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Post by dem bones on Oct 8, 2016 4:03:03 GMT
Paperback Fanatic 35, Men Of Violence 5 Available for pre-order. Coming later this month from the indefatigable House of Fanatic. Paperback Fanatic 35, 150 pages, full colour, perfect bound, includes: Two "visual guides"!
The Visual Guide to New English Library Part Two!
The Visual Guide to Drugs in vintage paperbacks!
Sasquatch in paperbacks!
60s spy series!
Straw Dogs!
Robert Bloch!
Australian Exploitation and Biker paperbacks!
Letters!...... plus .... Men of Violence 5 32 pages, black and white, featuring: The Liquidator
David Morrell's Testament
Brian Garfield and Death Wish
Razors in paperbacks
60s spy series - Jason Love, Charles Hood and DiecastOrder your copies via the House of Fanatic MegastoreAt time of writing, we gather that copies will be available at Paperback & Pulp Fair at Russell Square on October 30th - perhaps friend Justin would like to confirm this nearer the time. Vault presence likely at same event. Come along and run away from us!
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Post by andydecker on Oct 9, 2016 14:03:27 GMT
Thanks for the info. This is really appreciated!
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Post by dem bones on Oct 17, 2016 4:56:20 GMT
Further to the above, Justin confirms that, printer permitting, he will indeed be selling copies of PF#35 and MOV#5 at the Paperback & Pulp Fair, so come along and get yours signed, especially as it seems other House of Fanatic regulars will be in attendance.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 3, 2016 7:49:06 GMT
Justin Marriott (ed.) - Paperback Fanatic #35 (October, 2016). Fanatical Thoughts Fanantical Mails. Andy Boot, Stuart Williams, Tom Tesarek, Nigel Taylor
James Doig - 'Stuart Hall' & Australian Exploitation Novels of the 1970s Justin Marriott - That Book. The history of Junkie Jeff Chambers - Junkie: A Personal Reminiscence Justin Marriott - A Visual Guide To Drug Paperbacks Jim O'Brien - A Pack Of [Wild] Straw Dogs Nigel Taylor - Bloch Universe. The Man-Who-Wrote-Psycho's SF stories. Justin Marriott - Gone Squatchin'. Bigfoot, Yeti & Abominable Snowman pulp. Andy Boot - Their Words Were Their Bonds. 'Sixties spy fiction. Justin Marriott - A Visual Guide To NEL: Vol 2Justin Marriott (ed.) - Men Of Violence #5 (October, 2016). Editorial: Tribute to Ken Barr
Bronson! The Death Wish franchise in print. The Lost Cowboy. Brian Garfield's paperback novels. Finger On The Trigger. David Morrell's Testament Triple-Bladed. Weaponry as cover art. Pan Spies of the 'Sixties. Best Of The Tough Cops, featuring R. L. Brent's The Liquidator
Made a start on PF #35 yesterday. You'll not need telling that the content is as exhilarating as it is diverse (again), with, possibly, something to appal all sensibilities. Delighted to see a Sasquatch feature, likewise substantial piece concerning Straw Dogs/ Siege of Trenchers Farm, and Nigel Taylor on Robert Bloch's Atoms & Evil. Also pleased to see the return of pulphack and more Aus pulp courtesy of James. "Reviews" are beyond me just now, but hope to string together several pages of indecipherable gibbering about both issues shortly.
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Post by andydecker on Nov 9, 2016 19:51:28 GMT
Again two wonderful issues.
Men of Violence send me as usual to looking up titles. I don't know how Justin unearths obscure series like The Liquidator. Very nice article about the Pan Spies of the 60s. A few writers I knew, a few were new to me.
Fanatic 35 has a wonderful cover gallery of NEL titles. Most of them hard to get and very expensive. The article by Andy Boot about four 60s spy series was a highlight. More books on my list. Some fascinating details about Adam Diment and his novels.
Others highlights include James Doig's article on novels by another writer I never heard of. Also a text I can heartily relate to is That Book. Sometimes you just have to keep looking.
