Constable-Robinson Jan-June 2013

[dem bones]

Traditionally, Constable-Robinson hold back their horror titles until the second half of the year, and that's not going to change in 2013. That said, the swish January-June 2013 catalogue (download here) promotes at least four titles of potential appeal to Vault Vets.

Matt Kaplan - The Science Of Monsters (Constable, March 2013): aka Medusa's Gaze & The Vampire's Bite: The Science Of Monsters (Scribners, Oct. 2012)

From Medusa to sea serpents, giants and vampires – the monsters that have terrified us for centuries and the science and culture that spawned them.

We all know ‘there’s no such thing as monsters’, although our imaginations might persuade us otherwise. In an entertaining mix of cutting-edge research and a love of lore, science journalist Matt Kaplan – an enthusiast of both scientific hard facts and myth’s fantastic fictions – explains why monsters have held us in such thrall for millennia.

Kaplan’s eye-opening trawl through history’s legendary monsters tackles questions that arise on the frontier between reality and fantasy. Why did Minoans create the tale of the Minotaur imprisoned in a subterranean maze? What inspired vampires and werewolves? Did dragons really exist? While detailing the scientific discoveries that might verify some of our more enduring monsters, in recognition of how our fears change, Kaplan also charts the rise of a new beast: humans.

Marcus Hearn - The Bamforth Collection: Saucy Postcards (Constable, May 2013)

A fascinating glimpse of post-war liberalisation and a colourful celebration of timeless British humour.

The Yorkshire-based publisher Bamforth & Co started producing ‘saucy’ postcards in 1910. These cheeky designs became synonymous with the English seaside resorts where they were sold but were exported all over the world.

After World War II, Bamforth artists began to satirise the classic comic archetypes that still resonate today - henpecked husbands, naughty nurses and randy milkmen. Contemporary concerns ranging from the contraceptive pill to the Space Race also received the irreverent Bamforth treatment.

Marcus Hearn celebrates the golden age of these comic gems, with his selection of more than 250 cards originally published from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s. His introduction reveals the story behind the company, and the battles with the postcard censorship committees that resulted in almost 150 prosecutions.

Mike Ashley (ed.) - The Mammoth Book Of Dark Magic (Robinson, April 2013)

Sorcery, wizardry and witchcraft – twenty three spellbinding stories of the ceaseless battle between good and evil, from the top names in magical fantasy writing.

From dark lords and epic clashes between the forces of good and evil to a child’s struggle to control magical powers for the first time, this wonderfully varied collection comprises stories by the most outstanding writers of fantasy, including Peter Crowther, Tim Lebbon, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Steve Rasnic Tem and many more. Publication will coincide with the second of Peter Jackson’s hobbit films, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.


Paula Guran (ed.) - The Mammoth Book Of Angels & Demons (Robinson, May 2013)

A stellar short-story collection of fantasy and science fiction – from the award winning editor of two Bram Stoker Awards and two World Fantasy nominations.

Despite our tendency to think of the demonic as evil and the angelic as good, our own legends don’t always bear this out. These 27 stories by world renowned authors of science fiction and fantasy – including Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin and Joyce Carol Oates – as well as its rising stars, portray angels in all their glory, demons at their most dreadful and a surprising variety of modern iinterpretations of ancient myths.

[ripper]

Four very different books and I am particularly interested in Marcus Hearn's collection of Bamforth postcards. I have happy memories of chuckling at the cards displayed outside seaside shops on our annual holidays to North Wales in the 1970s. I wish that I had kept all the ones that we received from relatives and friends...I'm sure they brightened up many a postman's morning round during the summer months.

[dem bones]

Here's the cover, scanned from the catalogue. The Banforth Collection is marked up at £12.99, a slight hike on the mammoths, but there's likely plenty colour reproduction involved. I only just twigged where i remember Marcus Hearn's name from - he co-authored The Hammer Years - so that bodes well. The story behind the enterprise is sure to make for a fascinating read - "almost 150 prosecutions" ??!!!

Good to hear from you, Rip!

[andydecker]

The book from Hearn sounds interesting. Frankly I never spend a thought about this kind of stuff. I mean, this is a whole but rather obscure industry, but this sounds fascinating.

Thanks for the tip.

[dem bones]

The good people at Constable-Robinson kindly forwarded a copy of this novel from their Corsair catalogue, which they obviously have very high hopes for.

James Renner - The Man From Primrose Lane (Corsair, 24 Jan 2013)

Arcangel images

‘A story filled with darkness, horror, humor and surprising tenderness. And that’s just the first part. There is a moment in this novel when the story moves in a way so unexpected I actually had to put it down and catch my breath. Go ahead, see what I mean. I’ll wait here for you.’ - Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

Rewind: Once upon a time in Ohio there lived an elderly recluse, ‘the man from Primrose Lane’. He had no friends or family. He wore mittens all year round. And one summer’s day, he was murdered.
Fast-Forward: Bestselling author David Neff is a broken man, lonely, desolate and lost ever since his wife’s suicide. But something about the man from Primrose Lane grabs his attention and he decides to investigate the mystery – only to be dragged back into a world he thought he had left behind forever.
Replay: As David gets closer to uncovering the true identity of the man from Primrose Lane, he begins to understand the terrible power of his own obsessions and how they may be connected to the deaths of both the hermit and his beloved wife.
The result is a devious, audacious tale about dangerous obsession and the way it can influence our fates.

‘The Man From Primrose Lane is a haunting, wickedly clever book. Part Dennis Lehane and part Murakami, the twist of H.P. Lovecraft mixed in gives it a taste like no other. James Renner starts off his fiction career with a bang.’ - Jonathan Carroll, author of The Ghost in Love

About James Renner

James Renner is the author of two books of non-fiction that detail his adventures in investigative journalism Amy: My Search for Her Killer and The Serial Killer’s Apprentice. His work has been featured in Best American Crime Reporting and Best Creative Non-Fiction. In 2005, Renner directed a short film based on the Stephen King story, All That You Love Will Be Carried Away. King sold him the rights for $1. It premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival. Renner lives in Ohio.

For more see: jamesrenner.com
Or follow on Twitter @jamesrenner