An avid, life-long reader of science fiction, historical fiction, biographies, history, science and folklore. I'm also a big fan of the art created for books and storytelling, and of the artists that share their own visions of the books we love to read.
Oh, to be sure! Perhaps I could have been more careful on that point. My mentioning of the Great Depression was just to set the groundwork for specifically discussing the CCC in the United States, which was definitely an American program, hence the tale.
That story, from that book no less, was the first I've read of Howard's Conan. That verse at the beginning totally delighted and surprised me. I was hooked immediately. And have devoured as many Conan stories as I could ever since, By Crom!
Howdy Scott! I think this may be a long post for me. Zane Grey is my all-time favorite western author. I have read almost everything he ever wrote including his non-fiction travel stories. Boy, did he have some great adventures! I've been reading Grey since the sixties. Also, Nevada may be my favorite story by him. I agree that it starts slow but once it starts moving it is a great western. Yes, I've read the prequel to Nevada. Although I enjoyed it, I still prefer Nevada. Just to mention a fact of interest that I read somewhere. You mentioned a word several times. Supposedly, Grey was the first author to ever use the term "gunslinger". The art: I've never seen any of the magazine art for Grey's work but what you showed us is delicious! I would have to agree with you that the cover of the first edition is my favorite. A close second is the art by Phillips, partially I think because that this was the cover of the book in which I first read the story. Next, you're correct that the bandoleer is way wrong. That is for rifle cartridges not cartridges for a pistol. Lastly, the Bama illustration is WAY wrong technically. It pictures shells being ejected from a revolver. That doesn't happen! Wrong kind of gun for that. Thank you for the wonderful review of one of my favorite stories.
Yeah, that Bama illustration... Now that you mention the ejecting shells, I'm just laughing now. How about that thumb action? Your first read of "Nevada" with the Phillips cover... there IS something about the cover of a first read that adds points to its appeal! I often have that same reaction. Another edition may clearly have better art, but there is something about that first exposure that keeps it close to your heart. I must say, after reading "Nevada", I do want to read "Forlorn River". Since you're such a Zane Grey fan, have you read any of his son's books? "Beyond the Mogollon Rim" intrigues me now. Out of all the Zane Grey novels I might have picked up for June on the Range, I'm glad I chose a favorite of yours. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks!
@@jscottphillips503 I read one of the novels by his son. The writing was adequate but the fact that he took one of his fathers "happily ever after" stories and killed off the mans wife so the son could use the character as he wanted totally turned me off of his writing.
@@jscottphillips503 Yes indeed! I have only read a couple early TOS books thus far (Mission to Horatius and Spock Must Die!) but will slowly keep making my way through the litverse and looking forward to seeing what you all decide to read for Book Trek 2024.
I remember reading a few of the Hardy Boys books when I was younger, they were my mother’s but she actually had way more Nancy Drew books. Sadly though I can’t recall anything about them but I do know they started rereleasing them for kids today with updated covers and they look so good,I’ve been tempted to give them another chance. I’m glad you enjoyed this tag and I enjoyed seeing your answers! Also thank you for the little shoutout!
Oops. I have only one Star Trek novel in my limited collection that I have not read, and that is _Black Fire_ by Sonni Cooper. I just saw it in Steve Donoghue’s library tour (Bookcase 2, Shelf 2, Subsection B) and Steve implied he kept it because it was infamous. I received it as a gift a few years ago, and I intend to read it this year. On one of the prompts, the one about one’s favorite series as a child, my response would be The Adventures of Tintin - engaging stories and great artwork. Were you lucky enough to come across these in your youth?
I have a little more than vague memories of Tintin as a kid, but not as books. I remember it as animated episodes on local afternoon kids' shows. i have a recollection of guys wearing bowler hats inside their space helmets. Was that from Tintin?
@@jscottphillips503 Yes. Those would be the detectives Thomson and Thompson in the cartoon adaptation of _Explorers on the Moon._ That was my first Tintin book, which was actually the second part of the story, part one being _Destination Moon._ Take a look at those two books if you can. They are a treat.
Lou Feck was born Louis Willett. He was my mother's first cousin. The last time my mother saw him was about age five then he disappeared.His parents divorced and I finally found him as Lou Feck. He was adopted by the second husband and moved to Massachusetts from Ohio. Lou's mother was a prolific writer of cards for Hallmark.
Hi Scott. I do indeed remember watching Fantastic Voyage. Oddly enough the only character that I remember is Raquel Welch. Isn't that strange? I did buy the book but don't think I ever read it. None of the artwork does much for me. The only one that I find halfway decent is the original hardcover. I am a fan of Asimov and my favorite "book" is the first three Foundation novels. Many of his other stories are also excellent reads. I also have a soft spot for the juvenile series that he wrote. I think it was called the Lucky Starr series. It's been a lot of years but that was a really fun set of books.
