Tower Publications

Tower Publications
Statusdefunct 1982; 42 years ago (1982)
FoundedJune 2, 1958; 66 years ago (1958-06-02)
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters location500 Fifth Avenue,[1] New York City
Key peopleLouis Silberkleit, Harry Shorten
Publication typesBooks, Comic books
Nonfiction topicsHistory, Religion, Sociology
Fiction genresErotic literature, Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery
ImprintsMidwood Books
Tower Books
Tower Comics
Belmont Tower

Tower Publications was an American publisher based in New York City that operated from 1958 to 1982. Originally known for their Midwood Books line of erotic men's fiction, it also published science fiction and fantasy under its Tower Books line and published comic books in the late 1960s under its Tower Comics imprint. In the early 1970s, Tower acquired paperback publisher Belmont Books, forming the Belmont Tower line. Archie Comics' cofounder Louis Silberkleit was a silent partner in Tower's ownership; longtime Archie editor Harry Shorten was a major figure with Tower in all its iterations.[2][3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBNY was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Feldman, Michael. "The Secret Origin of Tower Comics," in The Thunder Agents Companion by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005), p. 85.
  3. ^ Shorten entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928-1999. Accessed Feb. 25, 2017.