The Paperback Show Podcast

Ep 16 Ace Books Occult & Paranormal Series, Guest: Lisa Morton

SHOW NOTES

I owe a debt of gratitude for Michael S. Smith's article, "Things That Go Bump in the Night: Fringe Science and Ace Books" which appeared in Paperback Parade #113 October 2021. His careful research and excellent commentary on this series were an inspiration. My apologies for misstating his name in the podcast.

Ace Books' history is not that complicated for readers. Basic (and accurate) information can be found in the Wikipedia article and in most major books on paperback history. I particularly like the Ace history found in the superb, Two-Bit Culture: The Paper-Backing of America by Kenneth Davis.

Hans Holzer

We chose Hans Holzer's Ghost Hunter for the paperback title in Ace Books Occult series for a closer look. Holzer was a remarkable person who wrote over 120 books on the paranormal and occult along with plays, musicals, and documentaries. He even hosted his own television show, Ghost Hunter. It's a shame there hasn't been a major biography of Mr. Holzer, although you can find interviews with him easily.

I used one main source in addition to Michael S. Smith's Paperback Parade article: coverbrowser.com, which has a complete listing of Ace Books paperback covers. The excellent Paperback Parade is published by Gary Lovisi and is a primary resource for collectors and readers of paperbacks.

SPECIAL GUEST LISA MORTON

Lisa Morton

My co-host on this episode is Horror writer, Lisa Morton. In addition to winning several Stoker awards for her horror short stories, she is also a noted Halloween and Ghost expert. She has written major works on Halloween, Ghost history, Seances and, most recently, a large, art book on the "Art of the Zombie Movie". She is also a full-time bookseller at the Iliad Bookshop in North Hollywood, CA. She appeared on the very first paperback show podcast which cover, ironically, Ace Books Doubles.

Website: http://www.lisamorton.com

A Partial List of Ace Books Occult & Paranormal Series Books

I went through the Jon Warren Paperback Guide and pulled all of the Ace Books listings that were part of the series. There are probably books published that are not on this list, but at least it's a solid start for collectors.

F Series

F-137 R. DeWITT MILLER Impossible: Yet It Happened! (original title: Forgotten Mysteries; c.1947; 1962; 1st ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

H Series

H-012 HAROLD WILKINS Strange Mysteries of Time and Space (c.1959; 1966)

H-013 GARDNER SOULE The Mystery Monsters (1966; 1st ACE printing)

Listed as "Authenticated stories of bizarre members of the animal kingdom. Fully Illustrated."

H-014 VINCENT GADDIS Invisible Horizons (1966; 1st ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

Vincent Gaddis gave the "Bermuda Triangle" its name in this book. This is the first book in which the term appears (Chapter 13) and predates the Charles Berlitz 1974 blockbuster The Bermuda Triangle.

H-016 HANS HOLZER Ghosts I've Met (cover by Cosimo Scianna; 1966; 1st thus; occult/paranormal)

Dr. HANS W. HOLZER (1920-2009; he often did not use the middle inital; Masters in comparative religion and a Ph.D - from London College of Applied Science - with speciality in parapsychology) was an Austrian-born paranormal pundit and prolific nonfiction author who studied the 'Amityville Horror' case and wrote two novels about it as well as supernatural fiction that includes the "Randy Knowles: Psychic Detective" series. He wrote more than 140 books on various "other side" phenomena, a number of them published by ACE Books.

H-017 JACQUES VALLEE Anatomy Of A Phenomenon (1966; might be first paperback edition)

More on Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO)

H-028 JACQUES and JANINE VALLEE Flying Saucers: A Challenge to Science (c.1966; nd; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

Foreword was written by J. Allen Hynek, a consultant to the USAF for "Project Blue Book."

H-047 HANS HOLZER The Lively Ghosts of Ireland (1967; 1st ACE printing; ACE Star Edition; occult/paranormal)

H-047 (back cover)

Includes eight (8) illustrations by Catherine Busheoveden.

