Book Hauls!

[dask]

Well you got me looking for her books now. Didn't see at Value Village though I didn't look extensively but I'll be checking the "P" section whenever I'm in a store with alphabetically arranged books.

 

[J-Sun]

I picked up a copy of NOFX's book, put out a few years back.

Thoroughly enjoying this insight into Punk Rock culture. Feeling less like an outsider for preferring the Ska-yer Punk, as it makes more sense given my life, and outlook on it.


Recommend it for the non-squeamish music enthusiast who's sense of property is skewed.

Title? And is this the NOFX of White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean? (Though I can't imagine there could be more than one.) I never got into the band beyond that one album (more of a Ramones, Cramps, Misfits guy when it comes to punk) but I love it. Not sure what my favorite is - "Bob" and "Please Play This Song on the Radio" are definitely contenders and we can't forget "Buggley Eyes."

 

[Extollager]

Well you got me looking for her books now. Didn't see at Value Village though I didn't look extensively but I'll be checking the "P" section whenever I'm in a store with alphabetically arranged books.

Dask, if you're referring to Phyllis Paul's novels -- I'd be very surprised if you ever saw one on sale, unless maybe in a specialty used book store (e.g. one devoted to mystery fiction). But it would be fun to hear about it if anyone discovered that one or more of her novels was available in a public library. I don't think that is likely, since most of them were published in the 1950s and 1960s, and would almost certainly have been weeded out because their day had passed as regards circulation. But it's possible that in some sleepy library somewhere -- or, alternatively, some very big one, perhaps with remote storage -- some of her books not recorded on Worldcat could lurk. That probably wouldn't do me any good, but you might find an interesting reading experience before you if you were able to check it out.

So I hope plenty of Chronsfolk will give it a try and just check and see. Ha -- if you do, and you have a phone or iPad or something, take a picture of it sitting there on the library shelf, and let me eyes bug out. : )

 

[dask]

You're probably right, but here's one in paperback from Lancer:

Not saying it's readily available but Lancer 60 centers are still around. I'm thinking the Gothic Romance section in bookstores might conceivably have one on the shelf, untouched by human hands for who knows how long? Worth looking into since we have a few second hand bookstores in the area.

 

[hopewrites]

Title? And is this the NOFX of White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean? (Though I can't imagine there could be more than one.) I never got into the band beyond that one album (more of a Ramones, Cramps, Misfits guy when it comes to punk) but I love it. Not sure what my favorite is - "Bob" and "Please Play This Song on the Radio" are definitely contenders and we can't forget "Buggley Eyes."

Tis.
Title is true to their punk form:
NOFX: Hepatitis Bathtub, and other stories

I haven't listened to all their music, but I keep coming back to the Ribbed album. And last fall I couldn't get enough of "You're Wrong"

I like how their music reminds me to engage in politics. My other punk favorites are apparently Dead Kennedy's, Bad Religion, (pre-pop) Blink-182, (pre-pop) Less Than Jake... most Green Day, most of the Flogging Molly I've heard...

Huh. I guess I like more punk than I thought. Or the Slacker station I'm pulling bands from plays more ska in their punk than they admit.

 

[Extollager]

You're right about Twice Lost, Dask, and a nice thing about it is that it has been regarded as her masterpiece. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few copies lurking around thrift stores etc. in the U. S.

Seeing that you are in the Pacific Northwest reminds me of many happy hours roaming around bookstores in Portland, Medford, Ashland, etc. in the 1970s. I wrote about a couple of them here

http://efanzines.com/Fadeaway/Fadeway-51.pdf

Happy hunting!

Also, you miiiight find a Paul in a local public library: probably Twice Lost, but maybe Echo of Guilt or the very good A Little Treachery, all of which had US editions. I'm thinking your best bet might be the library that hasn't done a lot of aggressive weeding. : )

But it's especially the British Chronsfolk who would, I suppose, have the best chance of turning up Paul novels at their public libraries....

