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{{Short description|American specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books }}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox publisher
| image        = Ace-books-logo.png
| parent       = [[Berkley Books]] ([[Penguin Random House]])
| founded      = {{start date and age|1952}}
| founder      = [[A. A. Wyn]]
| country      = [[United States]]
| headquarters = [[New York City]]
| keypeople    = [[Ginjer Buchanan]], Editor in Chief
| publications = Books
| genre        = Science fiction
| url          = {{URL|https://www.penguin.com/publishers/berkley/|www.penguin.com}}
}}

'''Ace Books''' is a publisher of [[science fiction]] (SF) and [[fantasy]] books founded in New York City in 1952 by [[A. A. Wyn|Aaron A. Wyn]]. It began as a genre publisher of [[mystery fiction|mysteries]] and [[western (genre)|westerns]], and soon branched out into other genres, publishing its first science fiction title in 1953. This was successful, and science fiction titles outnumbered both mysteries and westerns within a few years. Other genres also made an appearance, including nonfiction, [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] novels, media [[tie-in]] [[novelizations]], and [[romance novel|romances]].  Ace became known for the ''[[dos-à-dos binding#Tête-bêche|tête-bêche]]'' binding format used for many of its early books, although it did not originate the format. Most of the early titles were published in this "Ace Double" format, and Ace continued to issue books in varied genres, bound ''tête-bêche'', until 1973.

Ace, along with [[Ballantine Books]], was one of the leading science fiction publishers for its first ten years of operation. The death of owner A. A. Wyn in 1967 set the stage for a later decline in the publisher's fortunes.  Two leading editors, [[Donald A. Wollheim]] and [[Terry Carr]], left in 1971, and in 1972 Ace was sold to [[Grosset & Dunlap]]. Despite financial troubles, there were further successes, particularly with the third Ace Science Fiction Specials series, for which Carr came back as editor. Further [[mergers and acquisitions]] resulted in the company becoming absorbed by [[Berkley Books]]. Ace later became an [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] of [[Penguin Group|Penguin Group (USA)]].

==History==
===1952: Ace Doubles concept===
[[File:AceD-36ConanCover.jpg|thumb|200px|Ace Double D-36, [[Robert E. Howard]]'s ''[[Conan the Barbarian|Conan]] the Conqueror''. The novel on the reverse side was [[Leigh Brackett]]'s ''The Sword of Rhiannon''. Cover by [[Norman Saunders (artist)|Norman Saunders]].<ref>Nielsen (2007), p. 169.</ref>]]

Editor [[Donald A. Wollheim]] was working at [[Avon (publishers)|Avon Books]] in 1952, but disliked his job. While looking for other work, he tried to persuade [[A. A. Wyn]] to begin a new paperback publishing company. Wyn was already a well-established publisher of books and [[pulp magazine]]s under the name [[A. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers]].<ref name=":6">Tuck (1978), p. 471.</ref> His magazines included ''Ace Mystery'' and ''Ace Sports'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Stephensen-Payne |first=Phil |date=May 11, 2006 |title=Magazine Data File |url=http://www.philsp.com/data/data002.html |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430181533/http://www.philsp.com/data/data002.html |archive-date=April 30, 2006 |access-date=May 11, 2006 |website=Galactic Central}}</ref> and it is perhaps from these titles that Ace Books got its name. Wyn liked Wollheim's idea but delayed for several months; meanwhile, Wollheim was applying for other jobs, including assistant editor at [[Pyramid Books]]. Pyramid mistakenly called Wyn's wife Rose for a reference, thinking Wollheim had worked for her. When Rose told her husband that Wollheim was applying for another job, Wyn made up his mind: he hired Wollheim immediately as an editor.<ref name=":7">Knight (1977), p. 130.</ref>

