Please sign in for full site features

Show only in-stock items

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.

Jump to issue:

Page 1 of 8 Next »

#1 - 7th printing

First edition with Classics Illustrated title

Apr 1947

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #36; 64 pages

1 copy for $94.99
#1 - 8th printing

Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale

Apr 1949

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949

1 copy for $9.99
#1 - 10th printing

Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale

Dec 1950

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #78; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#1 - 11th printing

Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale

Mar 1952

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #93; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#1 - 12th printing

Line-drawin cover by Malcolm Kildale

Dec 1953

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #114; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#1 - 13th printing

New painted cover

Sep 1956

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #134; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#1 - 14th printing

Painted cover

Mar 1958

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Malcolm Kildale

HRN #143; 64 pages

1 copy for $7.98
#1 - 16th printing

Painted cover

Jun 1961

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans

HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961

1 copy for $9.98
#1 - 18th printing

Painted cover

Apr 1964

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $3.25
#1 - 21th printing

Painted cover

Nov 1967

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans

HRN #166; 48 pages

1 copy for $7.98
#1 - 22nd printing

Painted cover; Stiff covers

Mar 1969

Cover: $0.25

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans

HRN #166; 48 pages; Spring 1969

1 copy for $7.98
#1 - 23rd printing

Painted cover; Stiff covers

Mar 1971

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: George Evans

HRN #169; 48 pages; Spring 1971

1 copy for $9.98
#2 - 8th printing

Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale

Apr 1949

W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey

HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949

2 copies from $2.06
#2 - 11th printing

Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale

Nov 1951

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey

HRN #89; 64 pages

1 copy for $7.99
#2 - 12th printing

Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale

Apr 1953

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey

HRN #106; 64 pages

1 copy for $7.99
#2 - 13th printing

Line-drawing cover by Malcolm Kildale

Jul 1954

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Edd Ashe, Ray Ramsey

HRN #121; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#2 - 14th printing

New painted cover

Jan 1957

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #136; 48 pages; New interior art

1 copy for $4.99
#2 - 15th printing

Painted cover

Jan 1958

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #142; 48 pages

1 copy for $3.99
#2 - 16th printing

Painted cover

Nov 1959

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #153; 48 pages

1 copy for $4.99
#2 - 17th printing

Painted cover

Jun 1961

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961

2 copies from $3.98
#2 - 18th printing

Painted cover

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963

1 copy for $5.99
#2 - 20th printing

Painted cover

Jan 1965

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $6.50
#2 - 21th printing

Painted cover

Mar 1966

Cover: $0.15

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $9.98
#2 - 24th printing

Painted cover; Stiff covers

Dec 1969

Cover: $0.25

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1969

1 copy for $3.98
#2 - 25th printing

Painted cover; Stiff covers

Dec 1971

W: Walter Scott · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1971

1 copy for $5.98
#3 - 12th printing

Sep 1951

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Ray Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman

HRN #87; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#3 - 13th printing

Nov 1953

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Ray Ramsey, Allen Simon, Vivian Lipman

HRN #113; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.98
#3 - 14th printing

New painted cover

Nov 1956

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron

HRN #135; 48 pages; New interior art

1 copy for $6.98
#3 - 18th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron

HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963

2 copies from $2.87
#3 - 22nd printing

Cover: $0.25

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron

HRN #166; 48 pages; ca. 1968

1 copy for $4.98
#3 - 23rd printing

Stiff covers

Dec 1969

Cover: $0.25

W: Alexandre Dumas · A: Lou Cameron

HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1969

1 copy for $9.98
#4 - 8th printing

Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey

Apr 1949

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #60; 64 pages; April-June 1949

2 copies from $1.64
#4 - 9th printing

Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey

Oct 1949

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #64; 64 pages

1 copy for $7.99
#4 - 11th printing

Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey

Nov 1951

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #89; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#4 - 12th printing

Line-drawing cover by Ray Ramsey

Mar 1954

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #117; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#4 - 13th printing

Painted cover

Nov 1956

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #135; 64 pages

1 copy for $6.98
#4 - 14th printing

Painted cover

Nov 1957

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: Ray Ramsey

HRN #141; 64 pages

1 copy for $4.98
#4 - 15th printing

Painted cover

May 1959

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole

HRN #150; 48 pages

1 copy for $4.98
#4 - 18th printing

Painted cover

Jun 1964

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $2.66
#4 - 19th printing

Painted cover

Aug 1965

Cover: $0.15

W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $2.66
#4 - 21th printing

Painted cover

Cover: $0.25

W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole

HRN #166; 48 pages; R/67; ca. 1967

1 copy for $7.99
#4 - 22nd printing

Painted cover; Stiff covers

Mar 1969

Cover: $0.25

W: James Cooper · A: John Severin, L.B. Cole

HRN #169; 48 pages; Spring 1969

1 copy for $6.98
#5 - 12th printing

Sep 1951

Cover: $0.15

W: Herman Melville · A: Louis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman

HRN #87; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#5 - 13th printing

Apr 1954

Cover: $0.15

W: Herman Melville · A: Louis Zansky, Harvey Kurtzman

HRN #118; 64 pages

1 copy for $9.99
#5 - 15th printing

Painted cover

May 1957

Cover: $0.15

W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #138; 48 pages

1 copy for $7.98
#5 - 18th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #167; 48 pages; Spring-Summer 1963