Dog-gone it! Once again, I forgot to mention my own favorite of the covers. I probably prefer the original Bantam cover with the art from the movie poster. I've always liked poster art, and this one had a nice, clean graphic approach and tied in directly with the movie that I loved so much as a kid. And I think it would be strange if you DIDN'T remember Raquel Welch! I liked how the female character had real stuff to do in the movie, rather than JUST being eye candy. In retrospect, I think Asimov giving her that typical romantic relationship in his book was a bit of a step back. But I still enjoyed it because, well ... you know ... Raquel Welch!
Wow. With this topic, you have hit a bullseye with my 1966 twelve year old self. I was obsessed with Fantastic Voyage - first reading the Gold Key one issue comic adaptation, then seeing the movie in a theater, then reading Isaac Asimov’s book - my very first science fiction book. I even made a replica, as best I could, of the Proteus using my Erector Set. I have the Bantam paperback, fourth printing, which does not have the gold circle in the lower corner of the cover. Also absent from the cover is the price, for some reason. Your video has made me want to revisit the book, both for Spring into Adventure and for Old School April. I read _Fantastic Voyage II - Destination Brain_ a few years ago. It was not as exciting as the first version, as I remember. Asimov added various adjustments to try to make miniaturization more scientifically plausible, but in doing so he had to eliminate most interactions between the crew, composed of miniaturized molecules, and the normal-sized body of the patient.
Ah! Thanks for the insights on "Fantastic Voyage II". I do own a copy, but haven't read it. I'm not particularly drawn to it, but I think I will read it more out of curiosity than anything else. I had an Erector Set too, and would build all kinds of things with it. But a a Proteus! I can only imagine what that was like. As kids, we sure tried to bring stuff like that to life in our own imaginative ways with whatever we had at hand. Very cool! I have that old Gold Key comic, too. I ws thinking of including some art from it in this video, but it was running pretty long already, and I thought it didn't really illustrate Asimov's writing. It was an unrelated adaption of the movie, but was important for me to have back in those days when we had no other way of reliving the story without access to the film like nowadays. So glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing your memories.
Ahoy, Captain Steve! Hmmm... There was a week of Holmes is Where the Heart Is that focused on pastiche books. I had considered doing "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution", but never got around to it. And, even though I enjoyed the Enola Holmes Netflix movies, this is BookTube. I look at books and their artwork, rather than non-print media. HOWEVER, your comment made me wonder, so I Googled it. Turns out Enola Holmes IS based on a book ... a series, in fact, of YA novels by Nancy Springer. I've never read any of them. Have you? Lots of time before the next Holmes is Where the Heart Is, so could definitely be a consideration.
@@jscottphillips503 Yes, I knew the Enola Holmes movies were based on a book series, but I haven’t read any yet. They are on my reading list, but at the moment I’m doing a deep dive into the movie and book Coraline, by Neil Gaiman. Very intriguing!
The first book I read in the 70s was The Case of the Grinning Gorilla. Never looked back since then. An amusing embarassment to me was when I didnt understand why a street (Della) was moving !
Your thumbnails are always the best! I read the first few Dirk Pitt adventures when I was a teen. They always seemed a little more adult than the James Bond novels, and I greatly enjoyed them. I haven't read one in ages!
Although I'm familiar with the name I haven't read anything by Cussler. He sounds like an interesting character though. As far as artwork I have to say that none of the covers that I saw impressed me in the least. One or two of the earlier published stories were halfway decent, otherwise they wouldn't draw me to the book in a store.
Yes. I remember when I first discovered Dirk Pitt, it was with "Raise The Titanic!" in paperback form. The title was what really drew me in, and the artwork just paid that off. I saw that book at the time "Night Probe!" came out in paperback, so they were on the shelf together at the bookstore. The "Night Probe!" locomotive underwater intrigued the hell out of me, and that was all on the illustration itself, since the title told me nothing. As I recall, I bought both titles together that day, and that's what got me into Dirk Pitt to begin with.
This is the best review and analysis of "A Study in Scarlet" here on RU-vid. Starting with the A. C. Doyle's Biography and how the novel came to life, accompanied by your very interesting insights on the illustrations.
I read this book in 1973 in high school my report on it intrigued my English teacher and she read it also. I had several of Silverberg‘s books and thousands of Science Fiction and horror paperbacks at that time.
I'm pretty sure he didn't write any novels, and I don't believe any of his short stories were reprinted anywhere. Also doesn't seem to be a pen name for someone else. Thanks for watching!
I haven't heard of this particular author but the story sound like a fun read. There were so many pulp magazines. Every one of them had something wonderful to read. Besides the SF & F ones I think my favorite was Adventure magazine especially from the 20s thru the 40s. It truly had adventure in every page! ...and the art! Oh my!!! I can certainly agree with everything you say in all your videos Scott.
I've got only one issue of Adventure from 1963. Some fairly racy stuff at that time. If there was some great art from the '20s - '40s, I'll have to look into finding some of that earlier stuff. Thanks!
