'The Phantom and the Sky Pirates' (1945): Rediscovering Forgotten Treasures
Tucked away in the back of a vintage and used bookstore in Baraboo, Wisconsin, a compact, worn copy of The Phantom and the Sky Pirates sat clustered with vintage children's books. A plastic bag protected it against dust, and the book sat there for days, weeks, months, and even years, with bookworms and visitors passing it by.
Closing in on a century ago, this book and its format were big business for Whitman Publishing, which created a style and format that was copied and aped by many other publishers. Today, it's an echo from an earlier era, waiting for the right eagle-eyed Phantom phan to find it (spoiler: they did).
Bearing the Better Little Books label, this was one of 6 titles adapted from The Phantom newspaper strip in the 1930s and '40s. Though based on the second newspaper story, The Phantom and the Sky Pirates was the 5th Phantom-related book published by Better Little Books.
The Phantom and the Sky Pirates: What's Inside?
Question for the phans: Have you collected any Better Little Book titles? Tell us about them. Comment on the video above, or contact us here or at chroniclechamber@gmail.com.
Details about The Phantom's Adventures in Better Little Books
Better Little Books (formerly called Big Little Books) published 6 different Phantom-related titles between 1936 and 1947. Each book has a corresponding series number, and most Phantom books do not use the story title originally featured in the newspaper strip. They are either adjusted or retitled altogether.
Below, find a chart that lists all Phantom BLBs with their corresponding newspaper story. Books are listed in order of publication year.
Book Series No. | Publication Year | Book Title | Original Newspaper Story Title |
1100 | 1936 | The Phantom | "The Singh Brotherhood" |
1474 | 1939 | The Phantom and the Sign of the Skull | "War in the Jungle" / "The Diamond Hunters" |
1421 | 1941 | The Phantom and Desert Justice | "The Slave Traders" |
1489 | 1942 | The Return of The Phantom | "Fishers of Pearls" |
1468 | 1945 | The Phantom and the Sky Pirates | "The Sky Band" |
1416 | 1947 | The Phantom and the Girl of Mystery | "The Mysterious Girl" |
Because some of these books were published before The Phantom Sunday strips were introduced, the first two books feature The Phantom in a red costume. Later editions updated the suit color to purple.
For a deep dive into the hundreds of Better Little Books titles out there, the University of Arizona has a large collection of titles. While you can't access them, you can read up on details and search for titles in the university database.
About Whitman Publishing & Better Little Books
Whitman Publishing started as Western Printing & Lithographing Company in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1907. In 1915, Western Printing agreed to publish children's books for the Chicago-based Hamming-Whitman Publishing Company. Within a few years, hard times hit Hamming-Whitman, and Western stepped in to assume control of the company. The company name was changed to Whitman Publishing.
Between 1932 and 1969, Whitman Publishing produced hundreds of Better Little Books (originally called Big Little Books until 1938), covering a range of characters including Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Flash Gordon, Batman and Robin, Dick Tracy, Buck Rogers, The Phantom, and many more cartoon and newspaper strip characters.
The size was similar for each Better Little Books title, typically around 90mm x 110mm. The formatting included copy on the left side and images on the right. Readers were able to treat titles like a flipbook, which added to the fun of these compact stories.
Due to the success of these titles, many competitors worked on their own variations of the Better Little Books format, leading to several copycats. Whitman Publishing also introduced other lines of children's books, including the popular Little Golden Books (which is now owned by Penguin Random House).
Why are These so Hard to Find?
Better Little Books (or Big Little Books) were intended to be a cheap, easy-to-digest, and compact entertainment option for children. Like other "dime" books, they originally debuted for 10 cents in the United States. In order to keep costs low, these were printed on lower-quality pulp paper, which meant these books would break down more easily. Time, of course, plays a factor, and as the years tick away, it will be harder and harder to find these out in the wild.