1 copy for $5.98
#5 - 22nd printing

Painted cover

Sep 1967

Cover: $0.15

W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #166; 48 pages

1 copy for $9.98
#5 - 23rd printing

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

1 copy for $9.98
#5 - 24th printing

Painted cover by Norman Nodel

Dec 1971

Cover: $0.25

W: Herman Melville · A: Norman Nodel

HRN #169; 48 pages; Winter 1971

1 copy for $6.98
#6 - 6th printing

Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

Sep 1948

W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

HRN #51; 64 pages

2 copies from $1.64
#6 - 8th printing

Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

Dec 1950

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

HRN #78; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#6 - 9th printing

Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

Nov 1951

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

HRN #89; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#6 - 10th printing

Line-drawn cover by Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

Mar 1954

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Stanley Maxwell Zuckerberg

HRN #117; 64 pages

1 copy for $5.99
#6 - 11th printing

New painted cover

May 1956

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #132; 48 pages; New interior art

1 copy for $9.99
#6 - 15th printing

Painted cover

Nov 1959

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #153; 48 pages

1 copy for $6.98
#6 - 16th printing

Painted cover

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #149; 48 pages; Summer-Fall 1961

1 copy for $1.24
#6 - 18th printing

Painted cover

Jun 1964

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $9.98
#6 - 19th printing

Painted cover

Aug 1965

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #167; 48 pages

1 copy for $5.98
#6 - 20th printing

Painted cover

May 1967

Cover: $0.15

W: Charles Dickens · A: Joe Orlando, George Evans

HRN #166; 48 pages

2 copies from $3.50
#6 - 21th printing

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

1 copy for $5.98
#6 - 22nd printing

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

1 copy for $7.98
#7 - 5th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #22

1 copy for $49.99
#7 - 7th printing

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #51

2 copies from $2.47
#7 - 8th printing

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #64

1 copy for $9.99
#7 - 9th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #78

1 copy for $9.99
#7 - 10th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #97

1 copy for $4.99
#7 - 11th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #106

1 copy for $5.99
#7 - 15th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #143

1 copy for $6.98
#7 - 16th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #153

1 copy for $14.98
#7 - 18th printing

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #167

2 copies from $1.64
#7 - 20th printing

Mar 1965

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #167

1 copy for $4.99
#7 - 21th printing

Jul 1966

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #167

1 copy for $9.99
#7 - 22nd printing

Dec 1967

Cover: $0.15

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #16

1 copy for $12.98
#7 - 23rd printing

Jun 1969

Cover: $0.25

A: Louis Zansky

HRN #169; Summer 1969

1 copy for $10.00
#8 - 5th printing

A: Lillian Chestney

HRN #51

1 copy for $2.47
#8 - 7th printing

Cover: $0.15

A: Lillian Chestney

HRN #78

1 copy for $9.98
#8 - 8th printing

A: Lillian Chestney

HRN #164

1 copy for $14.98
#9

Slick & Glossy Cover

Mar 1943

Cover: $0.15

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

1 copy for $101.75
#9 - 6th printing

Sep 1948

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #51

1 copy for $19.98
#9 - 7th printing

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #71

1 copy for $44.98
#9 - 8th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #87

1 copy for $12.98
#9 - 9th printing

Mar 1961

Cover: $0.15

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #161

1 copy for $17.98
#9 - 12th printing

Cover: $0.25

W: Victor Hugo · A: Rolland H. Livingston

R/68

1 copy for $14.98
#10 - 6th printing

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #51

1 copy for $9.99
#10 - 8th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #78

1 copy for $5.99
#10 - 10th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #114

1 copy for $5.99
#10 - 11th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #130

1 copy for $5.98
#10 - 12th printing

Sep 1957

Cover: $0.15

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #140

2 copies from $1.20
#10 - 18th printing

Jun 1966

Cover: $0.15

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #167

1 copy for $7.99
#10 - 19th printing

Sep 1968

Cover: $0.25

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #166; Fall 1968

1 copy for $6.98
#10 - 21th printing

Jun 1970

Cover: $0.25

W: Daniel Defoe · A: Stanley Maxwell

HRN #169; Summer 1970

1 copy for $9.98
#11 - 5th printing

Aug 1953

Cover: $0.15

W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky

HRN #110

1 copy for $6.98
#11 - 7th printing

Feb 1944

Cover: $0.15

W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky

HRN #165

1 copy for $6.50
#11 - 9th printing

Nov 1965

Cover: $0.15

W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky

HRN #167

1 copy for $6.98
#11 - 10th printing

Cover: $0.25

W: Miguel De Cervantes, Samuel H. Abramson · A: Louis Zansky

R/1968

1 copy for $9.98
#12 - 3rd printing

Mar 1944

Cover: $0.15

W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #20

1 copy for $20.40
#12 - 9th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #89

1 copy for $14.99
#12 - 11th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #132

1 copy for $9.99
#12 - 14th printing

Cover: $0.15

W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston

HRN #167

1 copy for $2.06
#12 - 18th printing

Cover: $0.25

W: Washington Irving · A: Rolland H. Livingston

R/1968

1 copy for $9.98

Page 1 of 8 Next »