Lawrence Block's THE NAKED AND THE DEADLY in deluxe softcover

 

Reissuing Lawrence Block's long-lost work for men's adventure magazines in the Men's Adventure Library collection The Naked and the Deadly is a milestone for the series, and a considerable source of great pride for us.

We had two primary goals for the project: First, to issue Block's work in the kind of deluxe presentation it deserves. Second, to try to ensure that the book's sticker price would allow anyone who wants to read the book the opportunity to own a copy—even readers on tighter budgets.

So we issued the book in multiple editions: A deluxe signed and numbered hardcover, and a deluxe (unsigned) hardcover, both printed in full color and packed with supplementary history, context, and illustrations.

We also put together a relatively no-frills ebook edition, and a compact mass market paperback edition—both focused on the stories alone.

But we are so wild about the hardcover presentations, we decided to issue another edition: a softcover that (mostly) replicates the contents and design of the hardcovers: a deluxe softcover edition.

Priced at $29.95 for a big 368 color pages, it's $16 less than the hardcover, but includes everything that's in the hardcover—minus the hardcover's bonus story.

It's been available for a while now. The problem is, many of our readers buy our books from Amazon, and Amazon doesn't seem to know what to do with a title that's been released in two softcover editions—despite the many differences between those softcover editions. Even searching for the deluxe softcover on Amazon can be a frustrating experience.

So, here's a direct link to the deluxe softcover on Amazon: https://amzn.to/41W23fl

Of course, copies are always available from the book's co-editor Bob Deis via his webstore at MensPulpMags.com. Bob often offers deals and discounts on all our books there, and he's always glad to sign or personalize books on request. Order directly from Bob by clicking HERE.

Now, please feel free to get Naked!

Todd Pierce's ATTACHÉ CASE: BACKSTAGE AT THE EMBASSY

"The Kitchen Confidential of the State Department."

"Denial and minimizing are at least 50 percent of diplomacy, and as a gay man raised Catholic in Connecticut, I had those skills down pat."

You've seen them on the news, looking competent and concerned in their navy suits. They're in Beijing, Riyadh, Nairobi, Geneva, and of course Washington, DC. They look uneasy on camera. When they speak (which is as little as possible), it's with caution, hemmed in by protocol and the fear of causing an incident.

These are the diplomats.

Opening up a famously tight-lipped profession, 25-year State Department veteran Todd Pierce takes you backstage at the embassy, sharing what it's like to serve as a working-level diplomat.

Pierce traces his postings around the world, and tells what goes on backstage at the embassy. Sure, there are clashes over policy, but there’s also a visit to a Turkish supermax to visit a detained friend, a career near-death experience on the Acropolis, and a testy exchange, in Rangoon, about the Oscars. There are gaffes galore (usually his own) as he navigates the error-prone translation of one culture for another. There is public diplomacy, illustrated by Tom of Finland.

Find out what a working-level diplomat does every day, and what happens, come evening, at receptions. (Do they really serve Ferrero Rocher chocolates?) What does the US have in common with celebrities? How does the dance between reporters and flacks work, exactly? And what on earth is a minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary? 

Funny, revealing, pointed, and deeply human, Attaché Case tells what it feels like to represent the celebrity country-the US-a place everyone thinks they know and has an opinion about. 

This is how your diplomacy gets made.

Click HERE to preview a section from the book on Todd's Substack.

Attaché Case: Backstage at the Embassy is available in hardcover, softcover, and ebook editions. Click HERE to buy on Amazon.

WEASELS recommended by THE WASHINGTON POST!

(click image to enlarge)

The Washington Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic Michael Dirda has singled out our new edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh! as one of his holiday gift recommendations for 2024. 

We also appreciated this "rule" posted at the head of his list:

"When possible, avoid buying titles from the bestseller lists. This shows a lack of imagination. If you’ve ever gone to a 'pick-your-own' farm, you know that the sweetest strawberries aren’t those on top of the plant in full sun, but those nestled in the shade of the leaves. You just have to search a little to find them."

We couldn't agree more. Thank you, Mr. Dirda.

Read Dirda's column in full HERE on the Post's site.

Edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle with Josh Alan Friedman, the new edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh! is part of the Men's Adventure Library series, and is available now in softcover and hardcover editions. Get it from Amazon HERE.

Stanley Zappa on Ahmet Zappa's ROCKTAILS

 

AZ: "Jason, aka Stanley, (aka) JZ, SZ, SJZ... Do you ever answer to Mary Lou Retton?" 

