E.V. Cunningham's Women, by Howard Fast

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HOWARD FAST
Bibliophile Pages
Blue Heron Press Citizen Tom Paine Freedom Road Last Frontier My Glorious Brothers Spartacus The Children Peekskill Unvanquished Masuto EVC's Women

E.V. Cunningham's
Women

Between 1960 and 1973, Howard Fast published a dozen suspense-mystery novels under the pseudonym E.V. Cunningham, with titles which were women's names:

Sylvia
1960
Phyllis
1962
Alice
1963
Lydia
1964
Shirley
1964
Penelope
1965

Helen
1966
Margie
1966
Sally
1967
Samantha
1967
Cynthia
1968
Millie
1973

Sylvia

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1960

editions translations audio

It was the toughest case a detective could handle: trace the past of a beautiful woman you've never met, with only a book of poems, two lines of handwriting, and a fake story to go on. And the assignment was all Alan Macklin's, private investigator and would-be teacher of ancient history.
Mr. Summers, a wealthy businessman, wanted to find out the truth about the girl he planned to marry. And Macklin, despising both Summers for his cold objectivity and himself for taking the job for the money, set out on an elusive trail through the shadowy past of Sylvia West.
Beginning with an English professor whose life enveloped his wife and six children and all of literature, Macklin's path grew more and more sordid, yet strangely compelling, as he traveled to Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York City, El Paso, and across the border into Mexico. It was a journey that touched on people whose personalities were a maze of the complexities and anxieties that sprang from the grim truths of their lives. And when asked about her, every one of these people replied "Yes... I remember Sylvia."
Still, as the dark secrets of her life began to unfold to Macklin, so did Sylvia's subtle beauty -- and the once-aloof investigator found himself faced with a roadblock he had not counted on.
Sylvia is a suspenseful, realistic drama that will absorb the reader in an unflinching, gripping revelation of the veiled past of that most unusual woman who was... SYLVIA.
from the dust jacket of the 1960 Doubleday first edition

introduction to the 1992 edition by Howard Fast

Jacket painting by Charles McCurry 1960. 333 pp, 21.5 cm, "First Edition", [blue-green cloth, yellow lettering]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY.*

1961. "First Crest printing, October 1961", pbk, 256 pp, 18 cm, Crest Book (d477). Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conn. [50¢]*

Jacket design by Bruno Elettori 1962. 333 pp, 20.5 cm, "First Published 1962 by Andre Deutsch Limited", [dark red cloth, gilt lettering]. Andre Deutsch. London.*

1964. pbk, 17.7cm, 240pp, Pan Books (X302). London. [3'6]*

1965. film: Sylvia. b/w. Paramount Pictures, starring Carroll Baker and George Maharis.
Director: Gordon Douglas, Cast (in alphabetical order) Carroll Baker (Sylvia), Majel Barrett, Lloyd Bochner, Joanne Dru (Jane Phillips), Peter Lawford (Frederic Summers), Viveca Lindfors (Irma Olanski), George Maharis (Alan Macklin), Edmond O'Brien (Oscar Stewart), Aldo Ray, Ann Sothern (Mrs. Argona). Screenplay: Sydney Boehm, Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg, Producer: Martin Poll.

1965. pbk, 2nd printing, 17.8cm, 240pp, Pan Books (X302). London. [3'6]*

1965. (nd). 256 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Crest Book (d789). Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conn. 50¢*

1971. 254 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Corgi. London. ISBN: 0552086851.

Jacket design and illustration
by Steven Brower
photo by Maxine Gomberg 1992. Fast, Howard. introduction to the new edition. 332 pp, 21.7 cm, A Birch Lane Press book, [black cloth spine, metallic red lettering, yellow paper boards]. Carol Pub. Group. Secaucus, NJ. ISBN: 1-55972-128-6.*

1992. large print edition, Thorndike Press. Thorndike, Me. ISBN: 1560545674.

1993. 459 pp, 23 cm, large print, ISIS Large Print. Oxford. ISBN: 1856953416.

translations

1984. Fast, Howard. Sylvia: roman. (French, tr. by Lucile du Veyrier) 295 pp, 22 cm, cov. ill., Le Miroir obscur 62 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald (53-Mayenne: Impr. Floch). Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0150-4.

1990. Fast, Howard. Sylvia. (French, tr. by Lucile du Veyrier) 295 pp, 17 cm, pbk, cov. ill. col., Rivages noir 85 (ISSN 0764-7786). Rivages (63-Marsat: Impr. la Source d'or). Paris. ISBN: 2-86930-322-X.

1967. Sylvia / Roman (German) 335 pp, Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft, Berlin-Darmstadt-Wien.

1968. Sylvia (German) pbk, München, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg.

1969. Sylvia (German) pbk, München, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg.

1970. Sylvia (German) pbk, 230 pp, München, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg.

1974. Sylvia: Roman. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 233 pp, 18 cm, Exklusiv (33), Bastei-Verlag. Bergisch Gladbach. ISBN: 3-404-05124-6.