The first book published by Ace was a pair of mysteries bound ''[[dos-à-dos binding#Tête-bêche|tête-bêche]]'': Keith Vining's ''Too Hot for Hell'', backed with [[Samuel W. Taylor]]'s ''The Grinning Gismo'', priced at 35 [[Cent (currency)|cents]], with serial number D-01.<ref name=":5">Kelley (1982), pp. 1-14.</ref> A ''tête-bêche'' book has the two titles bound upside-down with respect to each other, so that there are two front covers and the two texts meet in the middle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reitz |first=Joan M. |date=June 29, 2023 |title=ODLIS T |url=https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_t.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327014016/https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_t.html |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=odlis.abc-clio.com}}</ref> This format is generally regarded as an innovation of Ace's; it was not, but Ace published hundreds of titles bound this way over the next twenty-one years.<ref>Corrick (1989), pp. 6-10.</ref>  Books by established authors were often bound with those by lesser-known writers.<ref>Wollheim (1989), p. 5.</ref> Ace was "notorious for cutting text", in the words of bibliographer James Corrick: even some novels labeled "Complete and Unabridged" were cut.<ref name=":4">Corrick (1989), p. 11.</ref>  Isaac Asimov's ''The Stars Like Dust'' was one such: it was reprinted by Ace under the title ''The Rebellious Stars'', and cuts were made without Asimov's approval.<ref>Asimov (1980), p. 16.</ref>  Similarly John Brunner repudiated the text of his novel ''Castaway's World'' because of unauthorized cuts to the text.<ref name=":4" />

Some important titles in the early D-series novels are D-15, which features [[William S. Burroughs]]'s first novel, ''[[Junkie (novel)|Junkie]]'' (written under the pseudonym "William Lee"), and many novels by [[Philip K. Dick]], [[Robert Bloch]], [[Harlan Ellison]], [[Harry Whittington (author)|Harry Whittington]], and [[Louis L'Amour]], including those written under his pseudonym "Jim Mayo".<ref name = "Canja_Collectable">Canja (2002)</ref>

The last Ace Double in the first series was John T. Phillifent's ''Life with Lancelot'', backed with [[William Barton (writer)|William Barton]]'s ''Hunting on Kunderer'', issued August 1973 (serial #48245). Although Ace resumed using the "Ace Double" name in 1974, the books were arranged conventionally rather than ''tête-bêche''.<ref>Corrick (1989), pp. 12, 63.</ref>

===1953–1963: Genre specialization===
Ace's second title was a western (also ''tête-bêche''): [[William Colt MacDonald]]'s ''Bad Man's Return'', bound with [[J. Edward Leithead]]'s ''Bloody Hoofs''.<ref name=":5" /> Mysteries and westerns alternated regularly for the first thirty titles, with a few books not in either genre, such as [[P. G. Wodehouse]]'s ''[[Quick Service]]'', bound with his ''[[The Code of the Woosters]]''. In 1953, [[A. E. van Vogt]]'s ''[[The World of Null-A]]'', bound with his ''The Universe Maker'', appeared; this was Ace's first foray into science fiction. (Earlier in 1953, Ace had released [[Theodore S. Drachman]]'s ''Cry Plague!'', with a plot that could be regarded as science fiction, but the book it was bound with—[[Leslie Edgley]]'s ''The Judas Goat''—is a mystery.) Another science fiction double followed later in 1953, and science fiction rapidly established itself, alongside westerns and mysteries, as an important part of Ace's business.<ref>Corrick (1989), pp. 9-10.</ref> By 1955, the company released more science fiction titles each year than in either of the other two genres, and from 1961 onward, science fiction titles outnumbered mysteries and westerns combined. Ace also published a number of lurid [[juvenile delinquent]] novels in the 1950s that are now very collectible, such as D-343, ''The Young Wolves'' by Edward De Roo and D-378, ''Out for Kicks'' by Wilene Shaw.<ref name = "Canja_Collectable"/>

With [[Ballantine Books]], Ace was the dominant American science fiction paperback publisher in the 1950s and 1960s. Other publishers followed their lead, catering to the increasing audience for science fiction, but none matched the influence of either company.<ref>Edwards & Nicholls (1993), p. 977.</ref>  Ace published, during this period, early work by [[Philip K. Dick]], [[Gordon R. Dickson]], [[Samuel R. Delany]], [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], and [[Roger Zelazny]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Culture : Ace Books : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|url = https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ace_books|website = Science Fiction Encyclopedia|access-date = July 26, 2015|last1 = Nicholls|first1 = Peter|last2 = Edwards|first2 = Malcolm}}</ref>

===1964–1970: Financial struggles===
[[File:AceRussChaosDiedCover.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Joanna Russ]]'s ''[[And Chaos Died]]'' (1970), from the first [[Ace Science Fiction Specials|Ace Science Fiction Special]] series. Cover by [[Leo and Diane Dillon]].]]

