Black Lizard
Encyclopedia
Black Lizard was a publisher imprint during the 1980s. A division of the Creative Arts Book Company of Berkeley, California
, Black Lizard specialized in presenting rediscovered forgotten classic crime fiction
writers and novels from the decades between the 1930s and the 1960s. Creative Arts Book Company was founded by Don Ellis in 1966. Creative Arts filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003.
Creative Arts was best known for its Black Lizard imprint. Founded and edited by writer Barry Gifford
, Black Lizard released over ninety books between 1984 and 1990, including reprints of classic novels by Charles Willeford
, David Goodis
, Peter Rabe
, Harry Whittington
, Dan J. Marlowe, Charles Williams
, and Lionel White
, as well as original novels by Barry Gifford
and Jim Nisbet. Lizard is single-handedly responsible for renewing the interest in pulp
master Jim Thompson
in the late 1980s, long after his death, which resulted in several film adaptations of his novels. The original series were mass-market paperbacks with covers drawn by Kirwan.
Barry Gifford
's relationship with Black Lizard is also sometimes credited with having first applied the term noir fiction to a certain sub-genre of hardboiled
fiction. Thus, in an introduction writtern by Gifford to the Black Lizard editions of Jim Thompson
's novels in 1984, Gifford writes: "The French seem to appreciate best Thompson's brand of terror. Roman noir, literally 'black novel,' is a term reserved especially for novelists such as Thompson, Cornell Woolrich
and David Goodis
. Only Thompson, however, fulfills the French notion of both noir and maudit, the accursed and self-destructive. It is an unholy picture that Thompson presents. As the British critic Nick Kimberley has written, 'This is a godless world,' populated by persons 'for whom murder is a casual chore.'" Gifford's use of the term noir
in this context resulted in a term that is narrower in scope than that used by the French roman noir as applied to fiction.
Random House
bought the rights to the Black Lizard name in June 1990 and merged it with Vintage Crime. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
was the result. Many of the originally published books were replaced by mainstream
-friendly writers such as Dashiell Hammett
, Raymond Chandler
, James M. Cain
, as well as numerous contemporary authors. The mass-market paperbacks were replaced by trade paperbacks with black-and-white
photographs on the covers. Most of the series was reprinted in this new format, but practically all of the books published by Lizard before the merge, with the notable exception of books by Jim Thompson, have been allowed to fall out of print and have remained so since the early 1990s.
, Black Lizard had issued the following novels (cover Illustrations, with three exceptions, by Jim Kirwan):
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Black Lizard specialized in presenting rediscovered forgotten classic crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
writers and novels from the decades between the 1930s and the 1960s. Creative Arts Book Company was founded by Don Ellis in 1966. Creative Arts filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003.
Creative Arts was best known for its Black Lizard imprint. Founded and edited by writer Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness....
, Black Lizard released over ninety books between 1984 and 1990, including reprints of classic novels by Charles Willeford
Charles Willeford
Charles Ray Willeford III was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and literary criticism, Willeford is best known for his series of novels featuring hardboiled detective Hoke Moseley. The first Hoke Moseley book, Miami Blues , is considered one of its era's most...
, David Goodis
David Goodis
David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three...
, Peter Rabe
Peter Rabe
Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, , was a German American writer who also used the nom de plumes Marco Malaponte and J. T. MacCargo...
, Harry Whittington
Harry Whittington (writer)
Harry Whittington was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel...
, Dan J. Marlowe, Charles Williams
Charles Williams (U.S. author)
Charles Williams was an American writer of hardboiled crime fiction. He is regarded by critics as one of the finest suspense novelists of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1951 debut, the pulp paperback novel Hill Girl, sold over a million copies...
, and Lionel White
Lionel White
Lionel White was an American crime novelist, several of whose dark, noirish stories were made into films. His books include The Night of the Following Day , The Money Trap , The Big Caper Lionel White (January 1905 – December 1985) was an American crime novelist, several of whose dark,...
, as well as original novels by Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness....
and Jim Nisbet. Lizard is single-handedly responsible for renewing the interest in pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
master Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (writer)
James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction....
in the late 1980s, long after his death, which resulted in several film adaptations of his novels. The original series were mass-market paperbacks with covers drawn by Kirwan.
Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness....
's relationship with Black Lizard is also sometimes credited with having first applied the term noir fiction to a certain sub-genre of hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
fiction. Thus, in an introduction writtern by Gifford to the Black Lizard editions of Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (writer)
James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction....