SJZ: "She's never called."

New Texture's Stanley J. Zappa, in conversation with his cousin Ahmet Zappa on Ahmet's Rocktails podcast.

Stanley's New Texture releases include the recordings Sing-Song Songs, Live a Little by Manzappaczewski, Crossing Guards by Carter, Leffue, Sikora, and Zappa  The Stanley J. Zappa Quarter Plays for the Society of Women Engineers, Turkey Bacon Donuts Bitches by MANZAP REBORN, Free/Refuse by Hall/Skrowaczewski/Zappa, and the book Stop Requested, with Wyatt Doyle.

James Reasoner Praises WEASELS!

“My highest recommendation.”

A primary goal of our Men’s Adventure Library series is to spotlight great and under-sung writers from the MAM era and reintroduce them to contemporary readers of hard-boiled adventure fiction.

So reviews from those who make a career of writing fiction can be particularly meaningful to us, and writer/critic/New York Times bestselling author James Reasoner’s praise for our new edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh! is very much appreciated.

"It’s one of the most beautifully produced books I’ve ever seen, with more cover reproductions and interior illustrations, better printing, full color, and updated and expanded articles and story introductions. 

"I’ll be honest with you, I was just going to skim through this new edition and read the updated material, but time and again, I found myself stopping to reread and enjoy all over again some of the stories."  

Read Reasoner’s full review on his Rough Edges blog, HERE.

Edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle with Josh Alan Friedman, the new edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh! is part of the Men's Adventure Library series, and is available now in softcover and hardcover editions. Get it from Amazon HERE.

The October Revolution in Jazz 60th Anniversary, October 1-5 (Los Angeles)

The October Revolution in Jazz 60th Anniversary Celebration

A night of rare jazz-continuum film and recordings, conversation with music luminaries, and music performance spanning generations of improvisers.  

October 1-4 @ CalArts

Click HERE for the schedule of events.

October 5, 2024 @ 2220 Arts + Archives

2220 Arts + Archives in Los Angeles
2220 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Click HERE for the schedule of events. 

The October Revolution in Jazz 60th Anniversary (ORJ 60) is a celebration of the life and legacy of visionary musician-composer, artist, and educator Bill Dixon (1925–2010). It is also a reflection upon the cultural impact of the original October Revolution in Jazz, which Dixon organized at NYC’s Cellar Cafe in 1964. 

The original was blessed with unforeseen successes: four days of packed performances by the second wave of a contemporary musical avant-garde emerging out of the jazz continuum; heated debates about the exploitative commodification of musicians’ labor; and implicit protest of the limiting aesthetic constraints of traditional jazz. The October Revolution in Jazz had an energizing impact on the social and political aims of artists of all kinds, and led to a whirlwind of artist-driven initiatives, including the Jazz Composer’s Guild and the NYC loft scene. 

Like the original, ORJ 60 is simultaneously a summit, a call to action, and an imagining of new futures. ORJ 60 will explore the profound impact of improvisation on culture from the 1960s onward, as well as its influence on various artistic modes beyond music, including pedagogy, collectivity, artist-driven organizing, and creative ways of being.  

Through a multivalent program of workshops, symposia, and performances, ORJ 60 aims to foster a deeper understanding of improvisation as a critical and creative practice, and to contemplate a vivid way forward. It also aims to reinvigorate awareness of Bill Dixon’s enormous contributions to improvised music, and the cultural impact of his pedagogies.

Please check out october-revolution.org for details! 

#calarts #2220arts #orj60 #calartsmusic #OctoberRevolutionInJazz #youmeandthewhales #vinnygolia #kzap.radio #stanleyjasonzappa #catherinesikora #nickskrowaczewski #t.j.borden #kylemotl #bobbybradford #triplepointrecords #hamzawalker #sarahjobeadle

Gary Lovisi's Video Review of WEASELS!

"Just stunning."

 

Writer and pulp scholar Gary Lovisi has single-handedly taken on our brand-new, full color hardcover edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh!

Is there anything left of him?

"This is a beautiful, beautiful edition. Just stunning. These are great stories. Over 400 pages, loaded with photos, interviews, and articles... (Includes) Walter Wager, Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, Mario Puzo...everybody who's anybody who wrote for these magazines, whether under their own names or under pseudonyms. Wild, wild stuff, and it's just great fun."

