Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Croc Update (Dental Edition)
Daily Mail Online: While crocodiles are known for their menacing teeth, it appears that the animals haven't always had their distinctive grin.
Researchers have discovered a strange fossil of an ancient species of crocodiles, with mammal-like teeth.
Overlooked TV: Police Squad
Police Squad was a 30-minute parody of cop shows (M Squad seems to have been a particular target) put together by the guys who did Airplane! Like that movie, it's full of sight gags and rapid-fire jokes, some of which hit and some of which miss. It lasted only 6 episodes, but it inspired the Naked Gun movies, which were pretty successful. Leslie Nielsen was the star of both the movies and the TV series.A lot of the bits on the TV series make me laugh: the shine boy who has all the tips (and can even explain psychology to Dr. Joyce Brothers), the guest stars who get killed off in the opening sequence each week, the really dumb stuff like a tow truck shaped like a toe, and so on. The parody material works well, too, at least most of the time. I doubt that you'd want to watch all 6 shows in a row, but taken one at a time they're pretty funny stuff. If you've never seen the show, check it out.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Traveling Through Transylvania With 'Dracula' as a Guide
Atlas Obscura: Is it possible to use Bram Stoker's 1897 novel to explore Romania?
Sunday, October 16, 2016
The World's Most Valuable Children's Books
The World's Most Valuable Children's Books - Do You Have One?: re the books from your childhood packed away in boxes in the basement or the attic? Humble children's books from years past can be immensely valuable, but only if they are the right edition in the right condition. And condition is doubly important when considering the value of children's books. Youngsters can love a book too much, reading it again and again, which results in extreme wear and tear. Crayon or pen markings, and torn or lost dust jackets will all bring down the value of a book.
Ed Gorman, R. I. P.
Many of you who read this blog knew Ed, either through reading his books or emails or telephone conversations. Not many were lucky enough to have met him in person (I count myself among those lucky few). You probably also know that Ed had struggled with multiple myeloma for a number of years. That struggle ended yesterday.
No other writer did as much for me and my career as Ed did. A long time ago, he and I had the same agent, and she recommended his books to me. His horror novels written as "Daniel Ransom" were what inspired me to become Jack MacLane for a while. I don't remember when I first got a phone call from Ed, but it must have been quite a few years ago, more than 25. He was warm and funny, just the way you'd hope someone you admired would be, and he was that way every time I talked to him.
He leaves behind a great literary legacy. I hardly know which titles to recommend to you. Just about anything has sharp writing, empathetic characters, and a deep compassion for flawed people. Sometimes, as in the western werewolf novel, Wolf Moon, he pulls off something you'd think nobody could. His series of Sam McCain mysteries is a wonderful portrayal of an era of the recent American past. If you've never read one of his books this week, honor his memory by giving one a try. Just about anything you pick up will reward you.
I met Ed's wife, Carol, long before I met Ed. We always said that we'd married far above ourselves and were incredibly lucky to have found women like Carol and Judy. Carol was a guest in Beaumont at the Golden Triangle Writers Workshop back in the late 1980s, and Judy and I had the pleasure of driving her from Beaumont to Houston, where she was to visit Joan Nixon. We had a delightful time on the drive and and a delightful lunch with Joan, her husband, Herschel, and Carol. I'll be thinking a lot about her and her family today and for a long time because I know the kind of loss they've suffered.
Ave atque vale, Ed. We won't see your like again.
No other writer did as much for me and my career as Ed did. A long time ago, he and I had the same agent, and she recommended his books to me. His horror novels written as "Daniel Ransom" were what inspired me to become Jack MacLane for a while. I don't remember when I first got a phone call from Ed, but it must have been quite a few years ago, more than 25. He was warm and funny, just the way you'd hope someone you admired would be, and he was that way every time I talked to him.
He leaves behind a great literary legacy. I hardly know which titles to recommend to you. Just about anything has sharp writing, empathetic characters, and a deep compassion for flawed people. Sometimes, as in the western werewolf novel, Wolf Moon, he pulls off something you'd think nobody could. His series of Sam McCain mysteries is a wonderful portrayal of an era of the recent American past. If you've never read one of his books this week, honor his memory by giving one a try. Just about anything you pick up will reward you.
