Background: Kenneth is a retired, married man in his late 70’s who lives in semi-rural Alabama, but has a substantial overseas expatriate background.
He has been a longtime broad-spectrum reader of genre fiction for entertainment since his early teens.
He has been, and is, Reader, collecting by necessity. His areas of greatest interest are (a. private eye/hard-boiled detective/mystery fiction (b. Oriental setting (exotic locale) fiction and (c. special artist comic books.
But…..he looks for quality writers and artists who are entertaining above all else…ones who transport you above, below, and beyond reality through the ability to lead you into a suspension of belief that enables you to wholeheartedly enjoy their work. And it may be mystery, fantasy, war, romance, science fiction, etc….all fantasy of a sort.
The term “collectible paperback” with a given time frame (to 1959) is not how he thinks of this classification; every exceptional/enjoyable book/magazine to him is a potential collectible/collectable item.
We presently have more than 14,900+ books, comics, magazines, and recordings (+pulp photocopies) listed on this website and because of Kenneth’s advanced age are interested in passing them on to others of the same mind.
This is a collector-to-collector website and will reward the PATIENT viewer.
Kenneth has been reading since the early 1950’s…whirling those spinner racks with paperbacks on them, visiting what are now so rare, ordering by mail from fan publications/speciality bookstores…finding dusty stores with books from the 1940’s through perhaps 1960’s, leafing through the 10 cent array of often 52pp comics and the 25 cent new mass market paperbacks in the now defunct 5 and 10 cent stores, alas in many poor distribution markets.
Over the last few years he has disposed of almost all of his 1950’s comics, almost all of his 1935-1955 pulp and men’s adventure magazines, all of his Underground comics and Filipino language comics, his Arkham House hard covers, some artist hard covers…also a huge lot of all pre-1970 sf/fantasy/horror books/magazines.
Many have been replaced by similar but more recently published items. But…while the higher priced items have been re-distributed to fellow collectors…..for the reader on our offerings there is much to attract on the remaining items…and at moderate/attractive prices.
A great many top notch reading delights are available on these lists, usually in nice condition, often for $3-5.
Kenneth has attended 8-9 Pulpcon conventions, 2 comic conventions, 2 paperback/digest conventions having a sales table at 1 pulpcon, 2 comic, 1 paperback convention…finding only the 1 pulp convention worthwhile in terms of sales….also the good one for meeting serious, friendly, knowledgeable collectors(and close my age).
Now both his health and the Covid-19 virus warn him not to go on any long drives, thus precluding him from attending further conventions.
++++++++8: NOSTALGIA:
CHARACTERS:
Do you remember with fondness many of the following COMIC characters? Spin the rack and test your memory!
Arrowhead….Space Cabby…Atomic Knights…American Eagle…Red Hawk..Dr. Neff…Captain Fear… Spirit…. Dr. 13… Detective Chimp…. Sierra Smith…. Question… White Indian…. Johnny Dynamite…. Manhunter… Sally Forth…. Man in Black… Thunda…Atomic Mouse….Creeper…. Kid Colt… Shining Knight… El Diablo…. Dr. Doom…. Angel & Ape… Pogo…Black Orchid….and perhaps hundreds more not to mention the longer-running stars such as Tarzan, Batman, Spiderman, Donald Duck, etc.…. If so, then you will be interested in my Comics List.
ARTISTS: Do these names bring back memories of 12 panel per page comics…or…covers on Stag/Male/Argosy/Colliers….or digest and pulp magazine covers and interior art? See below:
Virgil Finley, Lawrence and Peter Stevens, Hannes Bok, John Severin, Russ Heath, Will Eisner, Carl Barks, Joe Kubert, Richard Corben, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Alex Nino, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Russ Manning, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, Bernie Wrightson, Norman Rockwell, Jack Cole, Gil Evgren, Harold Foster, Burne Hogarth, Mort Kunstler, Robert McGinnis, Nestor Redondo, Don Rosa, Norm Saunders, Bob Stanley, Lawson Wood, James Steranko, Basil Wolverton, and scores more. If so then you will be interested in many of my Sales Lists.
PULP MAGAZINE FICTION MASTERS….Converted themselves to PBO adepts+1950’s hc-authored books: If you like them in pulp stories you’ll like them in longer pieces…authors such as the following populate my Lists N,E and P in particular.
MYSTERIES: Cleve Adams, W.T Ballard, H Browne, J.D Carr, R Chandler, Norbert Davis, Frederick C Davis, Bruno Fischer, E.S Gardner, W.C Gault, Frank Gruber, Dashiell Hammet, Day Keene, J.D McDonald, Robert Martin, C. Woolrich, F. Brown, & more.
WESTERNS: C Farrell, Z Grey, E Haycox, L L’Amour, W Overholser, E.Hoffman Price, W. M. Raine, L Short, Thomas Thompson, Peter Dawson, & more.
FANTASY/HORROR/S-F: R Bloch, L Brackett, H Cave, A Derleth, L. Ron Hubbard, Jack Williamson, H Kuttner, A Merritt, and more.
Codes to identify these in appearances on lists and scores more are on my Abbreviations Lists(author or artist) accessible from Main Page headings.
REMINISCENCES & RAMBLINGS (comments, observations, opinions) irregularly added:
1.The centerpiece on home page is a wonderful humorous Ed Cartier work of art from a very obscure location in a magazine over 70 years old and it is posted here for hopefully the admiration of Cartier and his fantasy/sf work. I suspect few of you are familiar with it.