Judge — September 1938 — page 39: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FREE! without— discovery and certain. death! ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NOVELS OF OUR TIME! ~ Within those walls—romance and tenderness; For seven trembling secret weeks they had hidden together in her room, this English officer in a mad daring escape from a German prison camp and this girl of the Berlin streets. Now suspicious police were closing in. “They should have shaken in their shoes, but they made love. They belonged to a generation that got up in the morning and lay down at night with death for its companion...” Finish this breathless story for yourself. Finish it with our compli- ments. For we want to send you FREE this thrilling novel, “Every- thing is Thunder,” by J. L. Hardy, as a demonstration of Mercury Books and the new plan that brings you some of the most exciting novels of recent years at only 25 cents a copy. How we smashed publishing costs to bring you 60,000-word novels at 25 cents each When a new book is published, no one knows bow many copies will be sold. So a first edition of only a few thousand copies is printed. But because of the cost of type, plates, paper, cloth, and binding, the publisher must price the book at $2.50 or more. On most books, the publisher actually loses money. He has to depend on books that have large sales to make up these losses and show any profit on his total business. Each year more than 2,500 new volumes of “fiction are published in the United States. And of these — only one in ten sells as many as 20,000 copies. The Mercury plan smashes this problem of original publishing costs. Each month we se- lect—out of all the thousands of novels pub- lished in the past few years—only one of such genuine merit, so thrilling and exciting, that it is certain to have a large sale when sold at a low price, Then we set this book in new, fresh, clean, easy-to-read type, print it on good but not ex- pensive stock, bind it in an attractive sturdy paper cover in the convenient size of THE AMERICAN MERCURY and THE READER'S DIGEST, and publish 100,000 copies! No wonder ordi- nary publishing costs are knocked into a cocked hat! We bring the cost per copy down so low that we can offer this book to you at 25 cents and still make a small profit on each copy. Publishers cooperate in this plan Right here we want to thank publishers of the selected books for their wonderful cooperation in making these low-cost volumes possible. By taking for themselves and the author a small royalty on each copy, they make these books available to an entirely new audience that up to now has had to be content with mag- azine reading. You will be so delighted with Mercury Books that you will do as thousands of others have done—spread the news of these amazing book values. That’s how Mercury Books, in a few short months, have attained such sales. Already thou- sands of Mercury fanatics besiege newsdealers day af- ter day for the next Mercury Book before its publication date each month. How to get your FREE copy of “Everything is Thunder” To introduce Mercury Books to you, we are making this special offer. We have chosen four of the greatest Mercury successes of the past year and have put them into a handsome library case, Send us the coupon below with only $1 and we will ship you these four books and in- clude with our compliments a copy of “Every- thing is Thunder.” All five books will come in one package—a veritable treat of absorbing fiction. Money back guarantee If, when you have read some or all of these books, you are not entirely satisfied, simply re- turn the 4 books in their container within 10 days, and we will promptly refund your dollar. But keep “Everything is Thunder” for your li- brary. Accept this special offer now, and all five books will be on their way to you by return mail. Mercury Books 570 LEXINGTON AVE., N.Y. C. THESE GREAT THRILLING BOOKS ONLY $]00 Here are the 4 Mercury novels includ- ed in our special introductory offer to demonstrate this new publishing plan: "13 STEPS" by Whitman Chambers. A startling, fast- moving story of metropolitan newspaper tis a breintwiaing plat, « violent , & breathless. murder trial, all gainst the realistic background of the press room. “COMPANY K by Witten March. An unforgettable, rent, moving, shocking story of the Great War, told with a technique new to fiction and a suspense that never lets down to the last page. “THIEVES LIKE US” by Edward Anderson. No story could be more exciting than this thrill-packed novel of a fugit justice and the girl who chanced death with him through ays and nighis of haunting terror. “DIAMOND JIM BRADY" by Parker Morrell. Stranger than fiction robust, scandalous, fascinatini Ste fabulous playboy ina lantasile eras incredible adventures of one of the most bizarre charactors in American history. Mercury Booxs, 570 Lexincron Avenue, New Yorx, N.Y. Please send me the 4 Mercury Books, boxed, and include a copy of “Everything is Thunder” FREE. I enclose $1 (check or money order). 1t is understood that if Lam not eatirely satisfied, I may return the 4 books within 10 days, and you will return my dollar. The gift book I am to keep for my library. CC srReet SEND THIS COUPON NOW comicbooks.com