Bleiler's Guide to Supernatural Fiction
Huw Lines
to Supernatural Fiction that appeared at ABE over the last day or two?
Does anyone know if there are any plans to reissue this title? I've
seen only a few copies offered over the years, and they are either too
expensive for me, or I'm beaten to it by other collectors (this is the
third time now - I'm beginning to think I'll never see the thing!)....
David Kurzman
ub...@ms8.hinet.net wrote on 1/18/03 9:17 AM:
It's a really tough book to find. I think it would probably be too expensive
to reprint. Maybe it would be a good project for someone to re-release as a
CD-Rom. I would be a no-brainer for Locus Press.
I'm sure Bleiler would be interested in a project like this if any of the
publishers here would like to give it a shot.
There is a new 2 vol. update available by Richard Bleiler (Scribners). I
believe it is $240. I haven't seen it but I think it mainly covers authors
from the '80's on up. The info is in the new Locus.
Jim Rockhill
point.
"David Kurzman" <kur...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:BA4EF1BC.105B1%kur...@earthlink.net...
MTSaler
Like you, for years I've jumped on ABE alerts only to find the book has been
sold. But I got lucky on eBay a few months ago, and picked up a copy for $150.
You'll be more likely to find it there at a reasonable price, as there didn't
seem to be much competition for it -- maybe three bidders. (The seller was
delighted to get the amount he did, as he got it for free from a University
library discard pile!)
Mike
David Anderson
I bought my copy a couple of years ago thanks to an ABE wants match so
don't despair, it does happen. And each time someone gets ahead of
you to a copy, it removes that person from the race next time around.
I think my copy was either US$75 or US$100, I can't remember which.
It is very mildy ex-library but was kept in the Reference section so
has no library pockets and is in Near Fine condition otherwise.
Bleiler is often so critical and dismissive of the books I look up in
the Guide that I sometimes wonder why I bought it! :^)
David A.
Todd T.
"David Anderson" <nboo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d12da66d.03011...@posting.google.com...
> mts...@aol.com (MTSaler) wrote
(snipped)
>
> Bleiler is often so critical and dismissive of the books I look up in
> the Guide that I sometimes wonder why I bought it! :^)
>
> David A.
I agree with you, David, this is the one thing (other than the pre-1960
limitation, which is excusable) that makes the book less than wholly useful
to me. Still, I'd never let go of it. As with any other reviewer, I've
learned what aspects of his taste I share and which I don't.
What other encyclopedia would the group say is the best complement to
Bleiler, either in terms of coverage or fair-minded discussion?
- Todd T.
John Pelan
wrote:
First, I find Bleiler quite useful (as I readily grasped his
prejudices) and now read "enjoyable weird fiction" where he says
"routine commercial work" and "fun pulpish excesses" where he says
"lurid and sensational" or "raw heads and bloody bones".
It's a very odd work, he lavishes praise on "routine commercial work"
from the 1800's, but once the century line is crossed, popular fiction
seems to come in for a good deal of scorn.
For basic references the Tymn and St James are pretty decent, for the
advanced collector, nothing less will do than George Locke's A
SPECTRUM OF FANTASY... Buying books from Violet Books and Skirrid
Books on a regular basis will increse your odds of finding goodies
missed by the reference books. For example, I've reason to believe
that Mrs. Everett wrote several other supernatural novels besides
IRAS, I just haven't found them... Yet...
Cheers,
John
>
>
paghat
<jpe...@cnw.com> wrote:
> Buying books from Violet Books and Skirrid
> Books on a regular basis will increse your odds of finding goodies
> missed by the reference books. For example, I've reason to believe
> that Mrs. Everett wrote several other supernatural novels besides
> IRAS, I just haven't found them... Yet...
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> John
Some Mrs. Everett "Theo Gift" novels of interest besides IRAS:
A BRIDE ELECT. 1896. Mad occult hypnotist; he kidnaps, kills, & preserves
woman's body in weird experiment. Himself eventually destroyed in one of
his experiments.
CARR OF DIMSCAUR. 1899. Ghost-daughter.