I met Ed's wife, Carol, long before I met Ed. We always said that we'd married far above ourselves and were incredibly lucky to have found women like Carol and Judy. Carol was a guest in Beaumont at the Golden Triangle Writers Workshop back in the late 1980s, and Judy and I had the pleasure of driving her from Beaumont to Houston, where she was to visit Joan Nixon. We had a delightful time on the drive and and a delightful lunch with Joan, her husband, Herschel, and Carol. I'll be thinking a lot about her and her family today and for a long time because I know the kind of loss they've suffered.
Ave atque vale, Ed. We won't see your like again.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Dennis Byrd, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Former Jets defensive lineman Dennis Byrd was killed in a car crash Saturday on a state highway north of Claremore, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed. He was 50.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
The Coward of Little Big Horn
The Coward of Little Big Horn: Or not? Depends on which witnesses you believe in the inquiry against Marcus Reno.
The Horny Toad That Wouldn't Die
The Ballad of Ol' Rip, the Horny Toad That Wouldn't Die: After 31 years entombed in a stone, this Texas icon came back to life.
Check It Out
44 Caliber Funk Excl HC edition: Return with us now to those purple haze days of platform shoes, rhinestone studded sunglasses, the Panthers, disco and Blaxploitation- in Forty-Four Caliber Funk, an anthology of street crime prose stories. From Daddy Cool by Donald Goines, Shaft by Earnest Tidyman, and the influences of Malcolm X , Timothy Leary and William Burroughs -- with a soundtrack by Donna Summer, James Brown, and The Rolling Stones. The editors are Chester Himes award winner Gary Phillips and Robert J. Randisi, winner of the 2016 Killer Nashville John Seigenthaler Legends Award.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Django Zorro -- Quentin Tarantino (Author), Matt Wagner (Author, Artist), Francesco Francavilla (Artist), Jae Lee (Artist)
In this story we have the Archduke of Arizona, who's evil through and through. He's planning to build a railroad through his territory to California and there for get beat the transcontinental to the punch. Or something like that. It's a scam to get a lot of money from investors like the wealthy Don Diego de la Vega.
On his way to the archduke's estate, de la Vega meets up with Django and hires him as his bodyguard. De la Vega is older now, but he still has all his Zorro skills, and he's heard that the archduke is enslaving Indians to build his railroad. Django takes the job, and when he finds out what's going on at the archduke's holdings, he's not happy. Lots of gunplay ensues, along with swordplay and whipplay. It's all good.
The story is a bit heavy-handed, but it's fun, and the art is great. The contrast between Zorro's methods and those of Django is also interesting. The two work together well, despite their differences. While it's not likely I'll be reading a lot more graphic novels in the future, I enjoyed this one.
The Many Sides of Bob Dylan
The Many Sides of Bob Dylan: A Nobel Laureate in Six Songs: The shape-shifting Nobel laureate embodies the contradictions within the American dream—and his many phases and stages show why he deserves the prestigious prize.
Edwardian First Editions
Edwardian First Editions: The Edwardian era began with Queen Victoria’s death in 1901 and stretched until 1910 when Edward VII died. A mere nine years hardly constitutes anything worthwhile but it was a period of immense change and memorable literature.
First editions from this era are plentiful and easy to find. First editions, complete with dust jackets, from this era are scarce and more expensive.
FFB: Winter Girl -- Harry Whittington
According to David Laurence Wilson's excellent (as usual) intro to the Stark House triple decker that contains Winter Girl, Harry Whittington wrote the novel for Gold Medal. It was rejected, and he put the manuscript away, only to resurrect it and rework it as Taste of Desire one of the soft porn novels he did as "Curt Colman." The Stark House version is as close to the original as we will get. I have the Colman book, but I'm not going to do a comparison.Winter Girl is one of Whittington's backwoods book, about a good-looking young man named Calder, who trains a bird dog that's coveted by the man (Berlinger) his father works for. I'm not going to kid you -- bad things happen to the dog, so consider yourself warned. Calder gets involved with Berlinger's daughter, who's rich and wild, and he can't seem to learn that true love doesn't fit in her plans. He'd be much better off with another girl, Willi Ruth, but he's too stubborn and proud to see that. At first, anyway, and that leads him into a lot of trouble.
