Esquire Back Covers

The back cover of each 32-000 series Esquire release has several key indications that place it in its relative chronology between 1956 and 1964, and may indicate its status as a first or second pressing, which is important to collectors..

These are

• The price printed on top left and right. This changed only once, from 39/71/2 d to 37/91/2 d  around 32-080, (probably reflecting the drop in purchase tax in April 1959) and finally disappeared from the cover around 32-129 and never reappeared.
• The printing of the title artist and catalogue number, initially on the fold which approximates to the spine,  to printing on the vertical back flap of the front cover, which change occurs in my collection around 32-090 through to the end of jazz series and the demise of the  Esquire label  in 1964

These changes overlap for a few titles around the changeover point but a significant anomaly e.g. a popular early release (low catalogue number) which shows the later reduced price or no price, and has title printed on the back flap instead of the spine will be a second pressing.

Some releases are known to have had (at least) two pressings, indicated with an asterisked title below. Reviewing the the ninety-odd Esquire titles documented it looks like several of the releases of Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins have had several pressings whilst most of the other titles bear the expected chronolgy i.e  they have the cover features you would expect in line with their catalogue number

In addition to differentation by  price and spine printing,  European editions have the title printed on the back flap in a different direction to the UK edition text, and  early Esquire covers have a laminated back finish whilst later are un-laminated matt paper.

UPDATE January 27, 2013: merging information from two large separate Esquire collections (LJC and RF) provides a verified status for nearly half of all 12″ 32-000 series titles issued by Esquire between 1956-64, shown below. Some titles are known to have at least two editions (asterisked), others may exist that we don’t have an example of.

		Retail Price			Tiitle on SPine or   back FLap
Esq   No.32-	Artist/Title	39/7	37/9	no rp	SP	FL
011	Stan Getz Collates	?	37/9		?	FL
013	Donald Byrd Birds Eye View	39/7			SP
014	Gerry Mulligan Mulligan’s Too	39/7			SP
019	Donald Byrd Byrd’s Jazz	?		no rp	SP
020	Phil Woods Woodlore	39/7			SP
024	MJQ in Hi Fi	39/7			SP
025	Sonny Rollins Sonny Plus Four	39/7			SP
026	Donald Byrd Pairing Off	39/7			SP
027	Lee Konitz Collates	39/7			SP
029	Hank Mobley Mobley’s Message	39/7			SP
030	Miles Davis Collector’s Item	39/7			SP
032	George Wallington Jazz f/t Carriage Trade	39/7			SP
033	Frank Foster Wail frank, Wail	39/7			SP
034	Tadd Dameron Fontainebleau	39/7			SP
035	Sonny Rollins Perspectives	39/7			SP
036	Trombone by Three	39/7			SP
038	Sonny Rollins Worktime	39/7			SP
039	Elmo Hope Informal Jazz	39/7			SP
040	Jon Eardley Down East	39/7			SP
041	Jackie McLean Lights Out	39/7			SP
042	Art Farmer Charts	39/7			SP
045	Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus	39/7			SP
046	Red Garland Garland of Red	?	37/9		?	FL
048	Miles Davis Cookin’ *	39/7	37/9		SP
049	Sonny Stitt S.P.J. Jazz *	39/7		no rp	SP
050	Phil Woods Phil and Quill	39/7			SP
051	Mose Alison Back Country Suite	?	37/9		SP
052	Miles et al. Conception	39/7			SP
059	John Coltrane Tenor Conclave	39/7			SP
065	Prestige All Stars OLIO	39/7			SP
068	Miles Davis Relaxin’ *	39/7	37/9		SP	FL
070	Gil Evans and  10	39/7			SP
071	Mose Allison Local Color	39/7			SP
072	Art Farmer Two Trumpets	39/7			SP
073	Hal McKusick Triple Exposure	39/7			SP
074	Woods-Quill-Shihab-Stein Four Altos	39/7			SP
075	Sonny Rollins Rollins Plays for Bird *	39/7	37/9		SP	FL
078	Sonny Stitt Stitts Bits	39/7			SP
079	John Coltrane Coltrane		37/9			FL
085	Sonny Rollins Tour de Force		37/9		SP
088	Miles Davis Blue Haze		37/9		SP
089	John Coltrane Soultrane		37/9		SP
090	Miles Davis Bags Groove		37/9			FL
093	Three Trumpets		37/9
097	Gene Amons Jammin’ with Gene		37/9			FL
098	Miles Davis Walkin’		37/9			FL
099	Red Garland Quintet All Mornin’ Long		37/9			FL
100	Miles Davis And the Modern Giants *		37/9	no rp		FL
102	Colemen Hawkins Hawk Eyes		37/9			FL
107	Prestige All Stars All Day Long		37/9			FL
108	Miles Davis Workin’		37/9			FL
109	Thelonious Monk Quintets		37/9			FL
110	Prestige Swingers Outskirts of Town		37/9			FL
111	Jackie Mclean Jackie’s Pal		37/9			FL
112	Sonny Stitt Kaleidoscope		37/9			FL
113	Teo Macero w/Prestige Jazz Quartet		37/9			FL
115	Thelonious Monk Work!		37/9			FL
118	Miles Davis Early Miles/and Horns			no rp		FL
119	Thelonious Monk Monks Moods			no rp		FL
120	Art Farmer Earthy		37/9			FL
124	MJQ Looking back at the MJQ		37/9			FL
128	Eddie Lockjaw Davis in Orbit			no rp		FL
125	Benny Golson Gone with Golson		37/9			FL
129	John Coltrane Lush Life			no rp		FL
132	George Wallington New York Scene			no rp		FL
137	Art Farmer Farmer’s Market			no rp		FL
138	Miles Davis Steamin’			no rp		FL
140	Prestige All Stars All Night Long			no rp		FL
142	Lem Winchester Winchester Special			no rp		FL
143	Steve Lacy Soprano Today			no rp		FL
144	Johnny Griffin The Tenor Scene			no rp		FL
145	Hip Bones J.J. Kai Benny Green			no rp		FL
146	Red Garland Rojo			no rp		FL
148	Oliver Nelson Screamin’ The Blues			no rp		FL
149	Art Taylor Taylor’s Tenors			no rp		FL
152	Lem Winchester Lem’s Beat			no rp		FL
155	Sonny Rollins Movin’ Out			no rp		FL
156	Tommy Flanagan w. John Coltrane			no rp		FL
157	Charlie Parker Bird is Free			no rp		FL
162	Oliver Nelson Afro/American Sketches			no rp		FL
163	Roy Haynes Just Us			no rp	SP
164	Roland Kirk Kirks Work			no rp		FL
168	Oliver Nelson Straight Ahead			no rp		FL
169	Johnnie Pate At The Blue Note			no rp		FL
175	Sonny Rollins Sonny Boy			no rp		FL
176	Mal Waldron Impressions			no rp		FL
178	Gene Amons Bad! Bossa Nova			no rp		FL
179	John Coltrane Standard Coltrane			no rp		FL
181	Gigi Gryce Rat Race Blues			no rp		FL
184	Arnett Cobb More Party Time			no rp		FL
185	Dizzy Reece Asia Minor			no rp		FL
187	Art Farmer  Early Art			no rp		FL
Source	: Esquire Collections of LJC and RF
Note:	? indicates may exist (unverified) * title known to exist in two pressings, variation as shown

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