NEMO. 1900. Wild! Frankenstein theme. Magician creates automaton using
part of his victimized daughter's soul. Becomes increasingly horrific, all
leading to doom.
ONE OR TWO. 1907. Gruesome tale of occult power. A woman spiritualist
brings forth one of her past-life spirits, leading to horror & doom.
A WHITE WITCH. 1910. Witchcraft or alchemy in an historical setting
MALEVOLA. 1914. Older woman, musician & vampire, sucks out vitality &
beauty of younger woman by means of massage. Lesbian overtones.
GREY COUNTESS. 1913. Nihilism, murder, ghosts, hypnosis.
Supernatural themes also to be encountered in COUSIN HUGH (1910), WHITE
WEBS (1912), but no one seems to have reported on SHADOWS (1917) though
the title would seem to promise the supernatural. Not supernatural are
UNDER A CLOUD (1917) or MARY SMITH (1917).
One also encounters "Theo Gift" in old Catholic anthologies. I presume
Richard Dalby is tracing more of these over time & could have turn up
enough for a second collection from Sarob's mistresses-macabre series
eventually.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/
Douglas A. Anderson
"David Kurzman" <kur...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> There is a new 2 vol. update available by Richard Bleiler (Scribners). I
> believe it is $240. I haven't seen it but I think it mainly covers authors
> from the '80's on up. The info is in the new Locus.
The two volume update is not an update to The Guide to Supernatural Fiction
(Kent State, 1983), but an update to Supernatural Fiction Writers, ed. by E.
F. Bleiler, 2 vols., (Scribner's, 1985), which had a complementary volume,
Science Fiction Writers (Scribner's, 1982). These are excellent collections
with long essays on each author-entry by many well-known critics.
The new two volume update is also called Supernatural Fiction Writers, with
the subtitle Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. It is solely edited by
Richard Bleiler, and it essentially updates his father's two volume 1985
collection. It is an admirable and desirable work, but I noticed
regrettable, silly errors very quickly-- i.e. (to mention a few off the top
of my head), Shirley Jackson's birthyear is given as 1919, with no notice of
the Oppenheimer biography which establlished it as 1916. And in the Ligotti
entry, it says that there has only been one mass market edition of his
works-- Songs of a Dead Dreamer, by Carroll & Graf (who is not really a mass
market publisher). This omits the real mass market edition by Jove of
Grimscribe. These are minor cavils, but they should have been caught before
the book went to press.
Richard Bleiler also edited a one volume "second edition" of Science Fiction
Writers (Scribner's, 1999)
Doug A.
David Anderson
surprisingly useful as a quick, basic reference, bearing in mind that
it is barely over 200 pages (Bleiler's Guide is 723) and was published
25 years ago. It still succeeds in giving you the basics about the
older authors. I wish he would bring out an updated and greatly
expanded edition (and have suggested this to him but he has so many
other projects that it isn't on his "to do" list at all).
I keep thinking that I'll probably never have much further use for
Mike's book then I flick it open and out comes a useful nugget of
information that I'd either forgotten or had never known.
David A.
Chris Barker
> Bleiler, either in terms of coverage or fair-minded discussion?
>
> - Todd T.
Comments regarding the scarcity of Bleiler have been made. One could, I
suppose, follow the advice given on the Violet Books website, which is to
photocopy the book (presumably unlawfully?).
Regarding other references, the Dicks' volumes are useful in certain
respects, giving precise info on story titles, book price and publisher
detail. The Ashley guide is a very useful size but more descriptive than the
Dicks. It is a book that would greatly benefit from updating, and would I am
sure prove extremley popular with collectors.
Old catalogues from specialist dealers are a useful source of information.
You could do a lot worse than track down old or current copies of catalogues
by George Locke (Ferret Fantasy), John Eggeling, Rodney O'Connor, Richard
Dalby and Andrew Stevens. This is where I and other current UK specialists
get much of their info and or stock from, including Skirrid and Bistordery
Books. In fact, I would say that 95% of the books fetaured in the latter two
catalogues comes from the internet or the less-well known catalogues of
Rodney and Andrew. The information then feeds out into their own catalogues.
