Film & TV source books
THE PUPPET MASTERS.
Boston: Gregg Press, 1979. Octavo, cloth. First printing of the Gregg Press edition. New introduction by James Gunn. Parasitic slug "masters" from outer space "attach themselves to human hosts and control their every thought and action ... Speaking through a host, a master offers mankind a life of contentment, peace, and security of surrender, and the offer appears genuine ... [The novel] allegorizes modern anxiety about the preservation of freedom ... Heinlein anticipates that moment when a man must make the fateful choice between security and freedom." - Berger, Science Fiction and the New Dark Age, p. 106. "Fast-moving tale of paranoid (anti-Communist?) fears run wild. Well handled, a classic of its type." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 291. Filmed in 1994 with Donald Sutherland. Anatomy of Wonder (1987) 3-205. Pringle: Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels #4.
ROCKET SHIP GALILEO.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1947]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. This is the author's first book, preceded by a pamphlet printing a convention speech. "A pioneering novel that began American mainstream science fiction for children and combined young protagonists, gadgetry, current science, and adventure in such a way that even today the book retains interest."- Anatomy of Wonder 5-62. Basis for the 1950 film Destination Moon in which Heinlein also contributed to the writing of the screenplay.
ROCKET SHIP GALILEO.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1947]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The importance of this book cannot be overstated, as it is the first published novel (in book form), by one of the major, if not the most, important science fiction writer of post-war America. Heinlein established himself in the field of science fiction during the golden age of Astounding Science Fiction (starting in 1939), he would later introduce a generation of baby boomer children to this literary genre. After World War II, Heinlein's career expanded the reach of the genre by being published in the 'slick' magazines of the period (Saturday Evening Post and others) and he also began a series of juvenile novels to be published by the mainstream firm of Charles Scribner's Sons. Their reach was wide, especially into the library marketplace were many young children would encounter them. This title is "...the first US juvenile sf novel to reflect the new levels of characterization, style and scientific plausibility now expected in the field", "...it was the first in a series that represents the most important contribution any single writer has made to children's SF..." Clute and Nicholls: The Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1994), p. 554-557. "A pioneering novel that began American mainstream science fiction for children and combined young protagonists, gadgetry, current science, and adventure in such a way that even today the book retains interest." Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 5-62. George Pal's 1950 film Destination Moon is loosely based on ROCKET SHIP GALILEO. Heinlein co-authored the screenplay and served as a technical advisor to the production, along with German rocket expert Hermann Oberth. Destination Moon, the first of Pal's many sf films, "has great historical importance: its commercial success initiated the sf film boom of the 1950s, after a decade that had contained almost no sf cinema at all. It has interest in hindsight, too, in the partial accuracy with which it anticipated the actual Moon landing of 1969. To this day, Destination Moon stands as a film obvious made by people who knew about science..." - Clute and Nicholls (eds), The Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1994), p. 324.
ROCKET SHIP GALILEO.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1947]. Octavo, illustrated by Thomas Voter, cloth. First edition. The importance of this book cannot be overstated, as it is the first published novel (in book form), by one of the major, if not the most, important science fiction writer of post-war America. Heinlein established himself in the field of science fiction during the golden age of Astounding Science Fiction (starting in 1939), he would later introduce a generation of baby boomer children to this literary genre. After World War II, Heinlein's career expanded the reach of the genre by being published in the 'slick' magazines of the period (Saturday Evening Post and others) and he also began a series of juvenile novels to be published by the mainstream firm of Charles Scribner's Sons. Their reach was wide, especially into the library marketplace were many young children would encounter them. This title is "...the first US juvenile sf novel to reflect the new levels of characterization, style and scientific plausibility now expected in the field", "...it was the first in a series that represents the most important contribution any single writer has made to children's SF..." - Clute and Nicholls: The Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1994), p. 554-557. "A pioneering novel that began American mainstream science fiction for children and combined young protagonists, gadgetry, current science, and adventure in such a way that even today the book retains interest." - Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 5-62. George Pal's 1950 film Destination Moon is loosely based on ROCKET SHIP GALILEO. Heinlein co-authored the screenplay and served as a technical advisor to the production, along with German rocket expert Hermann Oberth. Destination Moon, the first of Pal's many sf films, "has great historical importance: its commercial success initiated the sf film boom of the 1950s, after a decade that had contained almost no sf cinema at all. It has interest in hindsight, too, in the partial accuracy with which it anticipated the actual Moon landing of 1969. To this day, Destination Moon stands as a film obvious made by people who knew about science..." - Clute and Nicholls (eds), The Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1994), p. 324.
