alt.books.ghost-fiction

Robert Suggs  (November 26, 1997)

[Basil Copper]

I saw a Basil Copper book ON vampires today, as opposed--I think--to being a vampire story.  I believe Copper died only within the last year.  What do we know about this book?  By the way, Sabine Baring-Gould's study of vampires is still in print!
Rob

oOo

 
 

Bill Barnett  (November 26, 1997)

I hadn't heard that he died, that certainly casts a pall over my evening...  The book you mention is THE VAMPIRE IN LEGEND AND FACT, and is divided into four sections:  In Legend, In Literature, In Film and Theatre, and In Fact.  It looks very interesting, and I definitely plan to read it someday ;-)  I assume it's well-researched, as it has a bibliography and an index.

Copper's historical interest in cinema is evident in his story "Amber Print," an excellent fiction about a long-lost print of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

And speaking of Baring-Gould, can anyone comment on the Ash-Tree Press collection?

Bill Barnett

oOo

 
 

Robert Suggs  (November 28, 1997)

"Amber Print," Basil Copper's long-lost-Caligari story, is definitely a worthy tale.  I read it sometime back.  I think it's in the Mammoth Book of Terror or something like that--a Stephen Jones anthology.

As for the Ash-Tree Sabine Baring-Gould collection, I look forward to sampling it very, very soon.  It's one I was particularly glad to find being published back when I first heard of Ash-Tree, because I had taken an interest in this guy.  Back in the old Classic Ghost Stories folder in AOL, D. J. Skal, who has written histories of Dracula and of horror in pop culture, stopped by to ask who B-G was!  He was working on editing the Norton Critical Edition of Dracula, I believe, and he had run across a vampire story by B-G that apparently influenced Stoker.  Someone, probably John Eatman (Cadabr) gave a detailed answer about how B-G wrote in so many fields he never really excelled at one, but that he wrote, of course, "Onward Christian Soldiers" (just as A. C. Benson wrote "Land of Hope and Glory"; our hymns are filled with ghost story writers!). At the time I was hoping to put together for publication an anthology of religion-influenced tales of the supernatural (I'll still attempt to do so someday).  I would recommend reading the intro to the Ash-Tree book even if you don't get to the stories soon.  The man led an interesting life and has had several biographies written of him--and there's an active Sabine Baring-Gould society!

Rob

oOo

 
 

[several months later]

Robert Suggs  (July 13, 1998)

[Dracula, Norton Critical Edition]

I've just ordered the Norton Critical Edition of Dracula, edited by David J. Skal and someone or other.  I remember on the old classic ghost stories forum on AOL, DJ came  in and asked us who Sabine Baring-Gould was.  He'd run across the name as a possible influence (for "The Dead Finger?") and couldn't identify him.  I believe a different manifestation of Rbadac known as Cadabr was right on top of that one, and DJS thanked him and promised a free Norton on publication.  Hey, Rbad, did this come to pass?  Anybody checked out this one?  I'm a sucker for Norton Critical Editions of anything, enjoying the copious notes and the contemporary reviews and essays.  Too bad they're pb.  Some MAY not even come in shrink-wrap.

Rob

oOo

 
 

rbadac  (July 13, 1998)

Robert Suggs wrote:
> I believe a different manifestation of Rbadac known as Cadabr
> was right on top of that one, and DJS thanked him and promised a free Norton
> on publication. Hey, Rbad, did this come to pass?

You betcha.  He signed it, too.  I show it to all my friends as my first professional sale, the author of a footnote.

> Some MAY not even come in shrink-wrap.

Mine didn't come in shrinkwrap, but I shrinkwrapped it open to the page with my footnote.

rbadac

oOo

 
 

Robert Suggs  (July 14, 1998)

Mine shipped today.  Can't wait to see that footnote.  Seems rather humorous to me that a hoity-toity Norton would have to go to great lengths to discover who Sabine-Baring Gould was, one of the most prolific authors of his time (if not exactly the finest) and writer of "Onward Christian Soldiers!"

Or maybe all of us in this corner are bigger nerds than we realize.

Just a thought,
Have a nice day,
Rob

oOo

 
 

Randy Money  (July 14, 1998)

I, ah, well, think I rather resemble that remark.

Randy

oOo

 
 

rbadac  (July 14, 1998)

Oh, we realize it, all right...

On the other hand, we could be watching TV instead.

rbadac ('This is my scene and it's FREAKING ME OUT, BABY, YEAAAAHHHH !!!!')
 

ooOoo