Heroes & Villains, 1972, Angela Carter
I adore Angela Carter, but this is the discoest vision of the Apocalypse ever created.

Mohammed and Charlemagne, 1964 ed., Henri Pirenne
It’s not the least bit comforting to realize that contemporary anti-Islamic rhetoric sounds almost exactly like mid-century anti-Islamic rhetoric.
Nice cover though.

We Too Are Drifting, unknown ed., Gale Wilhelm
A submission from Pal Teresa here, filling in the melancholy but beautifully designed lesbian pulp novel gap this feature had.

Der Struwwelpeter (Shock Headed Peter), unknown ed., ~1871, Heinrich Hoffman
Technically a hard-cover, but it’s the 200th installment of this feature, which felt like it needed something special to mark it, and a 19th century children’s book about children dying horribly for violating social norms is certainly special.

The Psychology of Murder, 1962 ed., Stuart Palmer
Did you know that people who commit murder are often aggressive and have poor impulse control? Truly startling, I know.

The Dirty Duck, 1985, Martha Grimes
Pub name or unspeakable sex act?

Blood and Judgment, 1959, Michael Gilbert
On the flip side, as lurid as photo covers were, too much abstraction doesn’t help matters much either. Yes, it’s a nice, clean, minimalist design, but why is that gun shooting a house?

The Body of a Girl, 1978 ed, Michael Gilbert
There was something gloriously campy about the 70s mystery photo covers.
Also creepy.

A Case of Spirits, 1975, Peter Lovesey
There’s something oddly satisfying about books about mediums getting killed.

The Laughing Policeman, 1977 ed., Maj Sjowall, Per Wahloo, Alan Blair trans.
Scandinavian mysteries are in vogue again, but they’re nothing new, as this aggressively 70s example can attest.