H-074 CHARLES FORT New Lands (1968; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-081 JOHN MACKLIN Passport To The Unknown (1968; 1st thus; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-088 CHARLES FORT Wild Talents (1968; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-089 JOHN MACKLIN Dimension Beyond The Known (1968; 1st ACE printing and PBO; photo cover)

H-094 JOHN MACKLIN Dwellers in the Darkness: The Enigma of the Supernatural (1968; 1st thus; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-099 STEWART ROBB (translated and interpreted by) Prophecies on World Events by Nostradamus (1968; ACE star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-099 (back cover)

H-100 HANS HOLZER ESP and You (1966; 1st ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

H-108 JOHN MACKLIN Challenge to Reality (1968; listed as "published for the first time in the U.S. by ACE," ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

H-108 (back cover)

K series

K-115 A. A. HOEHLING They Sailed Into Oblivion (1960; non-fiction)

Collection of stories of disasters at sea.

K-117 FRANK EDWARD Stranger Than Science (1960; ACE Star edition; listed as "Complete & Unabridged")

FRANK EDWARDS (1908 - 1967) was an early radio broadcaster and writer who was also well known for his series of books about UFO's and other fringe science topics.

The title of the book was also the name of Frank Edwards' syndicated radio program.

K-144 FRANK EDWARDS Strangest Of All (1962; 1st thus; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-155 THOMAS R. HENRY The Strangest Things in the World (c.1958; 1962; 1st ACE printing of original publication by Public Affairs Press; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-156 CHARLES FORT The Book of the Damned (preface by Donald A. Wollheim; 1962; ACE Star edition)

K-163 RUPERT FURNEAUX The Worlds Strangest Mysteries (c.1962; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

"Startling new revelations about twenty-six of the most mystifying scientific and historical enigmas that have baffled experts and laymen alike.

K-168 R. DeWITT MILLER Stranger Than Life (original title: You Do Take It With You; cover by Cosimo Scianna; c.1955; 1962; 1st ACE printing; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-168 (back cover)

R. (Richard) DeWITT MILLER (1910 - 1958) also was the co-author on ACE Double D-162 The Man Who Lived Forever with Anna Hunger (1956) and bound with Jerry Sohl's The Mars Monopoly. This story was actually modified from his "The Master Shall Not Die," published in 1938 in Astounding Science Fiction.

K-176 BRANT HOUSE (ed.; aka DONALD WOLLHEIM) Strange Powers of Unusual People (1963; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

"True, authenticated accounts of men and women whose remarkable talents defy science and confound the experts."

K-199 BARBARA O'BRIEN Operators And Things (c.1958; 1964; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-206 FRANK EDWARDS Strange World (1964; 1st ACE printing and PBO; occult/paranormal)

K-208 NICOLE MAXWELL The Jungle Search For Nature's Cures (original title: Witch Doctor's Apprentice; interior illustration possibly by Jack Gaughan; 1961; 1st ACE printing; ACE Star edition; non-fiction)

K-210 HANS HOLZER Ghost Hunter (1964; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

Dr. HANS W. HOLZER (1920-2009; he often did not use the middle initial; Masters in comparative religion and a Ph.D - from London College of Applied Science - with speciality in parapsychology, was an Austrian-born paranormal pundit and prolific nonfiction author who studied the 'Amityville Horror' case and wrote two novels about it as well as supernatural fiction that includes the "Randy Knowles: Psychic Detective" series. He wrote more than 140 books on various "other side" phenomena, a number of them published by ACE Books.

K-222 JOHN MACKLIN Strange Destinies (1965; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-224 BRANT HOUSE (ed.; aka DONALD WOLLHEIM) Strange Powers of Unusual People (c.1963; 1965; 2nd ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

Strange Powers of Unusual People was originally published as ACE K-176 (1963).

K-229 R. DeWITT MILLER Impossible: Yet It Happened! (original title: Forgotten Mysteries; c.1962; 1966; 2nd ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

Originally published as ACE F-137 (1962).

K-237 S. ROBERT TRALINS Strange Events Beyond Human Understanding (1966; occult/paranormal)

K-241 BRAD STEIGER Strange Guests (1966; ACE Star edition; listed as "First Time In Paperback," occult/paranomal)

Introduction by Ivan T. Sanderson.

