Centaur Press, later renamed Centaur Books, was a New York-based small

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

active from the late 1960s through 1981. The press was founded by Charles M. Collins and

Donald M. Grant Donald Metcalf Grant (April 3, 1927 – August 19, 2009) was an American publisher. Biography He was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1927 and graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1949. Grant's interest in fantasy and science ...

. It was primarily a

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

publisher, though one of its more successful titles was reissued in hardcover. It was notable for reviving

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

adventure 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 d ...

works of the early twentieth century for its "Time-Lost Series." Authors whose works were returned to print by Centaur Press include Robert E. Howard, Arthur O. Friel, J. Allan Dunn, Alfred H. Bill, Jean d'Esme, Darrel Crombie,

Arthur D. Howden Smith Arthur D. Howden Smith (; 1887–1945) was an American historian and novelist.Robert Sampson, ''Yesterday's Faces: Violent Lives'', Bowling Green State University, 1993, , pp. 177–78. Life Arthur Douglas Howden Smith was born in New York. In ...

Talbot Mundy Talbot Mundy (born William Lancaster Gribbon, 23 April 1879 – 5 August 1940) was an English writer of adventure fiction. Based for most of his life in the United States, he also wrote under the pseudonym of Walter Galt. Best known as the ...

, E. Charles Vivian, Will Garth, H. Warner Munn, and

William Hope Hodgson William Hope Hodgson (15 November 1877 – 19 April 1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and scie ...

. In the sole anthology it issued, the press also premiered a couple new works, one by Crombie and one by contemporary author

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

. In later years it also published longer works by contemporary authors, including Carter, Galad Elflandsson, and

Robb Walsh Robb Walsh is an American food writer, cookbook author, and restaurant owner who divides his time between Galway Bay, Ireland, and Galveston, Texas. He is a former commentator on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, Sunday; former restaurant ...

. Its books featured cover art by Jeff Jones,

Robert Bruce Acheson The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

Virgil Finlay Virgil Finlay (July 23, 1914 – January 18, 1971) was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. He has been called "part of the pulp magazine history ... one of the foremost contributors of original and imagi ...

Frank Brunner Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Early life Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class ...

, David Ireland, Stephen Fabian,

Randy Broecker Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them ...

, and

David Wenzel David T. Wenzel (; born November 22, 1950) is an illustrator and children's book artist. He is best known for his graphic novel adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's ''The Hobbit''. Career Wenzel's first ambition had been to work for one of the big ani ...

. Centaur's output was small, generally on the order of one to three books a year. Its publications featured thicker and less acidic paper than that utilized by most paperback houses.

Bibliography of books published

''Asterisked titles were issued in the publisher's "Time-Lost" series.'' *''

The Moon of Skulls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''* (

Solomon Kane Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp magazine, pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late-16th-to-early-17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a somber-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanqu ...

Vol. 1), by Robert E. Howard, Nov. 1969. *''

The Pathless Trail ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''*, by Arthur O. Friel, Nov. 1969. *'' The Hand of Kane''* (Solomon Kane Vol. 2), by Robert E. Howard, Oct. 1970. *'' The Treasure of Atlantis''*, by J. Allan Dunn, Oct 1970, hardcover Sep. 1971 (limited ed.). *''

''* (Solomon Kane Vol. 3), by Robert E. Howard, Feb. 1971. *'' Tiger River''*, by Arthur O. Friel, May 1971. *'' Swordsmen and Supermen''* (anthology), Feb. 1972. *'' The Wolf in the Garden'', by Alfred H. Bill, 1972. *'' Caesar Dies''*, by

, Nov. 1973. *'' The City of Wonder''*, by E. Charles Vivian, Nov. 1973. *'' Grey Maiden: The Story of a Sword Through the Ages''*, by

, Oct. 1974. *''

Dr. Cyclops ''Dr. Cyclops'' is a 1940 American science fiction horror film from Paramount Pictures, produced by Dale Van Every and Merian C. Cooper, directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, and starring Thomas Coley, Victor Kilian, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, ...

''*, by Will Garth, 1976. *''

The Werewolf of Ponkert ''The Werewolf of Ponkert'' is a collection of two horror short stories by H. Warner Munn. It was published in book form with its sequel in 1958 by The Grandon Company in an edition of 500 copies. The edition was reissued as a hardback book by ...

''*, by H. Warner Munn, 1976. *'' The World of Tolkien Illustrated'', by

, 1978. *'' The Black Wolf'', by Galad Elflandsson, 1980. *'' Out of the Storm'', by

, 1980. *'' Kingdom of the Dwarfs'', by

, 1980.

General references

ISFDB entry for Centaur PressISFDB entry for Centaur Books
* Publishing companies established in 1969 Book publishing companies based in New York (state) American companies established in 1969 {{US-publish-corp-stub