Carr is one of the mystery authors that I've always meant to read but haven't gotten around to... yet. My favorite cover is the one with the McGuinness artwork. Hag's Nook sounds mildly interesting so I might give it a try sometime. None of those newer covers do anything at all for me. I love all the older 50s and 60s art.
Oh, yeah! I usually mean to mention which covers are my favorites, but I forgot this time. I think you mean you liked the Robert Maguire cover, which is also my own personal favorite of this batch. Robert McGinnis was another great from that era. I chatted about him quite a bit in my video about Ross Macdonald's "The Moving Target." McGinnis was another of my favorites that I want to do a dedicated video on. Great stuff from those guys back in the day! Let me know if you give Carr a try. Thanks for watching!
I have been wanting to try this author! I am an in order reader as I hate jumping in the middle of a series...lol. Love how you talk about the art work! I love older covers! That newest one is what digital illustrations gets us flat art of lines and curves colored in. 😕 New sub!
I've really been enjoying your videos on SH Scott. Very informative and entertaining! Thank you. As to the illustration of the king I did notice that the earlier drawing you showed of the king seemed to have his body out of proportion to the head.
You're right! The thumb test works of that one, too! In fact, the hat he's holding seems way too big for him. Maybe he could have used THAT for a mask. I'm glad you enjoyed the Holmes videos. They were a lot of fun to make.
Been catching up with your videos recently and enjoying them very much. Could listen to you talk about Conan Doyle and Holmes all day long. With regards to Holmes, I always thought it was both remarkable and sad that the original literary Dr Watson and his recent incarnation as played by Martin Freeman in the 'Sherlock' TV adaptation both saw military service in Afghanistan. Separated by a century but no update to that detail required. that unfortunate country still a geo-political battleground.
I really enjoyed the updates "Sherlock" gave us. Most of them seem to be with a special wink to Holmes fans, based on twists of the Canon. Not only clever, but fun turns on what we already know of the original characters and stories. Thanks for watching!
Like you, I also had my first exposure to Sherlock Holmes during my college days. During freshman orientation in Ann Arbor, 1972, the dormitory cafeteria had an evening showing of _The Spider Woman,_ a Sherlock Holmes film from 1943. A few years later the first Borders bookshop opened up on State Street, where I found a hardback containing the Adventures and the Memoirs, replicating the original stories in The Strand. The stories had an enticing way of luring me away from my homework. I have since read all of the original Holmes stories, and a couple years ago finally purchased the Baring-Gould editions.
Was that hardback the Bramhall House edition with the deep, red cover and the gold foil stamping? The one I'm thinking of - "The Complete Sherlock Holmes Treasury" - also has The Return of Sherlock Holmes and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" - all facsimiles of their first appearances in The Strand. Great volume!
@@jscottphillips503 It is a Bramhall House hardback titled _The Complete Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes_ and has a red and goldenrod cover. I have another Strand facsimile collection called _The Complete Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes,_ which contains the same four books as your treasury, but it was produced by Castle Books in 1976.
I very much enjoyed you little lecture Scott. I've been enjoying Holmes since I found him in school back in the 60s. Doyle is the author that I enjoyed in the beginning but in the 80s I discovered the pastiches... many of them quite good. I enjoyed the movies with my favorite actor being Basil Rathbone. His movies are quite dated now but I enjoy the charm of those old black and whites. As far as TV shows I loved the Jerome Brett version. One last thing to mention is the old-time radio shows, of course the ones staring Basil Rathbone coming in at #1.
Rathbone has always been my first choice as far as his depiction of Holmes, as far as physical appearance and temperament. The movies made in the '40s always seemed set in the wrong time to me but, looking back now, not really. Holmes was always meant to be a modern man, as evidenced by the Cumberbatch series. Just a shame that the post-Victorian Rathbone movies were a little goofy at times. I never did care for Nigel Bruce's Watson, though. I don't think I've ever heard any of the old radio shows. I must investigate!
Well done, sir! IMO the deerstalker cap entered the public zeitgeist not by Sidney Paget's famous drawing in The Strand, but the preponderance of later artists & filmmakers so fixated on the thing they must've thought Holmes wore it to bed. In the 40s Basil Rathbone rocked a Harris tweed rain hat far more than that derision magnet on his head in the earlier films. I only recall Jeremy Brett wearing one once (twice max), a hideous powder blue affair that matched his Inverness cloak and suit. "Lady's gun indeed, sir," Boothroyd quipped once Holmes had withdrawn from earshot.
Thank you! Yeah, it was Paget that first introduced the deerstalker to illustrate Holmes' "close-fitting cloth cap" because Paget himself wore one. But as you suggest, I believe it was really William Gillette, who wrote and starred in the early play "Sherlock Holmes", was the first to embody the detective on stage. After the popularity of that play, more and more people came to consider an indispensable Holmes trademark. Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Yeah wizard of Earthsea. Making my way through the series. Even though it's widely considered YA it blows away a lot of writing targeted at adults in the fantasy space@@jscottphillips503
