Paperback Fanatic #14

[dem bones]

just the basic details for the moment to let you know it's Out Now. comments to follow!

Justin Marriott (ed) - Paperback Fanatic #14 (May, 2010)

Robert Bonfils

• Fanatical Mail
  
• Sennett Sez: Stephen Sennett comments on the Roger Elwood Laser Sf series as featured in PF #13
  
• Manitou Man. Justin Marriott's exclusive interview with Graham Masterton recalling the Charnel House/ Confessions Of A Wanton Waitress pulpster's early career.
  
• The Man From Sadisto. Justin Marriott (with able assistance from Lynne Munroe) on the sad, short life of Bill Knowles AKA 'Clyde Allison', the doomed genius behind the 008 spy series, "the rarest paperback series in the world!"
  
• Pocket Rockets: Edgar Rice Burroughs in Ace books' 'Science Fiction Classics', featuring glorious cover artwork by Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel.
  
• Four Square SF in the 1960's.
  
• Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu in Pyramid paperback

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Subscription/ ordering details from the online superstore at Paperback Fanatic

Thanks Justin!

[severance]

I've been waiting for Dem to start the thread - hope he doesn't mind me using his James Moffatt quote in my published letter. Like him, I haven't read much of it yet, but the Bonfils, Frazetta (who, I've just heard, died today) and Krenkel covers are superb, and I'll be contacting Justin re the Rohmer piece...

[jamesdoig]

Mine is on the way...

[dem bones]

In Marriott we trust ....

It's taken me all of one issue to get used to the digest format. My concern was that the all-important cover scans would suffer in the process. That's not been the case and now we even get some glorious full page colour reproductions thrown in.

The Masterton interview is a peach. Any man whose earliest efforts include a story about "a headless man who sang Tiptoe through The Tulips out of his severed neck" is OK in my book, and i'm fascinated (and delighted) to learn that The Sphinx was inspired by a Seabury Quinn story about cat-people, though i can't for the life of me think of what it might be. Anyone?

As is often the case with both PF and Men Of Violence, it's the articles on authors i've never read and thought i could safely say i've no interest in which make for the standout articles. The Man From Sadisto is arguably the best thing in #14. Along with tantalising brief tasters for the sexy spy novels themselves (by the way; did Russian part-time lesbian pop duo TATU take their name from the Teenage Terrorist Union in Our Girl From Mephiso?), it provides insight into the troubled life of author Bill 'Clyde Allison' Knowles. Superlative psychedelic artwork from Robert Bonfils, too. Bastard that they're so bloody rare as to command heart attack prices, but you never know yer luck.

The Four Square SF showcase. After browsing the gallery and reading the accompanying feature (a Sci-Fi equivalent of that mighty Weird Tales At Panther horror round up in #12 ), even i'm kind of warming to some of these, though not quite as much as i have to the gorgeous Frazetta and Krenkel paintings which adorn the Ace Edgar Rice Burroughs reprints.

The Sax Rohmer item maybe suffers from having just the three pages to breathe in so glad to see Sev picking up the baton.

i'm working on future issue suggestions, but here's one that crossed my mind. The Fanatical Mail department looks to be doing well so perhaps a one-off correspondence special, illustrated with relevant cover scans, etc?

i never was much of an ideas man.

RIP Frank Frazetta

[pulphack]

not much really to add to this after what kev has said... a really good mix of the more populist end of the market (the excellent mr masterson interview) and the cult popular (00008 - another series i'll never own or be able to afford but daydream about). going p/b size and keeping the colour was an excellent move and at the risk of always saying the same thing, what this does - withe articles about the Tarzan covers as well as the 00008 piece - is document a time that is now fast approaching the distant past before the memories of even those that survive are dimmed by age. both, in their own ways, were illuminating about a time and place as well as a genre.

what can i say? i was throwing up all weekend and when this arrived monday it cheered me up immensely. what better recommendation that that, really?

excellent work as always mr marriott, and a good mix of brit and us pulp - us editions of brit authors and those who have sole big on both sides.

have to say, sev's return to fu manchu is eagerly awaited, as our man marriott only had space to scratch the surface (i mean, what about thos UK consul editions from the same period? and what about those odd gold medal titles that are obviously NOT rhomer, like the very carry-on titled 'Re-Enter Fu Manchu'?). but even that is great, as you should always leave them wanting more...

[hellishnel]

Received my copy today. And I'm heartened to see Justin planning an article on Chris Achilleos and Kane. Chris is a friend of mine and I was also a pal of the late Karl Wagner.

Sadly, most of my Wagner paperbacks have disappeared over the years, though I have the Kane novels in hardcover ("Gods in Darkness") and the two Dark Harvest signed hardcovers for "In A Lonely Place" and "Why Not You and I". I recently picked up the first printing of the Bran Mak Morn pastiche "Legion From the Shadows" with the wrap around cover by Jeff Jones for a couple of quid.

I was fortunate to interview Karl at Dave Carson's flat for an issue of "Dagon" back in the late 80s - he was a dear friend and there's hardly a day goes by without some memory of the man surfacing.

Looking forward to the next issue of Paperback Fanatic a lot!