William Collins (COL)

W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, 48 Pall Mall, London and Collins Clear-Type Press

William Collins (1789-1853) was initially a Scottish teacher or millworker, depending on which account you read, and then a publisher. His son and grandson, both called William, continued the company. Collins started to publish original fiction in 1919 including, in 1920, the first novel by Agatha Christie. After several mergers the company is now called HarperCollins.

I think that all the books that have a dust jacket designed by Blampied for Collins were published in 1922. In the same year Collins also published novels with dust jackets designed by Saloman van Abbé (signed 'C. Morse') and John Nicolson (signed 'Nick') who shared an agent with Blampied, his brother, John Blampied.

It is possible that the jackets of the other two novels listed below might have been designed by John Nicolson rather than Blampied, but they are all similar and in Blampied's style. Sadly Collins often covered a portion of the design with a text banner, so the signature may have been obscured.

● Click on the thumbnail to see a large image; click on the link to see details of each book and an image, if available.

— 1922 —

COL-22.1: The Club of Queer Trades by G.K. Chesterton (Dust jacket)

COL-22.2: Everybody's Dog Book by Major A.J. Dawson (Dust jacket and frontispiece in some impressions)

COL-22.3: A tragedy of the Pacific, a story by Herbert Hayens (Illustrations to story) in: Collins Adventure Annual [1922]; The Bumper Story Book [1922]; The Victory Adventure Book [1922]; Pelt and Rifle Adventure Book [1922]; The Bumper Book of Sea Stories [1926]; and the Schoolboy's Holiday Book [1928]

COL-22.4: Salty by Charles Westron (Dust jacket)

Possibly by Blampied

COL-22.?: Foe-Farrell by Q. (Dust jacket)

COL-22.?: The Pit-Prop Syndicate by Freeman Wills Crofts (Dust jacket)