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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Mar 4, 2023 14:35:28 GMT
June John's, author of Black Magic Today, is described in a goodreads review (King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders) as, 'an author once described as having āmade a living from writing sensationalist, poorly-researched and somewhat titillating books in the late 60s/early 70sā'
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Post by helrunar on Mar 4, 2023 16:34:22 GMT
King of the Witches is fun so long as you bear in mind that it's a fantasy novel.
Viewed from a certain perspective, it's quite sad really. Oh well.
H.
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Post by helrunar on Mar 4, 2023 16:40:33 GMT
Sybil Leek's book sounds fun. Interesting that there was a novelization of Simon, King of the Witches; reportedly, the screenplay was based on an early book by Carroll "Poke" Runyon, a memoir of sorts, I have read.
Great selection!
H.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 4, 2023 18:40:41 GMT
June John's, author of Black Magic Today, is described in a goodreads review ( King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders) as, 'an author once described as having āmade a living from writing sensationalist, poorly-researched and somewhat titillating books in the late 60s/early 70sā' Black Magic Today is personal undisputed favourite of the NEL Black Magic books, not least for the selection of lurid newspaper reports at back. The Francis King pair are sensible and unutterably boring. He once persuaded an Old Bailey jury that a pair of crude clay voodoo dolls with massive dicks could kill the recipients. King of the Witches is fun so long as you bear in mind that it's a fantasy novel. Viewed from a certain perspective, it's quite sad really. Oh well. Struggled to get into it, and have yet to summon enthusiasm for a rematch. Striking cover, as so often the case with the late 'sixties, early 'seventies NEL's Simon, King of the Witches.
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Post by helrunar on Mar 4, 2023 19:43:17 GMT
How confusing--June Johns wrote a book about Alex Sanders (the original media whore professional "Witch") called King of the Witches, circa 1968. It's a fantasy narrative told with tongue solemnly held in cheek and "yes Mary, it is ALL TRUE, so THERE." The cumulative effect is somehow pathetic, particularly if one has read about the later career of Alex when he slithered into has-been-land, he found difficulties coping with rapidly accelerating old age, and he began initiating people in pubs using a cigarette as incense and a pint-glass as a "chalice." Sad.
The Baldwin Hills (must be a pseudonym, certainly, as well as likely being a "pseud" in the bad old Private Eye sense) book Simon, King of the Witches seems to be an original work suggested by the film title. Hills' creeping smugness as you described it sounds thoroughly unpalatable. Andrew Prine, star of the film, passed away recently. He was delightful in the movie and held the very threadbare scenario together by force of his personal charm and sense of wit about the proceedings.
Hel.
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Post by andydecker on Mar 4, 2023 20:15:14 GMT
I got seven of those early NELs. None of the non-fiction. They are a special kind of magic.
The non-fiction never interested me much. Alas I got a much later edition of the Mannix. Justin's book on NEL can't be recommended enough.
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Post by andydecker on Mar 5, 2023 11:56:51 GMT
Was Peter Haining an editor for NEL? I don't know of any connection. The advert is a lot of fun. I really love all the Sixties and Seventies stuff. H. Haining joined NEL in 1964, after an invitation of then Managing Director Gareth Powell. Among the first projects they did was a book on The Beatles: Here Are the Beatles. He contributed material for this.
Later he created his first anthologies for the publisher. He was 24 at the time. He commissiond writers like Moffatt, Harknett, Guy Smith, Christoper Priest and David Gurney.
All the infos courtesy of Justin Marriott, who did this big interview with the man in 2006. It is part of Paperback Fanatic 6, the Peter Haining tribute issues.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 5, 2023 17:46:27 GMT
Was Peter Haining an editor for NEL? I don't know of any connection. The advert is a lot of fun. I really love all the Sixties and Seventies stuff. H. Haining joined NEL in 1964, after an invitation of then Managing Director Gareth Powell. Among the first projects they did was a book on The Beatles: Here Are the Beatles. He contributed material for this.
Later he created his first anthologies for the publisher. He was 24 at the time. He commissiond writers like Moffatt, Harknett, Guy Smith, Christoper Priest and David Gurney. All the infos courtesy of Justin Marriott, who did this big interview with the man in 2006. It is part of Paperback Fanatic 6, the Peter Haining tribute issues.
Paperback Fanatic 6: Peter Haining Tribute Issue15 years and 40 issues later, still one of my all-time favourite Fanatics.
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Post by helrunar on Mar 5, 2023 21:10:39 GMT
Thanks for that info, Andreas. Very interesting to learn of all that. I wonder if the initial invitation came about because of a school connection with the person or if he and Haining knew one another professionally.
cheers, Steve
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Post by sadako on Mar 24, 2023 19:22:24 GMT
I bought all of these in the seventies, including number 1 when it was in the newsagents. And now I'm trying to work out their approximate publication dates. They have "bi-monthly" printed on the front, but I have a vague memory that there was a larger gap than two months between number 1 and number 2. In any case, this blog page is an example of how the publication dates have now been listed online... www.babiafi.co.uk/2021/10/world-of-horror-magazine.htmlBut the dates in this blog seem to be approximate, because they don't match the many clues inside each magazine. For example, issue 2 (supposedly from June 1974) has a full page advert for The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires declaring "Now Showing in Warner Rendezvous, Leicester Square - all over London from October 6th". Issue 3 (supposedly August 74) has the same poster with "Now on General Release". But IMDB has that movie's London debut down as August 22nd, and general release as October 6th. So the blog dates could be two months out.
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