Monday, February 8, 2010

57 Books from the University Book Sale: Book 45


Title
: The Philadelphia Murder Story (Popular Library SP408, 1960)
Author: Leslie Ford (redefining the word "prolific")
Cover artist: uncredited. Criminally uncredited.

Yours for: $7

  • This guy better be a zombie or involved in some kind of performance art because there is no way I'm buying the guy died that way, with his (ghastly) hand lightly fondling a lily pad.
  • The hand-flower-face triad is just genius. Absurd, horrific genius. It does not, however, scream "Philadelphia" to me.
  • "OK, we got some ideas for the title of your new book. You remember that famous movie, 'The Philadelphia Story?' Yeah, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, right. So we were thinking: 'The Philadelphia ... MURDER ... Story.' Huh? Huh? Whaddya think? Catchy, right? P.S. the cover will feature the undead playing hide-and-seek."
  • Talk about giving up — they've not only replicated the front cover painting, but the *front cover blurb* as well.
  • Again ... you're saying one thing and I'm seeing another. Didn't see Philadelphia ... not seeing this "web" thing you speak of either.

Page 123~

The people at the Post all had them on their desks for paper weights.


I'm just gonna let that hang there. You can decide for yourself what "them" are.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

9 comments:

Brian Busby said...

A cover image so good they had to use it twice.

The repeated Herald Tribune quote lend the impression that it received one - and only one - review.

Girl from Hateville said...

It's about time someone set a murder mystery in the aquatic section of a botanical garden.

And what the hell is up with that guy's hand? His palm is, like, a foot long.

Alix said...

Girl from Hateville has articulated my thoughts exactly!

Frank said...

To truly be a Philadelphia murder story, this man must have been killed for being a Cowboys fan, and the murder weapon must have been a poisoned cheesesteak and/or the Liberty Bell.

Tulse said...

I immediately thought of the Hepburn film when I saw the title. That said, the face doesn't look like either Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart.

Ms Avery said...

Maybe his web is that green stuff tangled around his hand...

capewood said...

I'll vote for a poisoned cheesesteak. He looks a bit poisoned.

Elaine said...

Tiptoe through the lily-pads, through the lily-pads, through the....

You know, those pretty waterlilies could be embedded in lucite; they would make great paperweights!

Marla said...

All I can think of is in Auntie Mame when the awful girl is engaged to her nephew, and she keeps saying everything is "absolutely top drawer!" But you have to say it in that snooty clenched-teeth Mr. Howell type accent. "This mystery is absolutely top-drawer, Lovie." I think it's the zombie saying it.