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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Sept 3, 2020 18:55:54 GMT
I am by no means an expert on Peter Haining, but every time I open one of his books I find something strange. Years ago, I gathered some observations here.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 4, 2020 6:06:02 GMT
I am by no means an expert on Peter Haining, but every time I open one of his books I find something strange. Years ago, I gathered some observations here. I am by no means an expert on PH either, but it would come as no surprise to learn there is "something strange" to be found in every single one of his published works - it's near enough a trademark and adds to the entertainment factor - the Haining experience is seldom boring - or at least, it does for me. The guy had a sense of mischief and brought it to his books (to say nothing of his editorship of NEL!) - I'll never hang a man for that. There is no party line. Those of academic bent who find his fluid way with 'facts', dates and attributions infuriating, are perfectly entitled to do so.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 4, 2020 19:16:26 GMT
Peter Haining - The Restless Bones & Other True Mysteries (Armada, nd [1978]) Interior illustrations: Ellis Nadler
Introduction The Restless Bones The Winged Monster of the Desert The Terror of the Dragon The Mystery of the Loup-Garou Old Rogers' Vengeance The Witch's Familiars The Call of Drake's Drum The Trail of the Devil's Footprints The Thing from Outer Space The Voice in the Graveyard
Blurb: Here are ten spinechilling mysteries that have baffled the whole human race.
Read about the Roman bones that came gruesomely to life ... the trapper menaced by a werewolf ... the cowboys who encountered a prehistoric monster ... the airliner threatened by flying saucers ... the spellbound mice of Magda the Witch ... and shiver to your nerve-ends at more uncanny stories which are all - incredibly - true. Undated, but Haining's introduction confirms this as the second book in the series. The dedication is For Richard Alexander, who is already writing mysteries himself.The Restless Bones: Riva, 1954. The bones of a Roman lawbreaker is exhumed by workmen and donated to the city museum. The tormented skeleton wrecks several exhibits in search of its decapitated skull - until someone or something plants a dagger between it's ribs. The Winged Monster of the Desert: "What in tarnation is that?" Arizona, April 1890. Tombstone cowhands Tom and Ed try their luck at gold prospecting by the river near Apache. The duo come away empty-handed but for a skin sample from the wing of the creature they shot while crossing the desert. "Seems like some kind of bird. But did you ever see one that size and with a head like an alligator?" Paleontologists confirm they have killed a Pterodactyl. The Mystery of the Loup-Garou: November 1967 - March 1968. North West Canada. Geologist and prospector Dennis Dupois, 36, comes off worst in a protracted battle of wits with what the Cree insist is a were-wolverine.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 5, 2020 17:32:27 GMT
The Terror of the Dragon: Bures, Suffolk, 1405. A fisherman on the River Stour near Sudbury hooks the monster catch of a lifetime - a fire-breathing something with huge reptilian head and saw-like teeth! The creature takes to dry land to scare womenfolk and incinerate a shepherd tending his flock. As recorded by the Monk, John de Trokelowe, who was probably dead at the time. There is a lot of mystery surrounding this mystery, too many unanswered questions. For example, another version features TWO dragons hurling sheep at one another. Were either of these the dragon killed by Sir George of layer de la Haye at neighbouring Wormington? Another school of thought has it that any "dragon" was merely a very large crocodile with hot breath? Haining's source for much of his