1974. Sylvia. Sally: 2 Romane. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 477 pp, 22 cm, Deutscher Buecherbund. Stuttgart; Hamburg; München. ISBN: 3-404-05124-6.

1983. Sylvia: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 335 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4937). Droemer Knaur. München. ISBN: 3-426-04937-6.

1967. Sylvia, (Norwegian, tr. by Per Wolleb'k) 270 pp, Hjemmenes bokklubb, Oslo.

1967. Sylvia, (Portuguese, tr. by Silva Letra) 299 pp, Coleccao Cinema Nr. 10, Portugalia Editora.

1967. Sylvia, (Swedish, tr. by Gun Årestad) 255 pp, B. Wahlström (Wahlströms elit-romaner. Röda serien 99-2058444-4). Stockholm.

audio

1993. Read by Walden Daniels. audio cassette, 6 sound cassettes (ca. 8 hr., 30 min.): analog, Dolby processed. G.K. Hall Audio Books. Boston, MA. ISBN: 0783811047.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Phyllis

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1962

editions translations

The receipt of a message sent simultaneously by two physicists -- one an American, the other a Russian -- to their respective governments threatened the destruction of New York and Moscow unless the two governments agreed to ban nuclear weapons. The men had met at an international conference and decided that if the two great powers could not agree to disarm, they would take matters into their own hands. Did they really have two atom bombs? It might all be a hoax, but the chance is too great to take and Professor Horton must be found.
Tom Clancy, a former physicist now on the police force, is assigned to fill Horton's place at the university from which Horton had disappeared. One of his main objectives is to win the confidence of Phyllis Goldmark, a colleague and friend of Horton, an assignment that turns out to have its compensations.
As the suspense mounts and the day of the threatened bombing draws closer, Clancy and Phyllis are in constant danger, searching the huge city for a man who had left remarkably few clues.
E.V. Cunningham has written a hardhitting, fast moving novel that is suspense at its very best. Its philosophical overtones and the depth of its characterizations make it an adventure in excitement which is both timely and thoughtful.
from the dust jacket of the 1962 Doubleday first edition

Jacket painting by Irene Murray 1962. 214 pp, 21.5 cm, "First Edition", [grey cloth, purple lettering, black linson boards]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY.*
(1963 Fawcett Crest edition states "First Doubleday printing, November 1961")

1962. 214 pp, 22 cm, 2nd ptg (Feb), Doubleday & Co. New York.

1963. (Feb.) 214 pp, 21.5 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

Jacket design by Derrick Holmes 1963. (Jul.) "second impression". 214 pp, 21.5 cm, [red cloth, gilt lettering]. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London. [16s]*

1963. 143 pp, 17.9 cm, pbk, Crest Book (s595). Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conn. [35¢]*

1963. (with Ewart Brookes, Wind along the Waste and Douglas Warner, Death of a Tom). 512pp omnibus edition. dark brown with gilt lettering. Man's Book Club, Odhams Press Limited, Watford UK.

1964. pbk. 156pp. Pan Books (G674), London.

1966. 143 pp, 17.9 cm, pbk, Crest Book (s959). Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conn.

1969. pbk. New English Library, GB.

translations

1980. Bianca: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Uwe Anton) 142 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4908). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-04908-2.

1969. Phyllis : romanzo. (Italian, tr. by H. Brinis) 195 pp, 18 cm, Garzanti. Milano.

1966. Phyllis. (Spanish, pbk, 224 pp, 17cm, Ed. Bruguera. Col. Caballo negro; crimen. Barcelona.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Alice

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1963
For
R.A.F. & J.D.F.

editions translations

The one thing Johnny, an ordinary suburban husband, did not want was to be involved in trouble, to have the peace of his small world with Alice and their little girl disturbed. It was this that made him walk quickly away when he had not only seen the old man jump in front of a subway train, but had been singled out by this complete stranger for an urgent plea for help. But every step that Johnny took away from the scene actually led him further into involvement, for someone had seen the old man put a key into Johnny's pocket, and a ruthless gang of criminals needed to have that key. Although Johnny tried, there was no way to keep Alice out of it. Alice wanted peace, too -- enough to fight for it, and when their child was kidnapped it was she who took over. Too late now for regrets and "If onlys", too late for the police, too late simply to hand over the key because it had vanished. What they had to do was hunt down the criminals, to search through waterways and inlets of the deserted Jersey Meadows at night, where a boat could lie hidden and no one hear a child's cries. It is a story with pace and action, with a breathtaking chase and a vicious battle at the end of it -- but it is a thoughtful story, too, of a man who trades a citizen's responsibility for immediate peace, who sees himself as less than a hero and, catching that reflection in his wife's eyes, knows that peace is not always the answer.
from the dust jacket of the 1963 Doubleday first edition

Jacket painting by Irene Murray 1962. 189 pp, 21.5 cm, "First Edition", [tan cloth spine, turqoise lettering, turquoise linson boards]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY. [$3.50]*

