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Post by Steve on Aug 22, 2009 16:10:00 GMT
Both Plasmid and Slimer are Star books possibly the work of the same designer. Similar colours and use of tag lines as both design and to emphasize the titles. Be interesting to see if any more Star horrors fit the MO. KC Similar use of tag-lines on the Star editions of Shaun Hutson's Slug books; ("They slime, they ooze, they kill - Slugs", "The slugs have come back to their Breeding Ground"). Also on Graham Masterton ("When the dead walk beware – The Pariah") I suppose red and green are good horror colours, are they? Star seem to have agreed anyway - The 2nd Star Book of Horror also comes to mind and the tie-in for Michael Winner's The Sentinel. Although Plasmid has a disembodied hand, whoever was doing the Star horror covers in the '80s seemed to have a thing about eyes ('Slugs' again, 'Blowfly'). As far as I can remember the Plasmid screenplay was a collaboration between David McGillivray (House of Whipcord et al) and Stanley Long (Adventures of a Taxi Driver). It never made it to the screen, so all we have left is this pseudonymous novelisation. Was 'Jo Gannon', who gets the screenplay credit for Plasmid, a pseudonym? I was wondering if there's any mention of the film in the Stanley Long X-Rated biography? |
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Post by dem on Aug 22, 2009 17:07:37 GMT
Although Plasmid has a disembodied hand, whoever was doing the Star horror covers in the '80s seemed to have a thing about eyes ('Slugs' again, 'Blowfly'). According to the trusty PF #5 nasty special, Blowfly, Slugs and Mary Danby's Frighteners 2were the work of insect versus eyeball-fixated Alan Hood. Typed him into the Vault search engine and some more interesting stuff came up. Mr. Hood provided cover art for the Grafton edition of Tendrils, Richard Curtis' Squirm (Sphere, 1976) and J. N. Williamson's Masques anthology (tree attacks human face). Should be enough there to earn him a thread of his own? |
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Post by justin on Aug 22, 2009 18:01:30 GMT
Plasmid is an interesting one. I have a copy but have never read it- up until now the only suggestion I'd heard was it was another Hutson hack job.
I'm surprised it was Dr Christopher Evans (I'm not suggesting it isn't) as he was a serious individual. He provided a hard science columnn for New Worlds back in the day and ended up as a character in J G Ballard's Crash. His Mind ay Bay anthologies ere cented around this theory that horror refelcted social fears and therefore horror fiction gave an insight to the human psyche.
I used to live around the corner from Simon Sheridan when he was writing the Stanley Long biog so have just dropped him a mail asking him to share any insights. Of course I'll post them here...
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Post by Steve on Aug 22, 2009 18:59:26 GMT
Plasmid is an interesting one. I have a copy but have never read it- up until now the only suggestion I'd heard was it was another Hutson hack job. I'm surprised it was Dr Christopher Evans... You should be - he died the year before Plasmid was published! Shall we start again? It wasn't Dr. Christopher Evans, the Mind at Bay/Mind in Chains bloke - that was just me making an assumption too far (or maybe believing something I'd seen on the internet, can't remember now). However, I'm still reasonably confident that 'Robert Knight', or whoever it was that was credited with writing the Plasmid novelisation, was Christopher Evans. Just not that Christopher Evans. This Christopher Evans is a British SF author, who's edited a few anthologies with Robert Holdstock and also did at least one other movie tie-in under another name. Most of his stuff from the '80s seems to have been published under various pseudonyms. Obviously, you know... I've been wrong before. Oh, and Eat Them Alive was definitely written by a 70 year old woman! |
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Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Aug 24, 2009 15:18:39 GMT
According to the trusty PF #5 nasty special, Blowfly, Slugs and Mary Danby's Frighteners 2were the work of insect versus eyeball-fixated Alan Hood. Typed him into the Vault search engine and some more interesting stuff came up. Mr. Hood provided cover art for the Grafton edition of Tendrils, Richard Curtis' Squirm (Sphere, 1976) and J. N. Williamson's Masques anthology (tree attacks human face). Should be enough there to earn him a thread of his own? Hood is also responsible for the cover of Torched by James Blackstone (John Brosnan & John Baxter), certainly looking forward to that one. As for latest finds: George G. Gilman - Edge - Violence Trail 50p George G. Gilman - Edge - Town on Trial 30p Louis Lamour - The Skyliners 50p Beatrice - Anonymous (translated victorian era french smut  )£1 Oliver Reed - Reed all about me (autobiography) - 20p Gillian Murphy (think that was the name) - The Playroom - 30p Read Apache Death & I'm Hooked on edge now, also keeping my eye out for the other Clint Rockman slaver novels (can confirm Black Ivory is well worth reading). |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Aug 24, 2009 18:35:03 GMT