From the few copies of catalogues I have seen, Violet Books is very light on
period supernatural fiction firsts, though strong on cheap reprints. In
fact, US dealers struggle with period stock, in contrast to UK dealers, if
only because most ghost stories were originally written and published in the
UK.
I would however urge caution in buying from a specialist catalogue where an
unreferenced, unknown book is listed by the seller as supernatural. It might
only be very tenuously so and lead to disappointment.
The H D Everett information quoted elsewhere in this thread is lifted from
the introduction to the Ghost Story Press collection THE DEATH-MASK, in
which Richard Dalby demonstrates his knowledge of the genre by appraising
the occult novels of Mrs Everett. In fact, RD's essays are excellent
reference sources themselves, because he is one of the few researchers who
discuss not only the author in an historical context, but also descibes the
states of the original editions.
I have for many years now taken Book & Magazine Collector, a UK monthly book
magazine that features second hand books for sale, together with specialist
articles on various authors. It also values books and was the fore-runner to
such price guides as the Tartarus Guide To First Edition Prices. I have cut
out all fantasy articles and so have a very useful bibliographical tool that
features very detailed information on (for example) Robert Aickman, H.G.
Wells, E.F. Benson, M.R. James, William Hope Hodgson, Richard Marsh etc. In
fact, a compendium made up in such a way is probably the most valuable tool
that a collector can have.
Better than any single catalogue by any genre specialist is the 1996
Sotheby's auction catalogue featuring the Andrew Stevens collection. One
cannot over-emphasise the importance of this sale. It threw up rare
supernatural books that even the most distinguished supernatural authorities
had never heard of. It also reproduced many colour facsimilies of rare dws
and pictorial covers. Hundreds of very obscure titles are listed with full
publisher detail. If you are lucky enough to track down a copy of this
highly-sought after catalogue, you can marry it up with a prices-realised
list to obtain an extremley good idea of what any particular book might be
worth.
This catalogue stimulated demand for most of the books since reprinted by
small press genre publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. Theo Gift,
Richard Marsh, C D Pamely, Dick Donovan, Christopher Blayre etc etc.
It led me on a quest to track down, for example, Emma Hardinge's rare
collection THE WILDFIRE CLUB, a precis of which I featured on this website
many months ago. Since then, other copies have turned up, and no doubt we
will see someone build upon the rising awareness of this title by reprinting
it.
Information is a heavily borrowed and synthesized commodity. My
recommendation would be to start from the basic building blocks - Bleiler,
Ashley, the Sullivan Penguin guide will serve adequately (only the Bleiler
should present a difficulty in finding) - and supplement that with as many
old specialist dealer catalogues as possible, together with the esential
Stevens catalogue, and select Book & Magazine articles.
But even then, you will still miss many titles. I wrote to Peter Haining a
while ago to ask him if he knew anything about a certain Victorian book, and
he replied that there were in fact two ghost story collections by that name,
which one did I mean? The second one appears to be completely unknown. This
for me typifies the fun - and frustration - of collecting.
Todd T.
thank earlier.
I do love annotated catalogs. Very educational, and fun to "meet" the
dealer through the aspects of his/her personality that are revealed by the
entries. I don't really know how to search for older copies, but will
remember to snatch them up if I do see them. That Stevens auction catalog
has been on my list since you mentioned it a year or so ago.
I love collecting, but I'm a weird bird. I don't care about firsts
particularly, and when the only option is an expensive first I am frustrated
rather than ambitious to have it. I don't care much about the "real" value
of a book, unless there is a possibility of spending significantly less than
I am about to spend for a similar item. I do care about the particular
things that turn me on: work by authors I like that I hadn't heard of
before, or particularly interesting editions that may include cool djs or
cover art or bindings, good bookmaking, nice interior art, curiosities of
various kinds...
Speaking of curiosities: perhaps this is better suited for the collecting
group, but I'll start here because it's on my mind. One friend gave another
a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
"previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of each
page for holding the book). For example, if the sentence " 'But you
dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen.' " were split across two pages, it
would have appeared thus:
(end of page x) "But you
dishonoured the moon
(start of page x+1) dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen."