K-254 RUPERT FURNEAUX The Worlds Strangest Mysteries (c.1961; 1966; occult/paranormal)

The World's Strangest Mysteries was originally published as ACE K-163 (1961).

K-255 R. DeWITT MILLER Impossible, Yet It Happened! (original title: Forgotten Mysteries; c.1947; 1966; nd; 3rd ACE printing; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-255 (back cover)

K-266 THOMAS R. HENRY The Strangest Things in the World (c.1958; 1962; 1966; nd; 2nd ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

K-272 HANS HOLZER Yankee Ghosts (c.1966; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-272 (back cover)

This is a paperback original (PBO) edition of the original Bobbs-Merrill hardcover (1966).

K-276 BERNHARDT J. HURWOOD Strange Talents (1966; ACE Star edition ; listed as "First Time in Paperback"; occult/paranormal)

BERNHARDT J. (Jackson) HURWOOD (1926 - 1987) also wrote under the pseudonym of Mallory T. Knight with the 10 volumes of "The Man From T.O.M.C.A.T."

K-279 JOHN MACKLIN The Strange and Uncanny (1967; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

Introduction by JOHN MACKLIN. Listed as a "new collection."

K-288 STEWART ROBB Strange Prophecies That Came True (1967; 1st ACE printing; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

K-291 BRAD STEIGER We Have Lived Before (1967; ACE Star edition; 1st ACE printing; occult/paranormal)

K-291 (back cover)

K-292 JOHN MACKLIN The Enigma of the Unknown (1967; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; photo cover; occult/paranormal)

K-296 WARREN SMITH Strange Powers Of The Mind (frontspiece by Jack Gaugahn; 1967; 1st ACE printing; ACE Star edition; occult/paranormal)

Introduction by Brad Steiger.

K-300 MICHAEL HERVEY They Walk By Night: The Enigma of the Paranormal (1968; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; photo cover; occult/paranormal)

K-305 JOHN MACKLIN Strange Encounters (1968; 1st ACE printing and PBO; occult/paranormal)

K-307 BRAD STEIGER (ed.) Occult World of John Pendragon (1968; 1st ACE printing and PBO; ACE Star edition; photo cover; occult/paranormal)

Ep 15 Classic Paperbacks - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is the second of a series of occasional podcasts focused on what I consider to be a "classic paperback". A classic paperback is one that has influenced a generation of readers and has sold phenomenally well (although classics aren't always bestsellers). These are paperbacks that changed our worldview significantly and are still relevant for contemporary readers.

Our choice for this episode is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It was first published by Viking Press in 1959 (hardback). The first paperback publication was by Popular Libary in 1963. The novel was very popular and was nominated for a National Book Award (it lost). The book was made into a very successful movie (The Haunting) by Robert Wise in 1963. Ironically, many people today have seen the movie, but have never read the book.

Shirley Jackson, photographed in 1940, Erich Hartmann Magnum Photos

SHOW NOTES

We cover Shirley Jackson's bio during the writing of HOHH in the first part of the podcast. You can find out more details of Shirley's life in the excellent 2017 biography, Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin. If you want a shorter bio, there is an excellent Wikipedia entry on Shirley. There's a nice short bio of Shirley Jackson at shirleyjackson.org as well.

Popular Library, 1963

Popular Library Movie-tie-in, 1963

Haunting of Hill House in Paperback

Popular Library published the first paperback. That same year a movie-tie-in version of the paperback was published which is much easier to find for readers/collectors today. This version was reprinted several times over the next 10 years. Penguin Books picked up the reprint rights and published a trade paperback edition in 1984 (with a dreadful cover). Since then, there have been many reprintings of the paperback with much better covers. We mentioned the awesome Centipede Press hardback edition in the podcast. This edition features Shirley's ground for Hill House, her essay, "Writing and Experience", and an introduction by noted horror author Caitlin R. Kiernan. You can find out more about it here.

