Steve Carper – Page 2 – Larque Press | The Digest Enthusiast

Vault August 7, 2019

Robert E. Howard: The Garden of Fear

Published in 1945 by William Crawford, and listed in Paperback Prices by Graham Holroyd as a “Crawford Digest,” The Garden of Fear is an anthology titled after Robert E. Howard’s story, but also includes reprints by Lloyd A. Eshbach, H. P. Lovecraft, Miles J. Breuer, and David H. Keller from Crawford’s earlier Marvel Tales pulp magazine.

Steve Carper’s research for One-and-Dones part two (The Digest Enthusiast No. 8), reveals it was neither a singleton, nor a digest, but still a highly collectable volume, readily available in secondary markets.

Now Available from McFarland: Steve Carper’s Robots in American Popular Culture, a comprehensive reference volume that includes a companion website: robotsinamericanpopularculture.com.

Vault July 22, 2019

One-and-Done

Excerpt from Steve Carper’s series “One-and-Dones” that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9:

“Jacob R. Brussel was a New York bookstore owner noted for carrying erotica, connected with the small world of taboo-breaking books and writers. He published and distributed an early (and then completely illegal) edition of Tropic of Cancer and also the much less noted Oragenitalism. An Encyclopaedic Outline of Oral Technique in Genital Excitation.

“. . . a second 1945 release, One Hundred Years of American Humor, edited by J. Brussel, whose existence knocks an otherwise perfect one-and-done example off the list. Both covers of the anthology raise questions. The front cover says “Price 25 cents”yet the “Now 10¢.” stamp is clearly not an after-market artifact. Could this rarity have two printings?”

Now Available from McFarland: Steve Carper’s Robots in American Popular Culture. And be sure to check out the companion website robotsinamericanpopularculture.com.

News July 14, 2019

Robots in American Popular Culture

Steve Carper takes a comprehensive look at Robots in American Popular Culture in his new book from McFarland.

“They are the invincible warriors of steel, silky-skinned enticers, stealers of jobs and lovable sidekicks. Legions of robots and androids star in the dream factories of Hollywood and leer on pulp magazine covers, instantly recognizable icons of American popular culture.

“This book examines society’s introduction to robots and androids such as Robby and Rosie, Elektro and Sparko, Data, WALL-E, C-3PO and the Terminator, particularly before and after World War II when the power of technology exploded. Learn how robots evolved with the times and then eventually caught up with and surpassed them.”

Steve Carper is a regular contributor to The Digest Enthusiast and author of an ongoing column about robots on BlackGate.com.

Robots in American Popular Culture can be purchased directly from McFarland and select bookstores. Be sure to visit Steve’s companion site for the book: robotsinamericanpopularculture.com

Vault July 4, 2019

Bob Hope’s 1941 Digest Paperback

Excerpt from Steve Carper’s series “One-and-Dones” that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9:

“Bob Hope’s first book, They Got Me Covered, a self-published curiosity from 1941 that’s of interest because it sold four million copies[!] and launched Hope’s long book career of putting his name on his writers’ output. Pepsodent, the sponsor of his hit radio show, is the real publisher, although the company’s name is nowhere to be found except inside the text. Listeners had the connection beaten into their heads nevertheless by the relentless plugging he gave the book on his show and the fact that it sold for a mere dime if you accompanied that with a box (a complete box, not a box top) from a tube of Pepsodent.”

Meanwhile, McFarland has published Steve Carper’s Robots in American Popular Culture. It’s available directly from McFarland Books. And be sure to check out the companion website robotsinamericanpopularculture.com.

TDE Update June 20, 2019

Bronze Books

The Digest Enthusiast No. 10 pgs 98 & 99

Steve Carper reports on the one, the only, Bronze Books and trailblazers Luke Roberts and Jesse Lee Carter in the latest issue of The Digest Enthusiast.

The Digest Enthusiast No. 10 June 2019
5.5” x 8.5”
160 pages, with over 100 digest magazine cover images
$8.99 Print
$2.99 Kindle

Vault March 23, 2019

Open Land Renegades

Excerpt from Steve Carper’s series “One-and-Dones” that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9:

“In 1948 Vital Publications put out four Nick Carter novels as Vital Books, the link being that Vital Publications also issued Tom J. Hopkins’ Open Land Renegades as a Western Thriller digest, which has the telltale “An Atlas Western” all over the rear cover.”

Vault February 27, 2019

Dead Giveaway

Excerpt from Steve Carper’s series of One-and-Dones that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9:

“Bard Books, published by Bard Publishing, released Dead Giveaway by Dorothy Wheelock in 1944. That’s their only book, although oddly a Bard Publishing published two books under the Atlas Mystery imprint in 1944 and 1945.”

Vault February 7, 2019

Amazing Stories Science Fiction Novel

Steve Carper explains his criteria for One-and-Dones in the excerpts below from part one of his series that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9:

“My criteria are subjective, obviously. I only include fiction; anthologies and collections count alongside novels, but nonfiction is out . . . . To be included, publishers had to be legitimate companies devoted to putting out the work of others . . . . Trying to settle on a definitionof a “digest” was surprisingly difficult . . . . I do not include chapbooks . . . . This [series] is my attempt to merge all my research into a single source listing.”

Steve proceeds in alphabetical order.

“Amazing Stories Science Fiction Novel is about as awkward an appellation as publishers’ lines ever get. Fortunately, its sole book was the 1957 movie tie-in 20 Million Miles to Earth by Henry Slesar. This is a prime collectible because of its rarity and the gigantic space lizard from Venus on its cover.”

Per the criteria, not a true One-and-Done as it was published by giant Ziff-Davis, but nevertheless a fascinating one-shot.

TDE Update January 5, 2019

One-and-Dones part three

Inside The Digest Enthusiast No. 9 January 2019:

The Digest Enthusiast No. 9 pages 104 and 105

Steve Carper wraps “One-and-Dones” with a final, fascinating batch of obscure and/or rare collector’s treasures.

Vault October 16, 2018

Bob Hope’s They Got Me Covered

Life magazine’s October 27, 1941 profile of Bob Hope: “His most pretentious work, They Got Me Covered, a riotous autobiography, is in the tradition of Josh Billings, Bill Nye and Petroleum V. Nasby, and he is showing signs of developing into a cracker-barrel philosopher.”

They Got Me Covered is a collection of Bob Hope’s quips, cartoons, and photos. Steve Carper reveals the full story behind this 95-page, digest-sized paperback in The Digest Enthusiast book six.