Pulpmania – Paperback Fanatic 1

Justin Marriott (ed.) – Pulpmania [Paperback Fanatic #1] (Hot Cherry, 2006)

Marcus Jones

Contents:

CRAB ATTACK!
Legendary horror author Guy N Smith discusses his pulp nasties which changed the face of seventies horror with such grisly and influential titles as Night of the Crabs and The Sucking Pit.

SWORDS, SORCERY AND SEX!
A long overdue look at the controversy surrounding John Norman’s bondage-obsessed Gor books, a series that has left feminists and respected peers foaming at the mouth since the conception of these bizarre science-fiction sword and sandal epics.

KING OF THE ANGELS!
Pulpmania tracks down Peter Cave, the author of the Chopper, the ultimate cult paperback for a fascinating interview about his highs and lows in the pulp fiction industry.

DON’T LEAVE THIS ON AUNT EDNA’S CHAIR!
Trash or ground-breaking classics? A fresh look at the Brit-goremeister James Herbert and his early groundbreaking The Rats and The Fog, books that left terrified schoolchildren choking on their jam sandwiches.

DREAM TRIPS AND STRANGE ECSTACIES!
Eclectic anthologist Michel Parry discusses his fascinating career including his banned books Devil’s Kisses and Agro.

SLEAZY RIDERS!
An exhaustive look at Hell’s Angels pulp fiction, including many previously unheard anecdotes and information about authors like Mick Norman and books such as Angels From Hell and Speed Freaks.

Two early namechanges have led to some confusion, but Pulpmania is now officially touted by editor Justin Marriott  as Paperback Fanatic #1, and what a truly stunning debut! The magazine prides itself on covering all manner of cult paperbacks but there’s a strong bias toward  ‘seventies pulp horror, sci-fi, fantasy, exploitation,  sleaze, etc., so no surprise you get a massive dose of   New English Library content along the way. I’ve never felt much at ease trying to ‘review’ the thing as really, how am i going to improve on a contents list that speaks so eloquently for itself?

I’ll be working the rest of the issues into this blog-site-hopeless mess as we go along because if you like Haining-era NEL, you’re sure to appreciate PF.