiet as 56)."All Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria Remarque95
57August 2016Tom Brown's School DaysThomas Hughes45
58August 2016The Food of the GodsH.G. Wells160
59August 2016Abraham Lincoln(Uncredited)142
60August 2016Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin65
61August 2016Davy CrockettDavid Crockett129
62August 2016Rob RoySir Walter Scott118
63March 2017Buffalo BillWilliam F. Cody106
64March 2017The Adventures of Kit Carson(Uncredited)112
65March 2017The Oregon TrailFrancis Parkman72
66March 2017The PioneersJames Fenimore Cooper37
67March 2017Wild Bill HickokIra Zweifach (adapted by)121
68October 2017Daniel BooneJohn Bakeless96
69October 2017Joan of ArcSamuel Willinsky (adapted by)78
70October 2017The Song of HiawathaHenry Wadsworth Longfellow57
71October 2017The Man Who LaughsVictor Hugo71
72March 2019The AeneidVirgil (adapted from John Dryden's English translation)170This was published in November 2007 in North America by Jack Lake Productions, having previously only being published in the UK.
73March 2019Through the Looking GlassLewis CarrollFirst Comics #3
74June 2022Don QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes11
75June 20223 Famous Mysteries (The Sign of the Four, The Flayed Hand, The Murders in the Rue Morgue)Arthur Conan Doyle/Guy de Maupassant/Edgar Allan Poe21
76June 2022Arabian Nights(Uncredited)8
77June 2022A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's CourtMark Twain24
78July 2023Although the website shows the publication date as 31 July 2023, it was not actually available until OctoberThe Black ArrowRobert Louis Stevenson31
79July 2023Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky89
80July 2023The Red Badge of CourageStephen Crane98
81July 2023The DeerslayerJames Fenimore Cooper17

Classic Comic Store UK run – Notes

In other media

The Classics Illustrated branding was on a series of television films produced from 1977 to 1982 by Schick Sunn Classics; one of the executives at Shick Sunn Classics was Patrick Frawley, who at that point owned the Classics Illustrated brand:

  • Last of the Mohicans (1977)
  • Donner Pass: The Road to Survival (1978)
  • The Time Machine (1978)
  • The Deerslayer (1978)
  • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980)
  • The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981)
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1981)
  • The Fall of the House of Usher (1982)

Explanatory notes

Citations

General and cited references

  • Goulart, Ron. Great American Comic Books. Publications International, Ltd., 2001.
  • Jones, William B. Jr., Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2002). Second edition, 2011.
  • Malan, Dan. The Complete Guide to Classics Illustrated. Classics Central.Com, 2006.
  • Overstreet, Robert M.. Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. House of Collectibles, 2004.
  • Richardson, Donna "Classics Illustrated." American Heritage, Vol. 44.3, May/June 1993.

