I bet some of you have Lee Server's new book, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
PULP FICTION WRITERS (Checkmark Books, 2002). It was more
than 200 entries on sensationalist writers over the last 100
years, from before pulp magazines to after, including even
Jackie Collins.
Many of the writers we're interested in on the list are
included: Hammett, Chandler, and James M. Cain ("the father,
son, and holy ghost of American hardboiled literature"), Paul
Cain, Charles Willeford, Frank Kane, Henry Kane, Don
Pendleton, Jim Thompson, Ernest Tidyman, and many more.
Hammett and Chandler have relatively short entries, while
James M. Cain, who's less well known, gets three pages and
more in depth coverage. There are some strange omissions:
Ross Macdonald gets two pages (and a nice picture with
Margaret Millar and daugher), but John D. MacDonald isn't
mentioned. Not only does he deserve to be included, but
surely he's one of the best examples of a writer making the
transition from the pulps to their successors, the paperback
originals.
It's $19.95 USD, $29.95 CDN. Some (or perhaps much) of what's
in it won't be new to you, but for good coverage of a wide
range of writers, and as a handy reference for when you need
to check on Vin Packer or W.R. Burnett, I'd recommend it.
Also, two rare birds are mentioned on the acknowledgments
page.
Bill
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
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