1963. 189 pp, 21 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1965. 189 pp, 21 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1965 (Feb). 160 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Ballantine Books (U2229). New York. [50¢]*

1965. 156 pp, 17.8 cm, pbk, Pan Books Ltd. (X412), London. [3'6]*

1969 [Jun]. pbk, 18cm, 159pp, New English Library [2446]. London. [5/-]*

translations

1964. Alice. (French) Presses de la Cité. Paris.

1985. Fast, Howard. Alice. (French) 189 pp, Oswald. Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0345-5.

1969. Alice. (German) 255pp, Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft, Berlin-Darmstadt-Wien.

1972. Alice. (German) pbk, 141pp, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg. München.

1973. Alice. (German) pbk, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg. München.

1974. Alice. (German) pbk, 141pp, Wilhelm Heyne Vlg. München.

1966. Alice. (Spanish) pbk, 224pp, 17cm, Ed. Bruguera. Col. Caballo negro. Barcelona.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Lydia
An Entertainment

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1964
For
Naomi and Paul,
the Godparents

editions translations

With reports of three corpses already in its wake, the Case of the Missing Sabine Necklace could hardly be called "an investigator's dream..." but $50,000 was $50,000, and Harvey Krim was, after all, Harvey Krim.
There was something definitely peculiar -- if not phony -- about Lydia Anderson, Mark Sarbine's maid. This barefoot Texas hillbilly, slack-mouthed and slouching, gave every evidence of subnormal intelligence at first impression. But her accent was all wrong -- more Tidewater Virginia than Texas Coast. And although her face had an idiot's expression, she scrambled an egg with well-coordinated finesse. It had taken the promise of a $50,000 finder's fee to set Insurance Investigator Harry Krim on the trail of the missing jewels; but why had Lydia indulged in this ludicrous masquerade for eight months? And was she the only masquerader?
Lydia, a not-so-Southern belle, and Harvey, a slightly incompetent and occasionally cowardly investigator, find themselves involved in a series of hilarious and horrifying adventures as they race throught the back alleys of New York City on the trail of the $250,000 necklace with a sinister past. Within a few hours, they climb over a garden wall into an insane cocktail party, climb over third rails in a subway station, and climb into each other's life.
E.V. Cunningham's latest heroine and hero are brash, outspoken, likable people who just can't keep out of trouble. Those readers who enjoyed Cunningham's previous novels, Shirley, Alice, Sylvia, and Phyllis, will delight in the mixture of suspense and humor in LYDIA.
from the dust jacket of the 1964 Doubleday first edition

Jacket painting by Arthur Shilstone 1964 (Oct). 188 pp, 22 cm, "First Edition", [turquoise cloth, red lettering]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY.*

1964 (Nov). 188 pp, 22 cm, 2nd printing. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY.

1963. 189 pp, 21 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1965. Gay, John. Scratch my Back. Estimating script. [149] pp, 28 cm, (Ohio State University Lib: SPEC.CMS.53.547), screenplay, 1965 Nov. 15, from the novel Lydia by Howard Fast. The Mirisch Corporation (Studio). Los Angeles.

Jacket design by Anna Lovell 1965 (Sept). "2nd Impression", [red cloth, gilt lettering] 189 pp, 20.5 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London. [18s]*

1967. 167 pp, 17.8 cm, pbk, Pan Books Ltd. (X649), London. [3'6]*

1969. pbk, New English Library. London.

1970 (May). 182 pp, 17.8 cm, pbk, Bantam Books. (S5361), New York. [75¢]*

Cover photograph by Dennis Rolfe 1973. 167 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Quartet Books. London (27 Goodge St., W1P 1FD). ISBN: 0-704-31034-1. [35p]*

1975. 167 pp, 21 cm, White Lion Publishers. London, etc. ISBN: 856171492.

translations

1966. Oh! Lydia... (French) 256 pp, pbk, Série Noire. Gallimard. ISBN: 2-07-048011-9.

1969. Lydia: Roman. (German, tr. by Ulla H. de Herrera) 222 pp, 20 cm, Droemer Knaur. München ; Zurich.

1971. Lydia: Roman. (German, tr. by Ulla H. de Herrera) 142pp, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München.

1980. Lydia: Roman. (German) pbk, 142pp, Droemer Knaur. München.

1983. Lydia: Roman. (German) pbk, Droemer Knaur. München

1964, 1967. Lydia : romanzo. (Italian, tr. by H. Brinis) 200 pp, 18 cm, Garzanti. Milano.

