THE BIG LITTLE BOOK CLUB
					FAWCETT PUBLISHING COMPANY
		DIME ACTION BOOK® SERIES and MIGHTY MIDGET COMICS®
					1941 - 1943
	The Fawcett Publishing Company of Greenwich, Connecticut entered the field of BLB-type books briefly with four titles in 1941. The characters for the titles were taken from popular Fawcett comic book characters: Bulletman, Captain Marvel, Minute Man, and Spy Smasher.
	The four books were identical in size and format to Dell's Fast-Action Story Book Series®. Each was 192 pages long and 4" x 5 1/2" x 5/8". They were soft covered with glued binding. Because they sold for 10¢, Fawcett called them the Dime Action Books®.
	The Bulletman and Minute Man titles were reproduced from Fawcett's Master Comics. Spy Smasher and Captain Marvel came from Whiz Comics. Captain Marvel appeared for the first time in Whiz Comics #2, February 1940 but was put out of business in 1953 by a lawsuit. Captain Marvel was considered to be an infringement on D.C.'s Superman copyright.
	Fawcett produced a set of small comic booklets about the same time as the Dime Action Book®. They were called Mighty Midget Books® and were released as three distinct sets from 1942 through 1943. All are rare.
	During the 40s and early 50s, the Fawcett Company marketed a healthy line of premiums geared to its remarkably successful venture into the world of comic book publishing. The circulation figures of Fawcett's top comic book title, The Adventures of Captain Marvel, have never been equaled. Most of Fawcett's paper premiums can still be found at comic book conventions.
	Fawcett's Dime Action Book® series of books resemble BLBs. These are relatively hard to find as are the series of 36-page booklets (including covers) called Mighty Midget Comics. These were published by the Samuel Lowe Publishing Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Lowe had worked for Whitman during the period the first BLBs were developed and subsequently headed his own company. Most of the titles in the series contained the popular Fawcett comics characters. Because of their size, about 4" x 5", the Mighty Midget Comics qualify as a peripheral BLB collector's item.
	The Mighty Midget titles were published in 1942 and 1943. They were distributed in a boxed display set, in a set of four with a wrap-around wrapper (that says "128 pages of action comic books"), or in a boxed set with other Lowe premiums. The price of the boxed set is unknown at the time of this writing, however, each title individually sold for 5¢. The Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. titles were sold separately or were attached to full size Captain Marvel comics.
	Each of the first 6 books were numbered as #11, thus they are often identified as the first series. The next 7 were numbered as #12. The last 6 were not given a number. Back covers were either blank or carried a war bond seal. Those given away as premiums often had a company ad printed on the back cover (e.g. Weather-Bird Shoes). It appears that Lowe promoted the books as giveaway premiums much like the Whitman premiums.
	DIME ACTION BOOK® SERIES 1941
	BOOK NO.				TITLE		GOOD	VG	FINE
	Lowery	Fawcett
	SF1	----		BULLETMAN AND BULLETGIRL			35	70	140
					Dime Action Book®; 1941. Soft cover, glued binding. Tall size: 4" x 5 1/2" x 5/8"; 192 pages. Author/Artist: Unknown. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: Adapted from Master Comics. The cover title is different than the title on the title page (Bulletman and the Return of Mr. Murder).
	SF2	----		CAPTAIN MARVEL - THE RETURN OF THE SCORPION			45	90	180
					Dime Action Book®; 1941. Soft cover, glued binding. Tall size: 4" x 5 1/2" x 5/8"; 192 pages. Author: Bill Parker. Artist: C. C. Beck. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: Adapted from Whiz Comics. Captain Marvel appeared for the first time in Whiz Comics #2, February 1940.
	SF3	----		MINUTE MAN - THE MYSTERY OF THE SPY RING			40	80	160
					Dime Action Book®; 1941. Soft cover, glued binding. Tall size: 4" x 5 1/2" x 5/8"; 192 pages. Author/Artist: Unknown. COLLECTOR'S NOTE: Adapted from Master Comics.
	SF4	----		SPY SMASHER AND THE RED DEATH			40	80	160
					Dime Action Book®; 1941. Soft cover, glued binding. Tall size: 4" x 5 1/2" x 5/8"; 192 pages. Author/Artist: Unknown. COLLECTOR'S NOTE: Adapted from Whiz Comics.
	MIGHTY MIDGET COMICS® BOOK SERIES (1942-1943)
	BOOK NO.				TITLE		GOOD	VG	FINE
	Lowery	Fawcett
	SF5	11		BULLETMAN			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1943. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages. Author/Artist: Unknown. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: Reprint of cover of Bulletman #3 ).
	SF6	11		CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942/3. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: This is a reprint of the story in Captain Marvel #20 (January 2, 1943). Captain Marvel was the only comic that carried an exact date because it was printed every 3 weeks. It was this issue that steamrollered past Superman and all the other comic book characters as the sales leader in the industry to the end of WWII. The cover is a reprint from the 1942 Whiz Comics cover by C. C. Beek.
	SF7	11		CAPTAIN MARVEL JR			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942/3. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: This title was attached to the cover of Captain Marvel #21 (1943). It was attached to this particular cover only in the South to cover up a heroic Black character. Featuring a heroic Black figure on the cover may have been a first by any publisher in this country.
	SF8	11		GOLDEN ARROW - MYSTERY OF THE LOST CITY			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF9	11		IBIS THE INVINCIBLE			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages. COLLECTOR'S NOTE: Reprint of cover of Ibis #1.
	SF10	11		SPY SMASHER			20	40	80
		Set I			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF11	12		BALBO - THE BOY MAGICIAN			20	40	80
		Set II			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF12	12		BULLETMAN			20	40	80
		Set II			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF13	12		COMMANDO YANK - THE COMMANDOS STRIKE AGAIN			20	40	80
		Set II			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF14	12		LANCE O'CASEY			20	40	80
		Set II			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF15	12		MINUTE MAN - THE ONE MAN ARMY			20	40	80
		Set II		Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF16	12		MR. SCARLET AND PINKY -			20	40	80
		Set II			THE MYSTERY OF THE MAKE-BELIEVE MASTER MIND
					Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF17	12		The PHANTOM EAGLE DEFEATS THE FLYING RADIOS			20	40	80
		Set II			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF18	----		DR. VOLTZ - THE HUMAN GENERATOR			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF19	----		LEATHERNECK THE MARINE			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF20	----		MISTER Q			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF21	----		PAT WILSON AND HIS FLYING FORTRESS			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF22	----		STATE TROOPER STOPS CRIME			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.
	SF23	----		TORNEDO TOM			20	40	80
		Set III			Mighty Midget Book®; 1942. Soft cover, stapled. Small size 4" x 5"; 32 pages.