Bibliography Books

Horror fiction is on of the most controversial, often deplored, and misunderstood of all the literary genres. In Hooked On Horror: A Guide To Reading Interests In Horror Fiction, Anthony Fonseca and June Pulliam have collaborated to describe and illuminate some 1,000 contemporary and classic tales of this popular genre. They examine the best-selling hits of the past decade and unearth many undiscovered or forgotten literary treasures of the genre. They trace the history, trends, and appeals of this unique body of literature in all its various permutations with insight and humor, offering a reader's advisory with a lively and thorough introduction to the genre. Hooked On Horror is a seminal work of impressive scholarship that will be a valued reference for educators, librarians, booksellers, writers and fans.

This book is fascinating and remarkably useful. it`s great both for browsing and for reference. I`ve already bought and read two books I found described here and have added several more to my "to read" list. Hooked on Horror is worth the price for anyone who likes horror stories--not only is it enjoyable in itself, but it leads you to other reading within your areas of interest that you may never have known abou otherwise. I know that's true for me.

Books published to tie-in with movie releases are a staple of the most sprawling Borders to the airport bookstall. This is no new phenomenon; similar publications were already flourishing by 1914 at the beginning of feature-length and serial productions. Whether reissues of existing novels brought to the screen, or original stories based on a movie, both publishers and the film industry mutually benefitted from capitalizing on each other's product. The plentiful supply of such books over so many decades attests to their rapport with the audiences of both readers and filmgoers.

Despite their endurance, there is little scholarship on movie tie-in books and magazines. In Horror and Mystery Photoplay Editions and Magazine Fictionizations, Thomas Mann provides a major contribution of lasting significance. His investigative skills illuminate the publication, exploitation, and distribution of these tie-ins, even to how they were purchased, read, and sometimes saved by readers.

Mann examines not only book tie-ins, especially the venerable "photoplay editions" of the late 1910s through the 1930s, but also various short story"fictionizations" of the movies, written in popular film magazines at the time of the films' release. These journals were never indexed in their own time, and almost never saved by institutions, who regarded them as ephemeral by comparison with the industry trade journals. Hence the value in Mann's pioneering effort in exploring this untapped resource.

These story magazines, though more apt today to be privately collected than found in library collections, are deeply reflective of film culture. In examining these published versions, Mann offers a fruitful comparison of the surprising fact that often the same movie, such as THE MUMMY (1932), would be retold in a number of different magazines. Moreover, their staff writers came up with strikingly dissimilar narratives, sometimes diverging far from the original screen source. Mann's choice of numerous illustrations from these magazines and photoplay editions help the modern reader to better understand these publishing phenomenon, and how they could lure audiences to the movie theater. Included as an appendix is a reprint of a complete magazine fictionization of the lost 1927 film THE GORILLA.

Not only in his examination of different types of publications has Mann provided a unique contribution, but his focus on specific related genres, mystery and horror, enriches the grounding and insight. The benefits are clear when comparing this volume with other checklists that have appeared, all now outdated save for Arnie Davis's encyclopedic and highly recommended Photoplay Editions and Other Movie Tie-in Books. However, Mann's genre emphasis and his inclusion of magazine stories as well as book tie-ins makes his volume an essential companion piece to Davis's book, for both the collector and bibliographer. Further, Mann's volume is also an essential standalone for the scholar investigating aspects of media reception. For libraries, both public and academic, boasting any significant collection of books on film, Mann's book is indispensable.

Following the 67 page introduction, the catalog of the author's collection spans 100 pages, with over 500 annotated bibliographical listings of photoplay books and magazine fictionizations from the 1910s through 1970. Whatever one's interest within the horror and mystery genres, whether Sherlock Holmes tales, H.G. Wells adaptations, or Lon Chaney films, entries can all be readily located through the comprehensive index.

Thomas Mann (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) is author of such other publications as The Oxford Guide to Library Research, now in its 3rd edition.

Though the main purpose of the book is to list and describe the author's large collection of photoplay books and magazine fictionalizations from the beginning of the movie industry to 1970, there is also a substantial and entertaining introduction that explains what a photoplay edition is - a novel illustrated with stills from a movie version, either a work the movie was based on or a novelization of a story first on film - as well as reasons to care about them, some of which were a surprise to me. One, they're a useful record of films because in some cases they are the only record of films that are otherwise lost. They become an important record of vanished culture. Two, they're an invaluable primary source for getting a sense of attitudes, anxieties, interests, language, and in general the historical milieu in which they were produced.

