Classics Illustrated (Gilberton)
(Gilberton, 1941-1971, 2004-2007, 2010)
™ and © Gilberton
In 1941, Albert E. Kanter introduced Classic Comics, later renamed Classics Illustrated. Kanter’s idea was to use the comic form to make great literature accessible to readers who might never otherwise make the effort. Whether his idea represented a watering down of the classics, as some critics claimed, it was an amazingly popular move. Each of the 169 comics in this series were reprinted numerous times, with 23rd printings being relatively common. Their popularity even extended to schools, where the colorful, well-written adaptations must have seemed a welcome alternative to reading lengthy texts.
Kanter later introduced Classics Illustrated Junior, adapting children’s literature for younger readers. The series also gave rise to numerous imitations over the years.
For collectors, their popularity is particularly problematic, since the various reprintings were not clearly marked. The best clue to figuring out which printing you had of a given issue was to note the highest reorder number (HRN) from the series order form on the back of each comic.
We’d like to extend our thanks to Classics Illustrated authority Dan Malan, who has painstakingly determined the distinguishing characteristics of each printing, and who has generously allowed us to use this information here. If you’d like to learn more about this remarkable series, we would encourage you to refer to his definitive “The Complete Guide to Classics Collectibles,” available in four volumes from:
Malan Classical Enterprises
7519 Lindbergh Drive
St. Louis, MO 63117
(314) 781-2319
In later years, several other publishers would reprint issues of this series, usually with new covers or coloring.
Jump to issue:
-
First edition with Classics Illustrated title
Apr 1947
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #36; 64 pages
-
Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale
Apr 1949
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949
-
Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale
Dec 1950
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #78; 64 pages
-
Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale
Mar 1952
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #93; 64 pages
-
Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale
Dec 1953
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #114; 64 pages
-
New painted cover
Sep 1956
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #134; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
Mar 1958
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale
HRN #143; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
Jun 1961
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans
HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961
-
Painted cover
Apr 1964
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans
HRN #167; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Nov 1967
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans
HRN #166; 48 pages
-
Painted cover; Stiff covers
Mar 1969
Cover: $0.25
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans
HRN #166; 48 pages; Spring 1969
-
Painted cover; Stiff covers
Mar 1971
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans
HRN #169; 48 pages; Spring 1971
-
Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale
Apr 1949
W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949
-
Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale
Nov 1951
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
HRN #89; 64 pages
-
Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale
Apr 1953
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
HRN #106; 64 pages
-
Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale
Jul 1954
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
HRN #121; 64 pages
-
New painted cover
Jan 1957
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #136; 48 pages; New interior art
-
Painted cover
Jan 1958
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #142; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Nov 1959
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #153; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Jun 1961
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961
-
Painted cover
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963
-
Painted cover
Jan 1965
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #167; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Mar 1966
Cover: $0.15
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #167; 48 pages
-
Painted cover; Stiff covers
Dec 1969
Cover: $0.25
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1969
-
Painted cover; Stiff covers
Dec 1971
W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1971
-
Sep 1951
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Ray Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman
HRN #87; 64 pages
-
Nov 1953
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Ray Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman
HRN #113; 64 pages
-
New painted cover
Nov 1956
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron
HRN #135; 48 pages; New interior art
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron
HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963
-
Cover: $0.25
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron
HRN #166; 48 pages; ca. 1968
-
Stiff covers
Dec 1969
Cover: $0.25
W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron
HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1969
-
Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey
Apr 1949
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949
-
Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey
Oct 1949
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #64; 64 pages
-
Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey
Nov 1951
Cover: $0.15
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #89; 64 pages
-
Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey
Mar 1954
Cover: $0.15
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #117; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
Nov 1956
Cover: $0.15
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #135; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
Nov 1957
Cover: $0.15
W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey
HRN #141; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
May 1959
Cover: $0.15
W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole
HRN #150; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Cover: $0.25
W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole
HRN #166; 48 pages; R/67; ca. 1967
-
Painted cover; Stiff covers
Mar 1969
Cover: $0.25
W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole
HRN #169; 48 pages; Spring 1969
-
Sep 1951
Cover: $0.15
W: Herman Melville · A: Louis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman
HRN #87; 64 pages
-
Apr 1954
Cover: $0.15
W: Herman Melville · A: Louis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman
HRN #118; 64 pages
-
Painted cover
May 1957
Cover: $0.15
W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #138; 48 pages
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963
-
Painted cover
Sep 1967
Cover: $0.15
W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #166; 48 pages
-
New painted cover by Norman Nodel; Stiff covers
Dec 1969
Cover: $0.25
W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #166; 48 pages; Winter 1969
-
Painted cover by Norman Nodel
Dec 1971
Cover: $0.25
W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel
HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1971
-
Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
Sep 1948
W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
HRN #51; 64 pages
-
Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
Dec 1950
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
HRN #78; 64 pages
-
Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
Nov 1951
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
HRN #89; 64 pages
-
Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
Mar 1954
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
HRN #117; 64 pages
-
New painted cover
May 1956
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #132; 48 pages; New interior art
-
Painted cover
Nov 1959
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #153; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961
-
Painted cover
Jun 1964
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #167; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
Aug 1965
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #167; 48 pages
-
Painted cover
May 1967
Cover: $0.15
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #166; 48 pages
-
New painted cover by Norman Nodel
Sep 1968
Cover: $0.25
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #166; 48 pages; Fall 1968
-
Painted cover by Norman Nodel; Stiff cover by Norman Nodel
Jun 1970
Cover: $0.25
W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans
HRN #169; Summer 1970
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #22
-
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #51
-
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #64
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #78
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #97
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #106
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #143
-
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #153
-
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #167
-
Mar 1965
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #167
-
Jul 1966
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #167
-
Dec 1967
Cover: $0.15
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #16
-
Jun 1969
Cover: $0.25
A: Louis Zansky
HRN #169; Summer 1969
-
A: Lillian Chestney
HRN #164
-
Sep 1948
W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #51
-
W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #71
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #87
-
Mar 1961
Cover: $0.15
W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #161
-
Cover: $0.25
W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston
R/68
-
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #51
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #78
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #114
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #130
-
Sep 1957
Cover: $0.15
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #140
-
Jun 1966
Cover: $0.15
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #167
-
Sep 1968
Cover: $0.25
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #166; Fall 1968
-
Jun 1970
Cover: $0.25
W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell
HRN #169; Summer 1970
-
Aug 1953
Cover: $0.15
W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky
HRN #110
-
Nov 1965
Cover: $0.15
W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky
HRN #167
-
Cover: $0.25
W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky
R/1968
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #89
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #132
-
Cover: $0.25
W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston
R/1968
-
Jun 1970
W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #169; Summer 1970
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Robert Louis Stevenson · A: Lou Cargenon
HRN #112
-
Cover: $0.15
W: Robert Louis Stevenson · A: Lou Cargenon
HRN #167
-
Aug 1964
Cover: $0.15
W: Robert Louis Stevenson · A: Lou Cargenon
HRN #167
-
Cover: $0.25
W: Robert Louis Stevenson · A: Lou Cargenon
R/68
-
W: Charles Kingsley · A: Allen Simon
HRN #53
-
W: Harriet Beecher Stowe · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #53
-
W: Harriet Beecher Stowe · A: Rolland H. Livingston
HRN #71