Dear Curt:
Great website, and intriguing reviews. I have lots of these
types of books, mostly for the covers, and it's been years
since I read it, but I remember thinking that Fletcher
Bennett's Vice Row (published by Playtime) was way better
than average. (I moved this summer, so I have no idea where
my copy is.)
There's some decent writing in the early books (pre-1963?
1964? 1965?)) of Nightstand/Midnight Reader/etc., Beacon,
Monarch, and Newsstand Library. Maybe not so surprising,
given that some of that stuff was being written by Block,
Westlake, Evan Hunter, John Jakes, Robert Silverberg, Harlan
Ellison, Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc., etc., not to mention
Willeford under his own name, and Orrie Hitt, and some of
those other unsung, unrepublished writers like Clyde Allison.
My sense is that the skill and talent of good writing and
storytelling went to hell when sleaze became actual porn
(1966? 1967? when the Nightstand books got
regular-sized).
All best,
Bob V in NJ, who's got a Midwood signed by Block and
Westlake
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Curt Purcell"
<curtpurcell@...> wrote:
>
> Here's the text of a review I just wrote of two
sleaze paperbacks, one
> of which was probably by Evan Hunter. To see the
covers (which I
> highly recommend, though be warned that they are
NSFW) and get the
> benefit of embedded links, check out the original
review on my blog:
>
>
http://groovyageofhorror.blogspot.com/2007/10/nightstand-sleaze-double-feature.html
>
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