Special Guest MARTHA WELTY

Martha Welty

My co-host on this episode is my good friend and avid reader, Martha Welty. Martha Welty is a retired librarian and an actor who has appeared in numerous productions with many theatre companies in the Phoenix area. In her younger days, Martha played the role of Eleanor Vance in a production of The Haunting of Hill House. She lives in Phoenix Arizona with her sister Lisa and her cats, Archie and Benny. Australia.

You can find out more about her on her Facebook page.

Episode 14 Classic Paperbacks: Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl

This is the first of a series of occasional podcasts focused on what I consider to be a "classic paperback". A classic paperback is one that has influenced a generation of readers and has sold phenomenally well (although classics aren't always bestsellers). These are paperbacks that changed our worldview significantly and are still relevant for contemporary readers.

Our choice for this episode is Victor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. It was first published in German in 1946, then in English in 1953 (hardback). The first paperback publication was by Pocket Books in 1963. Since its initial publication, Man's Search for Meaning has never been out of print and the book still continues to be taught in high school and college English/History courses. Of course, general readers still read it and are moved by the book as were readers in 1946.

Victor Frankl in 1965

We cover Victor Frankl's background in the first part of the podcast. You can find out more about him at the Victor Frankl Institute website and on wikipedia. Briefly, he studied Psychology before WWII in Vienna but was rounded up by the Nazis, along with his wife and father. He spent 3 years in various concentration camps and survived miraculously. After the war, he returned to Vienna where he wrote Man's Search for Meaning in 9 days. He also received his doctorate in Psychology and worked in Vienna as a therapist and counselor.

Man's Search for Meaning became a phenomenal bestseller and launched Frankl on speaking tours where he elaborated on his theories of Logotherapy, a therapeutic practice that focused on finding meaning in one's life. Frankl wrote 33 other books, but none as powerful and as popular as Man's Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl died in 1997, but his ideas live on at the Victor Frankl Institute. Millions of people continue to read his books and try to help themselves with Frankl's ideas and personal examples.

SHOW NOTES

This podcast features a short biographical introduction on Victor Frankl and the background of the paperback publication of his book, Man's Search for Meaning, in 1963. In the second half, we bring in author/editor Lauren Elise Daniels to discuss Frankl and his brilliant book. We talk about the impact of the book on 1960s readers and thinkers, discuss why the book is so important, and address some of the criticism of the book especially by Holocaust scholars. Finally, we examine several decades of covers for Man's Search for Meaning and talk about the symbols used in the cover design.

Most of the information I discovered was from the Victor Frankl Institute, papers published in scholarly journals, and from Wikipedia article on Frankl. A biography of this great man is long overdue.

Youtube is filled with interviews with Victor Frankl as he was not shy about promoting himself and his ideas.

Man's Search for Meaning in Paperback.

Pocket was the first to reprint Man's Search for Meaning in 1963 (see cover above). Every decade there was a new cover for the reprint. Every paperback publication to the present day has multiple print runs. The book was translated into dozens of different languages and is popular in paperback all over the world. There was a revised edition published in 1998 which included additional material (primarily a lecture by Frankl) on Logotherapy.

SPECIAL GUEST LAUREN ELISE DANIELS

My co-host on this episode is A New Englander living in Australia for over 20 years, Lauren Elise Daniels is an awarded poet, editor, and author. Her novel, an allegory written for adults dealing with trauma, Serpent’s Wake: A Tale for the Bitten listed with Singapore's 'Half the World' Literati Award and is a Notable Work with the HWA’s Mental Health Initiative. An editor for over 100 titles, Lauren directs the Brisbane Writers Workshop in Australia.

Social media contacts:

Website: https://www.brisbanewriters.com

Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17886924.L_E_Daniels

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LEDanielsAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LEDaniels

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauren_elise_daniels/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-daniels-5519323b/

Man's Search for Meaning Paperback Cover Gallery

In the podcast, Lauren and I discuss several decades of paperback cover illustrations. It's interesting that there are several recurring themes in the graphic representation of this book. Here is the gallery we refer to in the show

Pocket Books 1963

Beacon Press 2006

Pocket Books 1971

Pocket Books 2008

Pocket Books 2023