information is an article by Robert Hadgraft in the East Anglian Daily Times for 19th August 1976, which can be read at: Bures online. Old Rogers' Vengeance: Brecklands, Norfolk, 1940. A black cloaked phantom flautist raises whirlwinds and sandstorms versus German bombers targeting RAF Mildenhall. The efforts of the long-haired magic muso spare Britain a terrible setback. The Witch's Familiars: When Old Magda, the witch of Luneberg who survived two world wars, finally dies aged ninety, her house passes back to the man who let her live there rent free for saving his daughter's life. Her familiars - four talking white mice - chase away a cat and resist exorcism before a local man suggests they be buried with their mistress. The coffin is exhumed. Magda and mice reunited. Haunting ceases. As with previous volume, title story has been "best" to date.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 6, 2020 16:20:40 GMT
Ellis Nadler The Thing from Outer Space: 29th June 1954. A BOAC passenger flight from New York to Goose Bay is stalked by a strange armada of flying saucers. Captain John Howard would later recall; "It looked like no more than an indeterminate dark blob in the distance, with several blobs dancing attendance on it." Are we being spied upon by visitors from the stars? What can they want? Do they mean to interfere in our business? Go away! The Call of Drake's Drum: It plays unassisted whenever Britain is either about to come under attack or has triumphed in battle. The phantom drummer is said to have performed aboard the Royal Oak when Germany surrendered her fleet on 21st November 1918. Arthur Machen was fast into print with an account published as Drake's Drum in Living Age, June 14, 1919, later reprinted in John Gawsworth's Thrills, Crimes & Mysteries (1935). The Trail of the Devil's Footprints: "What could it be that walked on small hooved feet with a very short mincing stride, never rested and had covered something like a hundred miles in a single night? A something that walked up and over the tallest obstacle ... and crossed a river almost two miles wide?" No-one knows. The footsteps in the snow travelled much of South Devon on the bitterly cold night of 7th February, 1885, "on the tops of houses ... in gardens and courtyards enclosed by high walls and palings" The Times report on February 16th mentions that those of a superstitious bent are convinced Satan has walked among them, though others offer an energetic badger or a kangaroo escaped from a menagerie. This latter theory is soon dismissed as the work of a so-called "wit." There's always one has to spoil it for everybody else. The Voice in the Graveyard: Wisconsin, 18th July 1964. Richard Stark, 17, strikes a wager with college pals by which he'll spend a night tied to a grave in the allegedly haunted Chippewa County Cemetery. Stark junior fast regrets his boldness when two ghosts rise from the soil with a request that he right their toppled headstones. A disappointment after the inspired lunacy of The Monster Trap, for my money Alun Hood's cover painting is the only haunting thing about it. But thanks anyway, full uniform Captain Armada!
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Post by dem bones on Sept 8, 2020 19:14:41 GMT
Peter Haining - The Hell Hound & Other True Mysteries (Armada, 1980) Interior illustrations: Phillip Elms
Introduction
The Hell Hound The Vampire of Grautz An Encounter With Pirates The Curse of the Stone Man The Great Snake of Stronsay The Car of Doom The Girl who Fought an Abominable Snowman The Floating Wonder The Phantom Schoolbell Vengeance From the TombBlurb: Amazing - but true!
Ten astonishing tales that have mystified the world ...
The giant ghost hound that heralds a disaster ... the countess who became a vampire ... the car that murdered its owners ... the monster that came out of the sea ... the girl who fought an Abominable Snowman .. .the man who floated on air . . .
