Kimber's Ghost & Horror titles
May 9, 2007 2:22:54 GMT -5
Post by Gloomy Sundae on May 9, 2007 2:22:54 GMT -5
WILLIAM KIMBER (76), doyen of ghost story publishers, died after a long illness on 26th April 1991. Seventeen years after joining Hutchinson, he founded William Kimber & Co in 1950, and the company retained its unique individuality until 1988 when it was bought by Thorsons. Known primarily for his specialities of war memoirs, autobiographies and motor-racing subjects, Kimber began publishing ghost story titles after the initial success of HAUNTED CORNWALL edited by Denys Val Baker in 1973. The annual Baker anthologies were soon joined by the collections of Mary Williams and James Turner, and the series (most instantly recognisable in their Iconicus dust jackets) continued to appear regularly with an average output of four or five titles each year. More than any other publisher William Kimber helped to keep new ghost story collections (as well as anthologies) before the public. R. Chetwynd Hayes, Meg Buxton, Frank Baker, Fred Urquhart, A. G. Scupham and Lanyon Jones, were among the names added to the list, and such acclaimed writers as A. L. Barker, J. C. Trewin, Rosalind Wade and Derek Stanford (who all deserve ghost story collections of their own) contributed regularly to Kimber anthologies. The passing of William Kimber marks the end of an era, and all ghost story devotees will hope that other likeminded publishers will arise to take his place.
From Obituaries, by Richard Dalby; The Ghost Story Society Newsletter #8, July 1981.
As mentioned elsewhere, Vault made an attempt at listing all the Kimber titles but it was always going to be a tough ask, not least because between us we didn't have so many of the books! The relevent threads are:
Ionicus
Denys Val Baker Anthologies
Kimber supernatural fiction: let's list the lot
Peter C. Smith Anthologies
Chetwynd-Hayes certainly enjoyed his time with the company:
Kimber was always very good to me. I had to cater for the public library trade, which is really middle-aged ladies and they like a gentle ghost story. I don't regret that. I'd love to get into paperbacks again - that's where the real money is and, of course, you get mass readership there as well. Still, you probably get as many readers eventually through library editions. I was averaging 18, 000 borrowings per book per year.
From - where else? - the Steve Jones & Jo Fletcher interview in Skeleton Crew, Sept. 1990.
Libraries. That's where I remember them from. And shops that specialised in remaindered books. There was a time when you couldn't move for the things. Now, I can't remember the last time I encountered one on my creepy crawls around the charity shops and markets, and I've been looking hard. Where have they all disappeared to?
Anyhow, I think it's time to make a fresh start on tackling the Kimber back catalogue. Seeing as there are so many Denys Val Baker, Peter Haining and Mary Williams titles involved I think they warrant sub-boards to themselves, likewise ionicus who illustrated so many of the dust-jackets.
From Obituaries, by Richard Dalby; The Ghost Story Society Newsletter #8, July 1981.
As mentioned elsewhere, Vault made an attempt at listing all the Kimber titles but it was always going to be a tough ask, not least because between us we didn't have so many of the books! The relevent threads are:
Ionicus
Denys Val Baker Anthologies
Kimber supernatural fiction: let's list the lot
Peter C. Smith Anthologies
Chetwynd-Hayes certainly enjoyed his time with the company:
Kimber was always very good to me. I had to cater for the public library trade, which is really middle-aged ladies and they like a gentle ghost story. I don't regret that. I'd love to get into paperbacks again - that's where the real money is and, of course, you get mass readership there as well. Still, you probably get as many readers eventually through library editions. I was averaging 18, 000 borrowings per book per year.
From - where else? - the Steve Jones & Jo Fletcher interview in Skeleton Crew, Sept. 1990.
Libraries. That's where I remember them from. And shops that specialised in remaindered books. There was a time when you couldn't move for the things. Now, I can't remember the last time I encountered one on my creepy crawls around the charity shops and markets, and I've been looking hard. Where have they all disappeared to?
Anyhow, I think it's time to make a fresh start on tackling the Kimber back catalogue. Seeing as there are so many Denys Val Baker, Peter Haining and Mary Williams titles involved I think they warrant sub-boards to themselves, likewise ionicus who illustrated so many of the dust-jackets.