Paperbacks from Hell A History of Horror Fiction from the '70s and '80s

Take a wildly entertaining tour through the horror paperback boom of the 1970s and ’80s as Grady Hendrix unearths forgotten authors, bizarre plots, publishing history, and gloriously lurid vintage book covers.



Take a wildly entertaining tour through the horror paperback boom of the 1970s and ’80s as Grady Hendrix unearths forgotten authors, bizarre plots, publishing history, and gloriously lurid vintage book covers.

Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles, this unforgettable volume dishes on familiar authors like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, plus many more who’ve faded into obscurity.

From Satanic children and haunted houses to killer rabbits, murderous moths, flesh-eating Vikings, and other forgotten nightmares, Hendrix charts horror's evolution through two unforgettable decades with sharp commentary, bizarre plot summaries, publishing history, and an infectious love for the genre.

Packed with over 300 reproductions of outrageous vintage paperback artwork, this richly illustrated celebration is a treasure trove for horror fans, book collectors, pop-culture obsessives, and anyone who believes books really were weirder back then.

• An exhaustive retrospective of the golden age of paperback horror novels from the 1970s and 1980s
• Trace horror crazes from occult fiction and haunted houses to slashers and killer creatures, as well as the prolific authors of the time
• Features over 350 vintage horror novel covers
• Includes Grady Hendrix's recommendations on which novels are worth your time, and which should be allowed to fade into obscurity
• A fascinating resource for horror readers, vintage paperback collectors, artists, designers, and publishing-history fans

Descend into two decades of gloriously weird paperback horror and discover the bizarre books and forgotten nightmares that made the era unforgettable.