The rest is waiting to be read.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 9, 2016 21:27:33 GMT
Again two wonderful issues.
Men of Violence send me as usual to looking up titles. I don't know how Justin unearths obscure series like The Liquidator. Very nice article about the Pan Spies of the 60s. A few writers I knew, a few were new to me. Hard to believe that the two titles share the same editor/ designer and publisher. Occasionally the subject matter dovetails but in terms of just about everything else, from page count to production values - Mov revels in not having any, though truth be told, it is far easier on the eye than just about anything thrown up in the 'nineties) - they are poles apart. Men Of Violence first. As mentioned in previous reviews, this is a world where chaps thoroughly deserving of their terrifying nom de guerre ('The Executioner', 'The Liquidator', 'The Exterminator', 'The Destroyer', etc.) wage war on whichever fellow sociopath happens to have upset them this morning. The authorities don't mind too much as our man's perceived enemies are invariably of genus undesirable - mobsters, psycho's, Charles Manson rip-offs, drug barons, Nazi scientists, mad bombers, women's libbers, pimps, et al. Taking out the trash by any means necessary is the order of the day, and if that means a shed-load of innocent civilians get caught in the crossfire, well, that's no bad thing, our hero never much cared for society to begin with. To the uninitiated, the books sound much of a muchness - having sampled so few, am in no position to judge - but then the same criticism is routinely directed at the "When Animals Attack" novels, and we (mostly) all know how varied and entertaining they are. What is slightly different is that, in the case of the men's adventure novels, reading the damn things is not necessarily the object on the exercise. Many books feature in these pages purely by virtue of their striking cover imagery. The editor accumulates paperbacks - "the majority of which I'll never read" - as much for the good/ bad packaging as the cheap thrills promised within. When he does single out this or that title for review, it is often a crushing disappointment. An eight-page feature on the Bond-influenced Pan spy novels concludes with no recommendations whatsoever (ensuring the asking prices for soiled copies of Let Sleeping Girls Lie and Love All will rise through the ceiling on Abeb**ks, Am*z*n, & Co.). Mr. Violent has a better time altogether with David Morrell's Testament (which, on the strength of his review, have added to wants list, especially as I found First Blood as fulfilling as his horror fiction). It should also be noted that Brian Garfield's sequel to Death Wish (as notoriously filmed by Michael Winner), Death Sentence sounds a belter. A fascinating, and very speedy read. Am hoping Justin follows through with the proposed Women Of Violence special.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 14, 2016 19:06:14 GMT
Time to get down to some serious Fanatic action. Diving in - In Bloch Universe, Nigel Taylor affords Atoms And Evil a significance that, until now, had completely eluded me. Not that it matters dirt but, of those Bloch collections I've read, only the dreadful fantasy outing Dragons & Nightmares scored lower (I studiously avoid all things 'Lefty Fleep'), but Nigel's persuasive argument has me itching for a rematch. Agree that 'Atoms ...' would benefit from inclusion of The Strange Flight Of Richard Clayton, and I'm sure he's right about One Way To Mars, too. Would also suggest 'Tarleton Fiske's, Almost Human - my favourite of Bloch's Sci-horror[ish] crossovers - and, for sheer entertainment value, Girl From Mars though, admittedly, the latter is skimpy on actual science. Very much enjoyed Jim O'Brien on Straw Dogs. First read Gordon Williams' source novel while sheltering from the snow in Edgware Library during my *ahem* "gentleman of the road" incarnation - and didn't get on with it. Years later, friend Franklin Marsh gifted me a copy - the Seige Of Trencher's Farm model, and this time it read like the most exciting almost-horror thriller ever. Have also sampled Mr. Williams' collaboration with Terry 'El Tel' Venables, They Used To Play On Grass which, if nothing else, is a sight more imaginative than Derek Dougan's thinly disguised auto-hagiography, The Footballer. Am inordinately pleased to learn that Jim is a fellow ex- Scala reprobate veteran. Terrific venue with