Classics Illustrated (Gilberton)

    (Gilberton, 1941-1971, 2004-2006)
™ 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.
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  NotesWriterArtist
#1 - 7th printing (First edition with Classics Illustrated title)

April, 1947
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $94.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 8th printing (Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale)

April, 1949
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 10th printing (Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale)

December, 1950
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 11th printing (Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale)

March, 1952
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 12th printing (Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale)

December, 1953
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 13th printing (New painted cover)

September, 1956
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 14th printing (Painted cover)

March, 1958
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasMalcolm Kildale
#1 - 18th printing (Painted cover)

April, 1964
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $1.80 		Alexandre DumasGeorge Evans
#1 - 21th printing (Painted cover)

November, 1967
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Alexandre DumasGeorge Evans
#1 - 22nd printing (Painted cover; Stiff covers)

March, 1969
Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $14.99 		Alexandre DumasGeorge Evans
#1 - 23rd printing (Painted cover; Stiff covers)

March, 1971
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $2.25 		Alexandre DumasGeorge Evans
#2 - 8th printing (Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale)

April, 1949
Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $2.50 		Walter ScottEdd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
#2 - 11th printing (Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale)

November, 1951
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.99 		Walter ScottEdd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
#2 - 12th printing (Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale)

April, 1953
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.99 		Walter ScottEdd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
#2 - 13th printing (Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale)

July, 1954
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Walter ScottEdd Ashe, Ray Ramsey
#2 - 14th printing (New painted cover)

January, 1957
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $4.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 15th printing (Painted cover)

January, 1958
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $3.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 16th printing (Painted cover)

November, 1959
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $4.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 17th printing (Painted cover)

June, 1961
Cover Price: $0.15
2 copies available from $4.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 18th printing (Painted cover)


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 20th printing (Painted cover)

January, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $3.56 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#2 - 24th printing (Painted cover; Stiff covers)

December, 1969
Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $4.99 		Walter ScottNorman Nodel
#3 - 12th printing

September, 1951
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $5.99 		Alexandre DumasRay Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman
#3 - 13th printing

November, 1953
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.98 		Alexandre DumasRay Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman
#3 - 14th printing (New painted cover)

November, 1956
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.99 		Alexandre DumasLou Cameron
#3 - 18th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $3.50 		Alexandre DumasLou Cameron
#3 - 22nd printing


Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $4.98 		Alexandre DumasLou Cameron
#3 - 23rd printing (Stiff covers)

December, 1969
Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $7.50 		Alexandre DumasLou Cameron
#4 - 8th printing (Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey)

April, 1949
Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $2.00 		James CooperRay Ramsey
#4 - 9th printing (Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey)

October, 1949
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $7.99 		James CooperRay Ramsey
#4 - 11th printing (Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey)

November, 1951
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		James CooperRay Ramsey
#4 - 12th printing (Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey)

March, 1954
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		James CooperRay Ramsey
#4 - 13th printing (Painted cover)

November, 1956
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		James CooperRay Ramsey
#4 - 15th printing (Painted cover)

May, 1959
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.98 		James CooperJohn Severin, L.B. Cole
#4 - 18th printing (Painted cover)

June, 1964
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $3.25 		James CooperJohn Severin, L.B. Cole
#4 - 19th printing (Painted cover)

August, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $3.25 		James CooperJohn Severin, L.B. Cole
#4 - 21th printing (Painted cover)


Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $7.99 		James CooperJohn Severin, L.B. Cole
#4 - 22nd printing (Painted cover; Stiff covers)

March, 1969
Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $9.99 		James CooperJohn Severin, L.B. Cole
#5 - 12th printing

September, 1951
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Herman MelvilleLouis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman
#5 - 13th printing

April, 1954
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Herman MelvilleLouis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman
#5 - 15th printing (Painted cover)

May, 1957
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.98 		Herman MelvilleNorman Nodel
#5 - 18th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
2 copies available from $9.99 		Herman MelvilleNorman Nodel
#5 - 20th printing

July, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $13.50 		Herman MelvilleNorman Nodel
#5 - 22nd printing (Painted cover)

September, 1967
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $1.25 		Herman MelvilleNorman Nodel
#6 - 6th printing (Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg)

September, 1948
Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $2.00 		Charles DickensStanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
#6 - 8th printing (Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg)

December, 1950
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Charles DickensStanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
#6 - 9th printing (Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg)

November, 1951
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Charles DickensStanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
#6 - 10th printing (Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg)

March, 1954
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Charles DickensStanley Maxwell Zuckerberg
#6 - 11th printing (New painted cover)

May, 1956
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Charles DickensJoe Orlando, George Evans
#6 - 16th printing (Painted cover)


Cover Price: $0.15
3 copies available from $1.50 		Charles DickensJoe Orlando, George Evans
#6 - 19th printing (Painted cover)

August, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
2 copies available from $1.50 		Charles DickensJoe Orlando, George Evans
#6 - 20th printing (Painted cover)

May, 1967
Cover Price: $0.15
2 copies available from $1.94 		Charles DickensJoe Orlando, George Evans
#6 - 22nd printing (Painted cover by Norman Nodel; Stiff cover by Norman Nodel)

June, 1970
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $9.99 		Charles DickensJoe Orlando, George Evans
#7 - 5th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $49.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 7th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $3.00 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 8th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $9.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 9th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 10th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $4.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 11th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 18th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $2.00 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 20th printing

March, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $4.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 21th printing

July, 1966
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		 Louis Zansky
#7 - 23rd printing

June, 1969
Cover Price: $0.25
1 copy available for $10.00 		 Louis Zansky
#8 - 5th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $3.00 		 Lillian Chestney
#8 - 8th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $49.99 		 Lillian Chestney
#9 (Slick & Glossy Cover)

March, 1943
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $125.00 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#9 - 6th printing

September, 1948
Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $44.99 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#9 - 7th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $94.99 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#9 - 8th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $24.98 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#9 - 9th printing

March, 1961
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $34.98 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#9 - 11th printing

December, 1965
Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $7.00 		Victor HugoRolland H. Livingston
#10 - 6th printing


Cover Price: $0.00
1 copy available for $9.99 		Daniel DefoeStanley Maxwell
#10 - 8th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Daniel DefoeStanley Maxwell
#10 - 9th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $9.99 		Daniel DefoeStanley Maxwell
#10 - 10th printing


Cover Price: $0.15
1 copy available for $5.99 		Daniel DefoeStanley Maxwell
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