During his twilight years, the French author Jules Verne (1828-1905) wrote two original sequels to books that had fired his own youthful imagination but which he felt to be incomplete: Johann Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson and Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Arthur Gordon Pym (1845) was only one of many Poe stories which Verne admired; no other single author had more impact on his writing. Verne acknowledged this debt in his only major piece of literary criticism, a detailed 1864 article entitled Edgard sic] Poe and his work.Poe (1809-1849) was just emerging on the French literary scene in translation as Verne was writing his first plays and short stories. Verne was familiar with a broad range of Poe's works, the well-remembered stories as well as many that are obscure today. What is to be admired in Poe, Verne wrote, are the novelties of his situations, the discussion of little-known facts, the observations of the unhealthy faculties of Mankind, the choice of subject-matter, the ever-strange personality of his characters, their nervous, sickly temperaments, their ways of expressing themselves by bizarre interjections. that grips the credulity of the reader.

This critical biography chronicles both the actual travels and the philosophical meanderings of Talbot Mundy, one of the pioneers of the fantasy and adventure genre. Less celebrated than his contemporaries Rudyard Kipling and Joseph Conrad, Mundy was no less gifted when it came to the literary portrayal of faraway lands. He was one of the first Western writers to show an appreciation of Eastern culture, and his writing became an outlet for his radical ideas on religion and philosophy. At the age of sixteen, Mundy left his native England to begin his life of adventure?a journey that took him from India to the Middle East to Tibet and finally to America, which became his adopted home. The American spirit of adventure matched Mundy's own, and it was here that he found a true audience for his work. This book explores Mundy's oeuvre?much of it set in exotic locales through which he himself had traveled?and considers both his novels and his lesser known writing, as well as his film and radio work. Books such as Rung Ho!, King-of the Khyber Rifles, Caves of Terror, Purple Pirate and Tros of Samothrace are discussed and placed within the framework of Mundy's life and philosophy. The final chapter evaluates the enduring value of his writings. Appendices include a comprehensive list of Mundy's works and a chronological listing by their original publication dates.

The great movie serials of yesteryear are covered in 20 informative essays culled from the pages of BLOOD 'N' THUNDER, the premier journal of adventure, mystery and melodrama in American popular culture of the early 20th century. There are no gushy fanboy puff-pieces in this book; each essay is undergirded with solid research and, in many cases, interviews with the actors, writers and directors involved. Titles covered at length include THE IRON CLAW (1916), PATRIA (1917), THE GREEN ARCHER (1925), THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY (1926), JUNGLE MYSTERY (1932), THE RED RIDER (1934), NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN (1935), TIM TYLER'S LUCK (1937), SECRET OF TREASURE ISLAND (1938), THE LONE RANGER (1938), THE SHADOW (1940), DRUMS OF FU MANCHU (1940), and DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (1943). Serial performers and technicians interviewed specifically for these articles (over a period of several decades) include Kay Aldridge, Henry Brandon, Herman Brix, Yakima Canutt, George DeNormand, Rose Hobart, Iris Meredith, Cecilia Parker, Barry Shipman, Frank Leon Smith, Frankie Thomas, and William Witney. Nearly 100,000 words long and over 300 pages, the book is illustrated with two lengthy galleries including dozens of rare stills, posters and lobby cards from the serials under discussion. This is a must-have volume for anyone who is seriously interested in the history of motion-picture chapter plays.

A fantastic adventure across the United States awaits in the only exact replica edition of Jules Verne's rarest book - used copies costing thousands of dollars. This edition is a replica of the original magazine print edition, looking as it looked in the magazine, including all the wonderful original illustrations by Georges Roux (over 60 of them). An extraordinary adventure that many say is better than Around the World in 80 Days, from the amazing Jules Verne of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame. William J. Hypperbone, one of the richest men in the world, has died - and left his fortune to the winner of an unbelievable game set entirely in the U.S. With an introduction by Camille "Caz" Cazedessus II, who made this edition possible, and with a preface by Verne scholar Dr. Brian Taves. Join the players as they play hard to win a gigantic fortune-you'll love the ride

A fantastic adventure across the United States awaits in the only fully illustrated edition of Jules Verne's rarest book - used copies costing thousands of dollars. This edition is the only fully illustrated edition, with all the wonderful original illustrations by Georges Roux (over 60 of them). An extraordinary adventure that many say is better than Around the World in 80 Days, from the amazing Jules Verne of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame. William J. Hypperbone, one of the richest men in the world, has died - and left his fortune to the winner of an unbelievable game set entirely in the U.S. With an introduction by Camille "Caz" Cazedessus II, who made this edition possible, and with a preface by Verne scholar Dr. Brian Taves. Join the players as they play hard to win a gigantic fortune-you'll love the ride

Even for those who have never read Jules Verne (1828--1905), the author's very name conjures visions of the submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the epic race in Around the World in Eighty Days, the spacecraft in From the Earth to the Moon, and the daring descent in Journey to the Center of the Earth. One of the most widely translated authors of all time, Verne has inspired filmmakers since the early silent period and continues to fascinate audiences more than one hundred years after his works were first published. His riveting plots and vivid descriptions easily transform into compelling scripts and dramatic visual compositions. In Hollywood Presents Jules Verne, Brian Taves investigates the indelible mark that the author has left on English-language cinema. Adaptations of Verne's tales have taken many forms -- early movie shorts, serials, feature films, miniseries, and television shows -- and have been produced as both animated and live-action films. Taves illuminates how, as these stories have been made and remade over the years, each new adaptation looks back not only to Verne's words but also to previous screen incarnations. He also examines how generations of actors have portrayed iconic characters such as Phileas Fogg and Captain Nemo, and how these figures are treated in pastiches such as Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012). Investigating the biggest box-office hits as well as lower-budget productions, this comprehensive study will appeal not only to fans of the writer's work but also to readers interested in the ever-changing relationship between literature, theater, and film.

Thomas H. Ince was a film industry revolutionary. With a career that began in vaudeville and ended with the entire movie studio system credited to his name, the influential producer changed the industry forever. Known for his intense work ethic and vast array of talents that ranged from actor to producer to cinematographer, Ince became known as one of the hardest working businessmen in Tinseltown, churning out more than 100 films during his career. However, today he is perhaps best remembered for the rumors surrounding his sudden death in November 1924 after falling ill on media mogul William Randolph Hurst's private yacht Oneida following a weekend party at sea. Thomas H. Ince: Pioneer Independent delves into the life and career of a man who not only introduced the genre of the western to the American public, but who adapted quickly and effectively to the new industrialized mode of film production, inventing staples such as the "shooting script" and the assembly-line approach to filmmaking. He constructed the first major Hollywood studio, which he affectionately dubbed "Inceville," a behemoth of a compound perched in the Santa Monica hills that was home to multiple production sets. He later joined forces with D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennet to form Triangle Production Company, and establishment that came to be known as the most sophisticated film company in existence as it integrated production, distribution, and theater operations, allowing the company to singlehandedly control every aspect of their films. Shortly after, Ince established his own studio in 1919 by the name of Thomas H. Ince Studios, a company that was soon known as a mecca of creative projects. The studio was home to dozens of unique films, inluding his own work Her Reputation (1923), a scathing look at yellow journalism that ironically presaged his own fate at the hands of Hollywood's rumor mill. Author Brian Taves moves beyond the scandal that is so readily associated with the producer's name to explore the immense impact his work had on the development of Hollywood's modern film industry. Thoroughly researched and seamlessly constructed, this volume will be a welcome addition to UPK's silent film list.