Centaur Press
Encyclopedia
Centaur Press, later renamed Centaur Books, was a New York
-based small publisher
active from the late 1960s through 1981. The press was founded by Charles M. Collins and Donald M. Grant
. It was primarily a paperback
publisher, though one of its more successful titles was reissued in hardcover. It was notable for reviving pulp
adventure and fantasy
works of the early twentieth century for its "Time-Lost Series."
Authors whose works were returned to print by Centaur Press include Robert E. Howard
, Arthur O. Friel
, J. Allan Dunn
, Alfred H. Bill
, Jean D'Esme, Darrel Crombie, Arthur D. Howden Smith
, Talbot Mundy
, E. Charles Vivian
, Will Garth, H. Warner Munn
, and William Hope Hodgson
. In the sole anthology it issued, the press also premiered a couple new works, one by Crombie and one by contemporary author Lin Carter
. In later years it also published longer works by contemporary authors, including Carter, Galad Elflandsson
, and Robb Walsh. Its books featured cover art by Jeff Jones
, Robert Bruce Acheson, Virgil Finlay
, Frank Brunner
, David Ireland
, Stephen Fabian
, Randy Broecker, and David Wenzel
.
Centaur's output was small, generally on the order of one to three books a year. Its publications featured thicker and less acidic paper than that utilized by most paperback houses.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based small publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
active from the late 1960s through 1981. The press was founded by Charles M. Collins and Donald M. Grant
Donald M. Grant
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is a fantasy and science fiction small press publisher in New Hampshire that was founded in 1964. It is notable for publishing fantasy and horror novels with lavish illustrations, most notably Stephen King's The Dark Tower series and the King/Peter Straub novel The...
. It was primarily a paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
publisher, though one of its more successful titles was reissued in hardcover. It was notable for reviving pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
adventure and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
works of the early twentieth century for its "Time-Lost Series."
Authors whose works were returned to print by Centaur Press include Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, Arthur O. Friel
Arthur O. Friel
Arthur Olney Friel was one of the most popular writers for the adventure pulps. He began appearing in Adventure magazine in 1919 with stories set in the Amazon jungle featuring the characters Pedro and Lourenço, two rubber-industry workers who undergo harrowing experiences in the impenetrable...
, J. Allan Dunn
J. Allan Dunn
Joseph Allan Dunn , best known as J. Allan Dunn, was one of the high-producing writers of the American pulp magazines. He published well over a thousand stories, novels, and serials from 1914–41. He first made a name for himself in Adventure...
, Alfred H. Bill
Alfred H. Bill
Alfred Hoyt Bill was an American writer. His non-fiction mostly dealt with American history while his fiction was set in different periods of British and French history....
, Jean D'Esme, Darrel Crombie, Arthur D. Howden Smith
Arthur D. Howden Smith
-Life:Arthur Douglas Howden Smith was born in New York. He began writing by contributing fiction tothe pulp magazines; his main market was Adventure.For the magazine, Smith wrote sea stories about the adventures of Captain McConaughy,...
, Talbot Mundy
Talbot Mundy
Talbot Mundy was an English writer. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt.-Life and work:...
, E. Charles Vivian
E. C. Vivian
Evelyn Charles Henry Vivian was the pseudonym of Charles Henry Cannell, a British editor and writer of fantasy and supernatural, detective novels and stories.-Biography:...
, Will Garth, H. Warner Munn
H. Warner Munn
Harold Warner Munn was an American writer of fantasy, horror and poetry. He was an early friend and associate of authors H. P. Lovecraft and Seabury Quinn...
, and William Hope Hodgson
William Hope Hodgson
William Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his...
. In the sole anthology it issued, the press also premiered a couple new works, one by Crombie and one by contemporary author Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
. In later years it also published longer works by contemporary authors, including Carter, Galad Elflandsson
Galad Elflandsson
Galad Elflandsson is an Canadian fantasy writer. In the 1980s, Elflandsson was a member of a group of fantasy writers who met at the House of Speculative Fiction bookstore in Ottawa, Canada, which he also managed. Other members of the group included Gordon Derevanchuk, Charles de Lint, Charles...
, and Robb Walsh. Its books featured cover art by Jeff Jones
Jeff Jones (artist)
Jeffrey Catherine Jones was an American artist whose work is best known from the late 1960s through 2000s. Jones provided over 150 covers for many different types of books through 1976, as well as venturing into fine art during and after this time...
, Robert Bruce Acheson, Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. While he worked in a range of media, from gouache to oils, Finlay specialized in, and became famous for, detailed pen-and-ink drawings accomplished with abundant stippling, cross-hatching, and scratchboard techniques...
, Frank Brunner
Frank Brunner
Frank Brunner is an American comic book artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.-Comics:...
, David Ireland
David Ireland (artist)
David Kenneth Ireland was an American artist and co-founder of the artist residency.Born in Bellingham, Washington, he studied Printmaking and Industrial Arts at California College of Arts and Crafts, prior to joining the Army in the early 1950s...
, Stephen Fabian
Stephen Fabian
-Career:Fabian specializes in science fiction and fantasy illustration and cover art for books and magazines. Fabian also produced artwork for TSR's Dungeons & Dragons game from 1986 to 1995, particularly on the Ravenloft line. He was self-taught, two of his primary influences being Virgil Finlay...
, Randy Broecker, and David Wenzel
David Wenzel
David T. Wenzel is an illustrator and children's book artist. He is best known for his graphic novel adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.-Biography:...
.
Centaur's output was small, generally on the order of one to three books a year. Its publications featured thicker and less acidic paper than that utilized by most paperback houses.