Wilson says if Winter Girl isn't Whittington's best book, "he never wrote a better one." High praise, indeed.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Now Available from Rough Edges Press
![The Savage Pack by [Blosser, Fred]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61sa%2BYIYUsL.jpg)
The Savage Pack - Kindle edition by Fred Blosser: The North Carolina wilderness is a dangerous place in 1714. Trappers and traders Axtel Fannin and Jesse Driggs rescue a beautiful young woman and her brother from kidnappers, only to find themselves entangled in a scheme that may cost them their lives. They and their friends will need every bit of their skill as woodsmen and fighters to survive a savage pack of killers driven by vengeance and greed.
Patricia Barry, R. I. P.
Fox News: Patricia Barry, a mainstay of daytime television who appeared on "Days of Our Lives," ''Guiding Light" and "All My Children," has died. She was 93.
The Champagne Toasts Have Come and Gone!
The Champagne Toasts Have Come and Gone! | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: And Now Here Is the Solution to Our 75th Anniversary Contest, Our List of Winners, and Josh Pachter’s Report on “Easter Eggs” in Arthur Vidro’s Contest Story
TS Eliot Update
The Guardian: A digital trove of letters, essays and photographs disclose the Nobel laureate’s views on detective fiction, poetry publishing – and his ‘dread’ of the US
Dario Fo, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Dario Fo, the Italian playwright, director and performer whose scathingly satirical work earned him both praise and condemnation, as well as the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature, died on Thursday in Milan. He was 90.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
You Can't Blame Him for Leaving the Math Homework
Houston Chronicle: Police are searching for a burglary suspect who left behind a crowbar, a backpack full of tools and math homework earlier this year at a car dealership in Sugar Land.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Texas Cops: Husband Faked Own Kidnapping to Hang With Pals: Rogelio Andaverde apparently really wanted to get out of the house
Hat tip to Deb.
Hat tip to Deb.
The Man Who Invented Bookselling As We Know It
The Man Who Invented Bookselling As We Know It: Today, few people are likely to remember James Lackington (1746-1815) and his once-famous London bookshop, The Temple of the Muses, but if, as a customer, you’ve ever bought a remaindered book at deep discount, or wandered thoughtfully through the over-stocked shelves of a cavernous bookstore, or spent an afternoon lounging in the reading area of a bookshop (without buying anything!) then you’ve already experienced some of the ways that Lackington revolutionized bookselling in the late 18th century.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
A Clear Path to a Clear Fork Post: A Texas man’s path of exceptional stewardship over a fort that traces back to the 1850s.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Joe Lansdale on Donald Trump
My Neighbors are Voting for Trump and It's Not Because They're Rednecks
Trigger Warning: Snarky leftwing humor.
Trigger Warning: Snarky leftwing humor.
Overlooked Movies: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
No, not the Mr. and Mrs. Smith starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. This is the comedy starring Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Yes, Alfred Hitchcock.Mr. and Mrs. Smith discover that they aren't really married. I think I saw an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that had the same idea, but it was handled very differently. Mr. and Mrs. Smith feud all the time, and it just happens that the day before they find out about the marriage, Ann (the Mrs.) asks David (the Mr.) if he would marry her again if given the chance. He says no. This was, as you might have guessed already, the wrong answer.
You have to know going in that everything that happens after that depends on one person acting really illogically, and that person is Lombard. It's kind of tough to like her and put up with it, but she almost pulls it off, being Lombard. Robert Montgomery is very funny and gets a lot of the laughs, such as they are. Of course you know all along how it will end.
I like the "Not suitable for general exhibition" warning label. The double entendres and mild sex jokes wouldn't raise an eyebrow on a children's show today.
I was amused by the movie, but I didn't laugh out loud. Montgomery has a good scene with a cat in a restaurant that almost did the trick, though.
Monday, October 10, 2016
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