it's own special atmosphere. You could turn up in full mobile off-licence mode and no-one would bat an eyelid, though best to keep your wits about you as the audience were often far scarier than anything happening on screen. They even hosted a Nick Cave all-dayer ( The Road To God Knows Where/ Ghosts ... Of The Civil Dead/ a bunch of Bad Seeds videos). On another occasion the great man himself gave a reading from And The Ass Saw An Angel before introducing two of his favourite movies, Wake In Fright (aka Outback), and harrowing Brazilian docu-drama Pixote, concerning the hardships of Sao Paulo's homeless kids (tragically, the male lead, Fernando Ramos da Silva, didn't see twenty. He was killed by the police in another of those "mysterious circumstances" laid bare in the film). Where were we? Wisely, the House of Fanatic special booklet, The Visual Guide To NEL; Vol 1 made no claims to being comprehensive (hence the Vol 1), but it's incredible that, in the six years since publication, Justin has turned up an entire new raft of titles, mostly of the soft porn cover photo variety, and would not be the least surprised if we see a Vol III. Anyone else read Peter Hawkins' The Man With Mad Eyes? Whatever you expect from the title, it will be ... different, trust me. More to follow ...
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Post by dem bones on Nov 15, 2016 17:44:17 GMT
The Fanatic's welcome ten-page overview of Yeti/ Sasquatch/ the Abominable Snowman etc., in fact, 'fact' and fiction - which briefly alludes to recent anti-Haining posts on a board that shall remain shameless - is another corker. Controversy abounds. "Avoid this one like the plague"? Can we be talking the same Norman Bognor's Snowman or is there a 'deluxe, revised, extended-beyond-all-reason with dubious bonus extra's edition' I've not heard of? Thomas Page's mystical The Spirit fares better, though am disappointed the Fanatical one couldn't find room for Mike Jahn's adorable novelisation of The Six million Man: Secret of Bigfoot (honest, it warrants its own special) though admittedly, TV episode which inspired it casts a long shadow over entire article. Of the 'non-fiction' am grateful of the further information on the notorious Nights With Sasquatch, purportedly the true story of Judith Frankle's erotic liaison with an enormous hairy one. Topping it all, the revelation that there are such things as 'Sasquatch Westerns', one of which, apparently, ends in ace weird menace/ Scooby Doo "it was Johnny Foreigner dressed up in a mohair suit all along!" fashion. If there's enough material to merit one I seriously hope Justin will see his way to providing a sequel at a later date. More Bigfoot brilliance to be found in our excuse for a Cryptozoology CornerComing soon. 'Sixties spy fiction and Aus sleaze.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 19, 2016 19:44:39 GMT
The appeal of the 'sixties spy spoof paperbacks is incomprehensible to 2016 man. Scan via Johny Malone Now we reach what has long been a favourite Fanatic feature. The studious article I can confidently begin without fear of another raid on piggy bank because "I'm not interested in that stuff" - only to realise otherwise within the opening paragraph. Andy Boot's 15 pages on the 'sixties spy fiction of Joyce Porter, Jimmy Sangster, Desmond Skirrow and Adam Dimant is as unapologetically celebratory as Justin's piece on Pan espionage books of the same era in Men Of Violence#5 is decidedly "I'm not sure I'd not recommend these to anyone." Even taking into account that Mr. Boot is giving chapter and verse on books he clearly adores, these novels really do sound worthy of investigation beyond their often mildly risqué covers, perhaps none more than the works of Joyce Porter for their spectacularly obnoxious anti-heroes, Inspector Dover, Eddie Brown and the "anti-Marple," Constance Burke. Neither would I pass on copies of Adam Dimant's The Great Spy Race or Desmond Skirrow's It Won't Get You Anywhere in the unlikely event of their turning up on the market stall.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 23, 2016 8:24:17 GMT
I think I'm in love ... This 'Stuart Hall' (Roger L. Taylor) character sounds a piece of work. It's difficult to take on board that novels built around the repeated sexual abuse of lone young female Aborigines and published under such uncompromising titles as The Rapist and Jail Bait could ever be well-intentioned, but if I understand James correctly, that seems to have been the case. In common with many a 'when animal's attack' novel, any social commentary is lost in the race to the next violent set piece. As someone who has avoided the Slavers, not sure I could hack Ebony Diamond et al, but would certainly love a crack at Birds Of Destruction. From memory, the only female biker novel I've sampled is Hugh Barron's Bonnie (NEL, 1970) which reads like a cynical rewrite of Dorothy Irvine's notorious From Christ To Satan (Concoria, 1973) with spanners and a grease-gun, although publishing history suggests it is the other way around! Bonnie is good, mindless fun for sure, but if we are to judge a book by its cover (and you know as well as I do we always should!), surely not in the same league as any of Mr. Hall's work in the same sub-genre. His Mad Maxine types sound far more the part. The more I read about Horwitz books, the more they sound like the Australian equivalent of the same era's NEL's, all striking cover imagery and speed-written exploitation novel. Hall's The Female - The Huntress even shares a similar set up to Brian Ball's Devil's Peak though I very much doubt it mutates into a supernatural thriller.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 23, 2016 19:28:56 GMT
Some suggestions for the Visual Guide To Drug Paperbacks, possibly the first more appropriate than the rest. Russell Braddon's superb The Inseparables (NEL, 1970), a youth explores the death camp at Dachau while tripping on LSD. While we're about it, Michel Parry's far out Panther anthologies 1973-1977, Strange Ecstasies, Dream Trips and Spaced Out? Most readers require mind-altering drugs to make any sense of Derek Hyde-Chambers' acid fuelled The Orgy Of Bubastis (NEL, 1974).
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Nov 23, 2016 19:37:19 GMT
these novels really do sound worthy of investigation beyond their often mildly risqué covers, perhaps none more than the works of Joyce Porter for their spectacularly obnoxious anti-heroes, Inspector Dover, Eddie Brown and the "anti-Marple," Constance Burke. In the weird world of ebooks, Joyce Porter turns out to be readily available. From "Bello," a Pan Macmillan brand. Here is how they explain themselves:
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Post by jamesdoig on Nov 24, 2016 7:05:29 GMT
This 'Stuart Hall' (Roger L. Taylor) character sounds a piece of work. It's difficult to take on board that novels built around the repeated sexual abuse of lone young female Aborigines and published under such uncompromising titles as The Rapist and Jail Bait could ever be well-intentioned, but if I understand James correctly, that seems to have been the case. I may have been trying too hard to find redeeming features.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 24, 2016 12:41:09 GMT
This 'Stuart Hall' (Roger L. Taylor) character sounds a piece of work. It's difficult to take on board that novels built around the repeated sexual abuse of lone young female Aborigines and published under such uncompromising titles as The Rapist and Jail Bait could ever be well-intentioned, but if I understand James correctly, that seems to have been the case. I may have been trying too hard to find redeeming features. Heh! I'm sure they're there if you look hard enough in same way several GNS and James Halkin novels touch on very real social & environmental concerns. For a sentence or two. As does: hidden talent rediscovered Bello is a digital only imprint of Pan Macmillan, established to breathe life into previously published classic books. At Bello we believe in the timeless power of the imagination, of good story, narrative and entertainment and we want to use digital technology to ensure that many more readers can enjoy these books into the future. We publish in ebook and Print on Demand formats to bring these wonderful books to new audiences. Thanks, JoJo. It's the paperback originals I'm after, but really pleased that they are available as POD and not only ebooks.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Nov 24, 2016 14:36:08 GMT
Thanks, JoJo. It's the paperback originals I'm after, but really pleased that they are available as POD and not only ebooks. Of course; I just wanted to make the point that all sorts of obscure stuff that nobody would dream of reprinting on paper is available in the ebook format. Such as the complete works of Dorothy Eden and Virginia Coffman.
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