The Grabbiest of Bags

Monsters Among Us: Journey to the Unexplained, by John Lee and Barbara Moore

If Star Trek and Planet of the Apes were fictional elements in our imaginative childhoods, lake monsters, Bigfoots, and UFOs occupied an equally large and grayer area, adding a note of mystery to the real world around us. I would search the night sky, look at the river waters fearfully, and pretend to hunt hairy giants when we went camping. It was the 70’s, and such ‘in-search-of mysteries’ like this book were all the rage, and we ate them up. This 1975 volume is illustrated with the usual ambiguous photos.

Ranking: Dispensable.

File Code: Fortean. Paperback. Cryptozoology. Extraterrestrials.

A Dream of Dracula, by Leonard Wolf.

Not only did this book explore Dracula, the vampire legend, and their cultural significance, there was also a whiff of sensuality about it that was heady for a growing teen boy raised in very straightlaced circumstances, hints of a large world and dark indulgences scattered throughout the scholarship. I’m placing this somewhere between my middle and high school years; the publishing date for this edition says 1977. It was originally John’s, I seem to remember. He was (and is) the horror buff. Illustrated with half-tones, line drawings, and photographs. I got a hardback edition years later.

Ranking: I could give it back to John, now that I have another copy and if he wants it. We’ve had it so long!

File Code: Literary Analysis. Horror. Paperback.

The Eternal Man, by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier.

Our old pal Jacques, peddling more hidden history and forbidden science. I’ve never read it, and man, does it look trippy! Crackpot blend of legend, mysticism, and speculation. A sequel to “The Morning of the Magicians”.

Ranking: Dispensable.

File Code: Hippy Trippy. Paperback.

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. (1962)

This little handbook is too well-known to need description.

Ranking: Dispensable.

File Code: Handbook. Reference. Writing. Paperback.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian, by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.

Scriptbook of the film, including scenes cut for the theatrical version. Copiously illustrated by scenes from the film. Has my name on the “Dramatis Personae” page. Back in the days before videos became common or cheap, this was one way you relived movies.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Film Script. Humor. Paperback.

Neil Simon’s Murder by Death, A Novelization by Henry Keating.

Back in the days before videos became common or cheap, this was one way you relived movies. Keating tried to sneak in some of his own ‘jokes’ and routines. Shame. Now that we have so many platforms to watch the actual movie, who really needs it?

Ranking: Dispensable.

File Code: Movie Novelization. Comedy. Paperback.