Gary's videos are always fun and informative, and his praise carries a lot of weight with us. See for yourself:

Edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle with Josh Alan Friedman, the new edition of Weasels Ripped My Flesh! is part of the Men's Adventure Library series, and is available now in softcover and hardcover editions. Get it from Amazon HERE.

Celebrate Pride in Houston with JD Doyle!

From JD Doyle:

My Pride Month Event!

I've been asked to talk about my book— 1981—My Gay American Road Trip —at the Houston Public Library. It will be a reading, with slide show and Q&A.

June 15th at 2 pm, Central Library / 500 McKinney

Registration not required, but encouraged. Streaming viewers can also register via this link:

https://calendar.houstonlibrary.org/event/12325054

JD Doyle's 1981—My Gay American Road Trip is available now from QMH Press/New Texture. To purchased the softcover or deluxe hardcover edition, click HERE.

ATOMIC WEREWOLVES AND MAN-EATING PLANTS Invade The Book Graveyard!

From Nick Anderson, aka Grounds Keeper of The Book Graveyard:

The selection of stories varied from genre to genre on a roller coaster ride of quality. The names you know and love already hit it out of the park. There was lots of schlocky fun, too. And maybe a couple stinkers? But to be honest, even when I didn’t enjoy the story, it was an appropriate inclusion in that it gave you more of an understanding of the output of MAMs. And as someone who is obsessed with era atmosphere, on this it delivered.

I love all of the output from Men’s Adventure Library and this is no exception. Highly recommended.

"Era atmosphere"! I can dig it.

Read Nick's full review on The Book Graveyard HERE.

Edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle, Atomic Werewolves and Man-Eating Plants is part of the Men's Adventure Library series, and is available now in softcover and as an expanded hardcover with bonus material. Buy it HERE.

JD Doyle Speaking and Signing in Virginia

JD Doyle is taking his Gay American Road Trip on the road!

From JD: "Just a week away! I'll be in Norfolk, VA on February 27 giving a reading and Q&A on my book. My first 'out-of-town' appearance, yay!

"It's at ODU (Old Dominion University) on Tuesday, February 27 at 6 pm. I will be joined by panelists Scott Wyatt and Charles Ford to discuss gay life in Norfolk and the surrounding areas in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Hey, Scott's in the book!

"Yes, I'll have a few copies for sale, and if you already have one, I'll be pleased to sign it. Huge thanks to Cathleen Rhodes for doing the organizing."

JD Doyle's 1981—My Gay American Road Trip is available now from QMH Press/New Texture. To purchased the softcover or deluxe hardcover edition, click HERE.

Steve Carroll on "Spectacular" ATOMIC WEREWOLVES

"Quite simply, spectacular."

Author and media omnivore Steve Carroll gets trapped alone with Atomic Werewolves and Man-Eating Plants and emerges...changed.

"The book itself is simply gorgeous, but that’s to be expected by this point in our relationship with these editors. Lavishly illustrated with many covers reproduced in full color, this is essentially a coffee table book dedicated to 'when men’s adventure magazines got weird,' as the cover’s subtitle aptly describes. I also appreciate the effort that has gone into identifying the artists whose work adorns the covers and interior illustrations; all in all, this book is an effort of pure love for the genre."

Carroll's story-by-story review can be read in full on his website, HERE.

Edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle, Atomic Werewolves and Man-Eating Plants is part of the Men's Adventure Library series, and is available now in softcover and as an expanded hardcover with bonus material. Buy it HERE.

JD Doyle at Houston Oasis, Sunday Feb. 11

 

 

JD Doyle brings 1981 to Houston Oasis:
 

"This Sunday! Room opens at 10 am and I'm so looking forward to it! It's another chance to hear me do a reading and field questions on my book, and also there will be a few copies for sale. Thanks to Wil Jeudy at Houston Oasis for the invitation."

Click here to view Houston Oasis' event calendar.

JD Doyle's 1981—My Gay American Road Trip is available now from QMH Press/New Texture. To purchased the softcover or deluxe hardcover edition, click HERE.

The Book Graveyard Digs MANEATERS!

"I loved it. I want to collect them all."

Have a whistle through The Book Graveyard, where Grounds Keeper Nick Anderson weighs in on our killer-sharks-focused Men's Adventure Library collection Maneaters! 

His review includes an enaging video browse through the book with commentary by Anderson.

Click HERE to check it out, along with many other reviews from the Graveyard.

Maneaters is available in softcover and expanded hardcover editions. Click HERE to purchase from Amazon, or visit co-editor Bob Deis's store HERE to purchase signed copies.