 

[dask]

Just checked the public library's website and no Phyllis Paul. Not surprising as they seem to continually put their older books on the freebie shelves and keep only the newer stuff. This type of top 40 mentality strikes me as particularly cancerous.

Thanks for the link. Great looking fanzine, haven't seen one in a long time. Was hoping to see a familiar name in the loc section but no such luck. Will read it when I can. At 43 pages, that's some fanzine! Excellent illo on the back. Looks professional.

 

[saulfan]

Well - never having heard of Phyllis Paul before and finding one solitary copy of 'A Cage For The Nightingale' on Amazon UK, I took the plunge and ordered it. Looking forward now to receiving it.

Best Wishes,
David

 

[Extollager]

David, welcome! And I hope you will greatly enjoy A Cage for the Nightingale, which I haven't read yet. Whatever your thoughts on the novel, they would be welcome over at the Phyllis Paul thread (Literary Fiction heading).

 

[J-Sun]

I haven't listened to all their music, but I keep coming back to the Ribbed album. And last fall I couldn't get enough of "You're Wrong"

I think my favorite from all that is the second part of "New Boobs." That was hilarious. They sometimes seem to punk as Scatterbrain is to metal.

I like how their music reminds me to engage in politics. My other punk favorites are apparently Dead Kennedy's, Bad Religion, (pre-pop) Blink-182, (pre-pop) Less Than Jake... most Green Day, most of the Flogging Molly I've heard...

My favorite of that is probably DK - sometimes they kind of annoy me somehow but they've got a lot of great songs.

Huh. I guess I like more punk than I thought.

I had that realization myself many moons ago.

 

[pambaddeley]

I checked the Open Library but there are no downloadable copies on there it seems. However, they linked through to Amazon for the first title you mentioned - Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Twice Lost

Her Open Library page is here - Phyllis Paul | Open Library

 

[Extollager]

Pambaddeley, My guess is that her first novel, We Are Spoiled, will show up as an online text before too long -- its UK publication was 1933, US 1934. I'm reading it now. It's interesting but I don't find it as compelling as the other three that I've read, including Twice Lost. I don't want anyone to form a notion of what reading Paul is like and then be disappointed because the book was different, but my hunch is that some Chrons readers would be taken with her mature work, if they could get hold of it.

I'm curious about the legal status of her work. Several of her novels were published in the UK by Heinemann, but I think she may have retained her copyrights. She died in 1973. What happened to the copyrights (assuming she had indeed retained them) after her death, especially if they were not willed to someone?

What adds a trifle more to the puzzle is that Heinemann no longer publishes fiction, I gather. They seem to be dedicacted to books for teachers and schools.

Books.Heinemann - Contact Us

Her novel A Cage for the Nightingale was reprinted a few years ago by Sundial, with this notice: "The publisher has made every endeavour to trace and contact the copyright holder of the author's literary estate without success. Any information relating to this matter would be most welcome." I have heard nothing of a development from this. That has me wondering if some enterprising publisher could just go ahead and reprint other Paul novels. Will we see that?

 

[pambaddeley]

Well, under UK copyright law:

The 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act states the duration of copyright as;

1. For literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works
   70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author of the work dies.
   
   If the author is unknown, copyright will last for 70 years from end of the calendar year in which the work was created, although if it is made available to the public during that time, (by publication, authorised performance, broadcast, exhibition, etc.), then the duration will be 70 years from the end of the year that the work was first made available.

The author should always retain copyright - unless they have been ripped off by an unscrupulous publisher. The author grants RIGHTS to the publisher for various publication e.g. to publish in the UK, the US etc or first serial rights, audio etc etc. These days publishers like to put "all rights" into the contract. In the old days, these rights were kept by the author to dispose of individually and more advantageously, or for their agent to negotiate the same. Was she American as the copyright law is a bit different there.

So for UK it would be 1973+70 years = 2043 unless I'm mistaken.

