THE THREE INVESTIGATORS
THE BOOKMARK/MYSTERY QUIZ PAGE
and
PROMOTIONAL BOOKMARKS
In 1981, Random House included a "Bookmark/Mystery Quiz Page" in each of the eleven Three Investigators titles which saw their First Paperback Printings that year. This includes the following nine titles which appeared in the Hitchcock Cover
paperback format:
#13 Crooked Cat
#14 Coughing Dragon
#16 Nervous Lion
#17 Singing Serpent
#23 Invisible Dog
#25 Dancing Devil
#26 Headless Horse
#27 Magic Circle
#28 Deadly Double
And the two brand-new titles appearing for the first time ever in the new Keyhole Cover paperback format:
#31 Scar-Faced Beggar
#32 Blazing Cliffs
Some of the above titles saw a second and third printing in 1981 and some of those printings contain the Mystery Quiz Page as well. The Mystery Quiz Page will be found just inside the front or back cover of the book. The page is of a much heavier and sturdier paper stock than the text. Two-thirds of the page (the inner portion) contains the Mystery Quiz which consists of three questions. The answers to the questions are found on the back of the page.
The outermost one-third of the page is a detachable Three Investigators bookmark which features Stephen Marchesi's cover art from "Moaning Cave". The back of the bookmark will list either 26 or 32 Three Investigators titles. Books first printed before October 1981 will have 26 titles listed. Books first printed in, or after, October 1981 will have 32 titles listed. The bookmark is generally missing which, of course, helps an intact example command a premium price. A detached bookmark measures about 7.5" x 1.75" and will have one rough or perforated edge.
There are two variations of the Mystery Quiz page as shown below:
The First Variation (pre-October 1981) lists the 26 titles on the back of the bookmark that were then in print and available. This variation is found in early printings of Hitchcock Cover paperback titles #13, 17, 23, 27, and 28.
The Second Variation (from October 1981) lists all 32 titles on the back of the bookmark that were then in print and available. This variation has three new Mystery Quiz questions and is found in early printings of Hitchcock Cover paperback titles #14, 16, 25, and 26, and in early printings of Keyhole Cover paperbacks #31 and #32.
Promotional Bookmarks are quite scarce to find today. There are three known varieties of the "I Love Mysteries!" Three Investigators bookmarks, as seen below. These were usually given away at bookstores and perhaps through libraries. The bookmarks shown below are larger than the bookmarks found in the books with the Mystery Quiz Page, these measure 8" x 2". Based on the 36 titles listed, the two at top date from late 1983/early 1984. The bookmark at bottom could date as early as 1978.
The bookmarks below are shown courtesy of T3I collectors Carolyn Downey and Scot Gillies.
