WHAT exactly is the "The Fantasy Five-Foot Bookshelf"?
Well let's see. It all began as an eight page, two-part article, in the June and August 1983 issues of the now defunct fiction and non-fiction magazine Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.
Well let's see. It all began as an eight page, two-part article, in the June and August 1983 issues of the now defunct fiction and non-fiction magazine Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.
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| COVER ART BY ARTIFACT |
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| COVER ART BY JOE BURLESON |
Each article was basically a series of lists of favorite fantasy, science fiction and horror novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories, emphasizing, or defaulting as regards to horror, each genre's darker, weirder, twilight-zonian side. They were compiled by four leading genre scholars: Thomas M. Disch (an author), R. S. Hadji (aka Robert Knowlton), T. E. D. Klein (an author) and Karl Edward Wagner (an author and editor). There were a total of 117 titles, spread over nine categories, in ten separate lists.
- 1. 13 Supreme Masters of Weird Fiction (Hadji),
- 2. 13 All-Time Classics of Fantasy (Disch),
- 3. 13 Best Supernatural Horror Novels (Wagner),
- 4. 13 Best Non-Supernatural Horror Novels (Wagner),
- 5. 13 Worst Stinkers of the Weird (Hadji),
- 6. 13 Great Works of Fantasy from the Last 13 Years (Disch),
- 7. 13 Neglected Masterpieces of the Macabre (Hadji),
- 8. 13 Best Science Fiction Horror Novels (Wagner),
- 9. 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories (Hadji),
- 10. 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories (Klein).
Most of the titles were given descriptions by their presenter, but not all.
I, like a lot of folks who were into the fantastics, tried to read every item on the list that was new to me. Nearly everything I got hold of was pretty entertaining, if not memorable, with only a few exceptions. FFFB seemed unique when it appeared as well as timely (the beginning of the 1980's horror boom), and it had a huge impact on me, and still does as I'm continually in the hunt for various titles. Without it, I might never have been exposed to Michael Fessier or Eleanor Scott or Walter S. Masterman or John Urban Nicolson, whose works I've come to respect and even love. That's how good these selections were, they've helped to solidify my belief that reading is truly one's most rewarding pastime (now if I could only remember half the stuff I've read!). But, like any list, there were titles and 'masters' that didn't make the grade and should have. And 'stinkers' too.
I, like a lot of folks who were into the fantastics, tried to read every item on the list that was new to me. Nearly everything I got hold of was pretty entertaining, if not memorable, with only a few exceptions. FFFB seemed unique when it appeared as well as timely (the beginning of the 1980's horror boom), and it had a huge impact on me, and still does as I'm continually in the hunt for various titles. Without it, I might never have been exposed to Michael Fessier or Eleanor Scott or Walter S. Masterman or John Urban Nicolson, whose works I've come to respect and even love. That's how good these selections were, they've helped to solidify my belief that reading is truly one's most rewarding pastime (now if I could only remember half the stuff I've read!). But, like any list, there were titles and 'masters' that didn't make the grade and should have. And 'stinkers' too.
I'm not sure if anybody has ever really tried to spotlight the creators of the cover
art or illustrations associated with each selection, but I don't think so. And frankly,
there's a reason for that; images of the more obscure titles can be difficult to find, especially quality images. If you try to buy a first edition that still has its dustjacket,
good luck; those that are offered are generally expensive, and if you
happen to find one still sitting in a library, chances are
its dustjacket has already been removed, or stolen, as was the case with
the Mid-Continent Public Library's copy of Fingers of Fear.
Luckily though, most of the titles have be reprinted in recent years by both
specialty presses and other publishers (even some of Hadji's 'stinkers'), with new cover art for most of the titles, but if that's not what's important to you and you're just wanting to read any number of them you'll probably end up having good success at doing so.
Each of my postings will have two lists, until all ten are revealed. But, because there is so much cover art involved (multiple editions with most titles), I'm going to show only the images that I think are pertinent, or that I've been able to obtain, or own, or like. And, because of the nature of 'List Number One' (all authors and no titles), I will keep the cover art restricted to five images or less per each 'supreme-master', otherwise this whole silly project will get out of hand.
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LIST NUMBER ONE
13 SUPREME MASTERS OF WEIRD FICTION, selected by R. S. Hadji:
Three of these "masters" I had never heard of before (Ewers, Ray and Seignolle). Five I knew of by name but had never read (Blackwood, De La Mare, Hoffmann, Kafka, Machen). Of the remaining five I had read either a single story (James, LeFanu) or significant portions of their oeuvre (Bradbury, Lovecraft, Poe). But by its intrigue, List Number One did what all list's are supposed to do; it seized my temporal lobe with a vise like grip.
1. Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951. English, born Algernon Henry Blackwood).
"Blackwood was a mystic, deeply versed in occult lore and oriental religion, which lends to his work the quiet conviction of a true believer. His pantheistic beliefs convey a distinct sense of the supernatural as an extension, rather that an invasion, of the natural order. He is unrivaled in depicting genii loci, whether good or evil." --- R. S. Hadji.
The FFFB was my introduction to Blackwood, who it turns out was featured prominently in an anthology I owned but had not yet read. That novella, The Willows, revealed itself to be one of the most powerful pieces of supernatural fiction I've ever encountered. Not surprisingly, it was also picked for List's 9 and 10. If I made my own list it would be number one in its category, and dislodgeable.
The Fruit Stoners is an imaginative story about a lonely child who has created a dream world from prune stones. Fantasy for sure, but the chance that this novel will be republished again is practically null. Blackwood's conte cruel is what will stand the test of 'republishing' time, not his fantasy. But ya gotta love the jacket art on this 1935 Grayson & Grayson edition (artist unknown), it exudes a fanciful charm that is largely missing from today's magic-realism covers.
Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural (1962, reprinted in '67) and Tales of the Mysterious and Macabre (1967) are the definitive collections of Blackwood's dark fantasy and horror output, only lacking the author's best tale, The Willows. Both books were published in hardcover in the United Kingdom by Spring Books and then distributed widely in the United States. At one time I owned them both, but not now, regrettably. Neither book credited its dustjacket artist as I remember.
2. Ray Bradbury (1920- 2012. American, born Ray Douglas Bradbury).
"Although considered a science fiction writer by many, Bradbury's weird tales have had an enormous influence on the genre in the last four decades. He chronicles the night-side of the American Dream. OUR TOWN distorted in a fun-house mirror. A poet in prose. Bradbury has uniquely captured the terror and wonder of childhood." --- R. S. Hadji.
"Although considered a science fiction writer by many, Bradbury's weird tales have had an enormous influence on the genre in the last four decades. He chronicles the night-side of the American Dream. OUR TOWN distorted in a fun-house mirror. A poet in prose. Bradbury has uniquely captured the terror and wonder of childhood." --- R. S. Hadji.
Hadji is spot on about Bradbury's influence (one of his best stories was picked for List 9). He looms large, so much so that when Thomas Disch lambasted Bradbury as staid and overrated (ironically in a later issue of TTZ), fans everywhere bristled. Disch's own book sales may have suffered as a result of his brash criticism.
Joe Mugnaini produced the cover art for Ray Bradbury's fourth collection of fantasy stories, The October Country. The upper cover is the 1956 British hardcover edition from Rupert Hart-Davis. The lower is the 1960 paperback edition from Ballantine (using the same art that was on its hardcover edition). Note the differences in coloring and values. Bradbury was always very pleased with Mugnaini's art. So am I.
Dean Ellis produced the cover art on the very first Bantam paperback edition of Something Wicked This Way Comes (1963), and again, as seen above, with a different cover illustration for the 7th Bantam printing in 1970. Lamentably, in Jerry Weist's much appreciated art book, Bradbury An Illustrated Life, no mention of Ellis was given for any of the outstanding Bantam covers he produced that were nevertheless featured, including the original painting by Ellis of The Illustrated Man that hung in Bradbury's house until his death (seen below). It was sold off at his estate auction for $43,000 dollars.
3. Walter De La Mare (1873-1956. English, born Walter John de la Mare).
"The master of the psychological ghost story, De La Mare's stories consist of shifting ambiguities expressed in exquisite prose, glimpses of what might be the supernatural, and then again, might only be a faulty perception, a delusion. His genius lies in the palpably menacing atmosphere that rises from these subtly calculated ambiguities, deceiving the reader as effectively as the characters. The ghosts may not be real, but the unease is there, all the same." --- R. S. Hadji.
In addition to his ghost stories and fantasy, De La Mare was also an excellent children's writer and a first-rank poet, and I would implore everyone to read his masterpiece of versification, The Listeners.
"The master of the psychological ghost story, De La Mare's stories consist of shifting ambiguities expressed in exquisite prose, glimpses of what might be the supernatural, and then again, might only be a faulty perception, a delusion. His genius lies in the palpably menacing atmosphere that rises from these subtly calculated ambiguities, deceiving the reader as effectively as the characters. The ghosts may not be real, but the unease is there, all the same." --- R. S. Hadji.
In addition to his ghost stories and fantasy, De La Mare was also an excellent children's writer and a first-rank poet, and I would implore everyone to read his masterpiece of versification, The Listeners.
British artist Reginald John "Rex" Whistler produced the jacket art and interior decorations for Mare's cabinet of curiosities collection Desert Islands. Faber and Faber of London published this edition in 1930. Whistler was only 25 years old when he was given this assignment, along with many others too. He became a popular portrait painter and muralist, and he also created designs for advertising, magazines, Wedgwood china and theater costumes. Sadly, he was killed in WWII by a mortar bomb while aiding other men in his unit. Reportedly, "The Times of London received more letters about Whistler's death than for any other war victim."
4. Hanns Heinz Ewers (1871-1943. German).
"Perhaps the first modern horror writer, Ewers set out to explore the physical nexus of sex and horror. His works are decadent in mode, yet expressionist in mood; his obsession with blood-lust and the ritual element in mass violence anticipates the terrors of our time." --- R. S. Hadji.
Ewers lofty reputation rests primarily on his devastating trilogy: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Alarune, and Vampyr, and also the powerful short story 'Die Spinne' aka The Spider (all three novels were picked for Lists 3, 4 and 7, respectively), but he was also an important editor and translator, and he helped usher in the German fantasy revival following the turn of the century.
"Perhaps the first modern horror writer, Ewers set out to explore the physical nexus of sex and horror. His works are decadent in mode, yet expressionist in mood; his obsession with blood-lust and the ritual element in mass violence anticipates the terrors of our time." --- R. S. Hadji.
Ewers lofty reputation rests primarily on his devastating trilogy: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Alarune, and Vampyr, and also the powerful short story 'Die Spinne' aka The Spider (all three novels were picked for Lists 3, 4 and 7, respectively), but he was also an important editor and translator, and he helped usher in the German fantasy revival following the turn of the century.
Blood collects three of Ewer's most visceral horror stories: "Mamaloi," "The White Maiden," and "Tomato Sauce." This edition was published in hardcover by Heron Press in 1930. It would be another forty years, in 1977, before their unexpurgated versions would be reprinted. The pasted down cover art was produced by Edgar d'Aulaire, a Swiss immigrant who settled in Brooklyn with his Norwegian wife, Ingri, also an artist, and together they fashioned an award winning career writing and illustrating children's books. Ola, Children of the Northlights, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and the 1940 Caldecott Medal winning Abraham Lincoln are but a few of their many, many successes.
5. E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822. German, born Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann).
"Hoffman was the first true master of weird fiction, transmuting the dross of the Gothic and Schaur romantik into brilliant fables, moving a memorable gallery of grotesques briskly through increasingly fantastic situations. His tales possess subtlety, wit, psychological insight and consummate literate skill, setting the standard for all his successors." --- R. S. Hadji.
