I have been looking in to the history of Monarch Books, and trying to compile a list of their film and TV tie-in novels, as not all are grouped together in the Monarch Movie Book series. It has been claimed that one of these was Monarch Books 241, Rasputin: The Mad Monk. Presumably based on the Hammer film of the same name.
I quickly realised that this was doubtful, and further digging made it even more unlikely.
Rasputin: The Mad Monk, by Stuart Friedman, Monarch Books Inc., was published in March 1962. Cover painting by Bob Maguire. The cover states First Publication Anywhere. Retail price 35 cents in the USA.
The Monarch Books address is given as Division Street, Derby, Connecticut, USA, rather than the Capital Building, Derby, as in earlier books.
My reasons for doubting this is a movie tie-in book are as follows:
No movie tie-in is mentioned anywhere on the front or back cover, or inside on the title or copyright pages.
No mention of Hammer, or any other film or distribution company.
The book was published in March 1962, but the Hammer film was not released until March 1966 (it was made in 1965). Book publication and film release dates do not always match, but four years is a pretty big gap.
The copyright page states 'A Monarch Non-Fiction Headliner'. So it was non-fiction, while the Hammer film was a fictionalised account of real events.
Monarch book numbers are confusing, as fiction and non-fiction titles are mixed together. The 241 number is therefore no help here.
The Wikipedia entry for Monarch Books claims Rasputin is based on the Hammer film, but gets the publication date wrong, stating 1959 when it was 1962; and lists it as a novel.
Only someone who has actually read the book could say categorically if it is, or is not, based on the Hammer film.
There was a novelisation of the Hammer film by John Burke, part of The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus (1967). This contained novelisations of four Hammer films: The Reptile; Dracula - Prince of Darkness; Rasputin - The Mad Monk; and The Plague of the Zombies.
This was Pan Books Ltd, M223.
There was a 2nd Printing in 1974, with a different cover.
Four photographs from Worthpoint.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
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