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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jan 16, 2013 10:42:36 GMT
That's great Doug. You know you've made it when the general public come to gawp at your deformities  |
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Post by doug on Jan 16, 2013 11:55:09 GMT
That's great Doug. You know you've made it when the general public come to gawp at your deformities Yes! This is my very own John Merrick moment!  |
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Post by mcannon on Jan 26, 2013 1:49:32 GMT
I borrowed the Otto Penzler-edited anthology “Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!”, which includes Manly Wade Wellman’s “Song of the Slaves” from my local library yesterday (thank you, ACT Library Service!). I’ve only briefly glanced at it, but it looks to contain a fine range of stories with a decent proportion of your traditional voodoo-related Walking Dead, rather than just concentration on the flesh-munching hordes that are so popular these days. I hope, however, that the rest of the editorial content is better than the introductory blurb for the Wellman story. It informs us that Wellman “began writing, mainly in the horror field.... and by the 1930s was selling stories to the leading pulps in the genre: Weird Tales, Wonder Stories and Astounding Stories”. No doubt that would be the fondly-remembered "Astounding Stories of Super-Horror"? The blurb also relates that “He had three series running simultaneously in "Weird Tales": Silver John, also known as John the Balladeer (errr, they’re presumably the stories that actually appeared in "Fantasy & Science Fiction", starting in December 1951); John Thunstone, the New York playboy and adventurer ("Weird Tales" appearances Nov 1943-May 1951).... and Judge Keith Hilary Persuivant, an elderly occult detective (WT appearances Jan 1938–Sept 1941), which he wrote under the pseudonym Gans T Fields” (actually, it was “Field”, but that’s a lot closer to the truth than the rest of the blurb). I haven’t dared to check any of the other intros yet, but I suspect I’m lucky in that I’m much more familiar with Wellman’s work than that of many of the other authors featured in the book.....  MarkC |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Jan 29, 2013 1:33:21 GMT
The blurb also relates that “He had three series running simultaneously in "Weird Tales": Silver John, also known as John the Balladeer (errr, they’re presumably the stories that actually appeared in "Fantasy & Science Fiction", starting in December 1951); John Thunstone, the New York playboy and adventurer ("Weird Tales" appearances Nov 1943-May 1951).... and Judge Keith Hilary Persuivant, an elderly occult detective (WT appearances Jan 1938–Sept 1941), which he wrote under the pseudonym Gans T Fields” (actually, it was “Field”, but that’s a lot closer to the truth than the rest of the blurb). That's regrettable. |
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Post by mcannon on Jan 29, 2013 8:25:31 GMT
Me:
>>The blurb also relates that “He had three series running simultaneously in "Weird Tales": Silver John, also known as John the Balladeer (errr, they’re presumably the stories that actually appeared in "Fantasy & Science Fiction", starting in December 1951); John Thunstone, the New York playboy and adventurer ("Weird Tales" appearances Nov 1943-May 1951).... and Judge Keith Hilary Persuivant, an elderly occult detective (WT appearances Jan 1938–Sept 1941), which he wrote under the pseudonym Gans T Fields” (actually, it was “Field”, but that’s a lot closer to the truth than the rest of the blurb).>>
Cauldronbrewer
>That's regrettable.>
Indeed. Without wanting to be too snarky, is it asking too much for Penzler to aim for basic, easily verified accuracy in the background information that he presents? I've since noticed that in the same volume, he claims that in the Jules de Grandin stories the menaces "most... turn out to be rationally explained" Wha?
The bloke's supposed to be a professional - I wonder if he's this sloppy in the mystery anthologies for which he's best known. rather doubt it.
MarkC
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Post by doug on Jan 29, 2013 11:19:51 GMT
Me: >>The blurb also relates that “He had three series running simultaneously in "Weird Tales": Silver John, also known as John the Balladeer (errr, they’re presumably the stories that actually appeared in "Fantasy & Science Fiction", starting in December 1951); John Thunstone, the New York playboy and adventurer ("Weird Tales" appearances Nov 1943-May 1951).... and Judge Keith Hilary Persuivant, an elderly occult detective (WT appearances Jan 1938–Sept 1941), which he wrote under the pseudonym Gans T Fields” (actually, it was “Field”, but that’s a lot closer to the truth than the rest of the blurb).>> Cauldronbrewer >That's regrettable.> Indeed. Without wanting to be too snarky, is it asking too much for Penzler to aim for basic, easily verified accuracy in the background information that he presents? I've since noticed that in the same volume, he claims that in the Jules de Grandin stories the menaces "most... turn out to be rationally explained" Wha? The bloke's supposed to be a professional - I wonder if he's this sloppy in the mystery anthologies for which he's best known. rather doubt it. MarkC The Wellman errors slipped past me, but the DeGrandin comment caught even my lazy eye back when the anthology first came out. I thought that Penzler was supposed to be the new Sam moskowitz. Doug |
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doctor3
Crab On The Rampage
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Post by doctor3 on Mar 2, 2013 18:58:47 GMT
I recently read his anthology Who Fears The Devil. It was very good indeed.
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doctor3
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 35
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Post by doctor3 on Mar 10, 2013 17:09:12 GMT
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Mar 12, 2013 11:42:58 GMT
From what I watched of it, I'm certain that you're right. Not calling it The Legend of Hillbilly John would have been a start. One of the great things about the John stories is how Wellman succeeded in capturing the Appalachian culture without descending into caricature. I dream about someone making a good television series out of those stories. I think it could be done, but it's unlikely to ever happen. |
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Post by doug on Mar 12, 2013 12:25:15 GMT
Hey all, does any one have any idea why there has, aside from "Who Fears the Devil", never been a single paperback collection of Wellman's other stories? As good as the "Silver John" tales are, There are many many others out there that are just as good. I can't imagine it being a problem with the rights themselves since there have been enough of his stories appearing in other anthologies. Does anyone know an<thing that I don't? I just can't understand why no one during the past 53+ years hasn't done this. take care. Doug P.s. and don't ever bother mentioning those stupid cave man stories. Those don't count.  |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Mar 12, 2013 15:03:09 GMT
don't ever bother mentioning those stupid cave man stories. Those don't count. What, no love for Hok the Mighty? I bought that book, though it's far from Wellman's best work. |
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Post by doug on Mar 12, 2013 15:22:49 GMT
I also own the Hok collection. And to put it mildly, I was underwhelmed.
take care.
Doug
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Post by doug on Jun 4, 2013 19:44:23 GMT
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Post by doug on Jun 18, 2013 6:32:16 GMT
Hauntings: Tales of the SupernaturalThis was one of my all time favorite anthologies when I was young. It was my first introduction to Mr. Wellman and many others such as Derleth, Hodgson, Bloch, Aickman, Collier ect. take care. Doug
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Jun 18, 2013 16:29:11 GMT
Hauntings: Tales of the SupernaturalThis was one of my all time favorite anthologies when I was young. It was my first introduction to Mr. Wellman and many others such as Derleth, Hodgson, Bloch, Aickman, Collier ect. Somehow I'd never run across this anthology before. Most of the stories are familiar, but I don't think I've read J. B. Priestley's "The Grey Ones." Coincidentally, I'm also planning on ordering the Valancourt Books edition of his novel Benighted. |
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