Mann offers samples of texts that give the reader (particularly the non-collector) a nice sense of what these publications are like and provides several versions of the opening of different books based on The Mummy to show how differently they sometimes treated the same material. And he even describes and analyzes some of the markings people made in the books - the author's training as a private investigator and document examiner coming into play. As a bonus in an appendix, there's a novelization of a very silly 1927 movie, "The Gorilla" that is now lost except for this textual version and a few stills.

All in all, this book offers a lovely sense of these popular culture artifacts being lovingly preserved by someone who knows how to read them contextually and enjoys the heck out of them. For someone who is a collector, this is a treasure. For someone who never really thought about photoplay editions, this is a real eye-opener.

And how can you resist that cover?

My 5 year old daughter took this book out of the school library 3 months ago and has renewed it ever since. I have decided that it's about time we buy the book and let the library have their copy back. Both my 5 and 7 year old daughters love it. It's a funny, enjoyable book and they love to hear my husband add his own funny voices and comments to make it even funnier. Because they like it sooo much, even after 3 months, we don't mind continuing to read it to them. It's nice to see them enjoying a book so much. How I Captured A Dinosaur is a delightful book that every child and adult will enjoy.

My 5 year old daughter took this book out of the school library 3 months ago and has renewed it ever since. I have decided that it's about time we buy the book and let the library have their copy back. Both my 5 and 7 year old daughters love it. It's a funny, enjoyable book and they love to hear my husband add his own funny voices and comments to make it even funnier. Because they like it sooo much, even after 3 months, we don't mind continuing to read it to them. It's nice to see them enjoying a book so much. How I Captured A Dinosaur is a delightful book that every child and adult will enjoy. My only disappointment is that it doesn't appear to be available in hardcover (the library's copy is hardcover). For as much as we read the book, hardcover would be more durable.

As Mr. Brooks says in the Foreword "nothing brings back memories like a song." And in this large 8 1/2 x 11 (and just over an inch thick) volume he gives you a week-by-week listing of the Top 10 songs from 1930 to 1980, most of it based upon Your Hit Parade listings.

Each year is preceded by a thumbnail sketch of the 12 months in question, ranging from music to politics, movies, radio, TV, social events, crime, and wars. Want to know the # 1 song the day you were born? In my case it was Please Be Kind the week of May 7 to 14, 1938. Note that there are no artists shown beside each song, as it's the song itself he focuses on. Besides, it wasn't uncommon throughout most of the period covered in this book to have up to 8 versions of any given song going at the same time. For example, Please Be Kind was a # 1 for Red Norvo, # 12 for Bob Crosby and # 14 for Benny Goodman.

How about the # 1 song the day JFK was assassinated, November 22, 1963. It was I'm Leaving It Up To You. December 7, 1941? Tonight We Love. Over The Rainbow was on top the day Germany invaded Poland and started WW II. And on July 20, 1969, the day Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, Close To You was riding the top.

Just a fun book to have in your library.

Elston Brooks was a reporter and later theatre and movie reviewer for the our paper,the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram for many years...he was a local boy. His first book was called Don't Dry Clean My Black-Jack, about his experiences as a crime reporter, his first assignment, at a very young age, at the Star-Telegram.
Popular music was one of his great interests and he wrote many columns listing the top songs for that week, in a particular year. This book was a natural out-growth.and is fascinating to anyone who remembers the songs from the War years onward.
Sadly, Elston died about fifteen years ago, just fifty something, as I remember.
He and his book are well-remembered in Ft. Worth.

First book I've ever reviewed here on Amazon.I got this book with the copy of Hawkwind's 1975 epic 'Warrior On The Edge Of Time' CD reissue(see my review).It's an absolute must-have for all true Hawkfans,like myself.When I first got this book,I had SO much to learn about the long-running UK space rock/psych band.This book is just the place to learn about such.Except,now it's a bit out-dated perhaps.It has vital information from 1969-1992.Not only does this book have a cross-reference guide of songs from "Adjust Me" to "You Know You're Only Dreaming" that tells you each and every CD/lp that each song appears on,but B&W photos of most every Hawkwind album&video that was ever released up 'til 1992.Plus,there are two decent interviews with Dave Brock and resident sci-fi author Michael Moorcock.Let's not forget the group 'family tree' that lets you know when each past member like Lemmy,Ginger Baker,Simon House,Dik Mik,etc. had joined and left.But,wait there's more,a concert date list that's been already noted as being incomplete anyway and a few flyers as well as rarely seen artwork.Highly recommended.

