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

Hendrix provides an excellent overview of the horror paperback boom of the 70s and 80s and does so in a witty and entertaining way. I lived through that era and read a few of the books he writes about, but there were dozens discussed here that were new to me. His descriptions of the often ludicrous plots are marvelous and his background information on the writers, publishers and cover artists was an added treat. Highly recommended for anyone interested in horror fiction in general and the tons of stuff published in that era especially.

As I mentioned a few books back, we're now returning to the glory days of pulpy horror paperbacks, most often found littering the shelves of the local grocery store. This time courtesy of Grady Hendrix, who evidently fell into a used books store, wound up with a cart full of late 70s-90 horror, and got inspired to write a history of them in Paperbacks From Hell.While the subject matter might be a bit on the cheesy side, the book is lush in its treatment, with pictures of several of the more lurid covers printed in full color. Indeed, what ended up helping me decide to add this to my collection was the fact that a few titles displayed in the front cover were ones I remember having at a young age.With this being non fiction, it's arranged by subject matter, starting with Satan and ending with Splatterpunk, meaning we go from Blatty's The Exorcist to Bright's Lost Souls, with such luminaries as V. C. Andrews and Graham Masterson in between. For the most part, he avoids going too in depth with the really big names to give the spotlight to much lesser known authors, although he generally does start with the big book(s) that started a trend, and explore what flooded the shelf imitating them, as well as discussing what likely contributed to said explosion in the subject.This helped fill in a few gaps, since some stories I only vaguely remember, or never knew the full story on, like The Amityville Horror, exactly how far the Satanic Panic of the 80's had spread (indeed, more than a few "non fiction" titles discuss the books that presented us with Satanic Cults running day care centers, the backmasking on Beach Boys albums, how Dungeons and Dragons will lead you to try to jump off the world trade center, and how Heavy Metal will make the Dark Lord rise. (That sound is my eyes rolling back in my head.)We get details on the lives of the folks who painted the cover art, we hear about how art directors introduced die cut covers and embossed images to get the books to pop. We learn of the histories of several publishing houses and imprints prior to either going out of business or being absorbed by a larger company. Honestly, while not as blunt or direct, parts of this reminded me quite a bit of that one scene in The Devil Wears Prada, where Miranda explains in graphic detail the business of fashion. (Indeed, a publishing change which allows houses to ship back and shred non selling inventory means books have roughly 6 weeks to catch on, or else. It also means many midlist authors don't get published, since they won't make back their advance.)It was interesting to learn the stories of a few imprints that particularly influenced my reading habits as a kid, namely Zebra and Abyss. The former was the really pulpy stuff, produced on the cheap and usually poorly edited; the latter was post splatterpunk, allowing for similar sensibilities without the machismo and less nihilism. (Indeed, if you follow the tag on here for Rick R. Reed, his was an Abyss book.) It was Zebra, in particular that had lurid cover art featuring skeletons and porcelain skinned cherubs.While I had read more than a few volumes discussed in here, there were several I haven't yet. I fully expect to spend time perusing used book stores looking for fun treasures now.Well worth the read.

Book arrived today which is great. This book will keep me busy this month

All of the covers in this book are ones that I saw on bookstore shelves as a kid when my grandfather drug me to the bookstore with him.This was a super fun walk down memory lane, and, has me now looking for some of the books featured!

BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy reading older, obscure, gory, disturbing and just plain weird horror-themed books from the past then this book will act as a bright candle to help light your way through the dusty stacks of yellowed, well-thumbed softcover spook stories. A fun & funny read, PAPERBACKS FROM HELL is a worthwhile addition to any horror novel lover's collection.THOUGHTS: My reading desire often goes in spurts; I'll read voraciously for a period then tire of it, stop, and then a few months (or years) later, the cycle repeats itself. I love to spend rainy afternoons scouring through used book stores looking for a new-to-me book or discovering an author I hadn't heard of before. I prefer the occasion science fiction book and delight in finding a solid horror novel, especially if it's got weird monsters of some kind rampaging thorough it. I go out of my way to track down these little shops whenever my wife and I go out of town on vacation. You never know what's waiting for you; a new guilty pleasure treasure is almost certain to be lurking somewhere among those musty-smelling shelves. Digging up some long-forgotten, time-rotted terrors from the heyday of the scary read is great fun. Author Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson are clearly genuine enthusiasts as well. Their work here will hopefully put many first timers on the well-worn path to suspense & terror.Hendrix acknowledges that these books are the pulpy paper equivalent of junk food; a guilty pleasure, probably not good for you, doesn't satisfy for long and often just leaves you craving more. Hendrix (with more than a little help from horror trash collector Will Errickson) pulls no punches and unapologetically spills his guts, so to speak, about the rise, rule and abrupt demise of disposable late night scare pulp & paperbacks. Dozens of books and their plots/characters are discussed, and the varying degrees of those books' success or failure are considered, along with brief insights into some of their authors ...and the talented - often unsung - artists who painted all those lurid, alluring covers that drew us to pick them up in the first place.You're practically guaranteed to add several new titles to your 'must read' list after pouring through this fun, informative book. It's a breezy read (I blew through it in one day), but the info is honest, interesting and Hendrix's disarming writing style is affectionately funny. The book is quite sturdy for a softcover; the pages are thick and the print is clean & crisp. The various covers reproduced throughout the book look terrific, although I felt most were disappointingly small. Overall I found this book to be well worth the money and will be using it as a reference for my horror novel hunting trips for some time to come. PAPERBACKS FROM HELL comes recommended by this casual horror fan.

