Belmont Tower Books
| Status | defunct 1981 |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 2, 1958 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | 500 Fifth Avenue,New York City |
| Key people | Louis Silberkleit, Harry Shorten |
| Publication types | Books, Comic books |
| Nonfiction topics | History, Religion, Sociology |
| Fiction genres | Erotic literature, Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery |
| Imprints |
Midwood Books Tower Books Tower Comics Belmont Tower |
Tower Publications was an American publisher based in New York City that operated from 1958–c. 1981. Originally known for their Midwood Books line of erotic men's fiction, they also published science fiction and fantasy with their Tower Books line, and published comic books in the late 1960s under their Tower Comics imprint. In the early 1970s, Tower acquired paperback publisher Belmont Books, forming the Belmont Tower line. Archie Comics' co-founder Louis Silberkleit was a silent partner in Tower's ownership; long-time Archie editor Harry Shorten was a major figure with Tower in all its iterations.
Tower Publications was formed on June 2, 1958. The company's first publications were cheap paperbacks in Midwood Books's numbered erotic Midwood line, aimed at male readers. (Many of these titles were branded as Midwood-Tower Publications.) The covers of many Midwood Books featured works by prolific illustrators of the era, including Paul Rader; authors published by Midwood (mostly using pseudonyms) included Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Robert Silverberg, and Richard E. Geis.
From 1965–1969, Tower ran a comic book division, Tower Comics, which was mostly run by cartoonists Wally Wood and Samm Schwartz. Tower is most well known for Wood's own T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents; besides Wood and Schwartz, notable creators associated with Tower included Dan Adkins, Gil Kane, Reed Crandall, Steve Ditko, Richard Bassford, Len Brown, Steve Skeates, Larry Ivie, Bill Pearson, Russ Jones, and Roger Brand. Tower Comics went defunct in 1969.
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