Ace Books

• 1. The Double-Bound Beginning

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  Aaron A. Wyn hired editor Donald A. Wollheim in 1952 after a mistaken phone call from his wife Rose. The first book released that year was Keith Vining's Too Hot for Hell paired with Samuel W. Taylor's The Grinning Gismo. These two titles cost thirty-five cents and carried the serial number D-01. Wyn had already published magazines like Ace Mystery and Ace Sports before launching this new company. The format bound both stories upside-down so their covers faced opposite directions. This tête-bêche style became famous even though other publishers used it earlier. Most early books followed this double-bound pattern until 1973 when the practice ended.

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• 2. Science Fiction Takes Over

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  A. E. van Vogt's The World of Null-A appeared in 1953 as Ace's first science fiction title. It was bound with The Universe Maker by the same author. By 1955, more science fiction titles came out each year than mysteries or westerns combined. From 1961 onward, science fiction outnumbered all other genres together. Philip K. Dick, Gordon R. Dickson, and Ursula K. Le Guin published early work through Ace during these years. Ballantine Books shared dominance with Ace throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Other publishers tried to copy their success but never matched their influence. Some juvenile delinquent novels from the era now sell for high prices among collectors.

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• 3. Financial Ruin And Departures

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  Owner A. A. Wyn died in 1967 leaving the company financially overextended. Authors went unpaid for months while contracts remained unsigned. One writer owed three thousand dollars picked fruit just to survive. Donald Wollheim refused to send signed contracts without money for signing bonuses. Terry Carr joined Ace in 1964 and started the Ace Science Fiction Specials line that year. Carr edited annual anthologies called Year's Best Science Fiction alongside Wollheim. Both editors left the company in 1971 after financial troubles worsened. The Lord of the Rings unauthorized edition caused legal issues before being pulled from shelves.

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• 4. The Corporate Ladder Climb

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  Charter Communications acquired Ace Books in New York City in 1969. Grosset & Dunlap bought Charter Communications eight years later in 1977. G. P. Putnam's Sons then purchased Grosset & Dunlap in 1982. Ace became the only profitable part of the Grosset & Dunlap empire by that time. Penguin Group USA acquired the Putnam Berkley Group in 1996. Random House merged with Penguin in 2013 forming Penguin Random House. Susan Allison served as editor-in-chief from 1982 until July 2015. The imprint continues today under the parent company's ownership structure.

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• 5. Editors Who Shaped Genres

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  Jim Baen worked in complaints departments around 1973 before becoming a science fiction editor. He eventually founded Baen Books after leaving Ace. Tom Doherty started Tor Books following his tenure at Ace between 1975 and 1980. Terry Carr returned as freelance editor in 1984 launching new first novel series. William Gibson's Neuromancer appeared in 1984 alongside Kim Stanley Robinson's The Wild Shore. Lucius Shepard and Michael Swanwick also published debut novels through this revived line. Frederik Pohl and Ellen Kushner wrote books while working at the company. Terri Windling edited from 1979 to 1987 helping shape fantasy literature.

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• 6. Collectors Hunt Rare Numbers

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  The D-series began in 1952 with titles priced at thirty-five cents. Letter prefixes indicated price ranges like S-series for twenty-five cents or H-series for sixty cents. Some rare copies in mint condition sell for over one thousand dollars today. The final double-bound book was John T. Phillifent's Life with Lancelot issued in August 1973. Serial number D-599 marked the end of the initial lettered series. Later series used independent numbering systems starting at either one or one hundred and one. Collectors value these vintage editions despite text cuts made without author approval. Isaac Asimov's The Stars Like Dust lost pages when reprinted under a different title.

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