In 1964, science fiction author [[Terry Carr]] joined the company, and in 1967, he initiated the [[Ace Science Fiction Specials]] line, which published critically acclaimed original novels by such authors as [[R. A. Lafferty]], [[Joanna Russ]] and [[Ursula K. Le Guin]].  Carr and Wollheim also co-edited an annual ''Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthology series; and Carr also edited ''Universe'', a well-received original anthology series. ''Universe'' was initially published by Ace, although when Carr left in 1971 the series moved elsewhere.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|first1 = Malcolm|last1 = Edwards|last2 = Clute|first2 = John|title = Authors : Carr, Terry |url = https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/carr_terry|website = Science Fiction Encyclopedia|access-date = June 13, 2015}}</ref>

In 1965, Ace published an unauthorized American paperback edition of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], believing that the copyright had expired in the U.S.  Tolkien had not wanted to publish a paperback edition, but changed his mind after the Ace edition appeared, and an authorized paperback edition was subsequently published by [[Ballantine Books]], which included on the back cover of the paperbacks a message urging readers not to buy the unauthorized edition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Margaret |date=November 24, 2014 |title=J.R.R. Tolkien – Paperbacks and Copyright |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/11/j-r-r-tolkien-paperbacks-and-copyright/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713131235/https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/11/j-r-r-tolkien-paperbacks-and-copyright/ |archive-date=July 13, 2022 |work=In Custodia Legis |access-date=July 2, 2023 |publisher=The [[Library of Congress]]}}</ref>  Ace agreed to pay royalties to Tolkien and let its still-popular edition go out of print.<ref>{{cite web|author=Reynolds, Pat |year=2004 |title=The Lord of the Rings: The Tale of a Text |url=http://www.tolkiensociety.com/tolkien/tale.html |access-date=May 10, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908022929/http://www.tolkiensociety.com/tolkien/tale.html |archive-date=September 8, 2006 }}</ref><ref>Tolkien (1981), letters #270, #273, and #277.</ref>

Wyn died in 1967,<ref name=":6" /> and the company grew financially overextended, failing to pay its authors reliably. Without money to pay the signing bonus, Wollheim was unwilling to send signed contracts to authors. On at least one occasion, a book without a valid contract went to the printer, and Wollheim later found out that the author, who was owed $3,000 by Ace, was reduced to picking fruit for a living.<ref name=":8">Knight (1977), p. 176.</ref>

===1971–2015: Ace becomes a subsidiary===

Both Wollheim and Carr left Ace in 1971. Wollheim had made plans to launch a separate paperback house, and in cooperation with [[New American Library]],<ref name=":8" /> he proceeded to set up [[DAW Books]]. Carr became a freelance editor; both Carr and Wollheim went on to edit competing Year's Best Science Fiction anthology series.<ref name=":1" />

