24 September 2012

Good, it's a Packard


The Four Stragglers
Frank L. Packard
London: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d.]
The Locked Room
Frank L. Packard
London: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d.]

2 comments:

  1. At least this Hodder & Stoughton ad campaign was truthful. H&S had all sorts of catchphrases to help market their crime writers. "Horler for Excitement!" was plastered all over books by thriller writer Sydney Horler. I'd say "Horler for Hysteria!" was more suited for him. The books are melodramatic potboilers filled with loopy plots, cardboard characters and unintentionally uproarious dialog.

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  2. At a time in which it seems there is no limit to hype, it's almost refreshing to see such restraint on these old Packards. I wonder whether "Oh, how nice, it's a Packard" was also considered.

    As I wrote to a friend, I would buy a book with "Crap, it's a Clancy" on the cover.

    Are you listening, Berkley?

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