1967. Lydia. (Spanish) 224 pp, 17 cm, Ed. Bruguera. Col. Caballo negro. Barcelona.

1970 (May). Bränn inte fingrarna, Lydia! (Swedish, tr. by Ingrid Berglöf) 255 pp, B. Wahlström (Månadsdeckaren 99-0104634-3 ; [135]). Stockholm.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Shirley
An Entertainment

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1964

editions translations

In the course of her twenty years, so much had happened to Shirley Campbell -- and so little of it pleasant -- that she was not surprised that two men whom she had never seen before should express a desire to kill her.
Shirley, a refugee from the Bronx, living alone in Greenwich Village, is young, intelligent, attractive. She has no enemies -- as far as she knows. The only peril she faces are the romantic overtures of her boss, Mr. Bergan, at Bushwick Brothers, the small plastics manufacturer where she works.
When two men threaten to kill her, she realizes it's a case for the police. But how can she depend upon them to protect her? Shirley is tough, funny and wonderful, and police Lt. Burton finds it hard to believe that a girl like this can be a target for murder...
from the dust jacket of the 1964 Doubleday first edition

Jacket painting by Arthur Shilstone 1964 (Jan). 185 pp, 22 cm, "First Edition", [black cloth, light blue lettering]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY. [$3.95]*

1964. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1966. 163 pp, 17.8 cm, pbk, Pan Books. London. (X506). [3/6]*

1969 (Nov). 137 pp, 17.7 cm, pbk, Bantam Books, New York (H4573). [60¢]*

1971. What's a Nice Girl Like You? television play based on Shirley. (listed in MacDonald, 1996).

1971. [5] 137 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Corgi. London. ISBN: 055208686X.

translations

1965. Tu peux crever! (French, tr. by C. Grégoire) 249 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Série Noire (963). Gallimard. Paris. ISBN: 2-07-047963-3.*

1966. Oh! Shirley... (French) 256 pp, pbk, Série Noire. Gallimard. ISBN: 2-07-048011-9.

1970. Shirley. (German) 206 pp, Droemer Knaur. München

1973. Shirley. (German) pbk, 143pp, Heyne, München

1975. Shirley: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Karl Otto von Czernicki) 190 pp, 20 cm, Buechergilde Gutenberg. Frankfurt am Main; Wien; Zürich. ISBN: 3-7632-1896-3.

1981. Shirley: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Karl Otto von Czernicki) 142 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4917). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-04917-1.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Penelope
An Entertainment

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1965
For Rachel, naturally

editions translations

Penelope Hastings was not unlike many of her wealthy socialite contemporaries. Her husband was first vice-president of the City Federal Bank of New York. She had two lovely, well-mannered children in boarding schools. She had servants. She had original creations from Givenchy. She visited a psychiatrist daily. She went to all the right dinner and cocktail parties. All in all her life was a perfect bore. But Penelope Hastings was not a woman without an imagination, so she found a most unique and intriguing pastime. She became an accomplished thief. It all began at a very formal dinner party, when she could not resist separating her hostess from a diamond bracelet, and culminated the afternoon Penelope relieved the newest branch of her husband's bank of $52,000.
The investigation that followed was more than Police Commissioner John Comaday or Assistant to the D.A. Larry Cohen were remotely prepared to handle. The longer the case lasted, the more confused it became, for none of the pieces seemed to fit together in any sensible pattern. The greatest problem the forces of justice had to contend with was Penelope. She, of course, was merely the naïve wife of the distraught vice president of the City Federal Bank of New York, but somehow she seemed to have an uncanny notion of who the criminal was...
The admiring audience for E.V. Cunningham has steadily increased, and those who enjoyed his previous novels, Shirley, Alice, Sylvia, Phyllis, and Lydia will delight in the humorous and clever escapades of his latest heroine in PENELOPE.
from the dust jacket of the 1965 Doubleday first edition

Jacket illustration by Robert Galster, design by Owen Scott 1965 (May). 210 pp, 21.5 cm, "First Edition", [red cloth spine, gold lettering, lt. chestnut cloth boards]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY. [$3.95]*

1965. Penelope: A Suspenseful Complete Novel in: Cosmopolitan p.124 ff. May'65. (complete novel).

1966. film: Penelope. (color USA: 97 min) Directed by: Arthur Hiller.
Cast (in credits order): Natalie Wood (Mrs. Penelope Elcott), Ian Bannen (James B. Elcott), Dick Shawn (Dr. Gregory Mannix), Peter Falk (Lt. Bixbee), Jonathan Winters (Professor Klobb), Lila Kedrova (Sadaba), Lou Jacobi (Ducky), Norma Crane (Mildred), Arthur Malet (Major Higgins), Jerome Cowan (Bank Manager), Arlene Golonka (Honeysuckle Rose), Amzie Strickland (Miss Serena), Bill Gunn Sgt. (Rothschild), Carl Ballantine (Boom Boom), Iggie Wolfington (Store Owner),
Written by: Howard Fast (as E.V. Cunningham / novel), George Wells (screenplay). Cinematography by: Harry Stradling Sr., Music by: John Williams (II), Costume Design by: Edith Head, Film Editing by: Rita Roland, Produced by: Arthur M. Loew Jr.

