Newport Vintage Books

This film was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starred George Kuwa [1885-1931, born Keiichi Kuwahara in Japan] as Charlie Chan alongside Walter Miller, E. H. Calvert, Jack Pratt, Charles West, Allene Ray. The film script was written by Frank Leon Smith.

There was no PhotoPlay edition issued to accompany the film release in either the US or the UK.

First UK Edition: 1925 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: Grosset & Dunlap

Orange Cloth Binding with Dark Green Lettering on front and spine.
Cover Art -- Scene of Waikiki Beach.
Light Blue Cloth Binding with Navy Blue Lettering on front and spine.
Cover Art -- Scene of Waikiki Beach.
Dark Red Cloth Binding with Black Lettering on front and spine.
Cover Art - Silhouette of man raising bloody dagger.
This 1940s printing has rear jacket panel with advertisement for war bonds.

US Reprint: 1940 Triangle Books

3rd Revised Cover Art -- Warner Oland Dustjacket

Chinese Parrot, The -- #2

First US Edition: 1926 -- Bobbs Merrill, New York

Green Cloth Binding with Orange Lettering on front and spine.

"The Chinese Parrot" was a silent film released by Universal on October 23, 1927.

This film was directed by Paul Leni and starred Kamiyama Sojin [1884-1954, born in Sendai, Japan] as Charlie Chan alongside Anna May Wong, Edmund Burns, Florence Tucker, Marian Nixon, Albert Conti & Edgar Kennedy. The film script was written by J. Grubb Alexander.

There was no PhotoPlay edition issued to accompany the film release in the US. However, in the UK, Readers Library issued a book in a colorful dustjacket [view Charlie Chan gallery], #210 in their series.

First UK Edition: 1926 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: -- Grosset & Dunlap

Olive Green Cloth Binding with Orange Lettering on front and spine.
Revised Cover Art -- Parrot on circular green perch -- left wing extended, head upright
Red Cloth Binding with Black Lettering on front and spine.
Revised Cover Art -- Parrot on circular green perch -- left wing extended, head upright
Madison Square Edition [circa 1943] (imprint on top left of jacket rear panel & book height 8 1/4" (vs. 7 5/8")
Black Cloth Binding with Orange Lettering on front and spine.
2nd Revised Cover Art -- Parrot on horizontal perch -- wings tucked, head down, left claw bloodied.

UK Reprint: -- Reader's Library, London - Photoplay Edition

Behind that Curtain -- #3

First US Edition: 1928 -- Bobbs Merrill, New York

Yellow Cloth Binding with Black Lettering on front and spine.

First UK Edition: 1928 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: -- Grosset & Dunlap

Yellow-Orange Cloth Binding. Black lettering on front and spine.
Dustjacket artwork matching 1st US ed. Charlie peering from between curtains, hand on chin & slippers below.
Light Blue Cloth Binding with Navy Blue Lettering on front and spine.
Cover Art -- Charlie peering from between curtains, hand on chin & slippers below.
PhotoPlay Edition [circa 1929]
[US Release Date: June 30, 1929]
Fox film directed by Irving Cummings and starring E.L. Park (as Chan), Boris Karloff, Warner Baxter, Gilbert Emery, Lois Moran & Claude King
Light Blue Cloth Binding with Navy Blue Lettering on front and spine.
Four (4) Movie Stills -- Park & Karloff are not depicted on dustjacket or stills.
Revised Cover Art [only used for PhotoPlay edition] -- Eve Mannering Durand [Louis Moran] seated beside Col. John Beetham [Warner Baxter].
Madison Square Edition [circa 1943] (imprint on top left of jacket rear panel & book height 8 1/4" (vs. 7 5/8")
Red Cloth Binding with Black Lettering on front and spine.
Cover Art -- Charlie peering from between curtains, hand on chin & slippers below.

Black Camel, The -- #4

First US Edition: 1929 -- Bobbs Merrill, New York

Gray Cloth Binding with Red Lettering on front and spine.

First UK Edition: 1929 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: Grosset & Dunlap

Revised Cover Art -- Camel Silhouette, Chinaman & Girl
Caption "Death is the black camel ..."
Light Blue Cloth Binding with Navy Blue Lettering on front and spine.