"Hoffman was the first true master of weird fiction, transmuting the dross of the Gothic and Schaur romantik into brilliant fables, moving a memorable gallery of grotesques briskly through increasingly fantastic situations. His tales possess subtlety, wit, psychological insight and consummate literate skill, setting the standard for all his successors." --- R. S. Hadji.
Before we heap too much praise on Hoffmann, let's not forget that he was at least partly responsible for unleashing the Nutcracker Ballet on an innocent world.
Dinner is served! An illustration by Camille Rogier (1810-1896), supposedly the frontispiece of an 1840 edition of Hoffmann's Contes Fantasiques (Fantastic Tales). Rogier was a French painter, illustrator, etcher and photographer whose works have been displayed in the Victoria & Albert Museum as well as other museums and galleries all across Europe.
Hoffmann was himself an artist, and a pretty good one at that. This is but one of many illustrations that he produced for an 1816 edition of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. And yes, this is the actual story that launched that annoying ballet.
Hoffmann also created this marvelous illustration as the frontispiece for an 1841 edition of his classic Tales of Hoffmann.
6. M. R. James (1862-1936. English, born Montague Rhodes James).
"James is the quintessential English ghost story writer, dry, understated, perhaps a trifle mechanical, yet lurking behind the bare bones of his diffident scholars and their antiquities is a living heart of pure nightmare. His ghosts haunt the memory long after the dust of the past settles comfortably back into place." --- R. S. Hadji.
One of James' best stories was picked for List 9 (and another for List 10). That story also became the name of a specialty press founded in 1994, an obvious homage to it and James' quintessentialness.
"James is the quintessential English ghost story writer, dry, understated, perhaps a trifle mechanical, yet lurking behind the bare bones of his diffident scholars and their antiquities is a living heart of pure nightmare. His ghosts haunt the memory long after the dust of the past settles comfortably back into place." --- R. S. Hadji.
One of James' best stories was picked for List 9 (and another for List 10). That story also became the name of a specialty press founded in 1994, an obvious homage to it and James' quintessentialness.
This edition of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published by Edward Arnold of London in 1926. It's a republication of James' first collection of stories, from 1909. Edgar Alfred Holloway produced the jacket art. Holloway was a reliable illustrator of young-adult novels, periodicals, and non-fiction books, specializing often in military subjects. He also did a dustjacket for an edition of Dracula in 1919 that counts among my favorite illustrations of Stoker's vampire. Among his many clients were S. W. Partridge, Duckworth & Co., Pilgrim Press, Hodder & Stoughton, Angus & Robertson, and Cornstalk Publishing.
7. Franz Kafka (1883-1924. Czechoslovakian).
"Kafka was a quiet revolutionary, overthrowing the ordinary world by distortion, so that the unreal becomes commonplace, and madness the norm. Rarely has so overpowering a sense of alienation and despair been presented with such economy; his work has the terrifying lucidity of a nightmare in daylight." --- R. S. Hadji.
"Kafka was a quiet revolutionary, overthrowing the ordinary world by distortion, so that the unreal becomes commonplace, and madness the norm. Rarely has so overpowering a sense of alienation and despair been presented with such economy; his work has the terrifying lucidity of a nightmare in daylight." --- R. S. Hadji.
Franz Kafka is sometimes accused of writing depressing works, and as I found out, it's true, he did. But I also learned that while the proverbial Kafka tunnel would seem to be very, very, long, there's always at least some light at the end of it. Der Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), his most famous work, is proof of that. Just don't let the cover art on this 1916 first edition depress you out to the point of not reading it.
8. J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873. Irish, born Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu).
"The greatest Victorian ghost story writer, LeFanu rejected the accepted notion that the spiritual world mirrored the moral order of our own, being convinced that the supernatural was essentially chaotic and malefic, the antithesis of life. In traditional Gothic settings, his characters are hounded to death, innocent and guilty alike, by implacable revenants whose descendants long outlived their gentler contemporaries." --- R. S. Hadji.
"The greatest Victorian ghost story writer, LeFanu rejected the accepted notion that the spiritual world mirrored the moral order of our own, being convinced that the supernatural was essentially chaotic and malefic, the antithesis of life. In traditional Gothic settings, his characters are hounded to death, innocent and guilty alike, by implacable revenants whose descendants long outlived their gentler contemporaries." --- R. S. Hadji.
This 1851 frontispiece by the artist known as "Phiz," is from LeFanu's Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery, published by James McGlashan of Dublin. Phiz is actually Englishman Hablot Knight Browne, a versatile artist who could etch as well as draw and paint in all mediums. He was the go-to illustrator for both Charles Lever and Charles Dickens during their lifetimes.
Warner's paperback edition from 1974, with its photo cover, features two of LeFanu's most notable horror stories. His exceptional prose shines in both; Carmilla: "Her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, 'You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one forever.'" The Haunted Baronet: "And now they were under the huge trees, that looked black as hearse-plumes in contrast with the snow. The cold gleam of the lake in the moon which had begun to shine out now met their gaze; and the familiar outline of Snakes Island, its solemn timber bleak and leafless, standing in a group, seemed to watch Mardykes Hall with a dismal observation across the water."
9. H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937. American, born Howard Phillips Lovecraft).
"A true original, Lovecraft looked beyond the earthly ken of supernatural terrors to envision a universe of "cosmic horror," populated by a pantheon of monstroud deities inimical to humanity. Despite his tortuous prose, the Cthulhu Mythos weaves a powerful spell of paranoia, alienation, and fear of the limitless void." --- R. S. Hadji.