(FYI it wasn't JURGEN, I just grabbed this sentence for an illustration.)
What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but it
seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
- Todd T.
"Chris Barker" <haunte...@waitrose.com> wrote in message
news:WB-dnc9Vfrc...@brightview.com...
Chris Barker
"Todd T." <tttN...@megapipe.net> wrote in message
news:CuUW9.63385$wQ1.23388@fe01...
> Great stuff, Chris, thanks, and thanks also to John and others I failed to
> thank earlier.
>
> I do love annotated catalogs. Very educational, and fun to "meet" the
> dealer through the aspects of his/her personality that are revealed by the
> entries.
I agree totally. Also, one can spot who hasn't actually read the book and
just lifted a borrowed reference.
I don't really know how to search for older copies, but will
> remember to snatch them up if I do see them.
They occasionally turn up on Ebay or ABE. You need to search under the
dealer's name.
Andrew Stevens has a large catalogue collection (other people's catalogues)
going back thirty or forty odd years. It would be wonderful to see that
condensed but I presume copyright difficulties exist.
That Stevens auction catalog
> has been on my list since you mentioned it a year or so ago.
>
Its very much in demand. Good luck.
I have two copies: one battered and covered in pencil annotations, the other
bright, fine and protected. I always look out for other copies but have not
seen any for three or so years.
Interestingly, the photographs taken by Sothebys for the auction catalogue
disappeared from their archives at about the same time they ran out of
surplus copies.....
> I love collecting, but I'm a weird bird. I don't care about firsts
> particularly, and when the only option is an expensive first I am
frustrated
> rather than ambitious to have it. I don't care much about the "real"
value
> of a book, unless there is a possibility of spending significantly less
than
> I am about to spend for a similar item. I do care about the particular
> things that turn me on: work by authors I like that I hadn't heard of
> before, or particularly interesting editions that may include cool djs or
> cover art or bindings, good bookmaking, nice interior art, curiosities of
> various kinds...
>
Yes, there are few books so unsatisfying as dull rare books. The Philip Alan
books from the 1920/30s are horribly plain and thin and dull. A Yellow Book
is in contrast greatly superior.
> Speaking of curiosities: perhaps this is better suited for the collecting
> group, but I'll start here because it's on my mind. One friend gave
another
> a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
> every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
> "previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
> as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of
each
> page for holding the book). For example, if the sentence " 'But you
> dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen.' " were split across two pages, it
> would have appeared thus:
>
> (end of page x) "But you
>
>
> dishonoured the moon
>
>
> (start of page x+1) dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen."
>
>
> (FYI it wasn't JURGEN, I just grabbed this sentence for an illustration.)
>
> What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but
it
> seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
> page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
>
> - Todd T.
>
Don't know what the practise is called, but it was also employed for Leonard
Smither's publication of Vincent O'Sullivan's collection "Green Window". I
think it must be a deliberate printer / publisher design thing.
Chris
Scott Connors
I don't know about plans to reissue Bleilber, but Greenwood Press has
plans for something even more exciting. Fresh from the success of
their H. P. LOVECRAFT ENCYCLOPEDIA, Greenwood has commissioned S. T.
Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowicz to edit a three volume ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
SUPERNATURAL LITERATURE, with entries on every writer of note and
separate entries on notable stories and novels, plus entries on
themes, etc. Many of the regulars on this list have been tapped for
entries--and no, Joshi is not doing either M. R. James or H. R.
Wakefield. :o) This should be a very useful volume indeed in the
years to come. Best, Scott Connors
John Pelan
wrote:
>Great stuff, Chris, thanks, and thanks also to John and others I failed to
>thank earlier.
>
>I do love annotated catalogs. Very educational, and fun to "meet" the
>dealer through the aspects of his/her personality that are revealed by the
>entries. I don't really know how to search for older copies, but will
>remember to snatch them up if I do see them. That Stevens auction catalog
>has been on my list since you mentioned it a year or so ago.
