As a collector of horror reference books, and one that has been doing it for the better part of 40 years, there are a few books that get republished or updated over the years. Sometimes they are greatly expanded from those initial releases, while other times just maybe an extra chapter or just a few pages. Some publishers like to slap on a new title, add a new intro, and hope that readers that already own the original volume don’t recognize that it’s the same book. But that doesn’t happen too often, or at least not that I’ve caught! When these “revised”, “expanded” and/or “updated” versions come out, it would irritate me because since I already have the original release, do I really need to re-buy it just for a few extra pages? Okay, I usually do anyway, but that is beside the point.
But as I get wiser in my old age (insert joke here), I have realized that not all fans have been buying and collecting these volumes as long as I have. And some of them may be out of print or just too expensive to buy now. That means when these new editions come up, these fans have a chance to possibly add them to their collection for the first time. And if you’re a fan of Hammer Films, then here’s your chance to get two different titles.
In 1993, Peter Hutching’s book Hammer and Beyond: The British Horror Film was published. This volume not only covered Hammer, but other British titles as well. According to Hammer scholar Constantine Nasr, “Few academics understand the balance between industry and artistry, history and heritage, and few can articulate the impact each has had on the other as well as Peter Hutchings. This new expanded edition is cause for celebration and should be placed beside your collection of Hammer films for immediate reference, constant study and eternal enjoyment.” The original volume was 193 pages, but this new version has 328, so there seems to be a lot of new material here from editor Johnny Walker.
Next up is The Hammer Story by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes. This title originally came out in 1997, then again in 2007, and is now coming out a third time this September. The 2007 edition has 192 pages, while this new version has 224. In those additional pages, it covers the films that have come out since the studio has been trying to resurrect itself over the years, covering titles like Wake Wood (2009), Let Me In (2010), The Resident (2011), The Woman in Black (2012) and its sequel in 2015, The Quiet Ones (2014), and The Lodge (2019).
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes the prices for the original versions can be hard to find or a bit pricy. This volume is a perfect example of that. Look for the 2007 edition on Amazon and it will run you $166 for the hardcover edition, or $57 for just the paperback edition. So, paying $40 for this expanded hardcover edition doesn’t seem that bad of a deal, does it? Again, this is due to be out until September, so you have some time.
Either way, no matter what edition of either of these books you have, I can guarantee by reading through them, you’ll learn a lot more about the famous studio that dripped blood that you might have known otherwise. And that is always a good thing.
