The books of 1947--
It's a little off-topic, but "The Prince Of Foxes" by
Shellabarger is still in print, and it's a fine historical
romance (not to be confused with romance novels) in the
Raphael Sabatini vein. The emphasis is more on the intrigue
in the court of Cesare Borgia, than on heroic sword fights.
But the writing is good and the historical details are
superb.
I'm guessing that anything by Steinbeck and Sinclair Lewis is
in print as they are writers that are studied in high school
through college.
Someone a while back (I can't find the exact post) asked if
there are any good Spillane non-Hammer books.
I read Me Hood (not Mickey's finest title) and it's
excellent. It's several related short stories about an ex-con
who wants to get REVENGE on the mob! For some reason when
Spillane is writing about a criminal hoodlum all of Hammer's
flaws (lack of detective acumen, blowing away random guys
that cross his path) fly out the window and it's an enjoyable
read. I'm surprised Spillane didn't write more Parker-style
crime books instead of doing those inane James Bond rip-off
books.
As for Spillane's lasting influence, I think when Hollywood
is still making TV shows and movies 50 years after your books
are written, that's a pretty good test of time. And you can't
discount Spillane's influence on post 1940's hardboiled
novels (more sex, more blood, more moral ambiguity). I'm not
saying it's a positive or negative influence, but the most
popular writers spawn imitators and influence other
writers.
Channing
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