|
Post by dem bones on Nov 3, 2009 11:35:56 GMT
Pains of a rheumatic bullfrog, friend Decker! would you forget the fine introductions and afterwords of Monsieur Weinberg, Manly Wade Wellman, Lin Carter and most fittingly, Robert A. W. Lowdnes who reprinted many De Grandins in his so magnificent Magazine Of Horror and Startling Mystery Stories? Misremembered by me as a Monster of Glamis story, though, to be fair, the legend is quoted in passing, this next novella was reprinted in Skeleton Closet Of Jules De Grandin, but for convenience sake i'll add it here. Seabury Quinn - The Bride Of Dewer ( Weird Tales, July 1930): It is Rosemary Whitney's wedding night. The beautiful young virgin lies in bed awaiting the arrival of husband Walter. The door opens .... and in steps a hideous, toad-like, four foot monstrosity, chuckling evilly and dripping slime! "Be quiet while I warm my chilled face in your bosom, my beauty, my pretty, for it has been more time than you can know since I've done as much", slobbers the intruder as his claws away her pyjama top. Small consolation, Walter appears before it can go any further, but that's the honeymoon done for. "So, the family curse is true after all" reflects the young man who hastily returns Rosemary to her mother a half-insane wreck, swears that, for her own safety he must never see his wife again, and, shortly afterward, is himself admitted to the local mental hospital as a suspected lunatic. Dr. Trowbridge, as ever, gets it all wrong, threatening to do serious mischief to this scoundrel when he gets his hands on him, and even De Grandin pretends to believe the worst of Walter. " La pauvre, belle creature, she expected happiness and love and tenderness: she has had only sorrow and suffering, and you sit there, Monsieur, like a bullfrog upon the marsh bank, and you say you cannot see her! It is damnable, no less, cordieu! ... May Jules de Grandin stew in hell with Judas Iscariot on his left hand and he who first invented Prohibition if it be so!" Needless to say, it's all the fault of medieval baron Sir Guy de Quincy who, faced with defeat in the battle of Ascalan, made a pact with Dewer, the Ghostly huntsman of the North, by which the Demon delivered him from certain death in return for Droit de seigneur - to put it bluntly, Dewer can claim first shag rights over the brides of de Quincy's male descendent's in perpetuity! However, Dewer obviously likes the sound of his own voice as he goes on to add an entirely unnecessary get-out clause for De Grandin to exploit. The pact is binding until such times as a woman can look Dewer in the eye and tell him begone and never trouble the family again. This is one of my all-time favourite De Grandin's. It's action-packed, the monster is tops, the diminutive Frenchman gets in plenty of creative curses and insults and generally seems to be having the time of his life - even the incredibly simple solution to the problem is atypically sane. David Rowlands of Ghosts & Scholars magazine has argued that it shows the influence of M. R. James and he wasn't taking the piss.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Feb 5, 2013 19:59:05 GMT
I have only ever come across 2 of the De Grandin stories, both of which I enjoyed. I hope that someone will bring out some more readily available collections sometime :-).
|
|
|
Post by jamesdoig on Feb 6, 2013 5:26:53 GMT
I have only ever come across 2 of the De Grandin stories, both of which I enjoyed. I hope that someone will bring out some more readily available collections sometime :-). Battered Silicon Dispach Box has produced a complete edition in 3 vols, but the price is out there: www.batteredbox.com/SeaburyQuinn/Jules.htm
|
|
|
Post by mcannon on Feb 6, 2013 9:48:44 GMT
I have only ever come across 2 of the De Grandin stories, both of which I enjoyed. I hope that someone will bring out some more readily available collections sometime :-). Battered Silicon Dispach Box has produced a complete edition in 3 vols, but the price is out there: www.batteredbox.com/SeaburyQuinn/Jules.htm And good luck in getting them, even if you're prepared to pay the price. A few years back after much ummming and ahhhing, I decided to buy the set, and emailed the publisher. However within a couple of hours I received a reply, saying that they wouldn't accept the order as mail to Australia was too unreliable - end of discussion. WTF?? By sheer luck, I managed to get a set from another party a couple of years later, and at a little below the standard price. They're an extremely handsome set - but my initial experience rather put me off Battered Silicon Dispatch Box. MarkC (first post in the new layout - wish me luck!)
