Pat Calhoun Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Well on the Brit books I’ve cut enough of a swath so that most of my want list are the more expensive ones, but since it was my birthday, sprang for 2 from Lloyd C, $47 each laid in. both Warren- the 1953 Gravita couple chips but nice bright colors on the excellent Davies cover. It’s another by the prolific & long-lived An Ony Mous. The 1952 Barry is Hughes, possibly the story riffs on Merritt’s ‘Burn Witch Burn’ as it features devil dolls, and it has one of Theobald’s better & wilder covers… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Well on the Brit books I’ve cut enough of a swath so that most of my want list are the more expensive ones, but since it was my birthday, sprang for 2 from Lloyd C, $47 each laid in. both Warren- the 1953 Gravita couple chips but nice bright colors on the excellent Davies cover. It’s another by the prolific & long-lived An Ony Mous. The 1952 Barry is Hughes, possibly the story riffs on Merritt’s ‘Burn Witch Burn’ as it features devil dolls, and it has one of Theobald’s better & wilder covers… That cover tagline for Ray Barry, "A new story by America's ace writer of the fantastic." is a nice bit of ballsy hyperbole. I'm not very familiar with Denis Hughes and his work but I found this online bio to be helpful in familiarizing myself a bit with his career. Denis Hughes (1917-2008) UK writer who published some sf under his own name, but who wrote most of his paperback originals – principally for Curtis Warren – under a variety of pseudonyms. These included Marvin Ashton, Ray Barry, George Sheldon Brown, Dee Carter, Irving Heine, John Lane, Grant Malcolm, G R Melde, Russell Rey and William Rogersohn, and the House Names Berl Cameron, Neil Charles. Lee Elliot, Marco Garron and its variant spelling Marco Garon, Gill Hunt, Von Kellar, Brad Kent, Rand Le Page, Van Reed and Arn Romilus. About fifty of his novels were published between 1949 and 1954; a further (very short) title appeared in 1955. Hughes remained reticent – or indifferent – about revealing much about himself; nothing is known of his life or career either before or after his period of sweat-shop employment. He was among the most prolific of those British writers similarly engaged; like John S Glasby and the even more prolific R L Fanthorpe, Hughes made use of a wide range of sf themes with considerable invention, especially on some of his later fantasy stories, which often feature allegorical and/or dream sequences; but the books themselves were slackly written, albeit with some improvement over the years. The Rex Brandon sequence as by Marco Garon (> Macro Garron) were precariously close to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan. The general carelessness of Hughes's writing was entirely understandable given the conditions under which he worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 the mushroom jungle adventure continues Black Wing of Mars - Scion 1953, cover by John Richards. Astronauts bring soil samples back from Mars and unwittingly release a plague of giant Martian moths in a classic Fearn novel that also appeared in the Toronto Star. Argentis - Curtis Warren 1952, cover by Ray Theobald. Early EC Tubb novel. "This…action-packed space opera tells of rival factions…who voyage through space in a race to find the derelict ship of an ancient…Venusian civilization.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I think I’ve set a record… bought on ebay from UK just before Friday midnight, delivered in Cali Tuesday before noon, all for $4 combined shipping… Dark Centauri by John Glasby, Spencer 1954, cover by Ron Embleton Space explorers land on an alien world where a great civilization of super-science has regressed to bestiality. Cosmic Exodus by JR Fearn, Pearson 1953, cover by Ron Turner Out of the aftermath of a world war a new scientific regime arises, led by a mysterious young woman, Rayburn Cloud. My first ‘Tit Bits’ – at 9d (half of 1/6d) & 64 pages I thought cool - a novella – but the micro typeface puts lotsa words per page. Full-printed (thin!) spine… Good deal & the quickness of it quite a rush… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 The Hell Fruit, JR Fearn, Pearson ‘Tit-Bits’ 1953, Ron Turner cover Interplanetary intrigue as smugglers bring in a narcotic fruit from Venus unleashing a grim wave of drug addiction on Earth. My tenth MJ Fearn so decided I better read another. Cosmic Exodus (my other Tit-Bits posted a while back) merits a repost after a reading as it is one heck of a future thriller with post-atomic-war England’s destiny depending on the outcome of a fight between three factions. The tiny typeface was quite readable once story started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-Gun Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Not golden age but it was 46 years ago this month. Edited March 3, 2014 by BB-Gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Sitting here by my bookcase, Looking down and feeling pain. Sitting here by my bookcase, Looking down and feeling pain. All those high ticket things I don’t have Burn a big black hole in my brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Inferno!, John Russell Fearn, Scion 1950, Ron Turner cover. "A grandiose interplanetary adventure" (- Harbottle and Holland) as Atlanteans on Saturn help stranded earth folk