Somewhere I have a big box of catalogs from Roy Squires, Dave
McClintock, Nelson Bond, George Locke, Mark Ziesing, and of course
Jessica...
The Curreys are all on my desk as reference material, but for sheer
information (George, Jessica, & Nelson) or humorous commentary
(Ziesing & McClintock), these just can't be beat.
>
>I love collecting, but I'm a weird bird. I don't care about firsts
>particularly, and when the only option is an expensive first I am frustrated
>rather than ambitious to have it. I don't care much about the "real" value
>of a book, unless there is a possibility of spending significantly less than
>I am about to spend for a similar item. I do care about the particular
>things that turn me on: work by authors I like that I hadn't heard of
>before, or particularly interesting editions that may include cool djs or
>cover art or bindings, good bookmaking, nice interior art, curiosities of
>various kinds...
I'm of a similar mind, while I do appreciate firsts, I'm far more
enthusiastic about the "best" edition. Even when I've been able to
afford it, I couldn't be less interested in owning a copy of THE
OUTSIDER and OTHERS, the Joshi-edited editions are the way to go.
Similarly, I far prefer the Ash-Tree edition of Cowles over the rather
hideous GSP production. (GSP did some damn nice books, but the Cowles
ain't one of 'em).
>
>Speaking of curiosities: perhaps this is better suited for the collecting
>group, but I'll start here because it's on my mind. One friend gave another
>a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
>every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
>"previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
>as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of each
>page for holding the book). For example, if the sentence " 'But you
>dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen.' " were split across two pages, it
>would have appeared thus:
>
>(end of page x) "But you
>
>
> dishonoured the moon
>
>
>(start of page x+1) dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen."
>
>
>(FYI it wasn't JURGEN, I just grabbed this sentence for an illustration.)
>
>What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but it
>seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
>page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
>
>- Todd T.
I don't know what it's called, If no one else knows, I'll ask Brian
Metz when I drop off his copy of DAY DARK, NIGHT BRIGHT... It's the
sort of "clever" typesetting that annoys the hell out of me, page
numbers in side margains I can deal with, headers on blank pages I
find tolerable, but stuff like that so overtly calls attention to the
typography that it distracts from the story...
Cheers,
John
David Anderson
> plans for something even more exciting. Fresh from the success of
> their H. P. LOVECRAFT ENCYCLOPEDIA, Greenwood has commissioned S. T.
> Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowicz to edit a three volume ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
> SUPERNATURAL LITERATURE, with entries on every writer of note and
> separate entries on notable stories and novels, plus entries on
> themes, etc. Many of the regulars on this list have been tapped for
> entries--and no, Joshi is not doing either M. R. James or H. R.
> Wakefield. :o) This should be a very useful volume indeed in the
> years to come. Best, Scott Connors
That is good news indeed. And I agree with the previous comment about
the George Locke volumes. Though expensive, they contain a mine of
valuable information for the seriously smitten collector/dealer.
At the other end of the spectrum (no pun intended!), one of the
reference books I use least is 'Shadows in the Attic', put out by the
British Library just two years ago. While I applaud the effort that
went into compiling it (and mean no disrespect to the writer of the
Introduction), it is just not a very useful reference book. It's hard
not to think of it as a lost opportunity as it could have been a lot
more useful had the compiler chosen different parameters. Then again,
it is a "Guide" rather than an encyclopaedia or bibliography. Trouble
is, I find Mike Ashley's quarter-century old 'Who's Who' still far
more useful as a basic guide than 'Shadows in the Attic'.
David A.
straydog
wrote:
I picked up my Bleiler on ebay a couple of years ago. I think I paid
about $250 for it. It's in very nice shape so I don't feel too bad.
One problem with it though is the fact that there are many spoilers in
the descriptions.
straydog
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Rik Shepherd
> One friend gave another
> a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
> every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
> "previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
> as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of
each
> page for holding the book). .
> What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but
it
> seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
> page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
.