Formed in Early 1969 and playing one of their first shows outside England's Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, Hawkwind has always been at the forefront of musical exploration. Until now, getting a cogent perspective on the band's recorded oveure and ever-changing personnel has been as elusive as reading the spinning label of a 45 rpm record. Robert Godwin has undertaken this arduous task, and the results are close to stellar. With the help of Hawkwind members Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock (Moorcock contributed heavily in the lyric dept. in the 70s),Godwin has created a reference tool which is exhaustive in its scope and in every way essential. Tracing the band as buskers in England's Ladbroke Grove through countless benefit gigs and hallucinogen-fueled pyrotechnic excursions into the realms of high psychedelia, Godwin chronicles rehearsal tapes, bootlegs and studio outtakes as well as the band's 100+ vinyl and CD releases. Songs are cross-referenced by title as are the near epic-length space jams, EPs and singles. A must for every collector of 60s-90s psychedelia and an entertaining read for the uninitiated, Robert Godwin's Illustrated Collector's Guide to Hawkwind has "Quark, Strangeness and Charm."

This book is primarily a reference work for those looking for deeply detailed information from primary sources. It has other excellent background material as well, but if you want to see a nice cross-section of actual Sousa Band programs, or you want to find out if your great-grandfather actually played in Sousa's Band like your grandmother always told you, this is the most definitive reference available.

This author has written extensively about Sousa and his band before. Much of that information is repeated here, but there are some new additions as well. The author has nicely highlighted each aspect of Sousa's career which makes for easy reading.

The problem with Sousa is that we tend to exclude all other band composers and their music. There were many other great band composers around including R. B. Hall, Karl King, and Henry Fillmore to name some of the prominent American ones. Their music deserves notice as well, as Sousa often played their works.

Sousa's band also tends to be somewhat over-rated by hero worship. Sure it was a great band, probably the best in the US at that time. But it was not the greatest in the world! Too many other European bands were around to deny Sousa that title. Sousa knew that any British Guards band like the Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards etc. was certainly as good. The French Garde Republicanne were also. In Prussia you had William Wieprect who did much to modernize the modern military band. His combined Prussian Guards band got top ratings in Paris during a band festival there just before the Franco-Prussian War. How ironic indeed!

So Sousa was not the only around with a great band, and any serious reader should know this. Certainly Sousa did. But what Sousa did was market himself far better than anyone else. He saw that as a civy street guy he could make a lot more fame and money than he was as director of the US Marine band. This was Sousa's main advantage, and he knew how to make the most of it. His conducting style was flamboyant, his programing entertaining and interesting. The whole concept of the encore march after a long piece of music was unique, and introduced excitment to his concerts. These things are what made him and his band great.

Unfortunately Sousa developed the cult of his personality so much for his concerts that when he was not on the podium concert hall attendence often suffered. This indicated that his band would not likely outlive him. Americans came to see Sousa the man as much as the great music his superb band played. I doubt Sousa could have promoted his works any other way in this country. In that regard he was the first super-star who got his name all over the media. Many have followed in his foot-steps since.

Some might think I am trying to downgrade Sousa and his great band here. Certainly not. One should merely have a little sense of perspective when reading about him. His marches were first-rate. He wrote 136 of them, of which only the top 10-15 often get played now. Most of them were excellent, some certainly were better than others. While this sounds like a lot of music, keep in mind some famous German march composers wrote hundreds of marches. Blackenberg is believed to have composed over a thousand! Kenneth Alford, the Great British march composer did only about 20, but they are all classics. Alford was a regimental bandmaster, and thus did not have the means to promote himself like Sousa did.

Sousa should also be known for his many opperettas, novelty pieces, and classical transcriptions. In this regard he greatly expanded the musical level in the US during this time. Orchestras were around as well, but these did not travel like Sousa. There were also other great bands, like the Allentown band, far odler than Sousa's from 1828. In fact Sousa took many players from this great band which still exists today, and which probably recreates the approximate sound and style of Sousa better than any other.

