My Library of Old Master Photographers

Look What the Postie Delivered

The head of department and senior tutor of my first 2 years of photography training was a huge fan of John Blakemore's work. 

When it was time to move on from Further Education to Higher Education, I applied for and attended interviews for 2 Art College places, a degree course at Derby and a HND course in Bournemouth. The BA (Honours) interview was headed by no other than John Blakemore!

Unfortunately, my photography expertise at that time was more documentary and picturesque orientated, and I understood little about the art side of the artistic side of the practise. As such, I was not offered a place at Derby, but was accepted at Bournemouth, where I spend the next 12 months, before applying for another degree course, this time at West Surrey College of Art and Design, where I met my soul mate. But that's another story...

Anyway, I have always held a soft spot for John Blakemore, who was knowledgeable enough to see my inexperience at the time. Sadly, the great photographer recently passed away. Rest in peace. Your photographs will be continue to be cherished by the photography/art world into eternity.

And, on that note, look what the postie delivered this morning, signed by the great man himself too!

Can't believe I had to source this novel from New Zealand. Even with postage, this was the by far the cheapest way to get my hands on a copy of this book. The cheapest I could find it offered in the UK was £50!

Goodbye Penguin

Finally got my hands on a copy of this;

While I already had the oversized Penguin edition, I can now offload that as it did not fit in with the other books published by Biblioasis.

I just need the following book to to keep my collection of Seth's A Ghoat Story for Christmas bang up to date. This was supposed to have been releases in time dor last Christmas but, apparently, Britain are not getting copies to sell for a short while yet:

Seth's Spooky Ghost Stories

 It looks like we are really getting into the Christmas season now as the x2 little beauts were pushed through my letter box today. There short be a 3rd one arriving in a couple of days, which will bring my Seth's Illustrated Ghost Story collection bang up to date.

Elizabeth by Jessica Hamilton

 I am finally happy to conclude my Elizabeth by Jessica Hamilton collection with the arrival, from Australia of all places, of the edition that lured me into its world as a teenager. It hsd been a gift from my best friend in school, who is sadly no longer with us. I will, hopefully, find time to speak more of him when I get stuck into my media-basefd autobiography sometime next year... 🤞

£13, which included the cost of postage from the other side of the world, is a real rare bargain in a world where the cost of old books is reaching crazy heights.

The Mysterious Eric Ericson

Eric Ericson is the mysterious author of 3 occult horror novels. The Sorceror, my favourite of his tales, was published in 1978 and concerns a scientist who joins a sex-magick coven. 

The startlingly titled The Woman Who slept with Demons followed 2 years later. This is a tale of  a veterinarian who witness a woman out in the wilds having sex with a powerful demon to increase her magickal powers.  

Master of the Temple followed in 1983. This last novel by Ericson is a more serious, in-depth novel, and a meatier beast altogether than his earlier occult fiction. This story (bizarrely) features biscuit salesperson, who just also happens to be a sex magician. Spot the connecting theme is these books?

A fourth work by Ericson, written and published between the release of The Woman who Slept with Demons and Master of the Temple, is a non-fiction Who's Who of Occult practitioners. The World, the Flesh, the Devil: A Biographical Dictionary evidences the profound interest and understanding of the Dark Arts possessed by the author. Not that such proof of Ericson's intense inside-knowledge of occultism and sex-magick is necessary, as all three of his fictional works literally oozes the fact from their pages.

After the publication of these astounding works, all published between 1978 -1983, Ericson stopped writing books and seemingly disappeared from the literary scene. Had he been scolded by occult leaders for divulging too many of their secrets? Such was the content and power of his books, that questions such as this easily arose in the mind of those fans of his fiction hungry for further books by the man. 

Like others intrigued by the author, one of my first dial-up internet searches when I first got a computer (yes, I am that old) was to try and learn more about the man, in the primary hope of finding more of his novels. But I also wanted those bubbling questions raised by the mystique of the author answered.

Imagine my surprise then, when I recently refreshed my search for Eric Ericson, and, hey presto, I finally  discovered the answers I was looking for! And so, over 40 after my first desire to demystify the enigmatic author was born,  I can finally relay some information dredged 

Harping back to a recent post, where I chastised the use of author pseudonyms, much of this lack of clarity concerning Ericson is due to his use of a literary nom-de-plume. In fact, Eric Priestley Towers (the author's real name) used several different author names, including Roderick Milton and Tony Caxton. Out of the books published under his other disguises, none really appeal to my genre appetites so I won't go down that avenue of exploring his other works here.