My former colleague Clif is a highly knowledgeable fantasy fan; he was bang on with his admiration for Tolkien and many other classic 20th century works, and as time would tell, even some modern authors like Brian Lumley, the surprising recipient in 2010 of both a Horror Lifetime Achievement Award and World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. I even bow to his reverence for R. A. Salvatore, who proved over time that he was much more than just another derivative fantasy writer. But Clif was wrong to paint Lovecraft as grossly overrated. For all his human faults and "tortuous prose," Lovecraft's fiction is singularly powerful stuff, so singularly powerful in fact that even those who would try to imitate him from a position of absolute sincerity usually fail to reach his cosmic heights by more than an adjective or two.
"A true original, Lovecraft looked beyond the earthly ken of supernatural terrors to envision a universe of "cosmic horror," populated by a pantheon of monstroud deities inimical to humanity. Despite his tortuous prose, the Cthulhu Mythos weaves a powerful spell of paranoia, alienation, and fear of the limitless void." --- R. S. Hadji.
My former colleague Clif is a highly knowledgeable fantasy fan; he was bang on with his admiration for Tolkien and many other classic 20th century works, and as time would tell, even some modern authors like Brian Lumley, the surprising recipient in 2010 of both a Horror Lifetime Achievement Award and World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. I even bow to his reverence for R. A. Salvatore, who proved over time that he was much more than just another derivative fantasy writer. But Clif was wrong to paint Lovecraft as grossly overrated. For all his human faults and "tortuous prose," Lovecraft's fiction is singularly powerful stuff, so singularly powerful in fact that even those who would try to imitate him from a position of absolute sincerity usually fail to reach his cosmic heights by more than an adjective or two.
Virgil Finlay (1914-1971) was one of the most high regarded, respected even, pulp magazine artists of the 20th century, so it's only fitting that he was allowed to produced the dustjacket art for Lovecraft's first book, The Outsiders and Others, in 1939. Arkham House effectively launched itself with this book, and then reigned supreme in the area of the dark fantastic for more than six decades, delivering one collectible book after another to readers. A lot of great cover art too.
There were a half dozen other collections published prior to this Avon's 1947 paperback edition of The Lurking Fear and Other Stories, with cool cover art, but I'm convinced that this cover by Weird Tales artist Albert Roanoke Tilburne was what influenced legendary British artist John Holmes to deliver what I think are the six best Lovecraft covers to date, circa 1970's from Ballantine, shown below as one complete group.
10. Arthur Machen (1863-1947. Welsh, born Arthur Llewellyn Jones).
"Drawing upon a wide knowledge of Hermetic magic and Celtic folklore, Machen's gruesome symbolist fables opened a Pandora's Box of ancient evils lurking beneath the streets, the soil, even the skin of Victorian England. He was a master of evocative settings, whether city or country, at once intensely real yet subtly disturbing. Behind the facade of life, a greater, more terrible reality always lay hidden." --- R. S. Hadji.
Machen's best fiction is absolutely superlative. One of his very best stories was picked for List 10, with two more getting honorable mentions.
"Drawing upon a wide knowledge of Hermetic magic and Celtic folklore, Machen's gruesome symbolist fables opened a Pandora's Box of ancient evils lurking beneath the streets, the soil, even the skin of Victorian England. He was a master of evocative settings, whether city or country, at once intensely real yet subtly disturbing. Behind the facade of life, a greater, more terrible reality always lay hidden." --- R. S. Hadji.
Machen's best fiction is absolutely superlative. One of his very best stories was picked for List 10, with two more getting honorable mentions.
If you can get hold of these two paperbacks you've got the best of Arthur Machen in your hands. They're not exactly rare, but the price keeps going up on them, like everything in our greedy, price gouged world. Both were published by Panther in 1975, with terrific cover art by British artist Bruce Pennington. I owned a dozen Panther's at one time, but I never liked the feel of the things, preferring instead to collect American paperbacks. Foolishly, like always, I let them go for next to nothing. Now I feel differently about them (age can do that to you), and am currently seeking out these and any other British horror paperbacks that I can get my hands on. Wish me luck, I'll need it.
11. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849. American).
"The first American genius of the macabre, Poe used the mechanics of Gothic fiction as a metaphor for the abnormal psyche. Himself of a naturally morbid temperament, he pursued and was pursued by demons of the mind, yet, reaching to the limits of imagination, managed to embrace both sublime beauty and loathsome horror in his work. Poe's influence on the genre has been incalculable and definitive." --- R. S. Hadji.
Poe is Poe, and his written works are almost without peer in my estimation. As far as the filmed adaptations of his works go, well, apart from a cool version or two of "Murders in the Rue Morgue," they are about as off-putting to me as any of the worst things I can think of in cinema.
"The first American genius of the macabre, Poe used the mechanics of Gothic fiction as a metaphor for the abnormal psyche. Himself of a naturally morbid temperament, he pursued and was pursued by demons of the mind, yet, reaching to the limits of imagination, managed to embrace both sublime beauty and loathsome horror in his work. Poe's influence on the genre has been incalculable and definitive." --- R. S. Hadji.
Poe is Poe, and his written works are almost without peer in my estimation. As far as the filmed adaptations of his works go, well, apart from a cool version or two of "Murders in the Rue Morgue," they are about as off-putting to me as any of the worst things I can think of in cinema.
Copies of the 1964 Bantam Pathfinder paperback edition of Great Tales of Horror by Edgar Allan Poe are relatively easy to come by, but what makes this book so desirable is the cover art by William Stephens Shields, Jr. (1925-2010). He was an award winning illustrator many times over before stepping away permanently from publishing and embarking on a career as a fine arts sculptor, landscape painter, and lastly, a producer of very large abstract oil paintings. He impressed at every turn.
