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Post by noose on Jan 23, 2012 21:37:16 GMT
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Post by jamesdoig on Jan 24, 2012 5:13:02 GMT
OK, here goes, this is my take on it:- Nicely Sleuthed!
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Post by Shrink Proof on Jan 24, 2012 12:05:08 GMT
Which means I was wrong. It's J HC, not JAC. My consolation is that there are online references to Prof J A Clapham by folk who've obviously made the same mistake I did.
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Post by noose on Jan 25, 2012 15:09:48 GMT
now have a Birkin letter to add to the collection:
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Post by Shrink Proof on Jan 25, 2012 16:21:23 GMT
This one's much easier!
...their money was made by Pamela Wynne, a doctor's widow, daring for her day, whose MSS I had to censor! (Philip Allan* himself must have been 65 forty years ago).
Of the short story writers an American, Tod Robbins, was, I think, the best.
Sorry not to be of greater use. Am off up the Nile on the 31st for 2 weeks - wars permitting.**
Yours, Charles Birkin.
* of Philip Allan Publishing. They employed Birkin to edit the "Creeps" horror anthologies.
** Birkin served in the Sherwood Foresters in World War II & they were involved in the North African campaign.
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Post by noose on Jan 25, 2012 16:31:44 GMT
Well done - not posted the first page of it - letter was sent in the 70s - I think the wars were somewhere else!
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Post by Shrink Proof on Jan 25, 2012 17:02:52 GMT
Well done - not posted the first page of it - letter was sent in the 70s - I think the wars were somewhere else! Maybe the Yom Kippur War of 1973, part of which was fought on both sides of the Suez Canal.
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Post by dem bones on Jan 25, 2012 20:01:13 GMT
i think it might refer to the Turkish invasion of Greek Cyprus in 1974 which, according to Mike Ashley, saw Birkin shelled out of his then home (trouble seemed to follow him everywhere), the experience inspiring one of his final stories, A Low Profile in 10th Fontana Book Of Horror stories. But i could be wrong.
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Post by noose on Jan 28, 2012 18:32:30 GMT
OKay...here's my E F Benson letter for you
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Post by Shrink Proof on Jan 28, 2012 19:28:16 GMT
Addington Park, Croydon
Oct 26th, (18)96
Dear Madam,
The origin of the title "Six Common Things" is very prosaic, I'm afraid. Originally there were to have been six stories, dealing with "common things", love, death, etc. But the volume grew, and the title remained, as fourteen or fifteen common things was not felt to be satisfactory.
(No idea!!)
Yours faithfully,
E F Benson
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Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Jan 28, 2012 20:48:13 GMT
Charlie Williams - Stairway To Hell Rik Suntan has just been fired from his regular slot as singer at his local nightclub (he does mainly 70s Cliff Richard covers ), his girlfriend has just dumped him for a psychotic ginger bloke & chucked him out. To top that, he's been shot by a deranged midget & now his manager claims Rik is really David Bowie, due to soul switching experiments carried out by Jimmy Page in the 70s!. Things only get stranger from hereon in. It's as bonkers as it sounds & great fun. Just started Shaun Hutson - Twins Of Evil. Enjoying it so far, nice linking of other Hammer films in the plot too (Father Sandor, etc.)
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Post by noose on Feb 1, 2012 9:57:38 GMT
And one more - this one's easy to read [/center]
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Feb 1, 2012 10:09:01 GMT
And one more - this one's easy to read Does anyone else get that sudden dislocated feeling when seeing a signed letter from these authors. I always think 'my god he was a real person, how can he be when he's a legend.' Tremendous stuff Johnny.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Feb 1, 2012 12:11:44 GMT
And one more - this one's easy to read Best I can do. Sorry....
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Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Feb 17, 2012 20:34:50 GMT
Finished Twins of Evil - Brilliant, Hutson at his best. He's fairly restrained in places here, but don't worry - He still manages to fit in some 'splattered brain matter' . A fitting tribute to the film & ever since reading this, I feel like watching it again. Brian Keene & Nick Mamatas - The Damned Highway: Fear & Loathing In Arkham. This could have easily been a mess, but it works perfectly. Hunter S. Thompson goes on the campaign trail during the '72 u.s. election (under the pseudonym Dr.Lono) & ends up in Lovecraft's Arkham. It's Lovecraft's world here, but Lovecraft isn't the creator if you get what I mean (The Characters don't have prior knowledge of Lovecraft's work, if it exsists at all here - Lovecraft is only mentioned in passing as a travel writer called 'Howard Phillips'). Keene & Mamatas do a good impression of Thompson's style & it's beautifully mad, + Dr. Gonzo turns up too. Recommended.
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