And more chilling stories which are incredibly true!Mr. Haining back on the prowl with another of his terrible 'True Mysteries.' this one dedicated to My niece, Celia. The Hell Hound: Outskirts of Geldeston village, near Lowestoft, July 1890. Walking home with her mother and young Tom, Annie Thurston, nineteen, is near terrified out of her wits by a black hound "bigger than a horse ... a great beast with eyes of fire!" Worst of it is, the monster is invisible to her companions ... until Annie falls into her mothers arms, whereupon Mrs. Thurston sees it too. Could it be Black Shuck, legendary phantom guardian of a Viking sacrificial stone, when he still had a head? We'll never know. The Vampire of Grautz: "The little man went on to explain that according to an old legend the place [Blood Hollow] was haunted by an evil spirit that took possession of unsuspecting souls. "It is also believed ... that anyone who drinks water from the stream will suffer a horrible tragedy." Harz mountains, summer 1838. Count Karl von Gruber, magistrate, is holidaying in picturesque Grautz village with his beautiful young wife, Hilda, when horror strikes in the form of a cloaked and hooded, bloodfeasting child-stealer! The Count spurns involvement - he's on vacation - only for the terror to him back to the city. None of your namby pamby, 'sympathetic vampire' nonsense about the insatiable blood fiend of the mountains! This one is the proper, throat-tearing real deal. An Encounter With Pirates: Orlando, Florida, Jan. 1981. Driving home along route 858, James Roberts, a 32-year-old estate agent, runs out of gas. Awaiting assistance, James spots what appears to be a campfire in the trees, and makes toward it. He is cast back in time to witness the execution of a captive by a cut-throat crew under the command of Jose "Gasparilla" Gaspar (1764-1821), scourge of the high seas! The following day, James is compelled to return to the scene with a shovel. What will he dig up? Early doors, but The Hell Hound is already an improvement on the lacklustre Restless Bones.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 9, 2020 14:34:28 GMT
The Curse of the Stone Man: St. Michaels church, Cotterstock village near Peterborough, May 1962. The statue of Sir Joseph Allsop (d. 1747), in life a man of evil repute, takes violent exception to renovation work at St Michael's church. Over the following three weeks, six of the seven men present when his tomb was broken into, die horribly. Only when the Allsop vault is resealed and the churchyard reconsecrated does the killing stop. But did the marble effigy walk one last time during Christmas week to claim the life of the last of the defilers, an elderly sexton? Along with The Monster Trap, The Restless Bones, and The Vampire of Grautz, another strong contender for personal True Mysteries top five.
The Girl who Fought an Abominable Snowman: "Next a hand grabbed at her hair and forced her head back. She felt a body straddle her own, and was suddenly conscious of the most overpowering stench ... Now whatever it was pressing down on her began to bounce up and down, almost forcing the breath from her lungs ..."
Told you the series had come to life. Nepal, July 1974. Hairy horror in the Himalayas as Lakpa Sherpani, a nineteen year old yak herder, is assaulted by a Yeti in the Valley of Khonar. The evil-reeking beast then sets about and kills six of her cattle. I was under the impression that abominable snowmen were peaceable, but evidently not, hence "abominable," although other half of name is a misnomer. The creatures are better equipped to thrive in dense forests than atop frozen mountains.
The Great Snake of Stronsay: Orkney islands, September 1808. The rotting carcass of an alleged sea serpent is washed up onshore hear Rothiesholm Head. According to eyewitness George Sherar, its bowels are the same size as one of his cows, which is useful to know. Discovery thrown into controversy when a co-called "expert" in London suggests there is no monster, the credulous islanders have overreacted, and the remains are those of a basking shark.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 10, 2020 14:45:01 GMT
The Car of Doom: Grim history of the Double Phaeton in which Archduke Frank Ferdinand and wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo on 29th June 1914, effectively plunging the world into war. Similar to the myth (or is it?) surrounding the James Dean death Porsche.
The Floating Wonder: Peculiar case of Raymond Beck, a fourteen stone Michigan farmer, who develops the power of unassisted flight overnight and requires a weighted belt to stop him levitating to the heavens. He joins the circus and, over a period of five years, rakes in $1 million touring the Mid-West as 'the Floating Wonder.' In the spring of 1890, Beck quits showbiz and returns to Dexter, but the public won't leave him in peace, until, that. August he vanishes ....
Story references an earlier Haining title.
"A short while ago I wrote a book called 'The Complete Birdman' in which I described the weird and wonderful devices inventors had come up with over the years such as imitation wings fitted to the arms, glider wings, balloons and even great billowing sails. Aided by these they would jump from any high spot such as a building or mountainside in the hope of flying. Naturally, a lot were killed, a great many more were injured, and all failed miserably in their attempts. Indeed, it has only been in the latter part of this century that man has learned to fly to some degree like birds with the aid of hang-gliders.
