Ep 9 – Dan Marlowe: Neglected Gold Medal Crime Novelist
Dan J. Marlowe is a master crime novelist who deserves to be part of the pantheon of crime writers like Jim Thompson, Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake), and Patricia Highsmith. Why has he been forgotten? Probably because he wrote his major crime novels for a paperback publisher (Gold Medal) and never had a hardback publisher. Also,
Ep 8 – The Film Guide Paperback (BFI & Cultographies)
Show Notes The history of paperbacks is the history of paperback fiction primarily. Little research has been done on the non-fiction side of paperback publishing. I decided to include non-fiction as part of the Paperback Show to address this missing history. Episode 8 covers the history of the Film Guide primarily focusing on the study
Ep 7 – Dashiell Hammett and the Hard-Boiled Paperback
Show Notes Although Dashiell Hammett is a major influence in mystery fiction, his novels and stories (with the sole exception of The Maltese Falcon) are often left unread. It’s a shame because they all hold up well even in 2022. I urge you to get one of Hammett’s paperback novels and just sit down and
Ep 6 – Sexy Sleaze Paperbacks and Orie Hitt
We discuss the history of this unique paperback genre, how the books were written and distributed, and the people who read them (primarily men). The era (excuse the pun) “peaked” in the 1960s when new readers and marketplaces emerged (the adult bookstore). Even established authors like Robert Silverberg and Harlan Ellison wrote (using pseudonyms) these
Ep 5 – Gold Medal Paperbacks
This week we’ll be talking about Gold Medal Paperbacks. Founded in 1950 by Fawcett Publications, this company was the first successful publisher of paperback originals. That means they didn’t reprint already published hardback books which every other paperback publisher did, but original works of fiction. And they were incredibly successful. We begin the show however
Ep 4 – The Armed Services Paperback
In this episode, we look at the history of the Armed Service Edition (ASE) paperbacks made specifically for American soldiers fighting in World War II. The background of America’s response to Nazi book burnings, the formation of various groups to provide soldiers with reading material, and the final creation of the group that would select, edit,
Ep 3 – Raymond Chandler and The Big Sleep
Episode 3 of the Paperback Show features a discussion of the novels of Raymond Chandler with bookseller and audio-book producer, Richard Brewer. We focus, in particular, on Chandler’s classic – The Big Sleep. It was a lengthy conversation so we released a condensed version of the show for our regular podcast. We are making the
Ep 2 – Pocket Books, Vampire Hunter D Novels, and Guest M dot Strange
In our second episode of the Paperback Show, host Ricky Lee Grove presents a brief history of the first major paperback publisher – Pocket Books. Next, he looks at the amazing phenomenon of the Vampire Hunter D novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983 and published in English initially
Ep 1: Introduction to the Show, Ace Doubles, and Lisa Morton Interview
In our first episode, Paperback Show host/producer Ricky Lee Grove introduces the Paperback Show Podcast. He shares the story of his first paperback purchase at the age of 12 years old. At a local used paperback shop, he picked up an Ace Double paperback which contained Philip E. High’s Reality Forbidden and A. Bertram Chandler’s Contraband
Ep 3 – Raymond Chandler & the Big Sleep. Special Guest: Richard Brewere
Episode 3 of the Paperback Show features a discussion of the novels of Raymond Chandler with bookseller and audio-book producer, Richard Brewer. We focus, in particular, on Chandler’s classic – The Big Sleep. It was a lengthy conversation so we released a condensed version of the show for our regular podcast. We are making the