Anyhow, for anyone else wanting to secure this info, here it is, along with a colour photograph of Eric Priestley Towers, a.k.a. Eric Ericson:

Personal Background

• Full name: Eric Priestley Towers
• Birth: 23 June 1925, Blaby, Leicestershire, England
• Death: Between October–December 2006, North Surrey
• Parents: Sidney Towers  and Winnifred May Priestley
• Education: Newton’s Grammar School | Jesus College, Cambridge
• Military Service (WWII): Served in Italy and Austria | Supported the Allied Military Government in Vienna post-war
• Residences: Grew up in Wigston Magna | Lived in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey (by 1981)

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Professional Career

• Occupation: Corporate and public relations specialist | Novelist (under multiple pseudonyms)
• Reason for pseudonyms: Maintained discretion due to professional career,  particularly for works involving sex magick and occult themes

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Main Pseudonyms Used

• Roderick Milton – early fiction and stories
• Eric Ericson – occult and pulp fiction
• Tony Caxton – late-career detective fiction

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Literary Works

As Roderick Milton (1950s–1960s):

• Magic City: Three Stories of Vienna under Allied Occupation (1950) 
• The Lightning That Struck Me (1951)
• Tell Them in Sparta (1962)
• Regular contributor to Lilliput magazine (short fiction and articles)

As Eric Ericson (1978–1983):

• The Sorcerer (Feb 1978)
• The Woman Who Slept with Demons (Jan 1980)
• The World, the Flesh, the Devil: A Biographical Dictionary (1981)
• Master of the Temple (Mar 1983

As Eric Towers (1986):

• Dashwood: The Man and the Myth (1986) – Biography of Sir Francis Dashwood

As Tony Caxton (1994–1996):

• Murder in a Quiet Place (July 1994)
• Bowker’s Bonfire (March 1996)

Occult Connections

• Involvement in London’s occult scene: Early participant in “The Society” – an esoteric discussion group held upstairs at The Plough, near the British Museum, in the 1980s. Known for involvement in practical and theoretical occult studies. Ericson's novels contain real occult references and practices
  

Rainforest by Michelle Paver

I do love a good Michelle Paver ghost story 👻 and today I received a new one, signed by the author, packaged like the treasure it is and handed to me personally by my jolly postman 🙂

Russian Crabs

Thanks to Paul Evans, who initiated me into the world of Guy N Smith fandom, for this magnificent tome. What kind of madness did he initiate me into. I can't even speak or read Russian lol.

The Man Who Fell To Earth

I can't believe I only found out about this graphic novel yesterday! It came out 3 years ago:

Snapping Up Baxter

I had to snap up this copy of Baxter as I did not even know of its existence, let alone seen it offered for sale: 

If you want to see my other edition of this excellent novel, you can check it out here.

Daughter of Darkness by J.. Lowell

 I have finally got my hands on a decent copy of this book, the first novel I ever read in one day:

It is similar to, though not quite in the same league as Elizabeth by Jessica Hamilton. And annoyingly (for me at least), just like Elizabeth, it was written under a pen name.

J.R. Lowell is actually a pseudonym of the husband and wife writing team Jan K & Robert M Lowell.

As you can see from the pic below, I have a bit of a soft spot for this book and its various editions:

My Guy N Smith & James Herbert Collections

 Can you tell which is which? lol

Enid Blyton - The Faraway Tree Books

The books had a profound effect on me as a kid. So much so, I honestly believe I wouldn't have become a writer without them:

The Son of the Werewolf by Guy N Smith (2)

continuing from this previous post, here is the book, featuring an introduction from yours truly, in the flesh - so to speak:

✍️

Son of the Werewolf by Guy N Smith

I'm am so thrilled it's hard to even put my excitement into words. Even though I have wanted to be a writer since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I never once imagined when, as a teenager, reading this book by my favourite author, that when it was next re-issued, it would  feature an introduction written by me!

I am a very proud man tonight and am as pleased as Punch that the book in question was published today. I am even credited on the Amazon page, should you with to take a look. 

And, adding the icing to my slice of cake, who wouldn't be happy when they are described like this when news of the publication broke on the Guy N Smith Appreciation Group:

Go on, grab a copy of the book. You know you want to lol.

Beautiful Vintage Books

Finally added the second volume of this 70-odd year old Pan paperback series of M.R. James ghost stories to my personal library. 👻

Bowie Book Bonanza

Elizabeth by Jessica Hamilton

Continuing my recent post, here is one of my favourite books - one of the few novels I have read more than once. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice I also own the latest Valancourt reprint, which is published under the author's real name, Ken Goodhall.

I am still missing the edition I had as a teenager, which I can't find at a decent price anywhere. That was the Sphere title, with the photographic cover of a woman reflected in a framed mirror. One day it will be mine lol...

Baxter by Jessica Hamilton

 I have been reading a strange little book over this past long and sweltering weekend. It is a curious tale about a dog, which I would wager is a better read than other books of its ilk, such as Stephen King's Cujo and James Herbert's Fluke. 

I have always known this book by its original UK title - Baxter, rather than its American name - Hellhound. And I prefer its 'quiet' title.  The horror that lies between its covers, I believe, is not served well by its comic, overly dramatic, in-your-face title, which smacks the reader in the face. This story, like the author's earlier work, Elizabeth (which led me to seek out this work), is a more sublte beast.

Whilst on the topic of names, I am not a fan of pen-names. I find them almost dishonest. I can not speak for other readers, but I like to form an idea of the author when I read their work. And when I discover that the author has invented a name, and even lied about their sex with their misnomer, I actually feel manipulated, cheated even.

Such was the case when I read Grady Hendrix' Paperbacks from Hell, and discovered Jessica Hamilton was actually a guy called Ken Greenhall! I remember feeling rather annoyed by the discovery at the time. And, perhaps strangely, when I decided to read Baxter, I sort out an old and rather tatty copy, with the UK title and Jessica Hamilton as the named author over the pristeen current edition of the book published by Valancourt: