The Killmaster books are all paperbacks, 6 inches in length and 4 inches in breadth. The maximum number of pages is 170.
The cover of a Killmaster book has three distinct blocks:
- At the top of the cover is the series title, in all-caps sans serif font. To the right of the title is a mug-shot of Nick Carter. Not all covers have this mug-shot. In some of the covers, in the middle of the title, is a picture of the American eagle holding a ribbon in its talons. Inside the talons is written A Killmaster Spy Chiller.
- The second block is a picture. More often than not, it shows Nick holding a gun, and a buxom babe — or two, or three — and a huge explosion.
- The third block is the title, all caps, sans serif.
The first page of a book contains an excerpt. The excerpt was frequently edited to have the maximum impact regardless of whether what was written happened in the book or, if it did, happened in the sequence depicted; the publisher was looking for a hook for the readers, and didn’t let consideration for subtlety or accuracy get in the way.
The copyright page contains the acknowledgement: Dedicated to the men of the secret services of the United States of America.
Stay tuned for the next part where I discuss the many faces of Nick Carter.
Hi - great blog.
ReplyDeleteI have got it into my mind to read all the Nick Carter's in chronological order. I have just completed #1 - Run,Spy,Run - and have a query regarding the publication history. The novel was first published in Feb 64 - just 2-3 months after JFK was assassinated. In the novel the villain, Mr. Judas, attempts to bribe Carter into planting a bomb on the US President's plane. Assuming the impetus for writing the Nick Carter series was the success of the first Bond film, Dr No, released in the US in May 63, the manuscript for Run Spy Run must have been written in late 1963. The question is 1) was the novel completed before JFK's assassination and the reference to the President's murder is pure prescience, 2) was the novel almost completed by Nov 63 and reference to JFK's murder inserted and backdated to Sept 63 (the timeline in the novel), 3) was the novel completed between Nov 63 - Feb 64, i.e. after JFK's murder (and also bacdated to Sept 1963). Do you (or anyone out there) have any info on when the contracts for Run Spy Run were signed or the mansucripts drafted? Tks.