I rather am of the same opinion as Juri about PULP JUNGLE. I
think it is an interesting read only if you have already some
good notions about the who's who of the old pulps and PBs.
It's not a good
"introduction" book. Gruber mixes heavily his kind of memoirs
(and a collection of reports about contacts with other
writers he had at the time), with interesting points about
the writer's "craft", tricks of the trade and contacts with
publishers. The edition I red was from 1967. A French
translation of this book keeps the subtitle: 'Memoirs of an
American crime writer', which describes well what it is
basically.. But if you know already about HB history and have
read more than only a few of the writers mentioned by Gruber,
yes it is an interesting read. To have insights and some
reality about the life a "genre" writer, it is even more
interesting (but has to be interpreted in function of the
period corresponding to the time when all of his
"reports"/memoirs took place). I think that the "exaggerated"
importance given to Gruber's book as reference comes from a
time (the sixties) when very few books were speaking of pulp
writers, and not much more being real (and extended) essays
about history of the genre or pulps themselves, in the USA.
So, many specialist books on these subjects, afterwards, were
automatically carrying PULP JUNGLE in their
reference/bibliography section. But, do not misunderstand me,
it is definitely a book to be red by aficionados.
E.Borgers HARD-BOILED MYSTERIES http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
Juri Nummelin :
> I haven't read the book myself (which is a surprise
even to me!),
> but it's considered a bit unreliable when it comes
to other
> authors. Gruber was prejudiced against many and he
may exaggerate
> his own importance. I've read some of his crime
novels and
> Westerns and they've all been pretty good, but I
don't think he'd
> be remembered so much, if he hadn't written PULP
JUNGLE.
>
>
> And still about the pulps, if you want to know
everything there's
> really need to know about the hardboiled crime
pulps, do read THE
> DIME DETECTIVES, by Ron Goulart. With Server's book
I think
> that's the essential reading.
>
> Juri
> http://pulpetti.blogspot.com
>
>
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