Sunday, May 24, 2015

Paperback 884: Dagger of the Mind / Kenneth Fearing (Bantam 93)

Paperback 884: Bantam 93 (1st ptg, 1947)

Title: Dagger of the Mind
Author: Kenneth Fearing
Cover artist: "Galdone" (signature, lower right)

Estimated value: $15-20

Bant93
Best things about this cover:
  • Weird. That dagger of the mind looks a lot like an actual dagger.
  • The artist was right to stab this painting. It's terrible.
  • Art colonies were a weird source of fascination for pulpy writers of the '40s-'50s. There was probably some presumption of casual nudity and free love, although Zombie Veronica here looks well and properly dressed.
  • "Bye bye, painting. I'll miss you."

Bant93bc
Best things about this back cover:
  • OK, that's a pretty persuasive first sentence. I like the idea of her husband running at her with a dagger and her just ... stepping aside. Like some weird torero.
  • "Need more be said?" Yes, it need. It need be more said.
  • That little sketch of the woman is pretty pathetic, but these endpapers are pretty boss!:
Bant93endpapers-1

Page 123~

I said, rubbing my head, "Don't ask me riddles. I want some borscht, shaslik, and about two quarts of iced coffee."

Hey, that's *my* hangover remedy. Wait, what's "shaslik"? Sounds like something Mork would say to Orson.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

4 comments:

A said...

That dagger of the mind looks like a dagger of the neck to me. And I thought I knew my anatomy.

vintagehoarder said...

Am I the only person whose mind leapt straight to the Star Trek episode when they read that title?

DemetriosX said...

@whatweworethen
No, no you are not. I thought it so much that, as the page was loading, my mind interpreted "Galdone" as "Van Gelder".

Benzadmiral said...

Why is someone stabbing Katy Perry?