New York Review Books (NYRB) & Trade Paperback Classics

SHOW NOTES

New York Review Books has an excellent website. I refer you to the site for more info on the information in this podcast. Simenon’s background can be found in the outstanding French biography: Simenon, a Biography by Pierre Assouline (trans. by Jon Rothschild) and from the surprisingly good Wikipedia entry on Simenon. The ^Wikipedia has a great quote from Simenon that I wish I had included in the podcast:

Simenon defined the novel as, "a passion which completely possesses and enslaves the writer and permits him to exorcise his demons by giving them form and casting them out into the world." His novels were about "the naked man, the one who looks at himself in the mirror while shaving and has no illusions about himself."

You’ll also find a list of his best “hard novels” which leaves out a few titles, but is mostly accurate.

I’ve compiled a list of early paperback editions of Simenon’s hard novels (no Maigret’s here) taken from the excellent Jon Warren’s Official Price Guide to Paperbacks (1991). The book has long lost any relevance as a guide to prices, but the publishing information and cover artist listings are still invaluable. Look to the end of the show notes for the listing.

And finally, I’ve compiled a small gallery of excellent covers for the NYRB current lineup. I hope you enjoy them. The LA Times has a good article on the NYRB cover designs which is worth a read.

Select titles and covers from NYRB

Georges Simenon’s Hard Novels (early paperback editions)

1. On the Danger Line Armed Service Edition O-21 (1944?)

2. Danger Ashore. Berkeley 340 1955

3. In Case of Emergency Dell D-279 (movie tie-in). 1959

4. The Witnesses Hillman 100 (Maguire cover) 1957

5. In Case of Emergency MacFadden 50-223 1964

6. Strange Inheritance. PM Books G-128 1958

7. Saint Francis Affair. Pocket 1942

8. The Widow. Popular Library 724. 1956

9. The Snow Was Black. Signet 855 1952

10. The Girl in His Past. Signet 948 1952

11. Act of Passion. Signet 993 1953

12. Four Days in a Lifetime Signet 1073 (Stanley Zuckerberg cover) 1953

13. The Brothers Rico. Signet 1109 1954

14. Strangers in the House Signet 1376 (Robert Schulz cover) 1957

15. The Hitchhiker Signet 1421 (Schulz cover) 1957

16. The Fugitive Signet 1465 (Schulz cover) 1958

Signet 993, 1953 Cover artist unknown