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Feb 6, 2013 13:48:49 GMT
Some of the De Grandin titles do command quite serious money :-). I checked with the British Library to see if they held any of Quinn's De Grandin titles for inter-library loan but none were available. It looks like I will just have to keep my eyes peeled for reasonably-priced volumes.
|
|
|
Post by Johnlprobert on Feb 6, 2013 17:27:29 GMT
And good luck in getting them, even if you're prepared to pay the price. A few years back after much ummming and ahhhing, I decided to buy the set, and emailed the publisher. However within a couple of hours I received a reply, saying that they wouldn't accept the order as mail to Australia was too unreliable - end of discussion. WTF?? By sheer luck, I managed to get a set from another party a couple of years later, and at a little below the standard price. They're an extremely handsome set - but my initial experience rather put me off Battered Silicon Dispatch Box. MarkC (first post in the new layout - wish me luck!) I ordered my set from BSDB via the now defunct Fantasy Centre and they didn't pack the volumes very well at all, with the result that they all have scuffed spines. I think I got a bit of a discount (it was a long time ago!) but I haven't ordered anything from them since.
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Feb 6, 2013 18:03:36 GMT
I ordered my set from BSDB via the now defunct Fantasy Centre and they didn't pack the volumes very well at all, with the result that they all have scuffed spines. I think I got a bit of a discount (it was a long time ago!) but I haven't ordered anything from them since. I am surprised this is still avaiable. I bought it years ago on a whim, and it is a beautiful edition. And I still never made it to vol2. The tabloid format is really not very comfortable.
|
|
|
Post by doug on Feb 6, 2013 20:21:12 GMT
And good luck in getting them, even if you're prepared to pay the price. A few years back after much ummming and ahhhing, I decided to buy the set, and emailed the publisher. However within a couple of hours I received a reply, saying that they wouldn't accept the order as mail to Australia was too unreliable - end of discussion. WTF?? By sheer luck, I managed to get a set from another party a couple of years later, and at a little below the standard price. They're an extremely handsome set - but my initial experience rather put me off Battered Silicon Dispatch Box. MarkC (first post in the new layout - wish me luck!) I ordered my set from BSDB via the now defunct Fantasy Centre and they didn't pack the volumes very well at all, with the result that they all have scuffed spines. I think I got a bit of a discount (it was a long time ago!) but I haven't ordered anything from them since. I lucked out. They sent me the Derleth collections to Germany. BTW, I just heard from Darrell Schweitzer that the USPO just raised international air mail prices again! :-( Take care. Doug
|
|
|
Post by doug on Feb 6, 2013 20:23:47 GMT
Seabury Quinn - The Horror Chambers Of Jules De Grandin (Popular Library, 1977) The Gods Of East And West The Poltergeist The House Of Golden Masks The Jest Of Warberg Tantaval Stealthy Death A Gamble In Souls
Afterword by Robert WeinbergBlurb "THE OCCULT HERCULE POIROT"
ONLY JULES de GRANDIN COULD HOPE TO SAVE: —A houseful of beautiful young girls forced to wear hideous golden masks while performing unspeakable acts of degradation for their fiendish master —A pair of lovers turned into puppets of evil by a satanic father who reached out for them from beyond the grave —A woman hellishly attacked by a dark Oriental spirit that could only be countered by American Indian magic —The victims of a ghoulish monster from the mysterious Middle East who fed on human blood and devoured human souls
Jules de Grandin never faced more horrifying dangers or rose to greater heights of occult omnipotence than in these and the other chilling cases that comprise his ultimate casebook of uncanny adventures.Not my absolute favourite of the Popular Library collections, but it's De Grandin and his ever-incredulous colleague Dr. Trowbridge, you're usually guaranteed a memorable time with them, and your fill of illicit liquor once the case has been wrapped up. The House Of Golden Masks reads like it was written for a shudder pulp as opposed to semi-respectable Weird Tales. A gang of Hindu White Slaver hoodlums are abducting young women to participate in their public "whipping dances" which, essentially amounts to the girls being lashed to death as a form of entertainment. You have to wonder why De Grandin holds out such an awful long time before stepping out in his handily procured suit of armour to break up the party, but duty wins over voyeurism in the end. The Jest Of Warberg Tantaval caused something of a The Loved Dead-style outcry on first publication as old Warberg's dying 'jest' at the expense of his son, Dennis and his bride-to-be and supposed 'cousin' Arabella was a particularly sick one. Robert A. W. Lowdnes, a friend and huge fan of Quinn's, admitted that he never could take to story as the subject matter upset him so - Arabella is a closer relation to Dennis than either of them realise - and i should imagine it was pretty strong stuff for 1934. The Casebook Of Jules De Grandin and the hopelessly convoluted but still brilliant 'novel' The Devil's Bride are probably a better bet if you want to catch the psychic sleuth on his very best form, but Horror Chambers is certainly worth your attention if you see a copy lying around. This is the only one I don't have! It costs and arm and a leg on Ebay and at abebooks! I have a 2nd copy of "Skeleton Closet" though. Anyone want to trade? take care. Doug
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Feb 6, 2013 21:47:24 GMT
I have all of the Popular Library volumes, but I'm just not into de Grandin enough to pay for the BSDB set. I tend to prefer Quinn's non-de Grandin stories, anyway.