's novels in 1984, Gifford writes: "The French seem to appreciate best Thompson's brand of terror. Roman noir, literally 'black novel,' is a term reserved especially for novelists such as Thompson, Cornell Woolrich
Cornell Woolrich
Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich was an American novelist and short story writer who sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley....
and David Goodis
David Goodis
David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three...
. Only Thompson, however, fulfills the French notion of both noir and maudit, the accursed and self-destructive. It is an unholy picture that Thompson presents. As the British critic Nick Kimberley has written, 'This is a godless world,' populated by persons 'for whom murder is a casual chore.'" Gifford's use of the term noir
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
in this context resulted in a term that is narrower in scope than that used by the French roman noir as applied to fiction.
Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
bought the rights to the Black Lizard name in June 1990 and merged it with Vintage Crime. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard is the corporate amalgamation of Random House's Vintage Crime, and Random House's 1990 acquisition, Black Lizard, a major publisher of classic crime fiction.-History:...
was the result. Many of the originally published books were replaced by mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
-friendly writers such as Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
, Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
, James M. Cain
James M. Cain
James Mallahan Cain was an American author and journalist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hardboiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the roman noir...
, as well as numerous contemporary authors. The mass-market paperbacks were replaced by trade paperbacks with black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
photographs on the covers. Most of the series was reprinted in this new format, but practically all of the books published by Lizard before the merge, with the notable exception of books by Jim Thompson, have been allowed to fall out of print and have remained so since the early 1990s.
Catalog
By the time of its acquisition by Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, Black Lizard had issued the following novels (cover Illustrations, with three exceptions, by Jim Kirwan):
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Charles Williams (U.S. author) Charles Williams was an American writer of hardboiled crime fiction. He is regarded by critics as one of the finest suspense novelists of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1951 debut, the pulp paperback novel Hill Girl, sold over a million copies... Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories.... Harry Whittington (writer) Harry Whittington was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel... David Goodis David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three... David Goodis David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three... Charles Williams (U.S. author) Charles Williams was an American writer of hardboiled crime fiction. He is regarded by critics as one of the finest suspense novelists of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1951 debut, the pulp paperback novel Hill Girl, sold over a million copies... Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... Peter Rabe Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, , was a German American writer who also used the nom de plumes Marco Malaponte and J. T. MacCargo... Francis Carco Francis Carco was a French author, born at Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was a poet, belonging to the Fantaisiste school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for L'Homme libre and Gil Blas. During the War he became aviation pilot at Étampes, after studying at the aviation school there... Charles Willeford Charles Ray Willeford III was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and literary criticism, Willeford is best known for his series of novels featuring hardboiled detective Hoke Moseley. The first Hoke Moseley book, Miami Blues , is considered one of its era's most... Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... Barry Gifford Barry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness.... Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... James M. Cain James Mallahan Cain was an American author and journalist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hardboiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the roman noir... Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories.... and Barry Malzberg Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... David Goodis David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three... Susan Thompson Susan Ann Thompson was the 40th mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was the first female to serve as mayor of Winnipeg and served two terms as mayor and held this post from 1992 to 1998.Thompson graduated with a BA from the University of Winnipeg in 1971... and Victoria Nichols James M. Cain James Mallahan Cain was an American author and journalist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hardboiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the roman noir... Helen Nielsen Helen Nielsen was an author of mysteries and television scripts for such television dramas as Perry Mason and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.She was born in Roseville, Ill., and studied journalism, art and aeronautical drafting at various schools, including the Chicago Art Institute... Kent Nelson Kent Nelson is a contemporary American author specializing in fiction and poetry. He holds a Juris Doctor in Environmental Law from the Harvard Law School.... David Goodis David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three... Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... Harry Whittington (writer) Harry Whittington was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel... John Lutz John Lutz is an American writer who mainly writes mystery novels. He has received an Edgar Award and the Shamus Award twice, and his novel Single White Female was the basis for the 1992 film starring Bridget Fonda... Harry Whittington (writer) Harry Whittington was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel... Jim Thompson (writer) James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction.... Eric Knight Eric Knight was an author who is mainly notable for creating the fictional collie Lassie.Born on 10 April 1897, in Menston in Yorkshire, England, Eric Mowbray Knight was the third of four sons born to Frederic Harrison and Marion Hilda Knight, both Quakers... |