References

  1. Sawyer, Michael. "Albert Lewis Kanter and the Classics: The Man Behind the Gilberton Company", ''The Journal of Popular Culture'', Spring 1987, Vol. 20, p. 1–18.
  2. and Kanter began promoting the series as an educational tool.Jones, p. 112.
  3. (19 April 1954). "Seduction of the Innocent". Rinehart & Company.
  4. [https://www.comics.org/award/261/ Thomas Alva Edison Foundation National Mass Media Awards], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. Jones, p. 114.
  6. Jones Jr., ''Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History'', p. 315.
  7. (2014). "American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s". TwoMorrows Publishing.
  8. Jones, p. 6.
  9. Jones, Appendix A.
  10. Jones, p. 49.
  11. "First Comics Revives ''Classics Illustrated''", ''The Comics Journal'' #120 (March 1988), p. 12.
  12. "First Comics Revives ''Classics Illustrated'' in January", ''The Comics Journal'' #132 (November 1989), p. 23.
  13. [https://www.comics.org/series/4092/ "Classics Illustrated: First, 1990 series"], Grand Comics Database. Accessed 31 January 2019.
  14. "Classics Illustrated (2007)".
  15. (22 August 2011). "Classics Illustrated Sold - Classics Illustrated Sells its Assets to Chicago Based First Classics, Inc.". PR Newswire.
  16. (20 November 2020). "First Classics Inc and Jack Lake Productions Inc Settle Dispute over Classics Illustrated Comics". PRLog.
  17. "Classics Illustrated Paperback Replica Reissues".
  18. [https://www.comics.org/series/30822/ Classics Illustrated], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  19. [https://www.comics.org/series/23078/ Classics Illustrated], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  20. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/6330/ Williams], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  21. [https://www.comics.org/series/78842/ Stjerneklassiker], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  22. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/6338/ I.K. [Illustrerede klassikere]], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  23. [https://www.comics.org/series/61969/ Illustrerede Klassikere], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  24. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/11038/ Williams France], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  25. [https://www.comics.org/series/168033/ Les classiques illustrés], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  26. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/3529/ Ατλαντίς / Πεχλιβανίδης], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  27. [https://www.comics.org/series/30825/ Sígildar Sögur [Classics Illustrated]], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  28. [https://www.comics.org/series/169224/ Classics Illustrated], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  29. [https://www.comics.org/series/28789/ I Classici Illustrati], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  30. [https://www.comics.org/series/27516/ Clásicos Ilustrados], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  31. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/296/ Classics/Williams], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  32. [https://www.comics.org/series/59931/ Illustrated Classics], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  33. [https://www.comics.org/series/11324/ Illustrerte Klassikere], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  34. [https://www.comics.org/series/43640/ Illustrerte Klassikere [Classics Illustrated]], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  35. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/2125/ Illustrerte Klassikere / Williams Forlag], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  36. [https://www.comics.org/series/58789/ Famous Classics Illustrated], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  37. [https://www.comics.org/series/72204/ Obras-Primas Ilustradas], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  38. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/379/ Williams Förlags AB], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  39. ''Illustrerte Klassikere'' #38 ([[Egmont Serieforlaget]], 2006).
  40. [https://www.comics.org/series/9003/ Illustrerade klassiker], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  41. Elísio dos Santos, Roberto. "Em busca do tempo perdido: No caminho de Swann".
  42. "Clássicos em HQ".
  43. [http://www.universohq.com/noticias/papercutz-obtem-direitos-de-publicacao-das-varias-series-americanas-de-classics-illustrated/ Papercutz obtém direitos de publicação das várias séries americanas de Classics Illustrated ]
  44. "HQM Editora lança Alice Através do Espelho".
  45. [https://www.comics.org/series/23075/ Illustrierte Klassiker [Classics Illustrated]], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  46. [https://www.comics.org/publisher/3532/ BSV - Williams], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  47. [https://www.comics.org/series/88917/ Illustrierte Klassiker], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  48. [https://www.comics.org/series/23076/ Illustrierte Klassiker [Classics Illustrated]], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 27 Apr. 2021.
  49. ''Showcase'' #43 (March–April 1963).
  50. [https://www.comics.org/series/23080/ ''Double Duo'' entry], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  51. (March 2024). "Stalingrad".
  52. (March 2024). "Dunkirk".
  53. (March 2024). "D-Day: The Normandy Invasion".
  54. (March 2024). "Beowulf".
  55. "Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection: Classics Illustrated (1–100)". Michigan State University Libraries.
  56. "Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection: Classics Illustrated (101–169)". Michigan State University Libraries.
  57. "GCD :: Issue :: Classics Illustrated #95 [O] – All Quiet on the Western Front".
  58. [https://www.comics.org/issue/515151/ "Classics Illustrated #168 [O] – In Freedom's Cause,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed 4 December 2019: "Intended for issue in 1962, but issued only in British series until this 1969 issue"
  59. [https://www.comics.org/issue/703284/ "Classics Illustrated #169 [O] – Negro Americans The Early Years,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed 4 December 2019.
  60. "Artist directory for Special Issues and World Around Us". Classics Central.
  61. Jones, ''Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History'' (2002), Appendix F, p. 233.
  62. [https://www.comics.org/series/4092/ "Classics Illustrated: First, 1990 series,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed 30 January 2019.
  63. Translated and reprinted from ''L'Île au trésor, de Robert Louis Stevenson'' ([[Delcourt (publisher). Delcourt]], 2007–2009).
  64. Based in part on ''[[Merry Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' by [[Howard Pyle]]
  65. Based in part on ''The Story of King Arthur and his Knights'' by Howard Pyle
  66. Issue 33 in the US series consisted of ''[[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'', ''[[A Study in Scarlet]]'' and ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' – this UK issue only mentions ''The Hound'' – issue 37 of the UK series contains ''A Study in Scarlet''.
  67. Based on ''A Narrative of the life of Davy Crockett of the State of Tennessee'' by David Crockett
  68. The credits say "Probably based on ''An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill'' by William F. Cody"
  69. Although not credited, this is possibly based on ''The Life of Kit Carson'' by [[Edward S. Ellis]]
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