An Honest Review
At 120 pages, it's an interesting, light, fast, and easy read. There are some great images, advertisements, promotional materials, and photographs, including a few that I hadn't seen before or knew existed. The book is well-researched and adequately written. It's a respectable introduction for those less familiar with this subject.
The Bad News
Otherwise, the work simply doesn't reveal much previously unknown information. There is some, but not much. There's little information that should prove new and interesting to the old-timers, who have been investigating this subject for decades.
Most of the research and information, in Grams' book, had already been compiled by Dr. Lawrence Knapp, an English Professor at Thomas Edison State College. It was published on his website, entitled The Page of Fu Manchu, which was originally located at http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/FuManchu.htm.
Dr. R.E. Briney, a Professor of Computer Science at Salem State College in Massachusetts, was the Associate Editor for Knapp's original Fu Manchu site. He was also the editor of Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer, not to mention fourteen issues of The Rohmer Review.
Unfortunately, that site is no more. However, there's a slightly incomplete mirror of Knapp's original website located at http://www.philsp.com/SaxRohmer/FuManchu.htm. Additionally, snapshots of the original site were captured by the WayBack Machine available at the Internet Archive.
The bulk of information in Grams' book, like my previous article Fu Manchu Radio Shows, is sourced from the work of Knapp and Briney. Please understand, this is not to disparage Grams' work in any manner. We're all standing on the shoulders of giants.
More Good News
Regardless, it's great to see others documenting and preserving this history! It's great to see others taking an interest in the subject! It's great to see Grams using his voice, gifts, and talents to hopefully bring increased exposure of the subject to a new and younger audience. There's a whole new generation of culturally bankrupt youths that desperately need to rediscover such lost cultural treasures from the past!
'Nuff said!
Sources:
The Page of Fu Manchu: Fu Manchu Radio Shows
In the Shadow of Fu Manchu by Martin Grams
The Radio Adventures of Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu by Martin Grams
Additional Resources:
Listen to The Shadow of Fu Manchu Radio Drama Free
Fu Manchu Radio Shows
1 comment:
I have this book. It is wonderful. The author explained how this book started out as a magazine article he wrote more than a decade ago and then expanded with additional info found since then including (the best part) a reprint of the 1944 Molle Mystery radio script. A recording of that radio broadcast does not exist. The script is worth the price.
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