THE PEOPLE: NO DIFFERENT FLESH.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1966. Octavo, boards. First edition. Sequel to PILGRIMAGE: THE BOOK OF THE PEOPLE (1962). This title and PILGRIMAGE are the basis for a made to TV film, The People (1972). See Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 3-93.
THE RATS.
[Arvada, CO: Centipede Press, 2015]. Octavo, cloth. First U. S. hardcover edition. This copy sent out for review, no limitation page. This edition has a long introduction by Stephen Jones original to the volume.
MIDNIGHT COWBOY.
New York: Simon and Schuster, [1965]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Basis for the 1969 film with Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
THE GLASS CELL.
Garden City, New York: Published for The Crime Club by Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1964. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Review slip laid in. Filmed in 1978 as Die Glaeserne Zelle (The Glass Cell).
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY.
New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., [1955]. original black cloth stamped in green. First edition. The first of Highsmith's four books featuring Tom Ripley, a charming con man, thief and murderer, for whom "something always turned up." "Tom Ripley is one of the best of Highsmith's complex creations." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights: The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, p. 359. Basis for the 1999 film starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. Keating, Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books 52.
GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1947. Octavo, pp. [1-6] 1-275 [276-280], original beige cloth, front and spine stamped in green and gold. First edition. Presentation copy inscribed and signed by Hobson on the front free end paper, dated Feb. 5, 1947, in advance of the release date. Our research found a publication date of February 27, 1947, however we could not verify that with the Hobson archives at Columbia, but still in all likelihood this copy is from copies given to the author prepublication. Novel concerning anti-Semitism in contemporary America after World War II. First published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1946. It became a bestseller for Simon and Schuster and sold over two million copies, it won the Jewish Book Council award for best Jewish novel. Basis for the film starring Gregory Peck directed by Elia Kazan which won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture of the Year. The author's second novel.
FALLEN ANGEL.
New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., 1945. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Mystery novel. Source for a film noir of the same title, directed by Otto Preminger with Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Bruce Cabot and John Carradine.
BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH.
New York: William Morrow & Company, 1946. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Basis for the classic noir film Out of the Past, directed by Jacques Tourneur from a script by the author. The film starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas.
FINDER'S KEEPERS.
New York: William Morrow & Company, 1940. Octavo, pp. [1-6] [1-2] 3-279 [280-282: blank], original yellow cloth, spine stamped in brown, top edge stained red. First edition. The author's seventh mystery novel. Features Humphrey Campbell. "Between 1936 and 1946, Homes published 12 detective and suspense novels set primarily in the valleys and foothills of north-central California. Each is distinguished by clever plotting, semi-hard-boiled realism, fast-paced action, witty and remarkably good dialogue, and some of the finest and most vivid descriptive passages in mystery fiction." - Pederson (ed.): St. James Guide To Crime and Mystery Writers (4th ed.), p 533.
FORTY WHACKS.
New York: William Morrow And Company, 1941. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1-2] 3-246 [247-248: blank], original light green cloth, spine stamped in black and red, top edge stained red. First edition. The author's eighth mystery novel. Features Humphrey Campbell. Basis for the 1944 film "Crime by Night," starring Jane Wyman and Jerome Cowan. "Between 1936 and 1946, Homes published 12 detective and suspense novels set primarily in the valleys and foothills of north-central California. Each is distinguished by clever plotting, semi-hard-boiled realism, fast-paced action, witty and remarkably good dialogue, and some of the finest and most vivid descriptive passages in mystery fiction."- Pederson (ed.): St. James Guide To Crime and Mystery Writers (4th ed.), p 533.
ROGUE MALE.
London: Chatto and Windus, 1939. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 1-270 [271] [272: printers statement], original lavender cloth, spine stamped in white. First edition. The story of a British man who hunts a European dictator (read: Adolf Hitler), he gets the man in his cross hairs but does not shoot. He is captured, tortured, and escapes, back to England, where he is hunted by the dictator's secret agents. "This is a nightmarish novel, filled with breathless chases, fascinating detail work, and images that will haunt you for days after reading." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 382-384. Filmed in 1941 as Man Hunt with Walter Pidgeon, later filmed as a television movie.
A CASE OF NEED.
New York and Cleveland: An NAL Book, The World Publishing Company, [1968]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. Author's first book of fiction. Edgar award winner for best first novel. Filmed in 1972 as "The Carey Treatment," directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Coburn. Hubin, p. 420.
RIDE THE PINK HORSE.