Rik Shepherd
"Todd T. wrote
> One friend gave another
> a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
> every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
> "previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
> as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of
each
> page for holding the book).
it
> seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
> page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
Isn't it supposed to show someone who is reading aloud what comes next, so
there isn't an unfortunate gap while they turn on the next page ? I've only
seen it in hymn books and bibles, though, and I've no idea what you'd call
it.
Seems an odd thing to do in an ordinary book.
David Kurzman
nodensn...@hotmail.com wrote on 1/19/03 5:18 PM:
>
> "David Kurzman" <kur...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>
>> There is a new 2 vol. update available by Richard Bleiler (Scribners). I
>> believe it is $240. I haven't seen it but I think it mainly covers authors
>> from the '80's on up. The info is in the new Locus.
>
> The two volume update is not an update to The Guide to Supernatural Fiction
> (Kent State, 1983), but an update to Supernatural Fiction Writers, ed. by E.
> F. Bleiler, 2 vols., (Scribner's, 1985), which had a complementary volume,
> Science Fiction Writers (Scribner's, 1982). These are excellent collections
> with long essays on each author-entry by many well-known critics.
My apologies. You're right. I had the Locus listing right in front of me and
my mind must have just gone on the blink. Thanks for the correction.
Dave in Va.
woolrich
rather than on the side of those who are more the dedicated readers of
this material, so I tried to think of some books that might be useful
as general genre surveys, that could suggest reading lists for
newcomers.
Of course, Jack Sullivan's THE PENGUIN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORROR AND THE
SUPERNATURAL's already been mentioned (one I still use constantly).
Also, we've heard about Mike Ashley's WHO'S WHO IN HORROR AND FANTASY
FICTION (another good one for its length) & this all started with the
Bleiler set (which I have consulted in libraries but do not own).
Some others--as yet not discussed--that I might recommend:
(a) J. Briggs--NIGHT VISITORS: THE RISE & FALL OF THE ENGLISH GHOST
STORY (1977) [apparently now expensive & difficult to locate].
(b) Stephen Jones & Kim Newman--HORROR: 100 BEST BOOKS (1991) [more
for beginners, but some discussion in detail of several classics].
(c) Peter Messent (ed.)--LITERATURE OF THE OCCULT: A COLLECTION OF
CRITICAL ESSAYS (1981).
(d) Dorothy Scarborough--THE SUPERNATURAL IN MODERN ENGLISH FICTION
(1917) [pioneering study, with its flaws].
(e) Montague Summers--THE GOTHIC QUEST: A HISTORY OF THE GOTHIC NOVEL
(1938) [good for its subject].
(f) Eugenia C. LaMotte--PERILS OF THE NIGHT: A FEMINIST STUDY OF THE
NINETEENTH-CENTURY GOTHIC (Oxford: 1990).
When I was first starting to read any classic ghost fiction
systematically (early 1990's), these books were useful to me in
helping to produce lists for further reading. I still do not consider
myself a "collector" (not that there's any pejorative sense to that
word to my mind), but rather just a dedicated reader and gatherer of
manuscripts. It doesn't make any difference to me whether I'm reading
the first-edition J.B. Lippincott version of THE APE, THE IDIOT, &
OTHER PEOPLE or the same stories in the Midnight House MONSTER MAKER
reprint, so long as I *can* enjoy these tales. The big difference is
that there's an additional $500-600 in my bank account if I choose the
MH one, and, I think if I paid that much for a single book, I would
wind up placing barbwire around the bookcase and sitting up nights
with a German shepherd on a leash on one arm and a shotgun on the
other. That's why I love all these small reprint presses, Brit or
American.
nboo...@yahoo.com (David Anderson) wrote in message news:<d12da66d.03011...@posting.google.com>...
RPN
> Speaking of curiosities: perhaps this is better suited for the collecting
> group, but I'll start here because it's on my mind. One friend gave another
> a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
> every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
> "previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
> as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of each
> page for holding the book). For example, if the sentence " 'But you
> dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen.' " were split across two pages, it
> would have appeared thus:
>
> (end of page x) "But you
>
>
> dishonoured the moon
>
>
> (start of page x+1) dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen."
