Bloch, Robert, PSYCHO, 2, 1960, Fawcett, PB. You may not find too many of the first edition (1959 entry) or this first paperback ed. of Bloch's novel because Alfred Hitchcock (PSYCHO, 1960 entry) bought up large blocks of both print runs after he secretly acquired the rights to the novel so he could to keep the ending of the movie a secret. Fawcett's movie tie-in ed. was also released after the film for similar reasons (1961 entry).
Bracelin, J. L., GERALD GARDNER: WITCH, 1960, Octagon Press / British ed., HB. Need Copy and Info. This is the only biography of the father of modern witchcraft. Margot Adler (1979 & 1986 entries) suspects that the author of this is Idries Shah, the writer of Sufi books.
Budge, E . A. Wallis, BOOK OF THE DEAD, THE, 1960, University Books, HB. Reprint of the 1913 ed.
Camp, L. Sprague de, BRONZE GOD OF RHODES, THE, 1, 1960, Doubleday, HB. See 1963 entry.
Condon, Richard, MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE, 2, 1960, Signet, PB. See also MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, 1962 entry. entry
Doresse, Jean, SECRET BOOKS OF THE EGYPTIAN GNOSTICS, 1,1960, HB. The
first book to publish the partial findings of the team of scholars studying
the newly discovered Nag Hammadi library. The Dead Sea Scrolls may have
gotten better press, but the Nag Hammadi discoveries would eventually have
more impact. Many Christians had never realized how many other gospels
there were in the early days of the church. Another more esoteric Christianity
lost in time was suggested by all this.
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Evans-Wentz, W. Y., ed., TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD, THE, 1960, Oxford University Press. Trade. 3rd ed. Originally priblished in 1927. Translated by Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup. Psychological Commentary by C. G. Jung. Forwards by Lama Anagarika Govinda, and Sir John Woodroffe (AKA Arthur Avalon). Poor Lama Dawa-Samdup's translation of the BARDO THODOL really gets lost or buried under all thoses commentaries, forwards, and prefaces, along with Evans-Wentz's extensive introduction and massive notes. Nevertheless this top heavy bit of scholarship became one of the foundation works of the new mysticism of the 1960s and 70s. It still remains the only piece of genuine Tibetan scriptures that anyone in the west has ever read (or tied to read). |
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Framer, Philip Jose, FLESH, 1, 1960, Beacon Books, PB. This is the first of the novels which Farmer published with pornography or borderline porn publishers. It is interesting to compare the difference between the late 60s editions (1968 and 69 entries), which emphasized the humorous aspects of the story, and that of the early 70s (1973 entry) which emphasized the neo-pagan aspects of the tale. |
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Farmer, Philip Jose, A WOMAN A DAY, 1, 1960, Beacon Books, PB. Later repackaged by Lancer Books with the less provocative titles DAY OF THE TIMESTOP (1966 entry) and TIMESTOP (1968 entry). |
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Fleming, Ian, MOONRAKER, 2, 1960, Signet, PB. See Fleming 1955 & 1956 entries. Published this time with Flemings text, and a "girl with gun" icon on the cover. |
Graves, Robert, GREEK MYTHS, THE, 2, 1960, Penguin, PB, Revised ed.
Gray, Eden, TAROT REVEALED, THE, 1, 1960, Inspiration House (Stroudsburg,
PA), HB. See 1969 entry.
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Kerouac, Jack, TRISTESSA, 1, 1960, Avon, PB. Karouac wrote this novel in 1955-56. It had a hard time finding a publisher until it was published as a paperback original. |
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Krim, Seymour, ed., THE BEATS, 1960, Fawcett, PB. One of several original paperback anthologies of Beat writing which appeared in the early 60. This contains material by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and others. I know this sounds silly, but I really wonder who those two ladies talking to Ginsberg might be. Just curious... |
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MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, Motion picture, 1960, Director: John Sturges. Akira Kurosawa's classic SEVEN SAMURAI title got limited release in the U.S. as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Sturges took the plot, substituting American gunfighters for samurai, Mexican peasants for Japanese farmers, and the Tex/Mex border for a war-torn medieval Japan, and it worked. It succeeds as a classic Western on its own. Two things should be emphasized: 1.) MAGNIFICENT SEVEN successfully expressed many Oriental ideals and values using Western characters (especially in the spiritual warrior character played by James Coburn) and presented those ideas in a very positive light. 2.) The film created the mythical Tex/Mex border where all laws are off and anything can happen. That world would become the stage of laterItalian Westerns of Sergio Leone and U.S. director Sam Peckinpah. |
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Miller, Walter M., Jr, A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, 2, 1950, Bantam, PB. Miller presents a society growing from the ashes of an atomic holocaust some 600 years earlier. The parallels with the fall of Rome and the dark ages of Europe are all explored with great insight and irony. The most memorable scenes involve monks totally misunderstanding pre-holocaust documents, including a shopping list, due to their preconceived theological notions. Denied knowledge of history, the new society seems doomed to repeat it. |
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PSYCHO, Motion Picture, 1960. Alfred Hitchcock Director. Joseph Stefano Screenwriter. Based on Robert Bloch's novel PSYCHO (1959, 1960, and 1961 entries) . A truely ground breaking film in so many ways, that it is difficult to summarize. In retrospect it must be seen as the film that introduced audiences to the great villianous type of the late 20th century: the serial killer. The notice shown is from Britain where the violence and sex talk got it an X Certificate. |
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SPARTACUS, Motion Picture, 1960, Director: Stanley Kubrick, Writer: Dalton Trumbo. Spectacular historic film about the great gladiator and slave revolt in the last days of the Roman Republic. Most notable because producer Kirk Douglas chose to break the Hollywood blacklist and list Dalton Trumbo as screenwriter. Trumbo had been blacklisted for suspected Red associations. |
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Spence, Lewis, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM, 1960, University Books, HB. Reprint of 1920 title. One of the best source books on occultism ever written -- so well written that several current "encyclopedias" of occultism are actually based on Spence's work, and almost all of the crib from him shamefully. |
Underhill, Evelyn, PRACTICAL MYSTICISM, 1960, Dutton, PB. Reprint of 1915 title.
Velikovsky, Immanuel, OEDIPUS AND AKNATON, 1, 1960, Doubleday, HB. Historical detective work by Velikovsky to show that the Greek myth of Oedipus is actually based upon the life of Egyptian heretic Pharoah Aknaton. One of Velikovsky's most enjoyable books.
Vishnudevananda, Swami, COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF YOGA, THE, 1, 1960, Julian Press, HB.
Waite, Arthur Edward, HOLY KABBALAH, THE, 1960, University Books, HB.
Watts, Alan, THIS IS IT, 1 1960, Pantheon, HB.
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