|
|
|
Post by mcannon on Feb 7, 2013 7:33:46 GMT
Doug: >I lucked out. They sent me the Derleth collections to Germany.>
I bought that 4 volume collection directly from the August Derleth Society about 14 months ago, and my experience was the exact opposite of the troubles I had trying to buy the Jules de Grandin books. I first inquired whether the books were was still available, heard back within a day that they were, ordered them, had an apologetic note saying that they might not be able to be mailed before Christmas (this was in late December), received a confirmation of their dispatch just after Christmas, and I had them in just a few days. Great service, and from an organisation that, as far as I could tell tell, had only a part-time administrator.
Of course, over a year later I've still only got through about one of the volumes; just like Seabury Quinn's de Grandin stories, Augie's short horror fiction reads best if you take the stories one every few days.
MarkC
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 7, 2013 8:08:38 GMT
I have all of the Popular Library volumes, but I'm just not into de Grandin enough to pay for the BSDB set. I tend to prefer Quinn's non-de Grandin stories, anyway. "I feel that it was the one pulp that had no restrictions and no taboos. You could write as long a story as you wanted to or as short a story as far as the length requirements. You could try out a lot of things that got several writers into trouble, such as devil-worship and witchcraft. You wouldn't believe the trouble that Seabury Quinn got into with his de Grandin novels. Then along came Brundage and used nudes; not only nudes but sadism and other things that were just considered out-and-out taboos by other pulp magazines, but we were allowed to use them in Weird Tales. Farnsworth-Wright and Dorothy McIlwraith were very broadminded about things like that." - Mary E. Counselman, interviewed by Stephen Gresham in Robert Weinberg's Weird Tales Collector #6, 1980 Short of taking in all 93 stories (it would have taken approx. 18 volumes!), it's a shame the Popular Library series didn't extend to at least another couple of paperbacks, mop up the best of the rest, if only because the guest introductions and afterwords are fascinating. I've found that it's the pre-WWII de Grandin's work best for me - there are exceptions, of course. The 'forties and 'fifties entries are something of a lottery. Rather than opt for a box set, i've found it more fun to try and collect those stories Mr. Weinberg passed on via anthologies, magazine reprints and - at a push: it's far from my favourite format - pdfs. It's a project began in the late 'eighties, is unlikely to be completed this side of the grave, but those are the kind I like best. For me, the non de-Grandins are another mixed bag. De Grandin considered the stories posthumously published by Mirage as Is The Devil A Gentleman his very best work, but the thrill-seeker in me is inclined to disagree.
|
|
|
Post by jamesdoig on Feb 7, 2013 8:31:44 GMT
Augie's short horror fiction reads best if you take the stories one every few days. He seems to cop a lot of bad press from the littwits, but I always find him a good read - never read any Solar Pons stuff though.
|
|
|
Post by David A. Riley on Feb 7, 2013 9:49:55 GMT
Augie's short horror fiction reads best if you take the stories one every few days. He seems to cop a lot of bad press from the littwits, but I always find him a good read - never read any Solar Pons stuff though. I could never understand why August Derleth been criticised as much as he has because he is a fine writer and I have only ever been disappointed with a handful of his stories, mainly his Lovecraftian "collaborations", though it's many years since I last read any of them and I might have a greater appreciation of them now. By all accounts that's been Wilum Pugmire's experience and he's about as Lovecraftian as you can get!
|
|
|
Post by mcannon on Feb 7, 2013 10:33:07 GMT
>I could never understand why August Derleth been criticised as much as he has because he is a fine writer and I have only ever been disappointed with a handful of his stories, mainly his Lovecraftian "collaborations", though it's many years since I last read any of them and I might have a greater appreciation of them now. By all accounts that's been Wilum Pugmire's experience and he's about as Lovecraftian as you can get!>
I think you've put your finger on it there. Quite a few Lovecraft purists dislike his Mythos tales - particularly the "collaborations" - and unfortunately jump from there to condemning him out of hand as a hack. The fact that Derleth himself was so dismissive of a lot of his work - that comment about never having written a first-class supernatural tale - probably serves to reinforce this. Certainly, he wrote quite a bit of formulaic material, particularly early on, but even that is generally entertaining, and I certainly find stories like "The Lonesome Place", "Who Shall I say is Calling" or "A Room in a House" to be a lot more than just pastiche. As I said earlier, I prefer to read his work at intervals - but I feel that about a lot of short story writers. Over the last couple of months, I've been reading him and the Wordsworth Benson, Whitehead and Oliver Onions collections in rotation, a story or two by each in turn.
MarkC
|
|