1966. 192 pp, 20.3 cm, 1st UK, [green linson, gold lettering]. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.*

1966 (Nov). 176 pp, 16.2 cm, pbk, Pocket Books (50515). New York. [50¢]*

1967. pbk, 17.6cm, 155pp, Pan Books [X643]. London. [3/6]*

1978. 246 pp, 23 cm, large print (New Portway), Cedric Chivers. Bath, England. ISBN: 085997281X.

translations

1968. Penélope. (French) 188 pp, Presses de la Cité. Paris.

1985. Fast, Howard. Penelope: roman. (French, tr. by Gladys Molinari) 189 pp, 22 cm, cov. ill., Le Miroir obscur 105 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald (53-Mayenne: Impr. Floch). Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0321-4.

1967. Penelope: Kriminalroman. (German) 220pp, Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich.

1968. Penelope. (German) Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft, Berlin-Darmstadt-Wien.

1970. Penelope. (German) pbk, 157pp. Heyne. München.

1971. Penelope. (German) pbk, 165pp. Heyne. München.

1972. Penelope. (German) pbk, 158pp. Heyne. München.

1979. Penelope: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Klaus Ensslen) 126 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (901). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-00901-3.

1967. Penelope, la magnifica ladra: Romanzo. (Italian, tr. by Gianna Tornabuoni) 207 pp, 18 cm, Garzanti. Milano.

1968. (Norwegian, tr. by Anna Margrethe Norum) 236 pp, Hjemmenes bokklubb, For alle. Oslo.

1967. Till varje pris, Penny. (Swedish, tr. by Ingrid Berglöf) 255 pp, B. Wahlström (Månadsdeckaren 99-0104634-3 ; 138). Stockholm.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Helen
A Novel

Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY., 1966

editions translations

Who was Helen Pilasky? Why did she murder Judge Knowton, and just what was Judge Knowton's connection with Helen Pilasky and with the syndicate? And why did Helen have no past?
Called into the case by a political boss in a desert city that seems suspiciously familiar, Blake Eddyman is told to defend a hopeless case -- a prostitute who murdered the city's leading citizen. He is reasonably bright, and no less honest than the next man, but now he finds himself inextricably caught up in the machine called the syndicate.
Here is an exciting modern mystery that is a little more than a mystery. A study of a strange and beautiful woman -- and a parable of our time as well. San Verdo, the fictional city that E.V. Cunningham creates as the locale of his new story, will be identified as half a dozen places. But it is none of them and it is all of them -- and much of America too. Here is a powerful, moving tale of a desert city dedicated to legal gambling, of a man and woman whose paths cross and tie into a knot that can never be unraveled, of a murder, a court trial, and of the anatomy of a modern American casino.
If you are not yet an E.V. Cunningham fan, Helen will make you one. If you are already a Cunningham fan, you know what to expect. Hard-boiled, tender, fast-paced -- we challenge you to put this book down once you have read the first five pages.
from the dust jacket of the 1966 Doubleday first edition

Jacket by Tom Chibbaro 1966. 185 pp, 21.5 cm, "First Edition", [red cloth spine, gold lettering, black cloth boards]. Doubleday & Co. Garden City, NY. [$3.95]*

1967. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1968. pbk, 176pp, MacMillan.

1968. pbk, 17.8cm, 174pp, Pan Books Ltd. London. [5/-]*

Cover photograph by Dennis Rolfe 1974. 174 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Quartet Books. London. ISBN: 0-704-31097-X. [40p]*

translations

1966. Helen. (Spanish) 224pp, 17cm, Ed. Bruguera. Col. Caballo negro. Barcelona.

1968. Stêa ditt kast, Helen. (Swedish) 240 pp, 19 cm, B. Wahlstrèoms Bokfèorlag. Falun.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Margie
A Novel

Wm. Morrow & Co. New York, 1966
To Lakey
Who, of course, was the prototype--
even though it was a while ago.

editions

Age 23, dark hair, blue eyes and a lovely, perfect size six. That is Margie Beck, a model for M.P. (for Marvin Potnik) Creations, a high-class 7th Avenue creator of women's ensembles. Margie is also the charming, wacky innocent who does not court trouble but who has trouble thrust upon her. And oh what trouble.
It begins the day she inadvertently walks off with a $17,000 mink coat and a $90,000 bracelet belonging to the wife of the very wealthy Republican Governor of New York State. Her day also includes Joey Montoso, a Cleveland torpedo who knows a good mink coat when he sees one; three hoodlums from the Dravinian Embassy who understandably mistake Margie for an oil-rich countess; and General Cadmium Alexander, a stocky, scheming, pop-eyed would-be killer who would shoot Margie if he could adjust the silencer to his 706 Luger.
And then there are Margie's rescuers, her 245-pound behemoth of a boyfriend who is terrified of his own strength, and a brilliant young dress designer whose wits make up for his lack of brawn. All in turn are pursued by the ineffable Police Commissioner Comaday and District Attorney Larry Cohen.
How Margie's rescuers save Margie and what happens when Margie walks into the Governor's apartment with his wife's mink coat and bracelet make up the exciting denouement of this witty, wry novel.
If you are already a fan of E.V. Cunningham's girls, Margie will be a delightful addition to your collection. And if this is your first Cunningham adventure, prepare yourself for a rollicking good time.
from the dust jacket of the 1966 Morrow first edition

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 217 pp, 21.5 cm, 1st, [red cloth spine, blue/white/gold lettering, yellow patterned boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York. [$4.95]*

1966. 217 pp, 22 cm, George J. McLeod Ltd. Toronto.

