Best Books of the Year: Xerox Ferox

They still print books, you know, and Lord knows, I still buy 'em. Mostly books about movies and other pop culture, which probably doesn't come as much as a surprise if you read this blog. Over the next couple of weeks or so, I'll share my picks for some of my favorites that landed on my shelves in 2013. Consider any appearance in this space my highest possible recommendation. In other words, if you like the subject, you're gonna love the book.


I read a slew of low-circulation zines back in my formative years, and even published a few of my own, so it's no shock that John Szpunar's thick-as-a-brick celebration of horror fanzines would find a place in my heart. In its nearly 800 (!) pages, Szpunar interviews dozens of folks who shared their love of horror and exploitation films in the pages of publications with titles like Crimson Celluloid, Stink, Shock XPress and Subhuman. The films may be disreputable, but the people behind the zines seem like a swell group of guys, telling tales of bootleg videos, late-night screenings and stolen office supplies with enthusiasm and fond nostalgia.

My favorite movie magazine of all time is Michael Weldon's Psychotronic Video (after finally completing my run, I had the whole thing bound in four volumes, for Pete's sake), so I'm as disappointed as Szpunar that he wasn't able to land an interview with Weldon. That disappointment, though, didn't last long, because the book is so full of other fascinating discussions. Szpunar did a yeoman's job of (a) tracking these people down and (b) asking them interesting questions, and it's virtually impossible to complain about any admissions -- this book is chock full! Like many of my favorite volumes, this is one of those books I can barely believe exists at all, much less manages to be so comprehensive and entertaining.