New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, [1946]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Corrupt ex-Senator has his wife murdered and his one time personal secretary goes to Santa Fe to settle matters. A triangular chess match occurs between the Senator, the Secretary and a Police Officer from Chicago who is also on the trail. Hubin p. 421.
NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS.
New York: Random House, [1954]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Humorous novel about an inductee into the Air Force. Made into a feature film with Andy Griffith in the starring role.
DR. MABUSE: MASTER OF MYSTERY: A NOVEL ... Authorized Translation by Lilian A. Clare.
London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., [1923]. Octavo, pp. [1-4] 5-324, original blue cloth, front and spine panels stamped in red. First edition in English. Exploits of a super criminal whose weapon of choice is hypnosis. A translation of DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER (Berlin: Ullstein, 1920), which appears to be Jacques' only book about the sinister doctor (Jacques shelved a sequel in the 1930s). A very popular silent film based on the novel, directed by Fritz Lang from a script by Thea von Harbou, was produced in 1922. There were many filmed sequels by Lang and others. "The new [German] fantasies of the 1920's often feature exalted, superhuman characters who rebel against discipline and the order of the world, who acknowledge no law, and do what they please. Power is their aim, the manipulation and control of their fellow beings, and a feverish spirit is apparent in these books, of which Norbert Jacques' DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER is perhaps a typical example." - Franz Rottensteiner, "German-Language Fantasy Since 1900," Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature, pp. 2403-2404 Bleiler (1948), p. 160. Reginald 07762. Hubin (1994), p. 435. Not in Bloch (2002; 2010).
BLADE RUNNER 2: THE EDGE OF HUMAN.
New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland: Bantam Books, [1995]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First U. S. trade edition. In the urban jungle of future Los Angeles blade runner Rick Deckard hunts a mysterious sixth replicant everyone wants dead. A direct sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 film, with some interpolations from the original Philip K. Dick novel. Sargent, British and American Utopian Literature, 1986-2009.
THIS ISLAND EARTH.
Chicago: Shasta Publishers, [1952]. Octavo, quarter cloth with boards. First edition. Basis for the 1955 film starring Jeff Morrow. While not a great film, it is a science fiction classic, the sequences on the planet Metaluna are highly imaginative. Anatomy of Wonder (1987) 3-222.
THE TUNNEL.
New York: The Macaulay Company, 1915. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 11-322 [note: text complete despite gap in pagination], original pictorial dark green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. First U. S. edition. Translation of DER TUNNEL (1913). A science fiction novel of remarkable dramatic power and energy which describes and glorifies a giant engineering project to bore a submarine railway tunnel connecting the United States with Europe. "THE TUNNEL shows what it means to sweat and toil for a great dream. Compared to the dramatic impact of Kellermann's book, other novels about similar titanic undertakings are pale things indeed." - Survey of Science Fiction Literature V, pp. 2316-9. " ... a fiction classic dealing with technology and technicians; the gigantic project of a tunnel between Europe and America is an epic struggle of deep impact" - Rottensteiner, "German SF" in Anatomy of Wonder (1987), p. 382. Kellermann's novel was translated and published in Britain and America in 1915. Both Germany and Britain produced film versions in the 1930s. Bailey, Pilgrims Through Space and Time, p. 157. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 1214. Clarke, Tale of the Future (1978), p. 45. Clute and Nicholls (eds), The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), p. 660. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 126. Bleiler (1978), p. 112. Reginald 08124. Lexikon 1, pp. 148-9. See Bloch (2002) 1686.
SCHINDLER'S LIST.
New York: Simon and Schuster, [1982]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First U.S. edition. This book (first published as Schindler's Ark) won the Booker Prize and was made into a moving Oscar award winning picture by Stephen Spielberg; the story of Oskar Schindler and how he saved numerous Jewish lives during the holocaust of WWII.
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON.
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., [1966]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Review slip laid in. The novel won the 1966 Nebula award; the earlier short story won the 1960 Hugo award. Filmed twice, the first as "Charly" in 1968 starring Cliff Robertson who won an Oscar for the title role, and again in 2000 as "Flowers for Algernon" in a made for TV film. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-597. Survey of Science Fiction Literature II, pp. 802-06.
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON.
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., [1966]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The novel won the 1966 Nebula award; the earlier short story won the 1960 Hugo award. Filmed twice, the first as "Charly" in 1968 starring Cliff Robertson who won an Oscar for the title role, and again in 2000 as "Flowers for Algernon" in a made for TV film. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-597. Survey of Science Fiction Literature II, pp. 802-06.