1968. 217pp, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1968. White Lion. London.

1969. pbk, 17.8cm, 187pp, Pan Books. London. [5/-]*

1970 (nd). 144 pp, 17.5 cm, pbk, Popular Library (445-02468-060). New York. [60¢]*

1973. pbk, 187pp, Quartet. London.

1975. 187 pp, 21 cm, White Lion. London. ISBN: 085617159X.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Sally
A Novel

Wm. Morrow & Co. New York, 1967
for
Paul R. Reynolds

editions translations

Frank Gonzalez, a tough, darkly handsome cop first sees Sally on his way to work. Her face seems dull, flat, frightened. Then, suddenly, she runs and when Gonzalez catches her he knows that he is right, that she is filled with a stupefying fear. Finally the voice comes. "What," she asks, "are you going to do with me?"
So begins a day of terror for Sally Dillman, a lovely young schoolteacher, who has mistaken Detective Gonzalez for an unknown assassin she hired to commit murder, her own. For Detective Gonzalez who works out of New York City's 19th Precinct it is the start of a deadly duel with a crazed, professional gunman. Gonzalez knows that the anonymous killer will not rest until he has fulfilled his contract to murder Sally, who now desperately wants to live.
For Sally and Gonzalez, alien to each other and the city that has brought them together, this day is invested not only with fear but with a searching, growing love. Sally, who comes from a small town in New York State, is white, Presbyterian, helpless and alone. Gonzalez, a man of deep warmth and anger, proudly Puerto Rican, Catholic, still views himself as an outsider in the brutal jungle that reared him. As the day progresses, Gonzalez, the cop, must use the woman he has come to love as human bait to draw out the killer and destroy him. The denouement is inexorable and chilling.
In this swift-paced, warmly moving novel, E.V. Cunningham, the creator of a gallery of fascinating women, changes pace from the light to the serious to bring you one of his most fascinating tales.
from the dust jacket of the 1967 William Morrow first edition

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 1967. 182 pp, 21.5 cm, 1st, [black linson spine, violet/blue/white lettering, blue linson boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York.*

1967. 182 pp, 22 cm, 1st UK, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London.

1967. George J. McLeod, Ltd. Toronto.

1967. in: Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Vol. II, 1967 Spring [p 495-574](with: My Boy John That Went to Sea. 575 pp, 19.4 cm, Reader's Digest Association. Pleasantville, N.Y.

1970. 141 pp, 17.8 cm, pbk, Pan Books Ltd. (02483). London. ISBN: 0 330 02483 3.*

1970 (nd). 127 pp, 17.4 cm, pbk, Popular Library (02489). New York. [60¢]*

1971. Fast, Howard and Edward Hume (teleplay). The Face of Fear (TV film). (based on Sally) 10/8/71. Directed by George McCowan. Quinn Martin Productions (QM) (Southbrook Television Distribution).

1973. 141 pp, 17.9 cm, pbk, Quartet 31054. London. ISBN: 0-704-31054-6.

Jacket designed by Create Design 1994. Fast, Howard. foreword by Peter Lewis. 141 pp, 20.5 cm, Black Dagger Crime Series, [black linson, gold lettering]. Chivers Press. London (Bath?). ISBN: 0-7451-8639-4.*

translations

1970. (Dutch) In: Het beste boek, 526 pp, ill.(Includes: The Caine Mutiny, Morning's at 7:00, The King's Pleasure). Reader's Digest. Amsterdam.

1968. (French) pbk, 190 pp,Presses de la Cité..

1986. Fast, Howard. (French) 188 pp, Le Miroir obscur 120 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald. Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0363-7.

1970. Sylvia. Sally: 2 Romane. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 477 pp, 22 cm, Deutscher Buecherbund. Stuttgart; Hamburg; München. ISBN: 3-404-05124-6.

1973. (German) 210 pp, Droemer Knaur. München.

1974. Sylvia. Sally: 2 Romane. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 477 pp, 22 cm, Deutscher Buecherbund. Stuttgart; Hamburg; München. ISBN: 3-404-05124-6.

1975. Sally: Roman. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 142 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (394). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-00394-5.

1976. (German) pbk, 142 pp, Knaur-Verlag. München.

1977. Sally: Roman. (German, tr. by Ulla de Herrera) 154 pp, 20 cm, Buechergilde Gutenberg. Frankfurt am Main.

1978. (German) pbk, 142 pp, Droemer Knaur. München.

