[78-L] Durium Hit of the Week 'Hoard'

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
> When the Hit of the Week catalog was published as a full issue of Record
> Research I don't think they mentioned the sleeves, and I know they
> didn't picture any.  I didn't know they had sleeves until a couple of
> years ago, and had no idea that they seemingly did a sleeve for each
> one.  At Northwestern in a donated jazz collection shelved in an alcove
> in the Radio-TV Dept office, there was a practically complete HOW
> collection in perfect condition that were stored in storage albums, two
> per pocket.  Not knowing that the whole collection would be pilfered or
> discarded within a year or two after I left, I didn't take that bunch,
> partially because my own HOW collection was almost complete even at that
> time, although some in lesser condition.  But even in that great
> collection there was no hint that there had been sleeves.  
> Looking at these fantastic scans I have a question that might already
> have been answered in the past.  If they print a listing of song titles
> in the "HOW Library" was this just bragging or was it possible to get
> copies?  If so, how?  They do say "ON SALE AT ALL NEWSSTANDS" but
> newsstands don't  keep back issues of magazines and newspapers, so why
> would you think they might keep past HOWs?  They also print Durium's
> address, but no instructions.  Anybody know how people could "catch up"
> on the hits they missed?
> 
> Also, has anybody ever seen a photograph of a street scene with a
> newsstand that is selling or displaying HOWs???  I usually drool over
> the magazines I see in such photographs, so I look at them carefully. 
> But I've never seen one that includes HOWs.  
> 
> These records always curl because they are coated on only one side. 
> I've always wondered if they were flat when they were new.
> 
> Thanks for those scans, and keep them up, please!  This is a MAJOR
> addition to the history of HOW.  And quickly get the records out of the
> sleeves and get the sleeves into plastic sleeves.  As Taylor has said,
> the records aren't particularly rare or expensive, but the sleeves are.
> 
IIRC (may be wrong here!) Montgomery Ward's offered "obsolete"
HOW's VERY cheaply in their catalogs...?!

...Steven C. Barr