>
>
> (FYI it wasn't JURGEN, I just grabbed this sentence for an illustration.)
>
> What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but it
> seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
> page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
>
> - Todd T.
Those words at the bottom of the pages are called catchwords, and in
the early days of printing they were used to help the person
assembling the printed sheets into signatures, and the signatures into
a book, make sure that everything was put together in the right order.
Their use did persist, in a limited way, into the early twentieth
century, but after the introduction of machine presses in the
nineteenth century they were largely superseded by numbers (or
letter-and-number combinations) printed unobtrusively at the bottom of
the first pages of the signatures.
RPN
David Anderson
> about $250 for it. It's in very nice shape so I don't feel too bad.
> One problem with it though is the fact that there are many spoilers in
> the descriptions.
> straydog
That's very true. When I consult the entries I've got into the habit
of reading the first few lines of author and publication details and
the last few lines of his estimation and comments, and carefully *not*
reading the entire plot summary in the middle!
David A.
P.S. '333' is even worse, read any entry in it and you no longer have
to read the book!
John Pelan
Thanks, Jessica! This is quite useful for anyone trying to track down
the supernatural and macbare novels of this fine author. Interestingly
enough, I have reason to believe that this list is incomplete... I'm
going only from rumor, but a couple of colleagues are of the opinion
that there may be as many as a dozen or more uncatalogued novels.
Richard Dalby of course does excellent research, but is limited to
only one real source... (Granted it's a source that I'd give my left
arm to spend a couple of weeks in, but if it ain't there, he's likely
not to find it elsewhere). Those of us in the States are even less
likely to find British books from the Victorian/Edwardian eras that
would not be available to Dalby in England. Still, as with the much
later Mary Richmond, I just have to think that there's a few more out
there that have escaped all our notice...
Cheers,
John
Todd T.
"RPN" <r...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:56abacbc.0301...@posting.google.com...
Terrific! Thanks very much, RPN. I have seen those more modern alphanumeric
codes as well. Never knew what they were about either. I appreciate the
knowledge.
- Todd T.
David Anderson
>
> A BRIDE ELECT. 1896. Mad occult hypnotist; he kidnaps, kills, & preserves
> woman's body in weird experiment. Himself eventually destroyed in one of
> his experiments.
>
> CARR OF DIMSCAUR. 1899. Ghost-daughter.
>
> NEMO. 1900. Wild! Frankenstein theme. Magician creates automaton using
> part of his victimized daughter's soul. Becomes increasingly horrific, all
> leading to doom.
>
> ONE OR TWO. 1907. Gruesome tale of occult power. A woman spiritualist
> brings forth one of her past-life spirits, leading to horror & doom.
>
> A WHITE WITCH. 1910. Witchcraft or alchemy in an historical setting
>
> MALEVOLA. 1914. Older woman, musician & vampire, sucks out vitality &
> beauty of younger woman by means of massage. Lesbian overtones.
>
> GREY COUNTESS. 1913. Nihilism, murder, ghosts, hypnosis.
>
> Supernatural themes also to be encountered in COUSIN HUGH (1910), WHITE
> WEBS (1912), but no one seems to have reported on SHADOWS (1917) though
> the title would seem to promise the supernatural. Not supernatural are
> UNDER A CLOUD (1917) or MARY SMITH (1917).
I think Jessica inadvertently wrote "Theo Gift" while thinking "Theo Douglas"?
David A.
John Pelan
wrote:
>> Some Mrs. Everett "Theo Gift" novels of interest besides IRAS:
Yipes! I didn't even notice, so intent was I on the subject of Theo
Douglas.
NEMO and A BRIDE ELECT at the very least sound like must reads...
Cheers,
John
paghat
nboo...@yahoo.com (David Anderson) wrote:
Drat, my aging brain mixes all sorts of things up nowadays. It's Theo
Gift in the old Catholic anthologies though.
-paghat
Huw Lines
Thanks to everyone for all the information on the E.F. Bleiler Guide
and others.