My little set of ten The Works of Edgar Allan Poe Commemorative Edition hardcovers (little in that they measure only 6 x 4 inches) were published by Funk & Wagnalls in 1904. At least that's their copyright date, they may in fact be later editions. They're the pride of my book collection though. Each volume has its own individual frontispiece by a different artist (for V.1 it's Stuart). Their value? Minimal, except to me. However, they are attractive looking, with textured navy blue boards and gilt top-edges. But time's decay has taken its toll---the edges are showing wear and the bindings have started to loosen---but I won't get rid of them, not ever! My Dad acquired them from an auction back in the 1950's, now they represent the best part of my reading youth.
12. Jean Ray (1887-1964. Belgium, born Raymundus Joannes de Kremer).
"Ray was a Belgian journalist, virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, but he produced an enormous body of work, covering every aspect of the supernatural genre. He rarely left Ghent save in imagination, but in that medium roamed a chaotic universe of extraordinary happenings, inhabited by ghosts, goblins and grotesques of every description. His work followed no consistent ethos of the supernatural, but seemed to be guided by a sort of internal dream logic, reminiscent of the Surrealists." --- R. S. Hadji.
"Ray was a Belgian journalist, virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, but he produced an enormous body of work, covering every aspect of the supernatural genre. He rarely left Ghent save in imagination, but in that medium roamed a chaotic universe of extraordinary happenings, inhabited by ghosts, goblins and grotesques of every description. His work followed no consistent ethos of the supernatural, but seemed to be guided by a sort of internal dream logic, reminiscent of the Surrealists." --- R. S. Hadji.
Jean Ray hasn't received a lot of publishing love here in America, so finding this 1964 Berkley paperback, Ghouls In My Grave, after seeing him listed in the FFFB, was fortuitous. Initially, I tried to interlibrary loan him, but to no avail. That was in 1983 of course. I'm sure there are more library sources available now, or possibly there's an ebook or a print on demand edition that can be purchased. Hard to say, really, but if you do come across a copy of this paperback, with its screaming skull by famed sci-fi artist Paul Lehr, grab it up by all means. The eight stories within are all gems.
13. Claude Seignolle (1917-2018. French).
"A master of naturalism in the supernatural tale, Seignolle draws upon an intimate knowledge of the French countryside, its inhabitants and their folklore. In his work, the supernatural is a living force of nature, releasing sexual and physical violence in its wake. It is as much a part of the landscape as the soil or the trees, and is accepted as such." --- R. S. Hadji.
"A master of naturalism in the supernatural tale, Seignolle draws upon an intimate knowledge of the French countryside, its inhabitants and their folklore. In his work, the supernatural is a living force of nature, releasing sexual and physical violence in its wake. It is as much a part of the landscape as the soil or the trees, and is accepted as such." --- R. S. Hadji.
In the 1960's and early 70's, Marabout of Belgium published most of Seignolle's fiction in mass-market paperbacks (Jean Ray's too). The cover art is pretty darn incredible, especially the early ones; picture Richard Powers on a wicked mind trip. I believe the artist in question is Henri Lievens (1920-2000), a ferociously imaginative Belgian painter and illustrator who produced more than 200 book and magazine covers for various European publications, and probably just as many interior illustrations too.
Histoires Malefiques (Evil Stories) was published in 1965.
Contes Macabres (Macabre Tales) was published in 1966
Contes Macabres (Macabre Tales) was published in 1969
La Malvenue (The Unwelcome One) was republished in 1972 (1965).
Histoires Veneneuses (Poisonous Stories) was published in 1972.
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LIST NUMBER 2
13 ALL-TIME CLASSICS OF FANTASY, selected by Thomas M. Disch:
Fantasy was my thing back then, 'heroic' mostly, but also whatever Ballantine had or was publishing in its celebrated "Adult Fantasy" paperback series. Of these particular Disch "classics" I had only been exposed to three: The Turn of the Screw, The Werewolf of Paris, and Conjure Wife. Spell on!
1. Caleb Williams, or Things as They Are; or, The Singular Adventures of Caleb Williams (1794)
by William Godwin (1756-1836. English). "A good man hounded to... his grave? I won't tell. The first epic of paranoia." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by William Godwin (1756-1836. English). "A good man hounded to... his grave? I won't tell. The first epic of paranoia." --- Thomas M. Disch.
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Englishman Herbert Cole (1867-1930) produced this frontispiece and decorations for a 1903 edition of Caleb Williams, published by George Routledge & Sons of London. Cole was a prolific book illustrator and heavily influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, a group of 19th century reform artists who sought a return to the complex compositions of Quattrocento styled Italian art; colors, details, mimesis, etc. Cole was also married to the anti-war activist Clara Gilbert, and they were both leading members of the suffragist movement.
British artist William Hopwood (1784-1853) produced this illustration, a probable engraving, as the frontispiece for an 1824 edition of Things As They Are, which was published by S. Fisher of London.
2. The Monk (1796)
by Matthew Gregory "Monk" Lewis (1775-1818. English). "The first X-rated gothic romance---and still juicy after all these years." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by Matthew Gregory "Monk" Lewis (1775-1818. English). "The first X-rated gothic romance---and still juicy after all these years." --- Thomas M. Disch.
Everybody who has reviewed this novel can't help but convey the fact that it was written by a nineteen-year-old, and yet, it still manages to evoke a powerful response in older, more seasoned readers, like say Mr. Disch, and me, your humble cover guide. But if you decide you want to experience your own response, be sure to read the unexpurgated version only. All revised editions should be considered neutered.
The cover art on this 1960 paperback edition of The Monk is credited to S. H. Blofeld, about whom absolutely nothing is known besides the fact that he produced dozens of pulpish covers for Bestseller Library, a softcover imprint of Paul Elek Publishers of London.
Penguin published this black-striped softcover edition of The Monk in 1999. The cover features a small image cropped from a much larger triptych painting by the Netherlandish artist Dieric Bouts (1410-1475), titled The Last Judgment, circa 1470. The left panel, where this image was pulled, is named The Fall of the Damned. The center panel is lost. The right panel, The Ascension of the Elect, resides along with the left in the Little Palace of Fine Arts in France.
