I've been interested in reading the comments on the Red Hot
Typewriter. I have a web page devoted to JDM, and I have
spent some time at the JDM Collection located in the Smathers
Rare Book Library at the Univ. of Fl. in Gainesville. The
Collection is arguably the most comprehensive of any U.S.
crime-mystery-detective fiction author. There are some 350
boxes of written material (letters, reviews, manuscripts,
etc.) and about 50 boxes of photos.
That's a lot of research if you are doing more than skimming
for some anecdotes.
I have not yet read the book, but several in the MacDonald
chat group have and their comments have been mixed. The fans
who have read and collected JDM, including the late Walter
Shine's biographical and bibliographical publications, had
pretty much the same criticism: lightweight, but some
interesting comments.
I have argued for some time that a strong , well-researched,
and critical book on JDM is long overdue. Not because it
could be done, but because it ought to be done. The
difference between the two motivations is the difference in
what has been written (except by Shine) and what remains to
be written.
Shine, BTW, had completed his update to the Bio-Bib just
before his death in 1997. However, it has not been published.
He was a meticulous scholar who spent some time each day for
more than 27 years working and researching JDM. Even
MacDonald would call Walter to find out if he was repeating a
name, or situation first done in one of the 497 short stories
written in the late 40's. Walter could give him a correct
answer within two minutes.
cal branche
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