Non-Fiction Friday: Paperbacks from Hell

Author: Grady Hendrix Title: Paperbacks from Hell Publisher: Quirk Books Date Published: 09/19/2017

Read Dates: 10/15/2026- 10/19/2026
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my non-fiction pick for October.

Paperbacks from Hell is a nonfiction that explores the horror mass market paperback boom in the 70s and 80s. It divides the books into eight categories, each with its own chapter: Hail Satan, Creepy Kids, When Animals Attack, Real Estate Nightmares, Weird Science, Gothic and Romantjc, Inhumanoids, and Splatterpunks & Super Creeps. Written with Grady Hendrix’s usual humor, it explores books, publishers, authors, and cover art.

This was a fun and informative read, and a great nonfiction pick for October. While I had heard of a few of the authors but most of them were new-to-me. The books ranged from unusual to ridiculously absurd. Most books were not chosen because they were great literature, but mostly because they were bizarre representations of their category with eye catching cover art. I’ll definitely be on the hunt for some of these in the used bookstore!

Written in dead letters... and covered in blood!

Demonic possession! Haunted condominiums! Murderous babies! Man-eating moths! No plot was too ludicrous, no cover art too appalling, no evil too despicable for the Paperbacks from Hell.

Where did they come from? Where did they go? Horror author Grady Hendrix risks his soul and sanity (not to mention yours) to relate the true, untold story of the Paperbacks from Hell.

Shocking story summaries! Incredible cover art! And true tales of writers, artists, and publishers who violated every literary law but one: never be boring. All this awaits, if you dare experience the Paperbacks from Hell.