The great strength of this book are the many details provided of the personnel who played in the band, as well as concert programs, and tour iternary. There is one chapter devoted entirely to a band memebers diary recording his expereinces during Sousa's great World Tour of 1911. Great stuff, if perhaps a little too much at times. There is a lot of detail here, perhaps excessive at times, but obviously a labor of love by the author. This is certainly THE book to have about Sousa and his incredible band who left their mark in the world's concert halls.

This book is brilliant. I can't actually describe how I felt when I read it. I couldn't put it down.

It is about 2 people who love each other more than life. They love each other more than eternity + eternity.

All three of her books I have read and enjoyed each tremendously. The size (length) may scare away some readers, but they don't know what they're missing. Each of her novels are hard-to-put-down reads. I'm just sorry she has not written more.

Description from web site (www.InsideIndexing.com):

"Inside Indexing by Sherry Smith and Kari Kells is about the decision-making process of indexing. It serves as a window into the minds of two indexers as we both indexed Eben Fodor's text, Better Not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community.

We provide detailed descriptions of our indexing processes as we explore the causes and consequences of our decisions. As we describe what happened, we reveal the problems we encountered and the solutions we developed."

From cover:

"Inside Indexing fills a void that has existed for decades. The thought process of analyzing text has been a topic of discussion in the indexing world for years, but no one - until now - has documented how they do it. Every indexer needs a copy of this book in their libraries. It's an indispensable, pricess resource."
-- Cheryl Landes, STC member, In-house technical indexer

"What a treat: simultaneous windows into the working minds of two indexers! This book promises to be a valuable edition to the literature."
-- Do Mi Stauber, author of Facing the Text: Content and Structure in Book Indexing

"Inside Indexing will surely become a classic for all indexers. It is a book to be read and re-read at various points in an indexer's life - the kind of book that will continue to yield fresh insights, no matter where in your career or development you are! It isn't an 'easy read.' It takes work - there's a lot to think about and digest. But it's definitely a 'must read'!"
-- Janet Perlman, ASI member, Arizona chapter

"Comparing indexes by different indexers is one thing. Getting a chance to hear how they decided to index the way they did -- now that is a treat! Sherry and Kari have allowed us to sit as flies on the wall while they each wrote an index for the same work. They have provided a real service to book indexers everywhere. Any indexer who does not take the time to read and study their text is letting a rare opportunity slip through their fingers."
-- Pilar Wyman, Key Words editor, USDA indexing course instructor

"A fascinating look inside the indexing process. Proof that the human mind is required for the art that is indexing. I can't think of anyone in the publishing industry who shouldn't read this book."
-- Cynthia Landeen, IASC member

"Inside Indexing goes beyond providing indexing rules and tackles the most challenging element of indexing deciding how to craft index entries. As we read about Kari and Sherry s individual approaches to indexing a single text and follow their reasoning and examples, we become engaged in the decision-making process ourselves. It is through this experience that we become better at reviewing and refining our own indexing style."
-- Elizabeth Bell, IASC Past-President

"Sherry Smith and Kari Kells give you a real world example of approaching a single text, each in their own way: analyzing structure, creating entries, and pulling work together into a finished index. Inside Indexing is a concrete, thought-provoking, and tip-filled book that beginning indexers will find invaluable, and established indexers will find intriguing."
-- Jan Wright, STC member, instructor for the UC Berkeley indexing course

"New indexers should find it reassuring to see the process that even seasoned professional indexers go through when turning a rough initial index draft into a refined and polished final index."
-- Julie Kawabata, ASI Board of Directors

Co-author Sherry Smith reveals that in her final editing of an index she begins with the shortest alpha group, usually the Qs. "Starting with the simpler and easier helps me be more productive." So me too. In a Quiznos tv ad for their prime rib on garlic bread, an actress declares, "It's not lacking any meat. And that's what real women need!" That's what Inside Indexing is all about. It is stuffed with tips, deeply explicated and resolved indexing challenges, and questions that fuel fine indexing.

