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

Grady Hendrix

Sep 2017 · Andrews McMeel Publishing

Ebook

256

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

Take a wildly entertaining tour through the horror paperback boom of the 1970s and ’80s as Grady Hendrix unearths forgotten authors, bizarre plots, publishing history, and gloriously lurid vintage book covers.

Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles, this unforgettable volume dishes on familiar authors like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, plus many more who’ve faded into obscurity.

From Satanic children and haunted houses to killer rabbits, murderous moths, flesh-eating Vikings, and other forgotten nightmares, Hendrix charts horror's evolution through two unforgettable decades with sharp commentary, bizarre plot summaries, publishing history, and an infectious love for the genre.

Packed with over 300 reproductions of outrageous vintage paperback artwork, this richly illustrated celebration is a treasure trove for horror fans, book collectors, pop-culture obsessives, and anyone who believes books really were weirder back then.

An exhaustive retrospective of the golden age of paperback horror novels from the 1970s and 1980s
Trace horror crazes from occult fiction and haunted houses to slashers and killer creatures, as well as the prolific authors of the time
Features over 350 vintage horror novel covers
Includes Grady Hendrix's recommendations on which novels are worth your time, and which should be allowed to fade into obscurity
A fascinating resource for horror readers, vintage paperback collectors, artists, designers, and publishing-history fans

Descend into two decades of gloriously weird paperback horror and discover the bizarre books and forgotten nightmares that made the era unforgettable.

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About the author

Grady Hendrix is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter living in New York City. He is the author of several New York Times best sellers including How to Sell a Haunted House, The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and many more. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages and sold over two million copies. He also writes nonfiction, and his history of the horror paperback boom of the seventies and eighties, Paperbacks from Hell, won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction.

Grady Hendrix is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter living in New York City. He is the author of several New York Times best sellers including How to Sell a Haunted House, The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and many more. His books have been ...

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