1972. Du ska dö, Sally. (Swedish, tr. by Gabriel Setterborg) 254 pp, B. Wahlström (Månadsdeckaren 99-0104634-3; 185). Stockholm.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Samantha
A Novel

Wm. Morrow & Co. New York, 1967
To the memory of
Nat Goldstone
good friend

editions translations

As Detective Sergeant Masao Masuto of the Beverly Hills Police Force drives toward the great antebellum-type house on North Canon, he thinks of his friend Al Greenberg, a famous producer. He recalls how far Greenberg had traveled, from the anonymous, crowded world of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn to the great house and the dreams and dolce vita of Hollywood.
Now Al Greenberg is dead. Almost from the moment his body is found in his Beverly Hills bedroom, a coterie of top film stars and executives suspect that they are marked for murder. The killer announces to one and all that her name is Samantha. Eleven years earlier a girl named Samantha – then one of thousands of young women seeking fame and stardom – was raped by half a dozen young men on a Hollywood set. The bait was the promise of a part in a TV show. She did not get the part and was never seen again. Now, one by one, the very same men who participated in the rape are meeting violent deaths.
It is up to Detective Masao Masuto to stop the killings and catch the killer. A Buddhist, aloof yet involved, a man of simple yet sophisticated tastes, Masuto must overcome the crass Hollywood world where a Nisei is still cruelly taunted. And Detective Masuto must decide, too, whether one of the beautiful, acid-tongued wives of those slated to die is Samantha.
A thriller calculated to bring you an interlude of fast-paced suspense, Samantha follows in the high-heeled footsteps of such favorites as Sally, Margie, Helen and Penelope.
from the dust jacket of the 1967 William Morrow first edition

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 1967. Samantha; a novel. 206 pp, 22 cm, 1st, [yellow-green cloth spine, black and white lettering, black linson boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York. ($4.50)*

Jacket photo by Beverly Lebarrow 1968. Samantha; a novel. 206 pp, 20.2 cm, 1st UK, [orange-tan cloth, gold lettering]. André Deutsch Ltd. London. (21S)*

1969. 158 pp, 18 cm, pbk, New English Library (2445). London. (UK 5/- Aus 80¢ NZ 75¢)*

1970 (nd). 128 pp, 17.6 cm, pbk, Popular Library (02543). New York. (60¢)*

1984. The Case of the Angry Actress. A Masao Masuto Mystery. 190 pp, 17.1 cm, pbk, Dell (11093). New York. ISBN: 0-440-11093-9. ($2.95)*

cover design by J. Vita 2000. Howard Fast: Masuto Investigates (contains: Samantha & TCOT One-Penny Orange). pbk, 21.1cm, 387pp. ibooks, New York. ISBN: 0-7434-0022-4 [$14.00]*

2004. Howard Fast: Samantha; The First Masao Masuto Mystery, pbk, ISBN: 0743479122. Ibooks.

translations

1986. Fast, Howard. Samantha. (French) 187 pp, Le Miroir obscur 122 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald. Paris.

1979. Samantha: Kriminalroman. (German, tr. by Heinz Nagel) 128 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4904). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich.

1971. Samantha : romanzo. (Italian, tr. by Maria Martone Napolitano) 169 pp, 18 cm, Garzanti. Milano.

1992. Samanta. (Russian) in: Norman Shore, Odinokii russkii, Moskva: Ripol; Dzhoker. 413 p. ill. 21 cm.(with translation of Gil Dzh. Brever -- Odinokii russkii / N. Shor.]. ISBN: 5870120064.

1972. Mèordande Konkurrens. (Swedish) 238 pp, 19 cm, B. Wahlstroms Bokindustri. Falun.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Cynthia
A Novel

Wm. Morrow & Co. New York, 1966
For Judy
she knows why

editions

Begin with a possible kidnapping by the head of the Mafia. Add a dating machine that upsets the laws of logic but not love. Toss in a robbery whose daring boggles the mind. Then pepper once over lightly with murder. And you have the basic ingredients for a wacky, fun-filled adventure.
The madness begins when Harvey Krim, the world's smartest and tightest insurance investigator, is ordered to find Cynthia Brandon, the daughter of the world's meanest near-billionaire. Cynthia's father has insured his daughter for one million dollars in case she is kidnapped and for another million if she is killed.
To locate Cynthia, Harvey turns to Lucille, a librarian at the New York Public Library and a Radcliffe graduate whose measurements are as impressive as her I.Q. The chase begins with Harvey leading the way (so he thinks) and Lucille pursuing Harvey (which is what Lucille had in mind all along).
On the way they run into a gathering of flower people in Central Park, an Italian count, the head of the Mafia, Lieutenant Rothschild of the New York Police Department, and a jolly gang of Texas thieves and murderers whose two ambitions in life are to take over the Mafia and steal a priceless Rembrandt from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of New York's most closely guarded treasure houses.
Like Samantha, Margie, Lydia, Penelope, et al, Cynthia is a rollicking roller coaster of a story.
from the dust jacket of the 1968 Morrow first edition

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 1968. 189 pp, 21.4 cm, 1st, [blue cloth spine, yellow and black lettering, olive paper boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York.[$4.50]*

1968. 189 pp, 22 cm, George J. McLeod Ltd. Toronto.