In 1969 Ace Books was acquired by [[Charter Communications (publisher)|Charter Communications]] in New York City. In 1977 Charter Communications was acquired by [[Grosset & Dunlap]], and in 1982, Grosset & Dunlap was in turn acquired by [[G. P. Putnam's Sons]].<ref>Dzwonkoski (1986), p. 6.</ref> Ace was reputedly the only profitable element of the Grosset & Dunlap empire by this time.<ref name="chicon">{{cite web|author=Bloom, Jeremy|year=1999|title=An Interview with the Editor Guest of Honor, Jim Baen |publisher=Chicon 2000 |url=http://www.chicon.org/gohs/baen.htm|access-date=May 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501200655/http://www.chicon.org/gohs/baen.htm|archive-date=May 1, 2006}}</ref> Ace soon became the science fiction imprint of its parent company.<ref name="chicon" /><ref name="penguin-ace">{{cite web|title=Penguin Group (USA): About Us: Ace Books |url=http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/adult/ace.html |access-date=May 10, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430032019/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/adult/ace.html |archive-date=April 30, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Carr returned to Ace Books in 1984 as a [[freelancer|freelance]] editor, launching a new series of Ace Specials devoted entirely to first novels. This series was even more successful than the first: it included, in 1984 alone, [[William Gibson]]'s ''[[Neuromancer]]'', [[Kim Stanley Robinson]]'s ''[[Three Californias Trilogy|The Wild Shore]]'', [[Lucius Shepard]]'s ''[[Green Eyes (novel)|Green Eyes]]'', and [[Michael Swanwick]]'s ''In the Drift''. All were first novels by authors now regarded as major figures in the genre.<ref name=":1" /> Other prominent science fiction publishing figures who have worked at Ace include [[Tom Doherty]], who left to start [[Tor Books]],<ref>{{Cite web|title = Culture : Tor Books |url = https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tor_books|website = Science Fiction Encyclopedia|access-date = July 26, 2015|last1 = Nicholls|first1 = Peter|last2 = Langford|first2 = David}}</ref> and [[Jim Baen]], who left to work at Tor and who eventually founded [[Baen Books]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Authors : Baen, Jim |url = https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/baen_jim|website = Science Fiction Encyclopedia|access-date = July 26, 2015|last1 = Clute|first1 = John|last2 = Edwards|first2 = Malcolm}}</ref> Writers who have worked at Ace include [[Frederik Pohl]]<ref>Kelley (1982), p. 14.</ref> and [[Ellen Kushner]].<ref>{{Cite web|title =An Interview with Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman|url = https://www.sfsite.com/11b/dm69.htm|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000303171311/http://www.sfsite.com/11b/dm69.htm|url-status = dead|archive-date = March 3, 2000|publisher = The SF Site |access-date = July 26, 2015|last = Mathews|first = David}}</ref>

In 1996, [[Penguin Group|Penguin Group (USA)]] acquired the Putnam Berkley Group, and has retained Ace as its science fiction imprint.  As of December 2012, recently published authors included [[Joe Haldeman]], [[Charles Stross]], [[Laurell K. Hamilton]], [[Alastair Reynolds]], and [[Jack McDevitt]].<ref name=ABW12/> Penguin merged with [[Random House]] in 2013 to form [[Penguin Random House]], which continues to own Berkley. Ace's editorial team is also responsible for the [[Roc Books]] imprint, although the two imprints maintain a separate identity.<ref name="Morgan">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfcanada.ca/winter2005/johnmorganinterview.htm |title='An Interview with Editor John Morgan' by Celu Amberstone |access-date=May 10, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008065516/http://www.sfcanada.ca/winter2005/johnmorganinterview.htm |archive-date=October 8, 2006 |publisher=SF Canada }}</ref>

==People==
The following people have worked at Ace Books in various editorial roles. The list is sorted in order of the date they started working at Ace, where known. It includes editors who are notable for some reason, as well as the most recent editors at the imprint.

