What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Book Series III
A Little Purple Book of Phantasies
Stuart D. Schiff. World Fantasy Award-winning editor of the prestigious Whispers magazine and anthology series, has compiled a wonderful assortment of cartoons, illustrations, and short stories by the gifted artist and writer, Gahan Wilson.
Gahan enjoyed a long and spectacular career doing monthly cartoons for Playboy and The New Yorker magazines, as well as editing Horror and Suspense anthologies and writing his own magical and perverse tales. He now resides in an assisted living facility and was unable to sign this volume; Stuart D. Schiff signed this volume as the editor.
If you are not familiar with Gahan Wilson, you are in for a wonderful discovery. If you already know and love his work, this book will be a treasured addition to your shelves.
Gahan enjoyed a long and spectacular career doing monthly cartoons for Playboy and The New Yorker magazines, as well as editing Horror and Suspense anthologies and writing his own magical and perverse tales. He now resides in an assisted living facility and was unable to sign this volume; Stuart D. Schiff signed this volume as the editor.
If you are not familiar with Gahan Wilson, you are in for a wonderful discovery. If you already know and love his work, this book will be a treasured addition to your shelves.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2019
14 people want to read
About the author
Gahan Wilson
283 books49 followersGahan Wilson was an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations.
Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams's cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross, and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters, and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams's work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.
His cartoons and prose fiction have appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. For the last he also wrote some movie and book reviews. He has been a movie review columnist for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a book critic for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
His comic strip Nuts, which appeared in National Lampoon, was a reaction against what he saw as the saccharine view of childhood in strips like Peanuts. His hero The Kid sees the world as a dark, dangerous and unfair place, but just occasionally a fun one too.
Wilson also wrote and illustrated a short story for Harlan Ellison's anthology Again, Dangerous Visions. The "title" is a black blob, and the story is about an ominous black blob that appears on the page, growing at an alarming rate, until... He has contributed short stories to other publications as well; "M1" and "The Zombie Butler" both appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and were reprinted in Gahan Wilson's Cracked Cosmos.
Additionally, Gahan Wilson created a computer game titled Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House, in conjunction with Byron Preiss. The goal is to collect 13 keys in 13 hours from the 13 rooms of a house, by interacting in various ways with characters (such as a two-headed monster, a mad scientist, and a vampiress), objects, and the house itself.
He received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Gahan Wilson is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.
Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams's cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross, and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters, and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams's work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.
His cartoons and prose fiction have appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. For the last he also wrote some movie and book reviews. He has been a movie review columnist for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a book critic for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
His comic strip Nuts, which appeared in National Lampoon, was a reaction against what he saw as the saccharine view of childhood in strips like Peanuts. His hero The Kid sees the world as a dark, dangerous and unfair place, but just occasionally a fun one too.
Wilson also wrote and illustrated a short story for Harlan Ellison's anthology Again, Dangerous Visions. The "title" is a black blob, and the story is about an ominous black blob that appears on the page, growing at an alarming rate, until... He has contributed short stories to other publications as well; "M1" and "The Zombie Butler" both appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and were reprinted in Gahan Wilson's Cracked Cosmos.
Additionally, Gahan Wilson created a computer game titled Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House, in conjunction with Byron Preiss. The goal is to collect 13 keys in 13 hours from the 13 rooms of a house, by interacting in various ways with characters (such as a two-headed monster, a mad scientist, and a vampiress), objects, and the house itself.
He received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Gahan Wilson is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 30, 2020
One of the stronger "Little Book" volumes. I had no idea that, in addition to being a brilliant cartoonist, Gahan Wilson was also such a talented writer. It's a shame that this collection ended with a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic Zombie story, after all of the unconventional gothic brilliance that preceded it. Kudos to Borderlands for also including a healthy dollop of Wilson's art, with a few cartoons, and a few story illustrations.
December 28, 2019
I decided I need to read some Gahan Wilson to honor his memory, so this little book moved to the top of my TBR pile. I had only read a couple of his stories before, so I was not expecting to be blown away. “The Big Green Grin” was a bizarro fable about being nice to your siblings. "The Outermost Borough” is a delightful riff on “Pickman’s Model.”
Probably the one I enjoyed the most was “The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be.” This story could just be a bit of absurdist riffing on Lewis Carroll, but instead it provided a palpable sense of dread much like was delivered in the novel The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll. Which then prompted me to attempt to locate my copy, only to realize I gave it away as a gift, so I went and ordered another one. I also rather enjoyed “The Marble Boy” which is a delightfully nasty little monster story that is a warning about the desecration of hallowed ground. Also “Them Bleaks” which exhibits the same delightful sardonic glee as his cartoons.
Probably the one I enjoyed the most was “The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be.” This story could just be a bit of absurdist riffing on Lewis Carroll, but instead it provided a palpable sense of dread much like was delivered in the novel The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll. Which then prompted me to attempt to locate my copy, only to realize I gave it away as a gift, so I went and ordered another one. I also rather enjoyed “The Marble Boy” which is a delightfully nasty little monster story that is a warning about the desecration of hallowed ground. Also “Them Bleaks” which exhibits the same delightful sardonic glee as his cartoons.
February 11, 2024
Wilson, Gahan - A Little Purple Book of Phantasies
Edited and selected by Stuart David Schiff (Whispers), this is an excellent, compact assortment of Wilson’s short stories.
A droll humor pervades throughout. A couple have a melancholy tinge, however.
“The Big Green Grin,” a somewhat surreal tale, finds an observant grackle, watching as the ground opens into tremendous mouth, with teeth. A small boy spies this, as well, and decides this is the perfect opportunity to deal with an irritating little sister. The grackle watches with a sharp eye.
“Come One, Come All” begins with the arrival of the carnival sideshow, tempting those within listening range to come visit the joys of the forbidden and the fleshly.
Wilson was still alive as of this writing (2019 09 23) though in poor shape.
This little purple book also contains a few illustrations.
Edited and selected by Stuart David Schiff (Whispers), this is an excellent, compact assortment of Wilson’s short stories.
A droll humor pervades throughout. A couple have a melancholy tinge, however.
“The Big Green Grin,” a somewhat surreal tale, finds an observant grackle, watching as the ground opens into tremendous mouth, with teeth. A small boy spies this, as well, and decides this is the perfect opportunity to deal with an irritating little sister. The grackle watches with a sharp eye.
“Come One, Come All” begins with the arrival of the carnival sideshow, tempting those within listening range to come visit the joys of the forbidden and the fleshly.
Wilson was still alive as of this writing (2019 09 23) though in poor shape.
This little purple book also contains a few illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews