Hard Case Crime Reinvents Pulp
by Beth Carswell
Crime novels are still a staple of many readers’ libraries to this day, but they really saw their heyday in the 1940s, 50s and 60s when the paperback pulp took off with names like Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson, Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of Perry Mason) andRoss MacDonald, to name a few. The language was different than previous spy or detective novels – it was grittier, hardboiled and raw, full of dames and guns, and heavy with metaphor around every dark corner.
Crime fiction is still a very popular genre, but updates to society and technology have resulted in a more sterile, technical approach to the crime. Characters often spend more time in the forensics lab or at a computer than behind a dilapidated desk sucking down a whiskey. While it can be argued that contemporary crime writers such as Jo Nesbo, Fred Vargas and Stieg Larsson write more elaborate, precise and thoroughly-researched pieces than those crime icons of the mid-20th century, there was a lament among many fans of that particular style that some of the fun had been lost, and a woeful refrain of “They just don’t write ‘em like they used to.”
Authors Charles Ardai and Max Phillips agreed, and decided a publisher could do something about it. And so in 2004, along came the Hard Case Crime imprint, co-founded by Ardai and Phillips. So was born a collection of novels composed of not only reprints of some of the classic crime pulp, but also new books dedicated to the old styles of the genre. As of June 2013 there have been 112 titles published in the series, the latest of which is Stephen King’s Joyland. And King isn’t the only big name on the list – the imprint has put out titles (whether new, reprints, or both) from Lawrence Block, James M. Cain, Donald E. Westlake and Cornell Woolrich, to name a few.
There’s plenty of room in the Hard Case Crime family for newcomers or lesser-knowns, as well, and different books in the series have earned different accolades. Two of the titles (Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips and Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas [pen name of Charles Ardai]) have won the 2005 Shamus Award. Five titles have been nominated for the Edgar Award. And The Confession by Domenic Stansberry won the award for best paperback original. Many books in the series, whether the complete and unabridged reprints or the fresh, first publications have gone on to become collectible, though they are still a very affordable choice overall.
Whether revisiting a legendary story of yesterday or giving an audience to new talent, Hard Case Crime is doing a fantastic job bringing the people the pulp they want, and readers are eating it up. And the cover artists are to be given credit, as well - one doesn’t have to crack a spine to know this is the authentic stuff, either – look at the fantastic covers, true to the original style and content from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and you’ll know they’ve got it right.
Crime fiction is still a very popular genre, but updates to society and technology have resulted in a more sterile, technical approach to the crime. Characters often spend more time in the forensics lab or at a computer than behind a dilapidated desk sucking down a whiskey. While it can be argued that contemporary crime writers such as Jo Nesbo, Fred Vargas and Stieg Larsson write more elaborate, precise and thoroughly-researched pieces than those crime icons of the mid-20th century, there was a lament among many fans of that particular style that some of the fun had been lost, and a woeful refrain of “They just don’t write ‘em like they used to.”
Authors Charles Ardai and Max Phillips agreed, and decided a publisher could do something about it. And so in 2004, along came the Hard Case Crime imprint, co-founded by Ardai and Phillips. So was born a collection of novels composed of not only reprints of some of the classic crime pulp, but also new books dedicated to the old styles of the genre. As of June 2013 there have been 112 titles published in the series, the latest of which is Stephen King’s Joyland. And King isn’t the only big name on the list – the imprint has put out titles (whether new, reprints, or both) from Lawrence Block, James M. Cain, Donald E. Westlake and Cornell Woolrich, to name a few.
There’s plenty of room in the Hard Case Crime family for newcomers or lesser-knowns, as well, and different books in the series have earned different accolades. Two of the titles (Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips and Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas [pen name of Charles Ardai]) have won the 2005 Shamus Award. Five titles have been nominated for the Edgar Award. And The Confession by Domenic Stansberry won the award for best paperback original. Many books in the series, whether the complete and unabridged reprints or the fresh, first publications have gone on to become collectible, though they are still a very affordable choice overall.
Whether revisiting a legendary story of yesterday or giving an audience to new talent, Hard Case Crime is doing a fantastic job bringing the people the pulp they want, and readers are eating it up. And the cover artists are to be given credit, as well - one doesn’t have to crack a spine to know this is the authentic stuff, either – look at the fantastic covers, true to the original style and content from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and you’ll know they’ve got it right.
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