Mark Sullivan (AnonymeInc@webtv.net)
Thu, 30 Dec 1999 10:04:56 -0500 (EST)
Well Teri, I think Rara-Avis's taste is anything but narrow.
Every one of the names you list has been discussed here. I
think there's just a lot of agreement about the few authors
that are the very best. I don't find it at all surprising
that certain names have clumped or that most lists are drawn
from a pool of 10-15. I think that would probably happen in
any genre of popular culture, not just popular fiction --
afficionados would largely agree on a relatively small list
of who the "big names" are. That doesn't mean most of us
don't go far deeper into the genre and don't have major
disagreements over authors who almost make the cut (for
instance, Derek Raymond almost made my list, but some list
members can't stand him), or fun trash that we consume
regularly, but would never put on a "best of" list (see the
recent discussion on men's adventure novels; although there
are clearly numerous fans on the list, I doubt m/any would
list them with Chandler or Hammett).
On another note, Elmore Leonard is an author I assiduously
tracked down once I found him, which wasn't easy as it was
during a period when most of his books were out of print, but
luckily not too expensive yet. He, Charles Willeford, Crumley
and the aforementioned Derek Raymond would have all been on
my list had it been a top-ten, not five.
Mark
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