In 1941 the American News Company lost Pocket Books and asked pulp publisher Joseph Meyer to begin a paperback imprint for them to distribute. The result, Avon Books, reflected Meyer's pulp origins with erotic, flashy and brightly colored covers. Most Avons were pulps in paperback form with a heavy emphasis on mystery, fantasy and mild erotica. Only a few Avons, such as the writings of Raymond Chandler and A Merritt have any literary value or significance. They are mostly collected for their covers most of which are unsigned and the artist unknown.
The Raymond Chandler book shown on the Gallery page is of great interest as it is the first paperback issue of The Big Sleep with a knock-out cover to boot. Avon also published several series of Digest size books such as the Avon Fantasy Reader and the Avon Murder Mystery Monthly, which are also highly collectable.