3. Undine (1818)
by Baron de la Motte Fouque (1777-1843. German, born Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte). "This fairy tale-novel from the heyday of German romanticism tells in a gentl, sentimental manner of the love of the water-sprite Undine for the young knight Huldbrand. Wagner was rereading this on his deathbed." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by Baron de la Motte Fouque (1777-1843. German, born Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte). "This fairy tale-novel from the heyday of German romanticism tells in a gentl, sentimental manner of the love of the water-sprite Undine for the young knight Huldbrand. Wagner was rereading this on his deathbed." --- Thomas M. Disch.
German artist Julius Hoeppner (1839-1893), produced a beautiful illustration for the frontispiece of an 1890 edition of Undine, published by Griffith Farran & Company of London. All of Hoeppner's paintings are gorgeously executed; he was an outstanding illustrator in every regard.
Not so gorgeous is the work of Arthur Rackham, although many may disagree with me. Rackham is perhaps the illustrator most associated with Undine. This piece was produced for a 1909 Heinemann edition, published in the United Kingdom.
4. Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)
by Charles Robert Maturin (1780-1824. Irish). "The quintessential Gothic novel; a virtual mince pie of horrors, including a splendid tour of the dungeons of the Inquisition." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by Charles Robert Maturin (1780-1824. Irish). "The quintessential Gothic novel; a virtual mince pie of horrors, including a splendid tour of the dungeons of the Inquisition." --- Thomas M. Disch.
I decided to never read this book, mainly because I don't believe any tour of the dungeons of the Inquisition could be anything but sickening. I do like mince pie though.
This edition of Melmoth the Wanderer was published by the Oxford University Press in 1998. The cover is a crop from a much larger work by Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746-1828), titled "A Procession of Flagellants." In the scene, a procession of religious zealots wearing pointed hats are whipping their bare backs in acts of penitence, while also pulling large religious statues, including the Crucifixion of Christ (not seen in Oxford's crop). Goya created this work sometime between 1812 and 1819 as an indictment against fanaticism, something he despised.
5. Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824)
by James Hogg (1770-1835. Scottish). "Gide waxed enthusiastic for Hogg's portrait of the devil in modern dress; it's also the last word on doppelgangers. The sinner of the title is an awesomely sanctimonious hypocrite." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by James Hogg (1770-1835. Scottish). "Gide waxed enthusiastic for Hogg's portrait of the devil in modern dress; it's also the last word on doppelgangers. The sinner of the title is an awesomely sanctimonious hypocrite." --- Thomas M. Disch.
There was no frontispiece with the 1824 first edition, and of the many republished editions this cover of the 2010 Oxford reprint seems to be the one that stands out the most. Literally. It's an ink and watercolor painting by the English poet, artist and printmaker William Blake (1757-1827), titled Red Dragon. It depicts a hybrid creature, half human, half dragon, spreading its wings over a woman enveloped in light. This was from a group of more than 100 Biblical themed paintings that Blake produced over a fertile five year period.
6. The Yellow Wall Paper (1892)
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935. American). "At the turn of the century madness displaced the supernatural as the crux of Gothic horror, and this tale of incipient schizophrenia is a monument of that transition-- and an important document of modern feminism." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935. American). "At the turn of the century madness displaced the supernatural as the crux of Gothic horror, and this tale of incipient schizophrenia is a monument of that transition-- and an important document of modern feminism." --- Thomas M. Disch.
Art Nouveau artist Elisha Brown Bird (1867-1943) designed the cloth cover on this 1901 hardcover edition of The Yellow Wall Paper, a collection of three stories by Charlotte Perkins Stetson (Stetson was Gilman's first husband). Note the pair of laughing faces in the lower half of the design, and above them, even more faces, representing, possibly, the patterns in the wallpaper as seen by the schizophrenic woman in the story.
When Blue Ribbon Books republished The Haunted Omnibus (Farrar & Rinehart, 1937, edited by Alexander Laing) as Great Ghost Stories of the World in 1941, they weren't exaggerating in their use of the word 'great'. Their anthology contained some of the greatest supernatural stories of all time, one of them being Perkin's now famous tale of psychological horror The Yellow Wall Paper. But, between you and me and the wallpaper, the Farrar is clearly the superior of the two editions: it has additional stories and illustrations, and higher grade paper, making the illustrations by Lynd Ward (1905-1985) look even more magnificent. Unfortunately, my copy is the BRB edition, and the cheap paper doesn't do any of us any favors.
I love the 1987 painting by French artist Helene Delmaire that was featured on Penguin's 2011 softcover edition of The Yellow Wallpaper. It's both evocative and apropos.
7. Turn of the Screw (1898)
by Henry James (1843-1916. American born British). "Still the sneakiest and most sinister of ghost stories. Are Miles and Flora being corrupted by Peter Quint's ghost---or is the governess imagining things?" --- Thomas M. Disch.
There's a lot of similarity between the Dell cover by Brooks and this U.K. paperback edition of The Turn of the Screw, published by WDL Books in 1960. The artist, R. W. Smethurst (also called Ron), was known to sometimes recreate, at least partially, someone else's cover illustration, probably not so much to be a ripoff, but more in line with convenience, or perhaps pastiche (WDL republished a lot of Dell titles). Maybe Smethurst couldn't afford to pay for models. Either way, he still managed to produce dozens of pretty cool covers for British publisher World Distributors Ltd., in addition to an output of comic books.
I recommended Onion's most famous ghost story to Peter Collins, a good friend and colleague (and one of the funniest guys I know), believing that he would enjoy it as much as I did. When asked about it later he admitted he hated the story, and in fact he couldn't say one positive thing about it. I was crestfallen. After that I decided to be more cautious about recommending books to friends, to the point of not recommending anything at all. Even restaurants.
by Henry James (1843-1916. American born British). "Still the sneakiest and most sinister of ghost stories. Are Miles and Flora being corrupted by Peter Quint's ghost---or is the governess imagining things?" --- Thomas M. Disch.
