Avalon Books Explained
Avalon Books (originally Bouregy & Curl) was a small New York-based book publishing imprint owned by Thomas Bouregy & Company.
Established in 1950 by Thomas Bouregy, it would be run by his daughter, Ellen Bouregy Mickelsen, from 1995 to 2012 when it was sold to Amazon.[1] Avalon was an important science fiction imprint in the 1950s and 60s; later its specialty was mystery and romance books.[2]
On June 4, 2012 it was announced that Amazon had purchased the imprint and its back-list of about 3,000 titles. Amazon said it would publish the books through the various imprints of Amazon Publishing.[2]
Science fiction era
In the 1950s and 60s Avalon specialized in science fiction.[3] It issued hardcover material in the genre during the period, particularly in the earlier portion. Avalon issued new titles, reissued out of print titles originally from other publishers, and first editions of material that had previously only seen magazine publication. Frederik Pohl jibed in 1959 that the publisher "seems to be pursuing a policy of printing the worst books by the best writers in science fiction".[4] Its books featured cover art by Ric Binkley, Ed Emshwiller (also known as Emsh), Gray Morrow, and Michael M. Peters. Later, competition with mainstream hardcover and paperback publishers starting their own science fiction lines and the marginal nature of genre publishing in general led to the line being discontinued.
Science fiction authors published by Avalon
Bibliography of Science Fiction books published (by year)
- 1953 (Bourgey/Curl):
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- Planet of Fear (Diane Detzer)
- Polaris and the Immortals (Charles B. Stilson)
- The Day the World Stopped (Stanton A. Coblentz)
- The Return of the Starships (Jorge de Reyna)
- The Stars Will Wait (Henry L. Hasse)
- The Time of the Hedrons (Jack Dennis)
Mystery and Romance era
After the discontinuation of its science fiction line, Avalon specialized in mystery and romance books.[2]
Romance Authors published by Avalon Books
- Alayne Adams
- Lois Carnell Alexander
- Joye Ames
- Jessica Andersen
- Wendy May Andrews
- Gina Ardito
- Heidi Ashworth
- Kat Attalla
- Janet Avery
- Susan Aylworth
- Patricia K. Azeltine
- Zelda Benjamin
- Alison Blake
- Amy Blizzard
- Beate Boeker
- Rebecca L. Boschee
- Loretta Brabant
- Sandra D. Bricker
- Carolyn Brown
- Mark Sydney Burk
- Ludima Gus Burton
- Christine Bush
- Kaye Calkins
- Carolann Camillo
- Carolynn Carey
- Kathy Carmichael
- Margaret Carroll
- Nell Carson
- Sheila Claydon
- Gena Cline
- Karen Cogan
- Janet Cookson
- Nina Cornett
- Annette Couch-Jareb
- Tami Cowden
- Connie Cox
- Jillian Dagg
- Sandra Dark
- Patricia DeGroot
- Roni Denholtz
- Sierra Donovan
- Laurie Alice Eakes
- Glen Ebisch
- Sandra Elzie
- Rachel Evans Wilma Fasano
- Sherry Lynn Ferguson
- Shellie Foltz
- Karen Frisch
- Kathleen Fuller
- Mike Gaherty
- Shelly Galloway
- Darlene Gardner
- Carol Blake Gerrond
- Sue Gibson
- Theresa Goldstrand
- Jean C. Gordon
- Lacey Green
- Sandi Haddad
- Mary Hagen
- Peggy Hansen
- Cheryl Cooke Harrington
- Amanda Harte
- Pat Hines
- Carolyn Hughey
- Phyllis Humphrey
- Carol Hutchens
- Jenny Jacobs
- Noelene Jenkinson
- Cheri Jetton
- Victoria M. Johnson
- Janet Kaderli
- Veronica Kegel-Coon
- Judy Kouzel
- Linda Lattimer
- Mary Leask
- Georgie Lee
- Sheryl Leonard
- Sarita Leone
- Ann LeValley
- Cathy Liggett
- Sandra Livingston
- Kimberly Llewellyn
- CJ Love
- Judith Lown
- Tracey J. Lyons
- Gail MacMillan
- Annette Mahon
- Shirley Marks
- Blanche Marriott
- Beverly Martin-Lowry and Sue Boltz
- Ellen Gray Massey
- Carolyn Matkowsky
- Debby Mayne
- Ilsa Mayr
- Jane McBride Choate
- Elizabeth McBride
- Cathy McDavid
- Terry Zahniser McDermid
- Shelagh McEachern
- Kate McKeever
- Jilliene McKinstry
- Fran McNabb
- Nicola Merrells
- Barbara Meyers
- Kathleen Mix
- Lisa Mondello
- Nancy Morgan
- Jean Ann Moynahan
- Rosemarie Naramore
- Deborah Nolan
- Anne Norman
- Kim O'Brien
- Rebecca K. O'Connor
- Holly O'Dell
- Gerry O'Hara
- Dorothy P. O'Neill
- Robin O'Neill
- Linda L. Paisley
- Nancy J. Parra
- Alba Marie Pastorek
- Jane Myers Perrine
- Nikki Poppen
- Marilyn Prather
- Gaby Pratt
- Bernadette Pruitt
- Kathryn Quick
- Susan Ralph
- Tara Randel
- Carol Reddick
- Shirley Raye Redmond
- Heather Reed
- Sylvia Renfro
- Sarah Richmond
- Sheila Robins
- Jeanne Robinson
- Betsy Rogers
- Elizabeth Rose
- Jocelyn Saint James
- JoAnn Sands
- Lois Schwartz
- Cynthia Scott
- Stephanie Scott
- Bev Sexton
- Fran Shaff
- Marilyn Shank
- Elaine Shelabarger
- Deborah Shelley
- Mary Sheppard
- Victoria Sheringham
- Jennifer Shirk
- Nadia Shworan
- DeAnn Smallwood
- Jeanette Sparks
- Helen Spears
- Constance Sprague
- Angie Stanton
- Christina Starr
- Hazel Statham
- Julie Stone
- Norma Davis Stoyenoff
- Marlene Stringer
- Eva Swain
- Teresa Swift
- Mary Anne Taylor
- Judi Thoman
- Katrina Thomas
- Liz Thompson
- Lynn M. Turner
- Edna Van Leuven
- Joselyn Vaughn
- Joan Vincent
- Sydell Voeller
- Suzanne Walter
- Kim Watters
- Heather S. Webber
- Jan Weeks
- Sandra Wilkins
- Frances Engle Wilson
- Helen Wingo
- Donna Wright
[5]
Notes and References
- Web site: About Us . Avalon Books . June 4, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607032037/http://avalonbooks.com/index.php/about-us . June 7, 2012 .
- Web site: Amazon Buys Avalon Books, Publisher in Romance and Mysteries . June 4, 2012 . Julia Bosman . New York Times . June 4, 2012.
- http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/publisher.cgi?498 AvalonBooks
- "In the Balance", If, July 1959, p.99
- Avalon Books. Web site: Romance Authors . 2012-08-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111011114604/http://www.avalonbooks.com/index.php/authors/all-authors/romanceauthors/menu . 2011-10-11 . Avalon Books, 2012.
