Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction

PAPERBACKS FROM HELL: The Twisted History of '70's and '80's Horror Fiction, by Grady Hendrix was one of the most FUN books I've read in a while! A fantastic "reference guide" to some of those old paperbacks that many of us grew up on, Hendrix includes many facts about the horror industry, publishers, cover art, and even the "type" of horror that was in style during certain periods. Along with the factual information, there are many humor laced commentaries that had me grinning from ear to ear. For example, there is a section on "PARENTING THE HOMICIDAL CHILD". After determining the type of "homicidal child" you have, Hendrix gives the reader some great advice stemming from the pages of these old paperbacks. "Adopted or chemically altered children should be destroyed immediately because they can not be reformed. No matter how hard you try, they probably will, at some point, go on a rampage and murder all your other children . . . " There are also precautions to take to make sure you are not dating the devil. If, however, you still give birth to the spawn of Satan, "all is not lost. Look on the bright side: deadly children are the best-dressed children. . . . A coat and tie says either "tiny funeral director" or "psychopath". . . " This book had me scouring my TBR piles for these "golden relics"--and soon to be camping out at any used book store I can find. Personally, I found the uniformity in covers during certain periods to be shocking. When reading all of those books by Patricia Wallace or Ruby Jean Jensen, it never occurred to me at the time that nearly all of the cover art depicted skeletons, in some form or other. Of course, a wise word of warning was included by Hendrix: "Skeleton doctors are the worst doctors." ". . . To be honest, I'm not even sure their licenses to practice medicine are legal. . . " Overall, a fantastic addition to any horror enthusiast's bookshelves, and a great reference on which "forgotten gems" you should run out and spend more money on! Highly recommended!

I have to admit it. When I ordered Paperbacks from Hell I wasn't really expecting too much. In fact, I thought at first that it was a bit over-priced. I figured it would be a bunch of pretty pictures of book covers with some light captioning but that was about it. I was very, very wrong. The book itself is well put together, inside and out. I would definitely recommend getting the paperback copy. The e-book might be just as pretty but I can't see it having the same lay-out or feel to it. The pages are thick and the pictures reproduced are gorgeous. The text that goes along with the pictures is funny and informative. If I had to compare it to something then Stephen King's Danse Macabre would be the closest comparison. But while Danse Macabre got bogged down occasionally in dryness Paperbacks from Hell never does. With headings like 'Parenting the Homicidal Child' (first make sure you're not dating Satan) and phrases like "Before Anne Rice, vampires killed humans. Now they got in touch with their sensitive sides while muffin-spelunking inside of them." (page 153) this book left me actually laughing out loud. That's no easy trick, I haven't laughed at a book (in a good way) in quite a while. I sincerely hope that Grady Hendrix follows up his book with a journey through the nineties and on. While some plots may not be quite so creatively insane there are some out there and some cover art that deserves showcasing. I was also very pleased to see some 'forgotten' favorites of mine in there. If you're looking for a quick, funny overview of the crazy days of the horror industry then I can't recommend this book enough. I wanted to rip through Paperbacks from Hell but also take my time enjoying the crazy, beautiful covers of the '70s and '80s. Paperbacks from Hell is a funny romp through the craziness that defined two decades and never leaves you bored. The commentary from Grady Hendrix (Horrorstor) will never leave you bored.

2017年秋、日本ではあの角川文庫横溝正史シリーズのカバーで一世を風靡した杉本一文の画集が出版された。 まるでそれに呼応するかのように出版されたのが、７０年代半ばから９０年代にかけてのホラー小説ペイパーバックを表紙を集めたこの本。 自分的には高校、大学時代に出版されたものが中心なので、あるものは手元にあったり、ああ・・・こんなのあったよな・・・と何もかもが懐かしい。 玉石混合な部分もあるが、圧倒的な画版の量がうれしい。 その反面、いやそれだけに取りこぼしや十分紹介できていない部分がもどかしいのもたしかだ。 例えば裏表ギンギラ銀色の下地に髑髏が笑っていたりしたジョン・ルッソの一連のノヴェル。自身による「ナイト・オブ・ザ・リビング・デッド」のノベライゼーションもギンギラギンの下地に赤毛の女子が何者かに髪を引きちぎられそうになっている姿が不気味。それ以前になんでギンギラギンだったのか不明なところも面白いのに。 V.C.アンドリュースの「屋根裏部屋の花たち」シリーズに代表される２重表紙。表に小窓が穿ってあって、そこから子供や女性の顔がのぞいていたりして、表紙をめくると骸骨に抱かれていたrり、悪魔にささやかれていたりとまがまがしい第二の表紙が現れる仕掛けだ。Jane ParkhurstのISOBELなど編者もGreatと書きながら肝心の第二表紙が掲載されていない。これにならぶ傑作「悪魔の見張り」は縮小されながらも掲載されているだけに、なんとも悲しい。 ８０年代のポケットブックスのホラー・ペイパーバックはほとんどがこの仕掛けで、ほかの出版社も結構だしていたので全部網羅することもできないだろうが・・・表表紙しか紹介されていないものは意外と多いので、 ・・・そこはこの本をきっかけにカバーだけにご自分の目でカバーされてはいかがだろうか？

This is a great book that fills in some gaps about how the horror fiction genre took off. Recommended.

The book presents a lot of information about paperbacks, authros and illustrators through thr 21st century. We get to know a lot of weird (yet intriguing) books from the 70's, 80's and 90's with very appealing covers. The print is high quality and the illustrations only make the experience better.

Simply amazing. I loved every page of this crazy ride. Wonderful pictures inside!

This book is essential for any enthusiasts of this type of genre. Has literally hundreds and hundreds of pictures showing excellent book cover art. I thought it was well formatted and set out. General note: It only tends to focus on books released in North America. The different (and sometimes better) cover arts used for the same books copyrighted for the UK/Australia/New Zealand markets are not included here. It also does not have a focus on the novelizations of old horror movies (possible copyright issues, I don't know). But regardless, it is essential reading, and a credit to the authors who are clearly passionate about their interests. 5 stars.