The Trials of Hank Janson by Steve Holland

[severance]

The Trials of Hank Janson by Steve Holland - Telos Publishing Ltd, 2004

(from the cover) Hank Janson was a publishing phenomenon, selling books by the million and carving a niche for himself as the 'King of Tough Gangster Authors'. However the British legal system did not feel the same way, and Janson, together with his publishers, were subjected to vilification, censorship and imprisonment for the crimes of writing and publishing the books. For the first time, author Steve Holland presents the true story behind the headlines, in a book which is as hard hitting and as frank as Janson's novels.

With their erotic pin-up covers and hardbolied crime tales, the Hank Janson pulp paperback novels were a British publishing sensation in the 1940s and 1950s, selling millions of copies to readers craving escapism from post-war austerity. Prosecutions under Britain's then-harsh obscenity laws dealt them a severe blow, however, and today they are highly sought after by collectors.

This edition features a previously unseen cover painting by regulare Janson cover artist Reginald Heade, and sixteen pages of rare Janson book covers in full colour.

Haven't had the opportunity to do much more than dip into this, as yet, but it looks to be a bloody fascinating account of another area of the British book scene that I'm criminally ignorant about. The creator of Hank Janson was a man called Stephen D. Frances, and while I knew that he wrote several Sexton Blake's (hell, who didn't!) including High Summer Homicide, and the Peter Saxon novel The Disorientated Man/Scream and Scream Again, according to this he was also behind the Slaves of the Empire novels by Dael Forest. I was under the impression these had been credited to Ken Bulmer, at least Justin in Pulpmania seemed to think so. I look forward to hearing what Pulphack has to add about Stephen D. Frances/Hank Janson, he usually does us proud - in the meantime I've got some reading to do!!

[justin]

Must 'fess up to getting the Bulmer call wrong! It is quoted in several resources and I'm afriad I've helped to spread that disinformation. But Steve Holland is the man as far as Francis is concerned.

I've noticed that on many sites Bulmer is often credited as having authored several of the Casca books. This is based on someone going through ken's papers and a couple of the cover proofs falling out. Ken at the time apparently stated he couldn't remember writing the books so it was a mystery. However, next thing sites are extrapolating this and crediting Ken. This is then taken as fact and researchers begin to quote it, therefore reinforcing an inaccuracy.

Referring to a pair of Bulmer experts- Andy Decker who all Vaulters should know through his posts, and Roger Robinson who compiled a definitive Bulmer biblio with the man's assitance- both doubt Bulmer did write any. So another example of how disinformation can quickly become the accepted norm.

[pulphack]

there's not much to say about steve francis other than to advise reading everythingsteve holland's written about him. but to just precis a bit of it...

francis grew up in ppoverty and wrote the typical first novel of the times - semi-autobiographical. but it didn't do that well, so he decided to take advantage of the paper rationing and mushroom jungle times, and started churning out fiction to order - such as whenever he could get a paper ration! the creation of janson - part hammett, part james hadley chase - was his master stroke, but he got into some business deals with guys who liked flirting with the law, and this caused him no end of problems, espcecially as he'd moved to spain.

post- janson, his career was erratic. he was quite good at some things, but wasn't versatile. hence his blakes and saxon title are class, but he also wrote the script for Adventures Of A Plumbers Mate, the least funny of the series. according to Stanley Long's autobiography, he was very disappointed with it, but likedFrancis so still paid him and then tinkered with it. Francis meisterwork was a historical novel set in spain that was released as a hardback in the USA to good reviews, but was chopped into three short pb's in this country and crept out. which kind of sums up his luck.

according to mike moorcock, in a letter to PPC in the 90's, Francis was a bit shaky on spelling and grammar, and a lot of his work was copy-edited by his mother in law, who was very hot on these things. blimey, i could do with a mum-in-law like that!

Steve Francis was a decvent writer who was capable of the odd gem, but he was dogged by bad luck all his life, it seems. still, for Scream And Scream Again i'd forgive him anything!