It was during the course of my research for that book about man-powered flight, that I came across the extraordinary true mystery which I am now going to relate ..."
The Phantom Schoolbell: Rangoon, Burma, 9th April 1952. A light aircraft comes down in thick fog, crash landing in the playground of Pona Junior School. Had the automatic school bell rang on time at 2.30. pm the pilot would have ploughed into a full compliment of children leaving for home. An inexplicable four minute delay has saved all their lives. A bit flat, though maybe not so much if you were a participant in the day's events.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 11, 2020 13:27:30 GMT
Vengeance From the Tomb: Egypt, 1929. Professor Victor Resden, a fellow of the Royal Archaeological Society, is possibly unique among Egyptologists in that he has a morbid fear of sand. As you'd imagine, he is less than thrilled, when, overseeing an excavation at Amara, he unearths a vault entrance bearing the following inscription. Whoever desecrates the tomb of PRINCE SENNAR Greatest and Noblest of Princes Will be overtaken by the Sands and Destroyed The Professor quits the dig citing illness and boards a liner home to England. Surely the curse can't travel across an ocean? Haining amps up whatever facts/ 'facts' there might be to end the book on a horror story. Which leaves ... Peter Haining - The Screaming Skull and Other True Mysteries (Armada, 1983: originally 1979) Interior illustrations: Peter Archer Introduction
The Screaming Skull The Secret of the Wax Museum The Mystery of Alice in the Looking-glass The Pop Song That Can Kill The Story of the Sea Serpent's Head The Children Who Photographed Fairies The Dream of Disaster The Witch Stone of Scrapfoot Green Herne The Hunter The Man who was FrankensteinBlurb: FANTASTIC - BUT CHILLINGLY TRUE ...
Here are some of the most bizarre incidents ever to mystify the world. The case of the human skull that screamed in rage . . . the sailor who captured a sea serpent . . . the pop song that brought death to its listeners . . . the newspaper man who reported a disaster days before it happened . . .
And more spine-tingling stories which are incredible - but true!
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Post by helrunar on Sept 11, 2020 13:45:28 GMT
Hi Kev, sorry I have failed to pay attention to all these Peter Haining "really, truly, honest-to-God gospel truth MYSTERIES" threads. Your writing is always so lively and entertaining and I love how here and there you quietly, deftly, take the piss.
My question about the latest tale is--are some of these obviously fiction? There is no such place in Egypt as Amara and there is no such personage as "Prince Sennar." Ancient Egyptian curses weren't phrased in the manner set out in the text you quote.
I hate to be a show-off but I used to be in training as an Egyptologist back in my long-ago University days. And that story just screams the kind of thing Haining might have found in an old issue of WEIRD TALES or even one of those delicious horror comics of the early Fifties. Wonder if the same goes for some of these other "true" mysteries.
The books were written to entertain the public and in the end, it really doesn't matter.
Thank God Herself it's Friday!
cheers, Steve
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Post by Dr Strange on Sept 11, 2020 15:55:19 GMT
All the stories are true; Haining just changed the names of people and places, and the things that happened.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Sept 11, 2020 16:11:23 GMT
Werner Herzog likes to refer to what he calls "ecstatic truth," as opposed to "accountant's truth," whenever people point out the obviously scripted nature of his "documentaries."
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Post by Shrink Proof on Sept 11, 2020 16:19:49 GMT
Werner Herzog likes to refer to what he calls "ecstatic truth," as opposed to "accountant's truth," whenever people point out the obviously scripted nature of his "documentaries." I will treasure this posting. I am sure that never again will I see the words "accountant" and "ecstatic" in the same sentence.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Sept 11, 2020 17:58:10 GMT
I will treasure this posting. I shall treasure yours in return!
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Post by helrunar on Sept 11, 2020 19:17:12 GMT
Dr Strange, thanks for that giggle--I needed it today.
Hope you and yours have a lurvely weekend!
cheers, Hel
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