Scottish born Walter Brooks (1922-1987) produced more than 100 covers for Dell during the same time he was also their art director, from 1952 to 1961. He cut his teeth doing covers for Avon in the early 1940's, then after his stint at Dell he went back to Avon, then Pocket and Penguin. He also designed advertisements, film posters, magazines and postage stamps. He rarely signed his book covers so identifying them can be difficult, especially since he had varying styles. This paperback edition of The Turn of the Screw was published by Dell in 1954.
There's a lot of similarity between the Dell cover by Brooks and this U.K. paperback edition of The Turn of the Screw, published by WDL Books in 1960. The artist, R. W. Smethurst (also called Ron), was known to sometimes recreate, at least partially, someone else's cover illustration, probably not so much to be a ripoff, but more in line with convenience, or perhaps pastiche (WDL republished a lot of Dell titles). Maybe Smethurst couldn't afford to pay for models. Either way, he still managed to produce dozens of pretty cool covers for British publisher World Distributors Ltd., in addition to an output of comic books.
Jeffrey Lindberg began producing book covers on children's and young adult titles as far back as the late 1980's. Aladdin was one of his first clients, and he delivered cover after cover for them before moving on to Pocket's Minstrel imprint and other publishing interests, including adult romance. This edition of the Turn of the Screw was published by Tor in 1993. Lindberg is a terrific illustrator and as a Professor of Art in the 21st century an inspiring teacher to many who would like to pursue a similar career.
8. The Beckoning Fair One (1911)
by Oliver Onions (1873-1961. English, born George Oliver Onions). "Paul Oleron rents a floor of a house on a London square, unaware that he's moved into the very St. Paul's Cathedral of haunted houses." --- Thomas M. Disch.
by Oliver Onions (1873-1961. English, born George Oliver Onions). "Paul Oleron rents a floor of a house on a London square, unaware that he's moved into the very St. Paul's Cathedral of haunted houses." --- Thomas M. Disch.
I recommended Onion's most famous ghost story to Peter Collins, a good friend and colleague (and one of the funniest guys I know), believing that he would enjoy it as much as I did. When asked about it later he admitted he hated the story, and in fact he couldn't say one positive thing about it. I was crestfallen. After that I decided to be more cautious about recommending books to friends, to the point of not recommending anything at all. Even restaurants.
The dustjacket on this first hardcover edition of The Collected Stories of Oliver Onions
was designed by British artist Garth Jones (born Alfred Jones,
1872-1955). It was published by Ivor, Nicholson & Watson of London
in 1935. Jones was a fairly prolific illustrator of books in the first half of the 20th century, working mostly in
woodcut, pen and ink, and watercolor.
"The book is prefaced with a "Credo," in which are set forth both the writer's point of view and his theory of the field the "ghost story" may legitimately cover, and in addition the whole has been designed as a coherent unit, eerie, grim, and often horribly beautiful, to the refrain of "From Ghaisties, Ghoulies and long-leggity Beasties and Things that go Bump in the night---Good Lord, deliver us!"
"The book is prefaced with a "Credo," in which are set forth both the writer's point of view and his theory of the field the "ghost story" may legitimately cover, and in addition the whole has been designed as a coherent unit, eerie, grim, and often horribly beautiful, to the refrain of "From Ghaisties, Ghoulies and long-leggity Beasties and Things that go Bump in the night---Good Lord, deliver us!"
9. Lady Into Fox (1922)
by David Garnett (1892-1981. English). "The title tells the story, but for the sheer word-by-word wonder of its art, nothing can touch Garnett's masterpiece." --- Thomas M. Disch.
This novel was probably the third or fourth title that I read on List 2, and its first real disappointment. It just didn't measure up to being a so-called "masterpiece." A rereading might be in order though, not because I trust Disch now any more than I did then, but because now that I'm older I have a better understanding of what good writing actually is. Or at least I'd like to think I do.
This novel was probably the third or fourth title that I read on List 2, and its first real disappointment. It just didn't measure up to being a so-called "masterpiece." A rereading might be in order though, not because I trust Disch now any more than I did then, but because now that I'm older I have a better understanding of what good writing actually is. Or at least I'd like to think I do.
Rachel Alice Marshall Garnett produced the woodcut illustrations on all the early editions of Lady Into Fox. This edition, an omnibus from Sun Dial, was published in hardcover in 1923. Rachel was the first wife of writer David Garnett, and she was also an accomplished book illustrator in her own right for many years before dying of breast cancer at the age of 49. After her death, David remarried, to a woman named Angelica who was half his age (much to the horror of her parents), who also happened to be the illegitimate daughter of one of his former male lovers (David was a member of London's Bloomsbury Group, which should explain a lot). David was actually present at her birth, vowing to marry her when she came of age. And so he did, and they had four children together. And yes, she did eventually learn of his affair with her father, which naturally led to a separation. Ya know, you just can't make stuff up!
Michael Loew (1907-1985) produced the cover art for Penguin's 1946 edition of Lady Into Fox. He was a regular at Penguin and Signet before embarking on a fine arts career in Abstract Expressionism. Later in life he taught art at the University of California in Berkeley and then at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His works have been exhibited in galleries, museums and other cultural institutions all across the United States.
Michael Loew (1907-1985) produced the cover art for Penguin's 1946 edition of Lady Into Fox. He was a regular at Penguin and Signet before embarking on a fine arts career in Abstract Expressionism. Later in life he taught art at the University of California in Berkeley and then at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His works have been exhibited in galleries, museums and other cultural institutions all across the United States.
10. The Werewolf of Paris (1933)
by Guy Endore (1901-1970. American, born Samuel Goldstein). "Frankenstein and Dracula were of English and Irish origin, respectively, but it was an American, Guy Endore, who wrote the definitive novel on lycanthropy---one that no filmmaker has yet dared to adapt." --- Thomas M. Disch.