Hendrix provides a comprehensive review of the horror paperback industry from its early origins in the 1960s through its heyday of the 1970s and 80s to its eventual decline in the early-mid 1990s. I well remember the genre liberally gracing book shelves in shops when I was a kid...and quickly being stirred away by my parents toward more wholesome and age appropriate literature. By the time I was old enough to read this stuff it had largely disappeared from bookshelves and thus I was condemned to scouring second hand book shops and on-line retailers.There are plenty of familiar names here with the likes of Stephen King, Ann Rice and James Herbert all discussed but it also provides incite into many of the lesser known authors and their works from the period (I was particularly pleased to see Robert McCammon getting a name drop...but no Night Boat mention unfortunately - seriously, Nazi Zombies on a U-Boat!!!! How did Hendrix miss that!!!). It covers both the critically acclaimed and the "so lame its funny" trash that sprang up with alarming regularity - indeed some of the plot lines are so bizarre as to be laugh out loud hilarious (murderous demonic prehensile Penises anybody??? No? How about Nazi Leprechauns then???).Hendrix tells his story with a fair amount of tongue in cheek and isn't afraid to have a laugh at his subject matter. His style is easy and conversational while still being informative but it does show at times that he is writing for an American audience.The book is well illustrated with a plethora of cover art work however some of this is a bit graphic so probably not one to leave on the coffee table to let the kids flick through.All in all a thoroughly entertaining book for any fan of the genre and I defy you not to have composed a large "to read" list once you've finished it.

Aside from childhood books (some of which, like Peter Haining’s “The Restless Bones” and the World Of Arthur C Clarke, made a proper impression), my first introduction to ‘grown-up’ horror was when I picked up “Salem’s Lot” in a 2nd hand shop in the early 80s. I hit the genre just right, there for Clive Barker to blow my world apart with his “Books Of Blood” and to be steered in new directions by Dennis Etchison’s “Cutting Edge”, while all the time, horror novels were being churned out that were never quite as good as their wonderfully lurid covers promised. My love for that cheesier end of the market has never dimmed and I’ve spent the last ten years or so re-building my collection and hugely enjoying reading some of those treats that are, often, now sadly forgotten. But not by me or the likes of Will Erricksen or, indeed, Grady Hendrix. This book feels like it was written for me, a round-up (by sub-genre) of all those glorious, trashy, brilliant, infuriating, genius, rubbish novels (and yes, some can be all of those things at once, that’s their real beauty). Filled with magnificent reproductions of covers, some affectionate comment and remembrance by Hendrix (who isn’t afraid to say what he feels and the Splatterpunks don’t come out of it well), this is absolutely perfect for fans of 70s/80s horror and if you happened to be a teen in the early 80s (as I was), Hendrix has perfectly captured your world here. Very, very highly recommended.

An interesting and very entertaining book, bringing back lots of memories along the way. I wish it was slightly less "US-centric" - while British authors do get some mentions, they are few. Some reasonable coverage is given to James Herbert and Graham Masterton, but I was very disappointed that the only mention Guy N Smith gets was for his crab books. I know they're his best known, but he wrote so many others, covering pretty much all the horror tropes of the time (and with some great covers too). All of that is my personal bias and opinion, of course, but whether you agree with me or not, it's still a great book to look at, read and own. So, go get it!

I have - or more accurately I had - been waiting for a lavish book like Paperbacks from Hell for many years. Having now had the distinct pleasure of reading it, I can happily say that it certainly doesn't disappoint. Beautifully written and illustrated, this will provoke a few grateful tears of nostalgia for those fans who savoured all those wonderfully garish and gruesome horror novels of yesteryear. Impeccably researched, it is a dream of a book for literary horror fans. Check it out.

Loved it. Such a fun road down nostalgia, and was great learning about the history and what inspired certain trends. Written in a fun, casual way so was easy to absorb the information.Only wished there was a few more pages dedicated to YA horror like point horror, there was a brief mention of fear street and Christopher Pike, but not much else on the children’s / ya horror.But overall, a great book.