fight a dictator back home. House of Many Changes, Dennis Hughes, Curtis Warren 1952, Gordon C. Davies cover. “A charmingly bizarre mixture of ‘mad scientist’ story and allegorical fantasy in the unique Hughes style.” H&H Well it cost a bit to pick up my 50th MJ, but 49 was bargain, so $88 for pair. 2 top writers, artists, publishers. And since I’m on a diet, the arrival of # 50 was the trigger for ordering # 51…done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) Getting harder to turn these up now I’ve got 52 of them. I only buy the ones I think might be fun to read… PLANET FALL by E C Tubb, Curtis Warren 1951, cover by Ray Theobald. A wrecked spaceship on Venus holds vital secrets, while the only man who knows its location is deep in a Jovian prison. Early Tubb, ‘nuff said. WEALTH OF THE VOID by J R Fearn, Scion 1954, cover by Ron Turner. The wonderful 1948 film ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ inspired Fearn to pen this tale of space prospectors who discover an asteroid of gold and plunge into a moral abyss. This seems to be a scarce title… Edited March 29, 2014 by pcalhoun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 (edited) Edited April 7, 2014 by pcalhoun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) Added 2 more mushroom jungle books to my collection; gets tougher to find new ones as remaining books on want list are either ‘three figures’ or unavailable. Leaning, as is my wont, on the key MJ writers, with covers by the top artists… I continue to marvel at how many of the Fearn stories first appeared as ‘novel inserts’ in a major Canadian newspaper, a most meaningful merger of mainstream and the glorious ghetto genre of sci-fantasy. LOST AEONS by Dennis Hughes, Curtis Warren 1953. Cover by Gordon C. Davies. "The crew of a space station falls captive to a strange power - an uncontrolled alien spaceship racing towards an unknown destination where a cosmic mystery unfolds. One of the best of the 'straight' SF novels written by Hughes." - Harbottle and Holland. THE MAN FROM TOMORROW by John Russell Fearn, Scion 1952. Cover by Ron Turner. “A telepathic historian from a future authoritarian state travels back to the present day to gather records of past centuries destroyed in a fire and gets embroiled in current affairs.” Previously published as 'Stranger in Our Midst' in STAR WEEKLY on Sept 2, 1950. –H&H Edited April 18, 2014 by pcalhoun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Great looking books, Pat. I especially like the cover for Man from Tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Not golden age but it was 46 years ago this month. I visited the home of a collector about 15 years ago who owned the original artwork to the Cheap Thrills album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-Gun Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 (edited) Not golden age but it was 46 years ago this month. I visited the home of a collector about 15 years ago who owned the original artwork to the Cheap Thrills album. I don't think I have seen the original but it would have been perfect for the show at the Jewish Art Museum in NYC or the cartoon museum in SF. Edited May 2, 2014 by BB-Gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Calhoun Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 more mj goodness: ‘Alien Impact’ by EC Tubb, Hamilton’s 1952. Early Tubb novel of an Earthman on Venus among humanoid Venusians. Almost like first mag & first book pub rolled into one (has a couple of ‘filler features' front & back). ‘Mammalia’ by Dennis Hughes, Curtis Warren 1953. Interplanetary explorers encounter aliens of ancient and immense evil. & of course both feature the colorful cover art of Gordon C Davies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-Gun Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I borrowed this post and I think someone has mentioned it before. Neat movie made from Frazetta's book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gojira Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Not golden age but it was 46 years ago this month. I visited the home of a collector about 15 years ago who owned the original artwork to the Cheap Thrills album. I don't think I have seen the original but it would have been perfect for the show at the Jewish Art Museum in NYC or the cartoon museum in SF. The oa was at the Crumb exhibit in Paris in 2012 and I'm pretty sure that a French collector owns it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 more mj goodness: How complete is your collection at this point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 I borrowed this post and I think someone has mentioned it before. Neat movie made from Frazetta's book. Do they mention Frazetta by name in the movie's credits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Not golden age but it was 46 years ago this month. I visited the home of a collector about 15 years ago who owned the original artwork to the Cheap Thrills album. I don't think I have seen the original but it would have been perfect for the show at the Jewish Art Museum in NYC or the cartoon museum in SF. The oa was at the Crumb exhibit in Paris in 2012 and I'm pretty sure that a French collector owns it. Thanks for the update. I'd heard it had been sold but I didn't know where it ended up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
