Paperbacks from Hell [N.F. - Literature, Art]

Between 1978 and 1991, Daniels wrote five historical vampire novels about Don Sebastian de Villanueva, a delightfully evil Spanish nobleman who keeps witnessing horrible historical events that make his vampirism seem comparatively benign (The Black Castle, The Silver Skull, Citizen Vampire, Yellow Fog, No Blood Spilled). Daniels is most famous as one of the first and best chroniclers of comic book history, possibly the result of his mom having thrown out his comic book collection when he was nine years old.

Dell Books (founded 1942)

One of the largest magazine and pulp publishers, Dell entered the paperback field under the guidance of long-term employee Helen Meyer, the first female president of a publishing house. It had several enormous hits (including Peyton Place); the company launched the Dial hardcover imprint to provide itself with source material. Dell was sold to Doubleday in 1976.

Eulo, Ken (born 1939)

The first book in this playwright-turned-novelist’s “stone” trilogy, The Brownstone (1980), feels like reheated Amityville but sold in the ballpark of one million copies and spawned two sequels, The Bloodstone (1981) and The Deathstone (1982).After Pocket Books dropped its horror line, Eulo published a few more horror paperback originals for Tor while also working as a staff writer for TV shows like The Golden Girls and Benson. He stopped publishing in the mid-’90s.

Farris, John (born 1936)

One of the B-list superstars of the ’70s and ’80s, Farris wrote lots of paperbacks (and a few hardcovers), including a trio of dark thrillers, before Playboy Press published his hit ESP novel The Fury in 1976. Brian De Palma directed the film adaptation two years later. Heralded for his mature style in books like All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By (1977) and Minotaur (1985), Farris is the very definition of the reliable, journeyman genre author with the occasional over-the-top touch, like a priest turned pro wrestler turned exorcist named Irish Bob O’Hooligan in Song of Endless Night.

Fawcett (founded 1919)

Originally a magazine publisher and distributor, Fawcett turned out lowbrow pulps and comics, until a 1945 deal with NAL to distribute their paperback reprints gave them the idea to publish their own paperback originals for casual readers. They started Gold Medal in 1950 to do just that, horrifying the guardians at the gates of culture. By paying higher royalties than the competition, Fawcett became the number two paperback publisher in America, with books by Vladimir Nabokov and Kurt Vonnegut on their list. In 1977 they were bought by a diversifying CBS, who sold their backlist in 1982 to Ballantine, effectively dismantling the company.

Gray, Linda Crockett (born 1943)

Writing under several different names, Gray has published about ten horror novels and five Harlequin romances. Her first book was Satyr (1979) for Playboy Press, and her stories veer wildly from sedate to lurid. Injuries from a car accident in 1990 curtailed her writing career, and she now teaches.

Jensen, Ruby Jean (1927–2010)

A constant presence in Zebra’s catalogue, Jensen was born in Missouri and started writing for Warner in 1974 with The House That Samael Built. After four gothic romances for them, she jumped to Manor Books and turned out three occult novels in 1978. Her horror novels, Hear the Children Cry (1981) and Such a Good Baby (1982), were published by Leisure and Tor, respectively, and in 1983 she settled down with Zebra Books for a 20-book run that started with Mama. A fairly perfunctory writer specializing in evil children, she was rewarded with Zebra’s first all-hologram cover (House of Illusions, 1988).

Klein, T.E.D. (born 1947)

Editor of Twilight Zone magazine from 1981 to 1985, Klein was an influential member of the northeastern horror community, like a less productive Charles L. Grant. Much less. His 1984 novel The Ceremonies took him five years to write and was hailed as a modern classic. His short story collection, Dark Gods, contains four novellas including the much-anthologized “Black Man with a Horn” and “Children of the Kingdom.” It is rumored that one day he’ll publish his long-delayed second novel, Nighttown, which was originally announced for publication in 1989.

Lory, Robert (born 1936)