Old Armada Ghost books keep haunting my memories but I don't know why. I can't for the life of me recall reading them as a kid but those eerie paperback covers just won't leave me alone, especially the first one in chilling green with the white haired phantom.
A possible reason why I think I read that Armada book lies I think on the cover of a book I do recall and one I adored, Supernatural Stories for Books from 1971, with once again a white haired spectre, this time accosting a terrified Bobby, with shades of blue creating a terrible scene.
I lost my copy for decades but managed to pick one up again in my Forties and we were once more reunited. of all the books I got over many childhood Christmasses this particular one is the quintessence of them all. I was 11 that year. I can almost smell the pine aroma of our festive fir tree warmed by the fairy lights and stuffed with balloons.
What I hadn't realised until writing this was the book had an earlier incarnation in 1968 pictured below, in which the white-haired horror appears to be actually running off with the Bobby, who seems to be unconscious or ... worse!
As a fiendish footnote to this phantom frivolity I thought I'd show you my older Brother's own iconic creepy volume from his tender years, again a milestone in my own memories of Christmasses past. Tales of the Uncanny and the Supernatural by Algernon Blackwood. The green cover is unforgettable.
It always moves deeply me when I think that our old late Mum spent time buying these books way back at the start of the 1970's and everything else for us, her kids and then placed them herself on our Christmas piles late in the night one Christmas Eve. Sadly she didn't see the decade out so everything she did for us has become a treasure.
Its such a pity we don't have the originals Mum bought us anymore but second-hand copies are decent substitutes 50 years later and still stir the memories.
Did you have any of these kids' books readers or any other ghostly tomes?
Back in 1972, one of my pals bought the Supernatural Stories For Boys book (with the 2nd cover) and I later bought one for myself, which I've still got. I remember reading it when I was off ill from school one day (or was it work?) and, in the main, I think it was pretty well-written. One look at that cover and it reminds me of a former pal, a great bookshop (long-gone), and the sizzlin' '70s. Funnily enough, I saw the first cover only a few months back on ebay and considered getting it, but the seller - World Of Books, I think - is known for showing stock images and sending different editions, so I didn't buy it. I was going to do a feature on my blog and show both covers, but you beat me to it. (Rats!)
ReplyDeleteSorry bout that Kid. Maybe they warrant a longer feature on Crivens. I've never seen that first cover before until this week, which is remarkable in itself.
DeleteOooh I must have read some of those Armada compilations wnen I was but a tadpole, that ship on the cover stirs aged memories. I do remember the Pan horrors from as far back as 1970. I stll have my 22nd Pan from 1981. Also lurking from the dark ages is a 4th Fontana book of horror stories 1973 edition (was one of my sisters' books, but I have it now, mwahahaha!), Ghostly Experiences (Armada Lion,1973) and The Haunted Mountain (Collins Lions,1974). Theres probably a few more hidden in amongst everything else. Certainly, I was a big fan of horror anthologies in the 70's, and graduated to the novels of James Herbert. By 1981 I was sliding rapidly to my true love (helped by the awefulness of Fluke and The Jonah) : Science Fiction. Nowadays I re-read my old horror stuff but have not been tempted to buy any more (other than Domain, just because its ratty). I'll have to try flex my brain cells and see if theres any freebie downloads of horror compilations out there. Wooo-oo-oo-oo-oooo!
ReplyDeleteSome great titles there Timmy, some I've never heard of, although Pan Horrors were a favourite of my Parents when I was a nipper. I'm actually reading one at the minute. I read Herbert's Magic Cottage a while back. It was a dissapointment. What was up with Fluke and Jonah? I've not read those.
DeleteAfter the likes of The Rats, The Fog, The Survivor and The Spear, you'd expect scares galore from Fluke and The Jonah. Sadly not. Fluke is just tedious and the cover of The Jonah gives away the big reveal. I did read some of his other books whilst holibobbing (from the hotels cupboard library) such as Ash and The Secret of Crinkly Bottom(or whatever its called) or at other times (The Dark, Portent) but none of them have grabbed me like those first few early novels.
DeleteI'll have to track down those early ones as I've not read any of them. Cheers Timmy.
DeleteWow, an Algernon Blackwood anthology for kids! That must have been a trip and a half for some lucky teens!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great book Zigg!
DeleteA load of Agernon Blackwood's stories are avaiable to download free at http://algernonblackwood.org/
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Spooky!
DeleteI recall the Armada Ghost books. They were collections of short stories by various authors. On looking up this series I found there were a whopping 15 volumes, published between 1967 and 1983, at a rate of about one a year, with the odd gap. I probably had about half of them in the 1970s, mostly the earlier titles. It seems the first volume was originally just called The Armada Ghost Book, but as further books were released, it was re-printed and re-titled the 1st Armada Ghost Book. I do not remember having any of the other books mentioned.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?23949
Thanks for the link and the info Paul.
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