I remember now that some of us were chatting about the possibility of
Ash-Tree Press or some other publisher reissuing it, and that would be
most welcome, if it were to materialise. I'm still going to keep an
eye open for it in the usual places, i.e. ABE and Ebay, just on the
off-chance that a relatively inexpensive copy should appear. I've also
ordered the latest Tartarus Guide to First Edition Prices.
I have the two-volume Supernatural Fiction Writers set (also compiled
by E.F.Bleiler) which I find very useful as a source of basic
biographical and bibliographical information on writers of ghostly
fiction. Ashley and Contento's The Supernatural Index is another very
useful title, especially for finding elusive stories hidden away in
obscure anthologies, and for checking the contents of anthologies in
order to avoid unnecessary duplication. I've also found
The St. James Guide to Horror, Ghostly & Gothic Fiction (think that's
the title) and The Penguin Encylopedia of the Supernatural to be very
interesting and informative, despite occasional errors (David
Cronenberg did not make Total Recall!). And I agree about the L.W.
Currey catalogues; they are much more than just booklists and deserve
their own special place on the bookshelf.
Thanks again,
Huw
David Anderson
> Currey catalogues; they are much more than just booklists and deserve
> their own special place on the bookshelf.
>
> Thanks again,
> Huw
Does anyone know if Currey is still issuing paper catalogues? I
haven't received any for quite some time.
David A.
Otzchiim
>seen only a few copies offered over the years, and they are either too
>expensive for me, or I'm beaten to it by other collectors (this is the
>third time now - I'm beginning to think I'll never see the thing!)....
>
I had it listed as a want on Abebooks, and I think was alerted seven
times before I got one, including literally sitting up one night wondering if I
could afford a copy and pricing things I own but don't really want to keep all
THAT much, like mid-forties signed Arkhams for trade. Finally got one at under
a hundred.
I did not specifically ask about the GUIDE, but I wrote him a couple of
years ago about reprinting his 1978 Checklist, and he said he would want to
revise and correct that many years down the road before allowing a reprint.
Mark Owings
Bill Meeks
customers (approximate $100/yr minimum). If you meet that bogey and still
haven't seen a catalog, either he has raised the bar or actually has stopped
issuing hard copy catalogs.
Bill M.
"David Anderson" <nboo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d12da66d.03012...@posting.google.com...
Joe Moudry
> Speaking of curiosities: perhaps this is better suited for the collecting
> group, but I'll start here because it's on my mind. One friend gave another
> a Cabell for Christmas that has a typesetting quirk I hadn't seen before:
> every facing page has the first three or four words of the next page
> "previewed" at the bottom right corner (well, not the corner, exactly, but
> as low as any type goes, given the generous space left at the bottom of each
> page for holding the book). For example, if the sentence " 'But you
> dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen.' " were split across two pages, it
> would have appeared thus:
>
> (end of page x) "But you
>
>
> dishonoured the moon
>
>
> (start of page x+1) dishonoured the moon, Prince Jurgen."
>
>
> (FYI it wasn't JURGEN, I just grabbed this sentence for an illustration.)
>
> What's going on here? At first I thought it was some sort of error, but it
> seems quite intentional. Is it meant to give you a head start on the next
> page? What is the practice called and why was it done? Thanks.
>
> - Todd T.
>
It's called a "catch word" (as I learned long ago when I was addicted
to hand-setting type & hand printing the results). The more correct
term is actually "direction", which Joseph Moxon defines as "...the
word that stands alone on the Right Hand in the bottom Line of a
Page." p. 338 of his Mechanick exercises on the whole art of
printing).
The catch word was very important when the type blocks were locked up
in the press and used to determine that the pages were in correct
relation before going to press. More than once I caught an error on
the imposing stone whilst doing the lock up becuase the master printer
who was training me insisted that we use catch words. With the
adaptation of linotype & especially offset presses the catch word was
no longer necessary because the blocks were made up and proofed before
the plates were burned.
Hope this helps,
Joe Moudry
Todd T.
- Todd T.
"Joe Moudry" <Mou...@uab.edu> wrote in message
news:b59e86b6.03012...@posting.google.com...