Tower Publications was an American publisher based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

that operated from 1958 to c. 1981. Originally known for their Midwood Books line of

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

men's fiction, it also published

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

under its Tower Books line and published

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

in the late 1960s under its Tower Comics imprint. In the early 1970s, Tower acquired paperback publisher Belmont Books, forming the Belmont Tower line.

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Louis Silberkleit Louis Horace Silberkleit (; 17 November 1900 – 21 February 1986) was an American publisher of magazines, books, and comic books; together with Maurice Coyne and John L. Goldwater, he co-founded MLJ Magazines (later known as Archie Comics), and ...

was a silent partner in Tower's ownership; longtime Archie editor

Harry Shorten Harry Shorten (1914–1991) was an American writer, editor, and book publisher best known for the syndicated gag cartoon ''There Oughta Be a Law!'', as well as his work with Archie Comics, and his long association with Archie's publishers Louis S ...

was a major figure with Tower in all its iterations.Feldman, Michael
"The Secret Origin of Tower Comics,"
in ''The Thunder Agents Companion'' by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005), p. 85.Shorten entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928-1999''. Accessed Feb. 25, 2017.

History

Tower Publications was formed on June 2, 1958.
Best Business NY. Accessed March 3, 2017. The company's first publications were cheap paperbacks in Midwood Books's numbered erotic Midwood line, aimed at male readers. (Many of the 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 Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Mas ...

Donald Westlake Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer, with more than a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into ...

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...

, and Richard E. Geis. From 1965 to 1969, Tower ran a comic book division, Tower Comics, which was mostly run by cartoonists

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as '' Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', and ''MAD Magazine'' fro ...

and

Samm Schwartz Samm Schwartz (October 15, 1920 – November 13, 1997)Social Security Death Index, for SS# 073-14-0718. was an American comic artist best known for his work in MLJ and Archie Comics, specifically on the character Jughead Jones. Biography Schwa ...

. 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 Danny L. AdkinsDanny L. Adkins
at the Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

, Reed Crandall,

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

Richard Bassford Richard Bassford (born 1936) is an American illustrator who has worked in both advertising and comic books. Born in Manhattan, Bassford lived from age three in the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth, Corona and Whitestone until his marriage in 19 ...

Len Brown Leonard Charles Brown (born 1 October 1956)) is a former mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, and former head of the Auckland Council. He won the 2010 Auckland mayoral election on 9 October 2010 and was sworn in as Mayor of Auckland on 1 Novemb ...

Steve Skeates Steve Skeates (; born 1943) is an American comic book creator known for his work on such titles as ''Aquaman'', ''Hawk and Dove'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', and ''Plop!'' He has also written under the pseudonyms Chester P. Hazel and Warren Savin. ...

, Larry Ivie, Bill Pearson,

Russ Jones Russ Jones (born July 16, 1942 in Ontario) is a Canadian novelist, illustrator, and magazine editor, active in the publishing and entertainment industries over a half-century, best known as the creator of the magazine '' Creepy'' for Warren Pu ...

, and

Roger Brand Roger Brand (January 5, 1943 – November 23, 1985) was an American cartoonist who created stories for both mainstream and underground comic books. His work showed a fascination with horror and eroticism, often combining the two. Biography Ear ...

. Tower Comics went defunct in 1969. Tower Publications' Tower Books line published

and

from 1968 to c. 1981. Writer

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for ...

produced between thirteen and twenty-five "Lady from L.U.S.T." (League of Undercover Spies and Terrorists) novels for Tower (and later Belmont Tower) between 1968 and 1975 using the name "Rod Gray". In 1971, Tower acquired the assets of Belmont Books, merging the two companies to form Belmont Tower. (Belmont had been founded by all three Archie Comic Publications founders: Silberkleit, John L. Goldwater, and Maurice Coyne.)Hyfler, Richard
"Books For Bus Terminals: Whatever Happened to Belmont Productions?"
''Forbes.com'' (SEP 15, 2010). Although the new line continued to publish fiction, Belmont Tower published many notable nonfiction books from 1971 to 1980. Authors who published with Belmont Tower included Paulette Cooper, Ovid Demaris,

(writing as Rod Gray), Firth Haring Fabend,

Hans Holzer Hans Holzer (26 January 1920 – 26 April 2009) was an Austrian-American author and parapsychologist. He wrote more than 120 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and do ...

, T. V. Olsen, and

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...

. Tower ceased publishing in 1981; the company officially went out of business in January 2012, long after it had ceased operations.

