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

Skipping my weekly Abyss review for a special book I've been hearing about on the internet, it's been burning up the forums and Facebook groups ever since it came out: Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix.

It's a magnificent volume, with hundreds of  examples of classic, and not so classic, vintage horror paperback covers.

But it's not just pretty pictures (which are GORGEOUS,  by they way,) but it's a subtle cultural history as well, the trends in publishing that reflect the moods and attitudes of the country,  from the Satanic boom in the early seventies, through eco-horror, to splatterpunks and serial killers.

Hendrix not only gives an exhaustive look at the genre, but he spotlights major artists as well, giving credit where credit is due.

There's a nice amount of back matter at the end where he lists the players, authors, publishers and artists, a suggested reading list from Will Errickson at Too Much Horror Fiction, and a impressive listing of  cover credits for the book covers used in this.

Of course, the part I'm really there for is at the end: four pages about thle Dell Abyss imprint.  Four sweet glorious pages, one of which is NOTHING but covers!  Hendrix gives a TV Guide synopsis of the founding  of the line, explaining that the market was in such that "the coroner had called it and the medical examiner was zipping up horror's body bag."  But then came Jeanne Cavelos.  I will be indirectly singing her praises a couple of times a month with this blog, because she was the motivating force behind the imprint.

(Final note:  I've subscribed to Audible.com and they're offering an audiobook version of this.  Seriously.  What The Hell?  I'm sure all the discussion about the books will sound GREAT but the strength of the book is the pictures.  Hell, the first two times I "read" this, I was just looking at covers- the first time was just out of sheer joy; the second time I was in full covet mode.  This book is the Sears Christmas Wishbook for horror fans.)