* [[A. A. Wyn]], owner (1952–1967)
* [[Donald A. Wollheim]], editor (1952–1971)<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />
* [[Terry Carr]], editor (1964–1971); freelance editor (1983–1987)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/carr/carr_bio.html | title = Author Biography and Bibliography | access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060409095140/http://scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/carr/carr_bio.html| archive-date = April 9, 2006}}</ref><ref>Carr's freelance editorship began in 1983; the first of the Ace Specials, Kim Stanley Robinson's ''The Wild Shore'', appeared in March 1984. See {{cite book|last= Robinson|first= Kim Stanley|title= The Wild Shore|year= 1984|publisher= Ace Books|isbn= 0-441-88870-4|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/wildshore00robi}}  Carr died in 1987; see "Terry Carr" in {{cite book|last= Clute|first= John|author2= Nicholls, Peter|title= The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction|year= 1993|publisher= St. Martin's Press, Inc.|location= New York|isbn= 0-312-09618-6|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofsc00ies1}}</ref>
* [[Pat LoBrutto]], mail room (1969–1972); science fiction editor (1974–1977)<ref name=chicon /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.patricklobrutto.com/image/MyLuckyDay.PDF | title = MyLuckyDay | access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050218051103/http://www.patricklobrutto.com/image/MyLuckyDay.PDF| archive-date = February 18, 2005}}</ref>
* [[Frederik Pohl]], executive editor (December 1971 – July 1972)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://sfbook.com/modules.php?authorid=38| title = SFBook.com Science Fiction – Frederik Pohl| access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050416130516/http://sfbook.com/modules.php?authorid=38| archive-date = April 16, 2005}}</ref>
* [[Tom Doherty]], publisher (1975–1980)<ref name=Meacham>{{cite web|url=http://www.panix.com/~bam/bio.html |title=Beth Meacham's Home Page |access-date=May 10, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505120755/http://www.panix.com/~bam/bio.html |archive-date=May 5, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue289/interview.html| title = Science Fiction Weekly Interview | access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060424084439/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue289/interview.html| archive-date = April 24, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.locusmag.com/2003/Issue10/Doherty.html
| title = Locus Online: Tom Doherty Interview Excerpts| access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060514092054/http://www.locusmag.com/2003/Issue10/Doherty.html| archive-date= May 14, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[Jim Baen]], complaints department (c. 1973–1974); gothics editor (c. 1974); science fiction editor (c. 1977–1980)<ref name=chicon />
* [[Ellen Kushner]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.endicott-studio.com/bios/bioellendelia.html | title = Ellen Kushner & Delia Sherman – Brief Biographies| access-date =May 10, 2006| url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050406001522/http://www.endicott-studio.com/bios/bioellendelia.html| archive-date = April 6, 2005}}</ref>
* [[Terri Windling]], editor (1979–1987)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.osfci.org/w2001/pr1.html | title = Westercon 54: Progress Report 1 | access-date = May 10, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051219001818/http://www.osfci.org/w2001/pr1.html | archive-date = December 19, 2005 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
* [[Harriet McDougal]], editorial director<ref>{{Cite web|title = Robert Jordan|url = https://www.nndb.com/people/965/000043836/|website = Notables Names Database|access-date = August 16, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Susan Allison]], editor (1980–1982); editor-in-chief (1982–2006); vice president (1985 – July 2015)<ref name="penguin-ace" /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://david-drake.com/forlorn.html | title = The Forlorn Hope | access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060112211945/http://david-drake.com/forlorn.html| archive-date = January 12, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Locus Online News » Susan Allison to Retire|url = http://www.locusmag.com/News/2015/05/susan-allison-to-retire/|website = Locus Online|access-date = August 17, 2015|first = Locus|last = Publications|date = May 13, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Beth Meacham]], editorial assistant (1981–1982); editor (1982–1983)<ref name=Meacham /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.locusmag.com/2005/Issues/04Meacham.html | title = Locus Online Beth Meacham interview excerpts |access-date = December 3, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Ginjer Buchanan]], editor (1984–1987); senior editor (1987–1994); executive editor, science fiction and fantasy (1994 – January 1996); senior executive editor and marketing director (January 1996 – 2006); editor-in-chief (2006–2014<ref>{{cite web|title=Editor-in-Chief of Ace/Roc Books Announces Retirement|url=https://www.tor.com/2014/02/27/editor-in-chief-of-aceroc-books-announces-retirement/#comment-421009|access-date=July 2, 2015|date=February 27, 2014|quote=In March 1984, I joined Ace Books, as an editor. Thirty years later, almost to the day, I am retiring, from the position of Editor-in-Chief of Ace and Roc Books. I've been very fortunate to work for three decades with many of the same colleagues and, in fact, many of the same authors.  I will miss them all—but, since my job came out of my passion for the genre of science fiction and fantasy, I expect that I will be seeing them at conferences and conventions in the future}}</ref>).<ref name=ABW12>{{cite web | url = http://www.us.penguingroup.com/pages/publishers/adult/ace.html | title =  Ace Books – Publishers – Penguin Group (USA) | access-date = December 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214080310/http://www.us.penguingroup.com/pages/publishers/adult/ace.html|archive-date=December 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.chicon.org/chi2000/card35.htm | title = Chicago in 2000: Ginjer Buchanan Card | access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050416162850/http://www.chicon.org/chi2000/card35.htm| archive-date = April 16, 2005}}</ref>
* [[Peter Heck]] (c. 1991–1992)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sfwriter.com/daer.htm | title = Science Fiction Writer Robert J. Sawyer: Dedication & Acknowledgments: End of an Era| access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060508172248/http://sfwriter.com/daer.htm| archive-date= May 8, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[Laura Anne Gilman]] (c. 1991)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bluejack.com/b2/sff/au/gilman.html | title = Laura Anne Gilman (bluejack SF author profiles)| access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050226080416/http://www.bluejack.com/b2/sff/au/gilman.html| archive-date = February 26, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/feb00/stabenow.htm | title = A Conversation With Dana Stabenow| access-date =May 10, 2006}}</ref>
* [[Lou Stathis]], editor (? – c. 1994)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ihgonline.org/prevrec.html | title = International Horror Guild| access-date =May 10, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060502180851/http://www.ihgonline.org/prevrec.html| archive-date= May 2, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* Anne Sowards, editorial assistant/associate editor (1996–2003); editor (2003 – February 2007), senior editor (from February 2007),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sff.net/people/jackbyrne/news.htm |title=Client and Agency News |access-date=May 10, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927183422/http://www.sff.net/people/jackbyrne/news.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> executive editor (by September 2010)<ref>{{cite press release | url = http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pressrelease/fable_pressrelease.html | title = Fable: The Balverine Order – Penguin Group (USA) | access-date = December 5, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101012142855/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pressrelease/fable_pressrelease.html | archive-date = October 12, 2010 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

