Publisher:Peter Smith Publisher

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Revision as of 18:20, 28 November 2018 by Pwendt (talk | contribs) (update, mainly on ISBN 0-8446- at ISFDB and WorldCat)
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This page is the wiki-page for the publisher or imprint Peter Smith Publisher. This page may be used for extended notes about the publisher, including alternate names, changes of ownership, associated imprints, locations, etc. The link above leads to the ISFDB publisher record for Peter Smith Publisher. To discuss what should go on this page, use the talk page.

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While a Google search in June 2016 finds an address/phone for them both their regular and FAX numbers play a recording "The number you dialed is not in service."

Peter Smith Publisher
5 Lexington Ave
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930
Phone: (978) 525-3562 (number no longer in service when checked on June 10, 2016)
Fax: (978) 525-3674 (number no longer in service when checked on June 10, 2016)
Established in 1956

The founder Peter Smith died July 17, 1982 at age 85. This New York Times article about Peter Smith says "He collected and sold rare books for 20 years and founded his publishing company in Manhattan in the early 1930's. In 1952, he moved the business to Magnolia, Mass. In the 1950's, at the request of libraries, he began publishing hard-cover editions of paperbound books."

It's possible Peter Smith had a library binding service meaning "Peter Smith" editions would only have his name on the hardcover case and that the title page and other content would be from the original trade-paperback or mass-market-paperback edition. For example, this Edgar Rice Burroughs fan page includes a record for At the Earth's Core / Pellucidar / Tanar of Pellucidar: Three Science Fiction Novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs published by Dover but with 'Peter Smith' on the binding. On ISFDB we have:

  • Arthur Mervyn: Memoirs of the Year 1793 (1963) Notes include: Hardcover edition of Holt's 1962 printing
  • Three Martian Novels (1963) Notes include: Dover listed on the title page. Peter Smith listed only on the spine. Per Heins, Peter Smith had an arrangement with various companies for the binding and reselling of their "quality" paperback editions. This edition was produced from the first Dover printing (1962).
  • Three Martian Novels (1986?) Notes include: Worldcat 15493593 lists this ISBN 0844617792 alongside 0486200396 : 9780486200392 which are for the Dover $5.00 and Dover $6.00 printings. This record also has a cover image that shows the binding though the details are not visible.
  • The Sherwood Ring (1989) Has a clear image of their binding.

As of 2018-11-28, the latter ISFDB publication record (no source stated) reports ISBN 0-8446-6416-2, where 0-8446 fits five other Peter Smith records now in the database. Worldcat library record OCLC: 19977097 seems to report the same edition thus:

"Publisher: Gloucester, MA : P. Smith, 1989."
(no ISBN)

There is no other WorldCat record of The Sherwood Ring from any "Smith" publisher, nor as published in 1989.

Meanwhile no WorldCat reports this ISBN, nor any others of the six ISBN 0-8446- that ISFDB now reports for this publisher. But several other ISBN 0-8446- are reported. For instance,

WorldCat search: ISBN 0-8446-1656-7 (5 records)

Publisher data differs in those 5 records, and some visitors may find it revealing. Indeed, one of the five states "Gloucester, Mass. : Anchor Books, 1978"; one names no publisher.