Killer Crabs Guy. N. SmithOn the top deck of the old German book shop and priced at a nifty 1-50 Euro. Went through a bit of agonising when I laid it down somewhere while browsing around and then had to relocate it by sensory perception. I think Dem said something like - we love these books because of the good and the bad. This is my first Mr Smith and I have to say he rocks. The sex scenes are a mix of Confessions of a Window Cleaner and Hustler - late 70's. There are large moments where one is happily being swallowed into the tale and then you sit up and say - its big Crabs he's talking about here? However, the violence is short and nasty and page 86-7 has a mindbogglingly brilliant psychological portrayal of a drunken wreck going slowly mad. This description would easily fit into so called literature and swept me away with its accuracy and ...well...it was just brilliant. Not finished it yet but I have a feeling that some of the characters should have stayed in bed. Craig, i've copied this onto the Killer Crabs thread in the Guy N Smith section 'cause it will only go to waste here! - dem
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Post by dem on Aug 27, 2009 18:30:32 GMT
Interzone Books ComFurther adventures in Spitalfields market, the pulp capital of the galaxy! loitering around in their this morning and -stone me! - a table laid out with rows of covers i never thought i'd see outside the pages of Paperback Fanatic! I'm talking serious 'seventies NEL/ Hells Angel/ Richard Allen stuff here, and a fair whack of 'seventies horror and black magic to boot. Even a copy of Paul Tabori's Dress And Undress in all its suspender belted majesty! Prices start at around the £3 mark though you'll really need to look in the £5-7 bracket, after which it's the ambulance-on-standby and lottery winners only enclosures. To give you some idea, i came away with James Moffatt's The Naked Light, Louise Cooper's Blood Summer and the FiveStar edition of Peter Saxon's Satan's Child for a fiver apiece. The stall only operates at Spitalfields on Thursdays, but relax, you don't have to travel to fun city to get the benefit as the gent has an online bookshop at Interzone Books. If you order anything, tell him "that long haired bloke in the leather who bought The Naked Light and kept moaning on about Vault" sent you. Will you get a discount? i shouldn't think so. But i might. 
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Post by pulphack on Aug 27, 2009 20:04:00 GMT
Interzone! He's the bloke I mentioned from a few Sundays back in that bit opposite the old Brewery - I remember as he gave me a card which I stupidly lost (or 'was tidied up by mrs ph' as I prefer to think of it).
Did he have the £2 box with him? Small, but interesting (like an Orient winger). I agree that some of the prices are a bit ouch, but only on a par with 'colector' valuations - I think we're all a bit spoilt by charity shops and boot sales, sometimes.
Anyway, it's an interesting little stock he has, isn't it!
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Post by dem on Aug 28, 2009 6:08:21 GMT
interesting BIG stock yesterday, pulps, but no £2 box. I've had a look on his site/ ebay shop and stap me if he hasn't got a copy of the legendary French Party Games, though not for much longer i'll be bound!
"Collector valuations" - that was the phrase i was looking for. Even so, some of the Richard Allen prices are a bit competitive (Bootboys ain't exactly a snip at £15. To sane people, it wouldn't be a snip at 15p), but a '70's-specific "pulp, counter-culture, beat, psychedelic, conspiracy, science fiction, occult, horror" paperback trader in Algate? Who's moaning? Perhaps if i give him my nicest smile next time - you know, the 'hi, i'm nice!' one used to such great effect at BFS events - he might even join.
Later:
Just heard from mr. interzone. He only has the Brick Lane stall once a month, but the next one won't be until October 16th - 18th. The Spitalfields one is every Thursday ('cept for a break mid-September) but best to notify him before you set out!
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Post by vaughan on Sept 9, 2009 11:23:56 GMT
The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty (Corgi)
The Nightmares on Elm Street - Jeffrey Cooper (Futura)
Salem's Lot - Stephen King (NEL)
Creed - James Herbert (Pan)
Confessions of a Driving Instructor - Timothy Lea (Sphere)
V - A.C. Crispin (NEL)
Thin Air - George Simpson & Neal Burger (NEL)
Purity - Shaun Hutson (Time Warner)
Doomflight - Guy N. Smith (Hamlyn)
Deluge - Richard Doyle (Pan)
Friday Night in Beast House - Richard Laymon (Head Gear)
The Hungry Moon - Ramsey Campbell (Arrow)
Sister Night - F. Paul Wilson
Gaurdian - John Saul
The Ghosts of Sleath (James Herbert)
Sleath, Gaurdian, and Sister Night are all hardbacks.
The "special" books (for me) here are the following:
The Exorcist. Nothing special about the book really, except I really want to read it again after 30 years or so.