==Ace nomenclature==
Until the late 1980s, Ace titles had two main types of serial numbers: letter series, such as "D-31" and "H-77", and numeric, such as "10293" and "15697". The letters were used to indicate a price. The following is a list of letter series with their date ranges and prices.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Spelman |first=Dick |year=1976 |title=Science Fiction and Fantasy Published by Ace Books |location=North Hollywood, Calif. |publisher=Institute for Specialized Literature |pages=1–27 |oclc=2945335}}</ref>

* D-series: 35¢, 1952 to 1962.
* S-series: 25¢, 1952 to 1956.
* T-series: 40¢. This series is listed in Tuck's ''Encyclopedia'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tuck |first=Donald H. |author-link=Donald H. Tuck |year=1982 |title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy |volume=3 |location=Chicago |publisher=Advent: Publishers |page=715 |isbn=0-911682-26-0}}</ref> but he gives no examples in his index and there are none cited in other bibliographic sources. This series may, therefore, not exist.
* F-series: 40¢, 1961 to 1967.
* M-series: 45¢, 1964 to 1967.
* G-series: 50¢, 1958 to 1960 (D/S/G series); 1964 to 1968 (later series).
* K-series: various prices, 1959 to 1966.
* H-series: 60¢, 1966 to 1968.
* A-series: 75¢, 1963 to 1968.
* N-series: 95¢, 1968.

The first series of Ace books began in 1952 with D-01, a western in ''tête-bêche'' format: Keith Vining's ''Too Hot for Hell'' backed with [[Samuel W. Taylor]]'s ''The Grinning Gismo''. That series continued until D-599, Patricia Libby's ''Winged Victory for Nurse Kerry'', but the series also included several G and S serial numbers, depending on the price. The D and S did not indicate "Double" (i.e., ''tête-bêche'') or "Single"; there are D-series titles that are not ''tête-bêche'', although none of the ''tête-bêche'' titles have an S serial number.<ref name=":0">Kelley (1982), p. 2.</ref>  Towards the end of this initial series, the F series began (at a new price), and thereafter there were always several different letter series in publication simultaneously. The D and S prefixes did not appear again after the first series, but the G prefix acquired its own series starting with G-501. Hence the eight earlier G-series titles can be considered part of a different series to the G-series proper. All later series after the first kept independent numbering systems, starting at 1 or 101.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Kelley (1982), p. 8.</ref>  The ''tête-bêche'' format proved attractive to book collectors, and some rare titles in mint condition command prices over $1,000.<ref>{{cite news | access-date=March 10, 2015 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/feb/18/william-burroughs-junky-maurice-helbrant-narcotic-agent | title=William Burroughs' opposite number: Maurice Helbrant | work=The Guardian | date=February 18, 2014 | author=Jordison, Sam | quote=Readers of the first printed version of the novel didn't have far to look if their curiosity about Burroughs' adversaries was aroused. They only had to turn the book over and start reading ''Narcotic Agent'', the account of former policeman Maurice Helbrant that came 69'd with Junky. ... if you've got a spare few thousand pounds, you can pick up a copy of the Ace Original paperback and read ''Narcotic Agent'' alongside the original ''Junky''.}}</ref>