This is the first British edition of The Werewolf in Paris, published in hardcover by John Long of London in 1933. I don't know what artist used the initial "B," but WOW did they ever kill it with this cover!
The unaccredited cover art on this 1943 hardcover reprint from Triangle books is completely different in tone than the Long edition. Without "Werewolf" on the cover, this could be just another socio-drama, involving perhaps the continued solicitation of a Paris hooker by a man of means. Or perhaps he's just flashing her for the fun of it.
Avon's 1951 paperback edition of The Werewolf of Paris, with its provocative but proportionally out of perspective cover art by William Randolph (about whom nothing is known), was how most folks of my generation encountered Endore's masterpiece. Well that and perhaps the 1961 Hammer film, The Curse of the Werewolf, which was loosely based on his novel. I disliked the movie however, and that's coming from a dyed-in-the-wool monster fan. Luckily, the book made up for all of the movie's disappointment.
"He craved the warm, sweet taste of blood!!! Only human flesh and blood could satisfy his hunger, for he was man by day and wolf by night! Even as a child, Bertram Chaillet knew the maddening desire to drink of blood. At night he would slip from his room and raid neighboring farms, wantonly killing animals so as to drink of the warm red liquid in their veins! But soon, even this was not enough. He must drink from the arteries of women and men!!!"
11. Conjure Wife (1943)
by Fritz Leiber (1910-1992. American, born Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr.). "Leiber wrote this classic account of witchcraft in academia forty years ago, and the magic still works: his an its. Happy Anniversary!" --- Thomas M. Disch.
I was a huge sword & sorcery and heroic fantasy fan when I was young, and still am I guess, but ironically, I never got into Leiber's celebrated Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories. Not a one. His other works, like this novel and Our Lady of Darkness, are really outstanding though, and shouldn't be missed at peril of one's literary growth.
I was a huge sword & sorcery and heroic fantasy fan when I was young, and still am I guess, but ironically, I never got into Leiber's celebrated Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories. Not a one. His other works, like this novel and Our Lady of Darkness, are really outstanding though, and shouldn't be missed at peril of one's literary growth.
The illustrative femme fatal credentials of famed artist Robert Maguire run pretty deep, so it's not surprising that his masterful cover art on Conjure Wife cast quite a spell on me. This is also the very first paperback edition of Leiber's novel, and the very first vintage paperback I ever bought in a used bookstore. What a find! It was published by Lion Books in 1953. That bookstore was Black Ace Books on East Colfax in Denver, owned by beatnik poet Tony Scibella, where eventually I bought two or three hundred more vintage pb's when the store had its going-out-of-business sale (actually Tony relocated to Los Angeles and founded the annual Black Ace Vintage Paperback Show).
It's always confusing when the movie industry swipes a title that's already been associated with another author, in this case the legendary Abraham Merritt, and his classic fantasy novel Burn Witch Burn. The movie version of Conjure Wife was actually pretty good for its time, and the title change was probably deemed a necessary marketing ploy back then. Concerning the paperback cover, a movie tie-in published by Berkley in 1962, it looks almost as if a still photo from the film was manipulated to look like an illustration.
12. The Sound of His Horn (1952)
by Sarban (1910-1989. English, born John William Wall). "The Nazis won World War II, and now they're breeding lesser races as game to be hunted on their estates. Several degrees more chilling than "The Most Dangerous Game." --- Thomas M. Disch.
I had already read Sarban's other classic novel, Ringstones (Ballantine, 1961), so to be asked to read this one was like being asked if I wanted a second helping of chocolate cake on my birthday.
by Sarban (1910-1989. English, born John William Wall). "The Nazis won World War II, and now they're breeding lesser races as game to be hunted on their estates. Several degrees more chilling than "The Most Dangerous Game." --- Thomas M. Disch.
I had already read Sarban's other classic novel, Ringstones (Ballantine, 1961), so to be asked to read this one was like being asked if I wanted a second helping of chocolate cake on my birthday.
Richard Powers produced the cover art on the first paperback edition of The Sound of his Horn. It was published by Ballantine in 1960. Powers, of course, had already stretched the boundaries of what science fiction fans had come to expect from cover art, so illustrating an alternative-history novel in his unique, surrealistic way was just business as normal. That said, it still took me a moment to realize that Powers had actually created a scene: a naked woman fleeing through the woods from a hunter on horseback.
WOW! This is mindful of the great cover art on the John Long edition of The Werewolf of Paris. This paperback edition of The Sound of his Horn was published by Sphere of London in 1971. The artist remains unknown, and that's a definite injustice.
13. Snow White (1967)
by Donald Barthelme (1931-1989. American). "Postmodernism in collision with Walt Disney and the Brothers Grimm. Much fun, many games." --- Thomas M. Disch.
Lawrence Ratzkin (1931-2011) produced this clever cover art for the first hardcover edition of Snow White, published by Atheneum in 1967. When it was new and gleaming it probably popped like a photographer's flash bulb on bookstore shelves. Ratzkin was an award winning graphic designer who produced more than a thousand book and magazine covers during the second half of the 20th century.
The first British edition of Snow White, published by Jonathan Cape in 1968, had a similar approach to its dustjacket design that its American cousin had. Maybe it doesn't pop quite as much, but it's still clever and interesting to look at. The artist is Christopher Bradley.
I've been meaning to read Snow White for ever and a day, but I just can't seem
to pull it off the shelf. There's always something else that grabs my attention. And no, it's not like I dislike the photo cover on Bantam's 1971 paperback edition (though what's waiting in the shower does gross me out), because who doesn't like looking at the female form. I just prefer illustrations over photographs on my book covers.
"Donald Barthleme's Snow White is not the fairy tale you remember. But it's the one you'll never forget!"
Look for Lists 3 & 4 in a future post.
[© April, 2022, Jeffersen]
