Lancer Books
| Status | Defunct |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Publication types | Books |
Lancer Books was a publisher of paperback books operated from 1961 through 1973 by Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius. While it published stories of a number of genres, it was noted most for its science fiction and fantasy, particularly its series of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian tales, the first publication of many in paperback format. It published the controversial novel Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg and the ribald series The Man From O.R.G.Y. Lancer paperbacks had a distinctive appearance, many bearing mauve or green page edging.
After work on a Chicago newspaper, Stein returned to New York in 1949, where he wrote comic book scripts for Quality Comics (Doll Man, Plastic Man) and Hillman Periodicals before employment as the comic book editor with St. John Publications. During 1954, Stein and his wife Helen began a magazine company, Royal Publications, which published the magazines Our Life and Celebrity from Royal's East 44th Street offices. During 1955, Stein added the magazines Infinity Science Fiction and Suspect Detective Stories (which became Science Fiction Adventures with its fifth issue). During 1958-59, Stein published two monster magazines, Monster Parade and Monsters and Things.
As various genre magazines became less common, Stein decided to end his magazine business and begin publishing paperbacks. He launched Lancer Books in June 1961 at 26 West 47th Street. Larry Shaw, who had edited Infinity Science Fiction and the monster magazines, returned as the editor of Lancer Books in 1963. It was Shaw who negotiated the Conan series in 1966. When Shaw left in 1968, his replacement as editor was Robert Hoskins. In 1970, Hoskins and Stein brought Infinity back as a series of paperback anthologies, labeled "a magazine of speculative fiction in book form".
The company filed for bankruptcy in September 1973. In 1974, Zacharius initiated Kensington Books (with the Zebra and Pinnacle imprints), and he authored the World War II novel, The Memories We Keep (2005). Stein continued into the 1990s as a book packager.
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