The Digest Enthusiast No. 16BW B&W Edition: Explore the World of Digest Magazines

The Digest Enthusiast

by Richard Krauss

Steve Carper uncovers the history of the highly collectable Handi-Books and their indie publisher James Louis Quinn. Anthony Perconti tackles DC’s Blue Ribbon Digests —1981’s Best Comics Storie s and Jonah Hex. Howard Browne’s baby, Fantastic , graduates from quarterly to bi-monthly status in our close examination of a foundational 1953 part one. Tom Brinkmann peels off a visual survey of pin-up sensation Jeanne Carmen’s digest and magazine résumé in a Bad Mags Extra! Peter Enfantino cracks open 1956 (part one) with an inside look at Manhunt , the gold-standard of detective fiction digests. Robert A.W. Lowndes proves himself a giant of the digests in a behind-the-scenes overview of his decade with Health Knowledge, along with our exclusive, contextual publication grid. Reviews of RAWL’s gateway digest into Health Knowledge, Exploring the Unknown No. 1 and Startling Mystery Stories No. 3. A jam-packed edition featuring over a 100 magazine covers; new fiction by John M. Kuharik and Robert Snashall , illustrated by Brad W. Foster and Michael Neno ; cartoons by Bob Vojtko ; and more. 164 pages, published in color and b&w print editions, and Kindle, by Larque Press LLC.

163 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2023

Reviews

[Michael Neno · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Digest Enthusiast continues to be an essential resource for readers and collectors interested in 20th century digest magazines and culture, and Book Sixteen is a good example. The volume is bookended by two deep dives into obscure but fascinating publishing history. First, Steve Carper delves into the publisher/editor Jim Quinn's Handi-Book series, a paperback/digest hybrid that was successful for far longer than one would have expected. Second, Digest Enthusiast publisher Richard Krauss digs deep into the various magazines (of many genres) edited by Robert A.W. Lowndes (RAWL) for Health Knowledge. These articles were all new to me and a great resource.

The cover article covering a bibliography of model/actress Jeanne Carmen is a fun, profusely illustrated read. Filling out the volume are articles on DC's digest comics, synopsizes of Howard Browne's 1953 Fantastic publication and Manhunt; two fiction stories by Robert Snashall and John Kuharik (I illustrated one of them) and more - all printed on colorful, clean, matter paper. Recommended!