RARA-AVIS: Re: DONALD GOINES

From: lewis1574 (stevelewis62@cox.net)
Date: 23 Nov 2008

  • Next message: Nathan Cain: "Re: RARA-AVIS: Hard Case Crime series"

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "lewis1574" <stevelewis62@...> wrote:
    >
    > Mark
    >
    > I'll pass your questions on to Dan Roberts. Don't know if I can
    > persuade him to sign up for rara-avis, but I'll suggest it to him.
    >
    > From what I know, Al Hubin's bibliography CRIME FICTION IV states that
    > Al C. Clark was a pseudonym of Donald Gaines, and that all of the
    > books that came out under that name were later reprinted by Holloway
    > House in 1995-96 under Gaines' own name. (The wikipedia entry for
    > Gaines agrees that Clark was a pen name of Gaines.)
    >
    > Goines died in October 1974. The five Clark books were published in
    > the two-year period between 1974-75, so if Al is correct, some of
    > these were published posthumously.
    >
    > More later, once I hear back from Dan
    >
    > Steve
    >

    Me, Steve, again. In reply Dan has gone through all of the books in his collection. Here's what he found, but as he suggests at the end, trying to track down specific information about Holloway House is like trapping a ghost in a bucket.

    His responses:
      It appears that three of Goines' five novels published as by Clark were PBOs from Holloway House, but I don't have enough info to definitively state this.

    I have only one HH Clark title in my possession (BH443 Death List), and the copyright is listed as by Clark (1974) and the book is published by HH in Feb of 1974, when Goines was still alive. It appears to be a PBO. It also refers to "another Holloway House original by Al C. Clark" as Crime Partners (BH445).

    Kenyatta's Escape (BH460) and Kenyatta's Last Hit (BH471), both published by HH as by Goines, appear not to be PBOs. Indeed, the cover blurb on BH460 refers to the book as being written by Goines under the Clark name, but I can find no evidence that HH first published either Kenyatta title as by Clark.

    Kenyatta's Escape was published sometime in 1974 (unclear whether before or after he died), Kenyatta's Last Hit was published in 1975, clearly postdating Goines's death. The inside of Kenyatta's Escape
    (BH460) refers to three titles as being "other Holloway House originals by Clark" (Crime Partners, Death List, and Cry Revenge), outright naming three as PBOs and implying (by use of the word
    "other") that K's Escape was also published by HH as a PBO.

    Needless to say, the publishing info supplied by HH was confusing. Goines' remaining 11 novels (I think) were written as by Goines and first published by Holloway House (again, I think), some before his death, others after. It's a certainty that all 16 books were reprinted many times over by HH.
      In looking through my "work in progress" HH checklist (still with many holes) I find no Iceberg Slim title with "Fox" in it, so I can't be of help there.
      As to other good HH authors, I like Joseph Nazel, Charlie Avery Harris, Odie Hawkins, and Omar Fletcher
      As to whether Goines actually penned all 16 novels that are attributed to him­, who knows? HH consistently says in all their blurbs that he did, so I have no reason to suspect otherwise. I haven't read enough of the novels, or done any comparison reading, to note a difference in writing style.
      Whew!
      Dan Roberts

    >
    > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, DJ-Anonyme@ wrote:
    > >
    > > Steve,
    > >
    > > Does your buddy who's working on Holloway House's checklist have any
    > > knowledge and/or insight into whether all of the Goines books were
    > > actually written by Goines? I've heard speculation (even here, I
    > > think), that some of these books were ghosted by others, some even
    > > written after his death. I know for a fact that the Kenyatta series
    > > initially came out under the name Al C Clark. Was this a
    pseudonym, or
    > > did they simply reissue them under a name that sold better?
    > >
    > > I've also heard speculation that Iceberg Slim's posthumous novel
    > > (something with Fox in the title) was not written by him.
    > >
    > > I've only read Daddy Cool by Goines, but liked it quite a bit. I've
    > > read a few by Iceberg Slim. I've picked up a few other HH
    authors, but
    > > haven't actually read any of them. Speaking of which:
    > >
    > > What Holloway House books are most recommended beyond Goines and Slim?
    > >
    > > Mark
    > >
    >



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 23 Nov 2008 EST