In America, Disney pushed for extension of copyright and managed to get corporate works extended to 95 years from first publication - How Mickey Mouse Keeps Changing Copyright Law

 

[pambaddeley]

The above wouldn't prevent a publisher bringing out the books again but they would have to enter into a legal agreement/contract with whoever has "inherited" her copyright/administers it and pay for the privilege. The works wouldn't enter public domain until 2043.

That's my understanding anyway.

 

[dask]

Been kinda busy this weekend. I remember a thread dealing with cover blurbs comparing sf/fantasy titles with Tolkien. Couldn't find it so don't know if this one was mentioned but the back cover to the Trimble book says: "Guardians Of The Gate is a space adventure reminiscent of the questing of Tolkien, the legendry of Merritt, and the action of Andre Norton." Makes for a jammed-packed 157 page whirlwind. The Preston, incidentally, was just a buck at The Dollar Tree.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Boy, I can remember when "Brother Power the Geek" came out. Weird comic book, died out quickly, definitely a product of the hippie days. I think there was another short-lived comic from the time called "Prez" (teenage President.)

 

[Extollager]

Dask, I track paperbacks prior to 1970 that mention Tolkien in cover blurbs. Is that cheesy Trimble book that old? It looks to me like early 1970s, so not qualifying.

Tolkien and Fantasy: Dale Nelson's Summation on Tolkien in pre-1970 blurbs

I'm curious about the James White book, since I liked All Judgment Fled very much (three readings so far, I think) and also enjoyed The Watch Below and Lifeboat, other novels by him.

 

[dask]

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Came out in 1972. By the way, since 1970 is actually the tenth year of the sixties (the 7 being a reference to the decade being completed) perhaps it shouldn't be excluded.

 

[dask]

Boy, I can remember when "Brother Power the Geek" came out. Weird comic book, died out quickly, definitely a product of the hippie days. I think there was another short-lived comic from the time called "Prez" (teenage President.)

I was heavily into Marvel and DC War comics when this hit the racks and while I occasionally strayed from the tried and true for things like The Creeper, Metamorpho, and Secret Six, The Geek held no attraction for me and no way was I going to sacrifice 12¢ on THAT! But now, whipping out my wallet like a Star Trek communicator, I surrendered to nostalgia. And it was pretty good. Tony Isabella, in his 1000 Comics You Must Read credits Joe Simon as writer and someone named Al Bare as artist, but the comic itself lists Joe Simon as both artist and writer. Who knows? I did buy the first issue of Prez just to have No.1, but never got around to reading it.

 

[Extollager]

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Came out in 1972. By the way, since 1970 is actually the tenth year of the sixties (the 7 being a reference to the decade being completed) perhaps it shouldn't be excluded.

Thanks for checking the date on the Trimble book. My notion is that 1in 1965 the Tolkien fantasy books explode into American paperbacks and other publishers take note; and that by the second half of 1969 (launching of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series with Lin Carter's introductions) publishers recognize a difference between science fiction and fantasy and that there's a niche for the former as well as the latter.

The other big story in the American paperback publication world is the emergence of sword-and-sorcery as a market to explore. Here the Ace and Ballantine paperbacks of Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early-mid 1960s prepared the way, with the beginning of S&S proper dating to the first Lancer issues of the Conan stories. You soon had publishers trying to get on the bandwagon. An advantage for them was that while "Tolkienian" fantasy was pretty rare (there were the E. R. Eddison books, etc.) and took time to concoct, pro writers could knock off Conan-type stories rapidly, and so you had the paperbacking of John Jakes's Brak stories. Some of these had appeared in the not-much-esteemed pulp digest Fantastic in the first half of the 1960s without, so far as I know, making much of a stir. L. Sprague de Camp had issued at least one paperback anthology of S&S and it, too, hadn't (so far as I know) prompted a lot of interest. But S&S took off in the second half of the 1960s.

It's the Tolkien angle that interests me most, so if anyone has any paperbacks with blurbs that mention Tolkien to try to sell the book, from no later than 1969, and that aren't mentioned in the article that I linked, I would be happy to learn of them. Have I really tracked them all down?