ANYONE CARE FOR SOME "EGGS BARNABAS"?

It seems no tombstone was left unturned in the marketing of the TV hit series, DARK SHADOWS. While not as uncommon as one might think, a cookbook -- that's right, cookbook -- based on the show was published by Ace Books in 1970. The recipies were assembled by Jody Cameron Malis and were basic concotions found simmering on the stovetop or spinning in any Waring blender in any American household at the time. The only difference was that these recipies had goofy titles slapped on, like "David's Demoniacal Pancakes and Waffles," "Barnabas' Bloody Mary and Other Beastly Beverages," "Quentin's Ghoulish Goulash and Karate (!) Chops", and "Carolyn's Fiendish Fish".

The novelty book has become something of a collector's item these days, with prices reaching as high as $140. One could make a pretty good-sized salad with lettuce like that.

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ABANDON $ ALL YE WHO READ THIS DREAD NECRONOMICON

Those of you familiar with the weird fiction of H. P. Lovevcraft will know that among the varied devices he employed in efforts to add authenticity to his stories was the "dread Necronomicon of the Mad Arab Abdul-Alhazred". Well, this Necronomicon was supposed to be a book that contained the worst imaginable for the human race and anybody that attempted to use its power was destined for a bad end.

In 1977, a book appeared for sale published by Shlangekraft, Inc. that was purported to be a Greek version of the Necronomicon. While its contents is far afield from the abhorrent text that Lovecraft assumed, it nevertheless sent a ripple through the fantasy, science-fiction, and occult communities at the time of its publication. Controversy spread as to who this so-called "Simon" character was that wrote a lengthy introduction included in the book.

The Simon Necronomicon has been the subject of much speculation and discussion over the ensuing years. A supposed genuine copyright was tracked down that revealed the author -- or at least the person securing the rights -- was one, Peter Levenda. Levenda was an acquaintance of Herman Slater, who ran the Magickal Childe bookstore in New York. Some say it was Slater who was the author, and some maintain that it was a collaboration between the two. In any case, the books has enjoyed a rather enthusiastic cult following. A mass market paperback edition was published by Avon Books in 1980, and, like another blasted tome that sits near it in the "Metaphysical" section of your local bookstore, Anton Szandor La Vey's THE SATANIC BIBLE, I believe it has never gone out of print.

The Necronomicon has enjoyed an interesting, if exclusive, existence in films as well. It was Wilbur Whately's raison d'etre in AIP's THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) and was an animated prop in Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD series.

The book was originally published in hardcover in several editions, including a deluxe limited leatherbound edition, and was advertised in various "fringe" magazines such as HEAVY METAL and THE TWILIGHT ZONE magazine.



An ad for the clothbound edition of the NECRONOMICON.
From HEAVY METAL magazine.

As one might guess, these original editions have become collector's editions. Several years ago, I saw a copy in a display case at a local bookstore with a selling price of $800 (!). It was gone the next time I looked.

Shown here in today's post is a copy of the Necronomicon up for sale by Weiser Antiquarian Books, who distribute a catalogue every so often dealing with subjects of the occult and metaphysics. It is one of the original, Schlangekraft, Inc. limited edition leatherbound copies, with a price tag of $600. With a book in that range, why not have a bit of fun and charge an extra $66, I say!

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IT IS A GOOD YEAR FOR HAMMER FILMS. The reinvigorated film studio has released two movies, Richard Klemensen's superb 'zine LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS is continuing its run with special issues on HANDS OF THE RIPPER and THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, and author Marcus Hearn has now completed another book in his series about the Hammer Films empire. Beginning with THE HAMMER STORY in 2007, and followed by HAMMER GLAMOUR in 2009, and THE ART OF HAMMER in 2010, his latest opus, THE HAMMER VAULT, is releasing here in the States on December 20.

The book has already caught on and astounded readers in the UK. It is described as a "remarkable journey through the Hammer Vault" that includes props, annotated script pages, unused poster artwork, production designs, rare promotional material and private correspondence. Hundreds of rare and previously unseen stills help to create a rich souvenir of Hammer’s legacy, from the X certificate classics of the 1950s to the studio’s latest productions.

And, from Amazon: "Written and compiled by the official Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn, and featuring exclusive contributions from the actors and filmmakers associated with the company, this is the most lavish book ever published on the legendary House of Horror."

Highlights include:

- Letters to and from some of the company's stars
- Pages from Peter Cushing's scrapbooks
- Pages from the scrapbook of managing director Michael Carreras
- Pre-production artwork, and poster artwork from films that were never made
- Production designs
- Rare and previously unpublished photos

[HAUNTED LIBRARY logo and accompanying illustration are Copyright (C) 2011 by Navroth. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.]

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