This book is about two different indexers and their journey in indexing a book on urban growth called Better Not Bigger, by Eben Fodor. You will learn who Sherry Smith and Kari Kells are and what, why, and how they index. If you are a beginning indexer (that is, you have completed a good indexing course and have indexed a few books beyond the course), your indexing mind will be shaped by these two teachers. There's no question about that. You will collect so many helpful suggestions on indexing that you'll want to type and print them out.

The first observation the reader may make is the difference between Kells and Smith regarding audience emphasis. Kari Kells says, "I focus most intensely on audience at the beginning of my process and again at the end. However, they are a factor in every indexing decision that I make."

Sherry Smith is also influenced by the audience, but emphasizes content: "Seldom will I ask myself, `What do readers need from this page?' Instead, I focus on the content by asking `What is on this page?' Once I identify that content, I phrase my entries so that a variety of readers will find them useful."

If you're a beginning indexer I'll bet my collection of cigar cutters that after reading the above two paragraphs you're inquiring about your own attitude toward the audience. That's what this book does. It helps to shape your indexing mentality by bringing you to a place where you have to take a look at it. Inside Indexing is an extremely valuable book for new indexers.

It's hard to say which chapter is most important. Of course it depends on what the reader might stumble on or require at the moment they are reading. In general, I think it is either the chapter on analysis or the one on gathering.

In the analysis chapter Smith gives a breathtaking discussion on indexing the concept of "land." Listen to part of it: "When I reach pages 24, 25, and 33 during my second pass, I see a potential strategy that will begin consolidating the index structure so that each idea becomes a useful subentry instead of a distracting main heading. First, I change the main heading `land consumption' to a subentry `consumption rates' under `land.' I then change the wording of the main heading `land development scheme' to the more neutral and informative word `development tactics' and place it under `land.' This last change addresses my earlier worries about biased wording."

Also in the chapter on analysis Kari Kells takes the reader's breath away with her discussion on revealing "relationships that aren't overtly presented in the text itself." Kari writes, "Another of my editorial changes involves the in-migration discussion on pages 42-44. I originally created this main heading for discussions in other parts of the book. While editing, I realize that `in-migration' is a concept that also applies to page 43 even though there aren't explicit mentions of in-migration in the passage. If I create a subheading her for page 43, will readers expect to see the term `in-migration' on page 43? If so, does that mean I should avoid using the term when referring to this page? And if I avoid using the term, how else can I provide access from the main heading `in-migration' to page 43? I choose to keep this entry until I can come up with a better solution."

Does Kari end up keeping the entry or not? Find out by reading her (and Sherry's) final index for Bigger Not Better at www.insideindexing.com/ndx.html.

There are so many valuable gems that I like in this book that I have to stop myself. This review is already way too long. One more mention is the design of the book. Different fonts are effectively used to distinguish the writings of Smith, Kells, and their common voice. The book is wider than long (hence the sub sandwich analogy at the beginning of the review actually makes some sense), and this shape allows a nice amount of space on the right side of each page for text boxes containing examples of the actual index being composed by each author.

Martha Osgood's index to Inside Indexing is another slice of goodness: a pleasure to view, read, and use.

Order Inside Indexing: The Decision-Making Process and expand yourself as an indexer. Quick.

I Have to find my name and my biogr. befor bying this boo

Time to replace these kilogrammes of paper with a small CD Rom.. Anemone Samson

I enjoy this book very much. It is not one that I have read once never to pick up again. I have highlighted may portions of this book as I have found them to be very insightful for my own life as a woman and as a writer. I enjoy her candor and observations. I appreciate her ability to express herself, even during her sadness. It is real. True authenticity seems to be what contemporary women are searching for, and this author has certainly been able to convey that through her words.

This is the second, longest, and most far-reaching of Grumbach's memoirs (I've read them all; this one is a favorite). It delves into Grumbach's past more than the others, detailing various memories of childhood and youth, thereby giving a vivid sense of the rich and unusual life she has led. Reflections on the aftermath of her first memoir (Coming Into the End Zone) are particularly interesting, as are her reflections on the similarities between fiction and autobiography. It's a helpful link for Grumbach fans between the long and often grumpy memoir that came before it and the slim, much more peaceful memoirs that followed it. This may be testimony to the unforeseen benefits that a life change can bring -- at the end of the last memoir Grumbach unexpectedly relocated from D.C. to rural Maine. Very inspiring.