Selected titles published

Midwood Books (1958–1968)

Tower Comics (1965–1969)

* ''Fight the Enemy'' (3 issues, Aug. 1966–Mar. 1967) — war title * '' T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' (20 issues, Nov. 1965–Nov. 1969) — and spin-off titles: ** ''Dynamo'' (4 issues, Aug. 1966–June 1967) ** ''NoMan'' (2 issues, Nov. 1966–Mar. 1967) * ''Undersea Agent'' (6 issues, Jan. 1966–Mar. 1967) — minimal ties with ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' * ''Tippy Teen'' (27 issues, Nov. 1965–Oct. 1969) — teen comics; includes the unnumbered ''Tippy Teen Special Collector's Edition'' (Nov. 1969); and spin-off titles: ** ''Teen-in'' (4 issues, Summer 1968–Fall 1969) ** ''Tippy's Friends Go-go and Animal / Tippy's Friend Go-Go'' (15 issues, Aug. 1966–Oct. 1969)

Paperback collections (published by Tower Books)

* ''Dynamo, Man of High Camp'' (Tower Book 42-660) 1966 — reprints ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' #1 * ''NoMan, the Invisible THUNDER Agent'' (Tower Book 42-672) 1966 — reprints NoMan stories from ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' #2-5 * ''Menthor, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent with the Super Helmet'' (Tower Book 42-674) 1966 — reprints Menthor stories from ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' #2-5 * ''The Terrific Trio'' (Tower Book 42-687) 1966 — reprints stories ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' #2, 3, 6

Tower Books (1968–1981)

* Rod Gray (

). ''The Lady from L.U.S.T.'' series: ** ''The Lady From L.U.S.T.'' ka 'Lust, Be A Lady Tonight'(Tower Book 43-804) (1967) ** ''Lay Me Odds'' (Tower Book 43-860) (1967) ** ''The 69 Pleasures'' (Tower Book 43-912) (1967) ** ''Five Beds To Mecca'' (Tower Book 43-944) (1968) ** ''The Hot Mahatma'' (Tower Book 44-989) (1968) ** ''To Russia With L.U.S.T.'' (Tower Book 44-126) (1968) ** ''Kiss My Assassin'' (Tower Book 44-160) (1968) ** ''South of the Bordello'' (Tower Book 44-171) (1968) ** ''The Poisoned Pussy'' (Tower Book 45-212) (1968) ** ''The Big Snatch'' (Tower Book 45-276) (1970) ** ''Lady In Heat'' (Tower Book 45-299) (1970)

Belmont-Tower (1971–1980)

* Cooper, Paulette. ''

The Scandal of Scientology ''The Scandal of Scientology'' is a critical exposé book about the Church of Scientology, written by Paulette Cooper and published by Tower Publications, in 1971. In 2007, Cooper wrote about the events resulting from the publication of her sto ...

'' (1971) * Curzon, Sam. ''

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was an Irish American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during the Prohibition era. A boot ...

'' (1973) * Demaris, Ovid. ''The Lucky Luciano Story'' (The Godfather series) (1974) * Fabend, Firth Haring. ''Three Women'' (1972) * Gray, Rod (

). ''The Lady from L.U.S.T.'' series: ** ''Laid in the Future'' (1970) ** ''Blow My Mind'' (1971) ** ''Turned On to Lust'' (1971) ** ''Skin Game Dame'' (1972) ** ''Go For Broke'' (1975) ** ''Have a Snort!'' (1975) ** ''Target for Tonight'' (1975) ** ''The Maracaibo Affair'' (1975) ** ''Voodoo Kill'' (1975) ** ''The Lady Killer'' (1975) ** ''Kill Her With Love'' (1975) * Hanna, David. ''Harvest of Horror: Mass Murder in Houston'' (1975) * Holzer, Hans. '' Murder in Amityville'' (1979) * Olsen, T. V. ''Starbuck's Brand'' (1974) * Peterson, Harold. ''The Last of the Mountain Men'' (1975) — re-issue of book originally published by

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

* Shorten, Harry. ''

There Oughta be a Law ''There Oughta Be a Law!'', or ''TOBAL!'', was a single-panel newspaper comic strip, created by Harry Shorten and Al Fagaly, which was syndicated for four decades from 1944 to 1985. The gags illustrated minor absurdities, frustrations, hypocrisie ...

'' (1976) *

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, '' North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent F ...

: ** '' Brak the Barbarian'' (Apr. 1981) — re-issue of 1968 book originally published by

Avon Books Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles rea ...

** '' Brak vs. the Mark of the Demons'' (1981) — re-issue of 1969 book originally published by Paperback Library ** ''Brak vs. the Sorceress'' (1981) — re-issue of 1969 book originally published as '' Witch of the Four Winds'' by Paperback Library *

Sam Moskowitz Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction. Biography As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...

and

Roger Elwood Roger Elwood (January 13, 1943 – February 2, 2007) was an American science fiction writer and editor, who edited a large number of anthologies and collections for a variety of publishers in the early to mid-1970s. Biography Born and rais ...

, editors. '' The Time Curve'' (1968) — anthology of science fiction short stories *

Greg Tobin Greg Tobin is an American editor, publisher, journalist and author. He worked as an executive in the book publishing industry in New York City for more than 20 years, including stints as vice president and editor in chief of Book of the Month C ...

: ''Season of Power'' (co-authored with Sam Tanenhaus) (1981)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tower Publications) Defunct book publishing companies of the United States Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Publishing companies based in New York City Publishing companies established in 1958 1958 establishments in New York City 1981 disestablishments