The Laymon book. I think it was recently mentioned that this is horrible, but the copy i found is not only in pristine condition, it's also a beautiful little hardback. The story itself is very very short (released posthumously I think), but the book is o lovely I couldn't leave it behind.
V. Again, to be perfectly honest this isn't a title I'm all that interested in - however it's an original print from NEL and it's in lovely condition. I don't know how these things are rated, but I severely doubt it's ever read. I too will probably never read it, but i couldn't leave it behind. --LOL--
Those three are what I was most excited about.
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Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Sept 15, 2009 18:50:20 GMT
Mark Ronson - The Dark Domain, 50p - Another Hamlyn for the collection, I'll post a thread soon.
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Post by vaughan on Sept 23, 2009 19:11:44 GMT
Two recent trips.
TRIP 1
Dennis Wheatley Select and introduces Quiver of Horror (Arrow)
Dennis Wheatley - The Devil Rides Out (Lymington Edition HB)
Dennis Wheatley - The Island Where Time Stands Still (Mayflower HB)
2nd Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (Fontana)
Graham Masterton - How to Be a Perfect Lover (Star)
Pennethorne Hughes - Witchcraft (Pelican)
Lionel Davidson - The Rose of Tibet (Penguin)
John G. Jones -The Amityville Horror Pt II (NEL)
Alan Dean Foster - Aliens (WB)
James Herbert - Sepulchre (NEL)
Joe Donnelly - Bane (Arrow)
TRIP 2
Dennis Wheatley - The Irish Witch (Arrow)
JS Forrester - The Innocent Dark (Sphere)
Clark Howard - The Killings (Pan)
Raymond Rudorff - The House of the Brandersons (Corgi)
Jere Cunningham - The Visitor (Corgi)
Frank De Felitta - Sea Trial (Arrow)
Bernard Taylor - Charmed Life (Grafton)
Norah Lofts - The Haunting of Gad's Hall (Corgi)
Graham Watkins - Dark Winds (Berkley)
Richard Martin Stern - The Tower (Pan)
Joan Paisnel - The Beast of Jersey (NEL)
Stephen King - Carrie (HB)
Dean Koontz - The Bad Place (HB)
2nd Book of Pan Horrors (Original cover)
3rd Book of Pan Horror (Original cover)
This Devil's Days: Alfred Hitchcock
Of these there are five highlights.
The Visitor looks good, and I have the authors previous novel "The Legacy". Nice to get a second book from him.
Sea Trial by De Felitta because I happen to think he writes well.
The Tower - filmed as The Towering Inferno - because of the wonderful cover.
The Beast of Jersey because the cover is wonderful.
The Killings - because............ well this needs a thread on its own really.
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Post by jamesdoig on Sept 25, 2009 6:55:14 GMT
Hello Vaultians! Just been to Lifeline bookfair that's on in Canberra at the moment. Some decent paperbacks, probably all on the Vault, but nice to look at, especially Night of the warlock.  NEL, 1974.  NEL, 1972.  Arrow, 1964  Panther, 1972  Jove, 1979  Blood & Roses: The Vampire in 19th Century Literature, Creation Press, 1992 Contents Intro: The Erogenous Disease John Polidori, The Vampyre Charles Nodier, Smarra (excerpt) Theophile Gautier, The Beautiful Dead Edgar Allan Poe, Ligeia J.M. Rymer, The Feast of Blood (excerpt) Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (excerpts) Charles Baudelaire, The Vampire's Metamorphosis Edward Bulwer Lytton, The House and the Brain Ivan Turgenev, Phantoms Isadore Ducasse, Maldoror Sheridan Le fanu, Carmilla Guy de Maupassant, The Horla Huysmans, La-Bas (excerpt) Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (excerpt) Arthur Machen, The Inmost Light Count Stenbock, The True Story of a Vampire Bram Stoker, Dracula (excerpts) |
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Post by dem on Sept 25, 2009 7:20:36 GMT
solid gold haul that, James. I had no idea there was a Jove edition of Weird Tales. Same contents? Yesterday i visited friend Milan in Spitalfields Market and came away with a few tasty bits including The Third Ghost Book (classic 'Hello Sailor!' cover edition), GNS's Origin Of The Crabs, Richard Curtis's Squirm and Sam Holroyd's Tibbs Housea 70's NEL horror we've yet to mention on here in any real depth (although judging by what Justin had to say about it in PF, that's hardly a surprise). Milan is running down his current interzone books site, as there will be a new, much improved version in a few weeks time. He'll have a table at Zardoz in a few weeks - you'll know it by all the NEL stuff! |
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Post by weirdmonger on Sept 25, 2009 7:26:38 GMT
This book is also notable for containing an Elizabeth Bowen story that's not in the volume of her Collected Stories.
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)£1
