Paperback 1106: Gold Medal d1727 (1st ptg, 1966)
Title: The Scarf
Author: Robert Bloch
Cover artist: Uncredited (Harry Bennett?)
Condition: 6/10
Value: $15
- The terrifying story of a girl whose deep fear of scarves drove her to retreat into a dome of mosquito netting!
- I mean, maybe it's not the most flattering scarf, but it seems like she's overreacting. Just try it on!
- Robert Bloch, after 1960, is always (on book covers) "the author of PSYCHO" (which is what happens when you write PSYCHO)
- The killer-POV cover has a long history in paperbacks. Here's a Rudolph Belarski cover from the mid-'40s that's basically got the same idea as this cover ("fear hands" and all!):
And now the back cover of The Scarf:
Best things about this back cover:
- That opening graf is a dud. "Of a sort"? What the hell does that mean? "Early"? Compared to what? Dan Morley? That is not a name that inspires terror. Or admiration. Or much of anything.
- "Neatly plotted" sounds like an insult. A backhanded compliment. "Hey, you can plot ... neat!"
- Kids: you really should wear gloves when handling abnormal psychology. Don't let the Saturday Review tempt you into behavior you're going to regret.
Page 123~
His thumb—a weenie encircled by a diamond ring—prodded my knee.
One of the greatest "Page 123" sentences of all time. You think it's peaked at "weenie encircled by a diamond ring," but then the blunt "prodded my knee" comes along and really delivers the knockout. "Prodded." Wow. Word choice matters. 10/10. Perfect. This is why I do "Page 123"—always entertaining, and then every once in a while: gold.
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky]
5 comments:
Nice to see you back, Rex.
You say mosquito netting, I say Saran wrap.
Those hands are awfully dark. I don't want to make any accusations about the artist or the art director, but it sure seems to me like there is an attempt at stirring a subconscious reaction in the potential buyer/reader.
And why does the left index finger look like it's on the wrong way? That sure looks like a fingernail.
Speaking of hands, the guy in the other cover looks like he's going for a double boob grab.
I write a thing about the darkness of the hands, then pulled it. But:YES.
Sorry that was me —RP
Also, wrote* 😩
I mean, actually, that left and right arm seem to be connected, just below the edge of the cover. The killer is just a floating, two-handed arm (or maybe it's thumping along the floor toward the intended victim). No wonder she's freaking out.
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