Magazines I've Recently Read, September 8, 2023

 

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Recently Read: The Digest Enthusiast, Book Sixteen

 

The Digest Enthusiast continues to be an essential resource for readers and collectors interested in 20th century digest magazines and culture, and Book Sixteen is a good example. The volume is bookended by two deep dives into obscure but fascinating publishing history. First, Steve Carper delves into the publisher/editor Jim Quinn's Handi-Book series, a paperback/digest hybrid that was successful for far longer than one would have expected. Second, Digest Enthusiast publisher Richard Krauss digs deep into the various magazines (of many genres) edited by Robert A.W. Lowndes (RAWL) for Health Knowledge. These articles were all new to me and a great resource.

The cover article covering a bibliography of model/actress Jeanne Carmen is a fun, profusely illustrated read. Filling out the volume are articles on DC's digest comics, synopsizes of Howard Browne's 1953 Fantastic publication and Manhunt; two fiction stories by Robert Snashall and John Kuharik (I illustrated one of them) and more - all printed on colorful, clean, matter paper. Recommended!

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Magazines I've Read Recently, July 26, 2021

 

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Recently Read: The Digest Enthusiast, Book Fourteen C

 

The "C" designation stands for color, and what a difference color has made to the Digest Enthusiast's aesthetic. The old paperback and pulp covers reproduced now pop, giving a better indication of their still relevant vitality. Bob Vojtko's very funny spot cartoons also leap off the page, as do the the fiction short story illustrations (one caveat: I'm one of those illustrators benefitting from the new format). Volume 14 is a great looking book!

Larque Press' ongoing look at the world of digest magazines otherwise continues impressing. I especially appreciated Vince Nowell, Sr.'s look at the one-shot 1958 Vanguard Science Fiction, in which I learned about a series I must track down: James Gunn's six-volume series The Road to Science Fiction. I vote for more articles, like this one, on editors and publishing company history, (and the return of interviews) and less overviews of short stories. All in all, though, Book Fourteen is a great addition to a series that's a must for digest magazine readers, enthusiasts, collectors and historians. 

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Available Now for Purchase: The Digest Enthusiast Vol. 14

 

The Digest Enthusiast Vol. 14 has now been published and is available in both color and b&w editions. My illustrations for John Kuharik's suspenseful short story, "Gnoll Attack", were drawn in color (see above). I'm especially looking forward to reading the overview of Marvel’s The Haunt of Horror digest. More info here: http://larquepress.com/the-digest-enthusiast/

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Magazines I've Read Recently, July 26, 2020

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Recently Read: The Digest Enthusiast, Volume 12

Out of the chaotic pandemic comes another gloriously full-color and information-packed volume of The Digest Enthusiast. This edition sports a beautifully painted cover by Tony Gleeson, originally intended in the '70s for Amazing Stories Magazine. 

Among the other goodies you'll find in this packed issue: plentiful news on new digests and publications about digests, an interview with Tony Gleeson, an in-depth look at the '50s Fotocrime magazine, a history of PulpFest's annual publication, The Pulpster, an overview of the early 20th-century Photoplay series, short stories (disclaimer: I illustrated one), and much more. Even the ads are worth seeking out! This is essential reading for those interested in the history of digest and related genre magazines.

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Magazines I've Read Recently, March 25, 2020

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Recently Read: The Digest Enthusiast, Volume 11

The first color issue of The Digest Enthusiast makes quite the difference. Photos of old magazine covers in full color make the pages pop and help readers know what to look for when magazine hunting at conventions and used book stores. In addition to the usual news column (glad to learn about Analog's throwback logo design), TDE 11 features interviews with mystery novelist Janice Law, novelist Paul D. Marks, and Jeff Vorzimmer, editor of The Best of Manhunt (magazine). Particularly interesting to me were Vince Nowell, Sr.'s article on the bizarre 1967 sci-fi one-shot, Beyond Infinity, and TDE publisher Richard Krauss' very in-depth article "Leo Margulies: Giant of the Digests" (I had no idea there were The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. digest series published).

There's much more, of course: fiction (disclaimer: I illustrated one of the short stories, "Zymurgy for Aliens", by the late Joe Wehrle, Jr.), an article about an infamous magazine misprint, cartoons, short story reviews, a look at the latest issue of Paperback Parade and other goodies too numerous to mention here. If you love to read or collect digest magazines, you owe yourself a copy of this.

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Magazines I've Read Recently, July 16, 2019

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Recently Read: The Digest Enthusiast, Book Ten

Another excellent volume of this digest about digests. Vol. 10 starts out with an amazing 14 pages of news about current digests. Among the highlights of the book, after an in-depth interview with author James Reasoner, are an overview of the '60s Startling Mystery Stories series, an article on Sol Cohen's tenure at Amazing Stories (I'd love to read even more on this), a look at the Charlie Chan Mystery Magazine (I didn't know it existed!), so-called Bronze books, and the second part overview of Manhunt Detective Story Monthly. All in all, a wealth of information for digest magazine collectors, and highly recommended

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Magazines I've Read Recently, February 28, 2019

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