Jacket photograph by Beverley Lebarrow 1969. 189 pp, 20.4 cm, [orange cloth, gold lettering]. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London. ISBN: 0-233-96104-6.*

1969 (nd). 144 pp, 17.4 cm, pbk, Popular Library (02463). New York. [60¢]*

1971. 143 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Corgi. London. ISBN: 0552086878.

translations

1968. (Dutch) 143 pp, Hoorn, Westfriesland. London. ISBN: 21/-.

(French) tr. by France-Marie Watkins, 252 pp, Presses de la Cité, Paris.

1985. Fast, Howard. (French, tr. by France-Marie Watkins) 251 pp, 22 cm, cov. ill., Le Miroir obscur 107 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald (53-Mayenne: Impr. Floch). Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0327-1.

1977. Cynthia: Roman. (German, tr. by Grete Felten) 206 pp, 20 cm, Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-08894-0.

1978. Cynthia: Roman. (German, tr. by Grete Felten) 206 pp, 20 cm, Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft. Berlin (West); Darmstadt; Wien.

1980. Cynthia: Roman. (German, tr. by Grete Felten) 128 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4912). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-04912-0.

1985. Cynthia: Roman. (German, tr. by Grete Felten) 128 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (4912). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich.

Cynthia e i ladroni. (Italian). Il Giallo Mondadori.

1995. Kanningem, E.V. Sintiëiìa : romany. (Russian) 523 pp, 21 cm, NNN (Zapretny'i plod). Moskva. ISBN: 587927022X.

1971. Falska försäkringar. (Swedish, tr. by Gunilla Banck) 259 pp, B. Wahlström (Wahlströms elit-romaner 99-0104303-4). Stockhokm.

Top Alice Cynthia Helen Lydia Margie Millie Penelope Phyllis Sally Samantha Shirley Sylvia

Millie
A Novel

Wm. Morrow & Co. New York, 1973
For Louis Untermeyer
Dear friend, gentle critic and
wisest of all young men

editions translations

Al Brody was not born for danger. "I am," he says. "a flak, a middle-aged, overweight public relations man."
Al Brody operates in Hollywood. He has known the famous -- movie stars and U.S. senators -- and the infamous -- other movie stars and senators. The most dangerous thing Al Brody ever did was cross the street. Then fate took hold of Brody, the man everybody liked and trusted.
It all began in a most commonplace fashion: Al Brody decided to divorce his philandering wife. Then he made a startling discovery: he was in love with his beautiful assistant, Millie.
Their idyll was filled with passion. But suddenly, and at first inexplicably, Al Brody's world turned into a nightmare. The corpse of a man Al befriended disappeared, then reappeared. His life mysteriously threatened, Brody, with Millie at his side, found himself involved in one of the biggest crimes of the century. The denouement is both shocking and chilling.
Take a dose of harmless terror. Read Millie.
from the dust jacket of the 1973 William Morrow first edition

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 1973. 152 pp, 21.4 cm, 1st, [orange cloth spine, white and black lettering, black paper boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York. ISBN: 0-688-00150-5. [$5.95]*

1973. 152 pp, 21.4 cm, 2nd printing. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York. ISBN: 0-688-00150-5. [$5.95]

Jacket by Harsh-Finegold 1973. 152 pp, 21.4 cm, 3rd printing, [orange paper, white and black lettering, black paper boards]. Wm. Morrow & Co. New York. ISBN: 0-688-00150-5. [$5.95]*

1974. Andre Deutsch Ltd. London. ISBN: 0233966064.

1975. [5] 152 pp, 21 cm, Andre Deutsch Ltd. London. ISBN: 0233966064.

translations

1973. La poudre aux yeux. (French, tr. by Renaud Bombard) 190 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Collection Punch (13). Presses de la Cité. Paris.

1985. Fast, Howard. Millie. (French) 190 pp, Le Miroir obscur 102 (ISSN 0753-616X). Oswald. Paris. ISBN: 2-7304-0316-8.

1974. Milly: Roman. (German, tr. by Gisela Stege) 184 pp, 20 cm, Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-08842-8.

1974, 1976. Milly: Roman. (German, tr. by Gisela Stege) 190 pp, 20 cm, Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft. Berlin (West); Darmstadt; Wien.

1976. Milly: Roman. (German, tr. by Gisela Stege) 127 pp, 18 cm, pbk, Knaur-Taschenbuecher (444). Droemer Knaur. München; Zürich. ISBN: 3-426-00444-5.

1974, 1978. Ett farligt bud. (Swedish, tr. by Saga Gripenberg) 238 pp, 19 cm, B. Wahlström. Stockholm.

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