In 1991, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a publishing company owned by Random House, brought out a new edition of The Three Investigators books under their Bullseye Books publishing name. These large-size paperback books measure about 5 1/4" X 7 1/2" and feature colorful cover art by Roger Loveless or Dominick Finelle surrounded by a border of question marks. It is appropriate that the question mark is now the symbol on the spine instead of the "keyhole" silhouette. The texts contain the Sebastian introductions and none of these books have internal illustrations. The paper stock is of a higher quality than that used in other paperback editions. This edition originally sold for $3.95 per copy.
The titles in this edition were published in an erratic sequence, some higher number titles being printed before some of the lower-number titles. Unfortunately, only twelve of the original 43 stories were published in this edition. They are:
#1 Terror Castle - June 1991, Roger Loveless cover.
#2 Stuttering Parrot - June 1991, Roger Loveless cover.
#9 Screaming Clock - October 1991, Roger Loveless cover.
#10 Moaning Cave - June 1991, Dominick Finelle cover.
#11 Talking Skull - December 1992, Roger Loveless cover.
#21 Haunted Mirror - June 1991, Dominick Finelle cover.
#26 Headless Horse - April 1992, Dominick Finelle cover.
#32 Blazing Cliffs - November 1992, Roger Loveless cover.
#33 Purple Pirate - June 1991, Dominick Finelle cover.
#35 Kidnapped Whale - June 1991, Roger Loveless cover.
#36 Missing Mermaid - May 1992, Roger Loveless cover.
#39 Trail of Terror - October 1991, Dominick Finelle cover.
As a general observation, #36 "Missing Mermaid" seems to be the most difficult title in this edition to find. Because of the colorful covers and overall high quality of the books, these are truly an attractive addition to a collection. Scans of each of these titles in this format can be viewed in the Original Series section of this site along with additional publishing information.
