Robert Hale Ltd. (London, UK)
Series dates: 1958-1959
Size: 5″ x 7.5″
Robert Hale was an employee of the publisher John Long, Ltd. and subsequently worked for Hutchinson, managing the Long imprint, when that firm acquired Long in 1926. Hale eventually moved to Jarrolds, another Hutchinson imprint. In 1936 he founded his own publishing firm. Hale died in 1956 and his son, John took over the firm. (source) The name of the firm continues as an imprint of the Crowood Press.
Hale had a solid list of literary and political titles in its first 25 years and was later known for its list of romance, western, science fiction and topographical series (including the County Books, The Regions of Britain, and the Portrait of series).
A juvenile series called the World Adventure Series, published by the Livingstone Press in London, issued only one title in their series in 1945.
Hale’s World Adventure Series consists of ten titles issued in 1958 and 1959, undoubtedly an attempt, as with the other genre publishing the firm was developing in the 1950s, to establish a foothold in adventure and travel books (which Hale published regularly).
Jackets for the series are unique, but with a common design into which the title, author and a unique illustration are dropped. Jackets are printed in both red and green. The series name appears on the jacket spine and front. This copy of Charles Miller’s Life Among the Cannibals was among the first six titles issued in 1958. The front jacket flap blurbs the book. The price is clipped on this jacket flap.
The back of the jacket lists the first six titles in the series, issued in 1958, with a brief description of each. “Many other volumes in preparation.” The back jacket flap asks the reader to send “a card” requesting information on new books published by Hale.
Despite the claim of “Many other volumes in preparation” only ten titles in all were published in the series, six in 1958 and four in 1959. None seem to be reprinted in the series beyond the initial printings.
1958
Born to Adventure, by Stanton Hope
Jungle Killers, by Attilio Gatti
Life Among the Cannibals, by Charles Miller
Round the World in 465 Days, by Jean and John Creasey
So Noble a Captain, by Charles Mckew Parr
King Of the Arctic, by Charles D. Brower
1959
Jungle Friends, by Osa Helen Johnson
Nepal, Land of Mystery, by Hassoldt Davis
Wild Adventure, by Howard Hill
Wonders of Inagua, by Gilbert Clarence Klingel
Bindings are cloth, in this case, red with black typography. The series name is included on the spine.
The half-title page:
A list of the six 1958 titles in the series faces the title page.
The copyright is to Robert Hale Limited, 1958. “Made and printed in Great Britain by C. Tinling & Co., Ltd., Liverpool, London and Prescott.”
A note ends the book, as with the rear flap of the dust jacket, urging readers to request updates on new books published by Hale.