Photoplay Edition --- 4 Different Printings -- [circa 1931 - 35] -- 2nd Revised Cover Art -- Warner Oland - Mach Tey artwork
Fox film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Warner Oland (as Chan), Bela Lugosi, Robert Young, Dorothy Revier & Sally Eilers
[US Release Date: June 21, 1931]

The first two Charlie Chan films, "The House Without a Key" [Pathe, November 21, 1926] and "The Chinese Parrot" [Universal, October 23, 1927] were filmed as silents. Of the five Warner Oland Charlie Chan films based on the original Earl Derr Biggers novels, only "The Black Camel" still survives. The other four are believed to have been lost in one of two fires, one in the 1930s and the other in the 1960s.

Photoplay Edition -- 2nd Revised Cover Art -- Warner Oland - Mach Tey artwork

--- 4 Different Printings -- [circa 1931] -- all have Golden Yello Cloth Binding.

1. Movie Credits Caption [on bottom left of dustjacket front panel] and Four internal movie stills.

Rear Panel lists 20 titles -- "Novels from which movies have been made." --- below sidewalk scene outside theater box office.

2. Movie Credits Caption on bottom left of dustjacket front panel without Four internal movie stills. Green Cloth Binding.

Rear Panel lists 20 titles -- "Novels from which movies have been made." --- below sidewalk scene outside theater box office.

3. NO Movie Credits Caption and Four internal movie stills. Green Cloth Binding.

4. NO Movie Credits Caption; without Four internal movie stills. Green Cloth Binding.

Madison Square Edition [circa 1943] (imprint on top left of jacket rear panel & book height 8 1/4" (vs. 7 5/8")
Revised Cover Art -- Camel Silhouette, Chinaman & Girl
Caption "Death is the black camel ..."
Red Cloth Binding with Black Lettering on front and spine.
Madison Square Edition [circa 1943] (imprint on top left of jacket rear panel & book height 8 1/4" (vs. 7 5/8")
2nd Revised Cover Art -- Warner Oland Photoplay Edition - Mach Tey artwork
Without Movie Credits Caption and without Four internal movie stills.
Yellow-Orange to Cream-Yellow Cloth Binding.

Charlie Chan Carries On -- #5

First US Edition: 1930 -- Bobbs Merrill, New York

Yellow Cloth Binding with Blue Lettering on front and spine.

First UK Edition: 1930 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: Grosset & Dunlap

Photoplay Edition [circa 1931] -- Warner Oland (Mach Tey) artwork with caption
"A Fox / Movietone Production / with an / All Star Cast" and four internal movie stills
[US Release Date: April 12, 1931]
Fox film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Warner Oland (as Chan), John Garrett, George Brent & Marguerite Churchill
Binding colors ranging from yellow-orange to cream-yellow cloth.
Photoplay Edition -- Warner Oland (Mach Tey) artwork
without movie credits caption and with four internal movie stills
Binding colors ranging from yellow-orange to cream-yellow cloth.
Photoplay Edition -- Warner Oland (Mach Tey) artwork
without movie credits caption and without four internal movie stills
Binding colors ranging from yellow-orange to cream-yellow cloth.

On June 20, 2006, 20th Century Fox released "Eran Trece" ['They Were Thirteen'] -- the Spanish language version of the lost film "Charlie Chan Carries On" -- as part of the four DVD box set "The Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 1".

Madison Square Edition [circa 1943] (imprint on top left of jacket rear panel & book height 8 1/4" (vs. 7 5/8")
Warner Oland (Mach Tey) artwork
without movie credits caption and without four internal movie stills
Binding colors ranging from orange to red-orange cloth.

Keeper of the Keys -- #6

First US Edition: 1932 -- Bobbs Merrill, New York

Black Cloth Binding with Orange Lettering on front and spine.

First UK Edition: 1932 -- George Harrap & Co., Ltd, London

US Reprint: Grosset & Dunlap
Black Binding.- Orange Lettering on Front & Spine
Endpage Scene - Monoplane flying over Forest under Moonlight

US Reprint: Triangle Books -- 1942

Revised Warner Oland Dustjacket

Grosset & Dunlap Variants

Binding Variants Noted

Olive Cloth with Orange Lettering.

Blue Cloth and Navy Blue Lettering

Orange Cloth with Olive Green Lettering

Red Cloth with Black Lettering

Dustjacket Variants Noted

Dustjackets printed after 1933 typically have G&D logo at spine bottom.

Rear panels appear with 5 to 8 titles, and borders in either red, blue or black.

Rear panel design variants include:

"Mystery & Detective Stories" issued with "fireside armchair" picture
"Mystery & Detective Stories" issued without "fireside armchair" picture
Young Biggers photographic portrait listing 5 titles
B&W Biggers sketch with “Rising Sun” background listing 6, 7 or 8 titles.

View Charlie Chan Gallery

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Last Revision: July 26, 2010 05:56 PM