Ace added a line of "singles" and the Ace Star series for larger and more expensive books (especially non-fiction).<ref>{{cite book | first=Richard A. | last=Lupoff |title=The Great American Paperback}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

== Sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |year=1980 |title=In Joy Still Felt |edition=Book Club |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=0-936071-13-3 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Canja |first=Jeff |year=2002 |title=Collectable Paperback Books |edition=2nd |location=East Lansing, Michigan |publisher=Glenmoor Publishing |isbn=0-9673639-5-0 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Corrick |first=James A. |year=1989 |title=Double Your Pleasure: The Ace SF Double |location=Brooklyn, New York |publisher=Gryphon Books |isbn=0-936071-13-3 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dzwonkoski |first=David |year=1986 |chapter=Ace Books |editor-last=Dzwonkoski |editor-first=Peter |title=American Literary Publishing Houses, 1900-1980: Trade and Paperback |location=Detroit, Michigan |publisher=Gale Research Company |pages=5–8 |isbn=0-8103-1724-9 |ref=none }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Malcolm |last2=Nicholls |first2=Peter |year=1993 |chapter=Publishing |editor-last=Clute |editor-first=John |editor-last2=Nicholls |editor-first2=Peter |title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |pages=976–978 |isbn=0-312-09618-6 |ref=none}}
* [[Sheldon Jaffery|Jaffery, Sheldon]] (1987). ''Double Trouble: A Bibliographic Chronicle of Ace Mystery Doubles''., Starmont Popular Culture Series #11. Borgo Press. {{ISBN|1-55742-118-8}}.
* Jaffery, Sheldon (1999). ''Double Futures: An Annotated Bibliography of the Ace Science Fiction Doubles''. Borgo Press. {{ISBN|1-55742-139-0}}.
* {{Cite book |last=Kelley |first=George |year=1982 |chapter=Ace Books |editor-last=Cnider |editor-first=Allen Billy |title=Mass Market Publishing in America |location=Boston |publisher=G.K. Hall & Co. |pages=1–14 |isbn=0-8161-8590-5 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Knight |year=1977 |first=Damon |title=The Futurians |location=New York |publisher=John Day |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nielsen |first=Leon |year=2007 |title=Robert E. Howard: A Collector's Descriptive Bibliography of American and British Hardcover, Paperback, Magazine, Special and Amateur Editions, with a Biography |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-6109-7 |ref=none}}
* Peters, Harold R. (1996). ''Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror in the Ace Letter-Series Editions: A Collector's Notebook''. Silver Sun Press.
* [[J. Grant Thiessen|Thiessen, J. Grant]] (1976). ''Science Fiction Collector #1''. Pandora's Books. Includes checklist of all Ace singles and doubles in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror fields.
* Thiessen, J. Grant (date unknown). ''Science Fiction Collector #2''. Pandora's Books. Includes errata for checklist in #1.
* {{Cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |year=1981 |chapter=Letters #270, #272, #273. |editor-last=Carpenter |editor-first=Humphrey |title=Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-31555-2 |pages= |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tuck |first=Donald H. |year=1978 |title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy Through 1968 |volume=2: ''Who's Who, M-Z'' |location=Chicago |publisher=Advent Publishers |isbn=0-911682-22-8 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wollheim |first=Donald A. |year=1989 |chapter=Introduction |editor-last=Corrick |editor-first=James A. |title=Double Your Pleasure: The Ace SF Doubles |location=Brooklyn, New York |publisher=Gryphon Books |pages=5 |isbn=0-936071-13-3 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://people.uncw.edu/smithms/ACE.html Ace Image Library]. Contains images of most covers for the doubles in all genres, as well as many of the single titles.
* [https://ace-archive.com ACE Books Paperback Catalogue]. Complete listing of all ACE Paperbacks with improved cover-art images.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060430032019/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/adult/ace.html History] on the [[Penguin Group]] website

{{Ace Books}}
{{Penguin Random House}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ace Books books| ]]
[[Category:1952 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:American speculative fiction publishers]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies based in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Fantasy book publishers]]
[[Category:Lists of Ace Books books]]
[[Category:Pearson plc]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1952]]
[[Category:Science fiction publishers]]