Fans of the Doc Savage novels, and especially those who have every novel and believe their collection is complete, will be pleased to know there is more to check out. Just this past week I discovered three books focusing on the history of the pulp magazine novels. Even if you are a die-hard fan of the series, these may have fallen under the radar and be new to you.
By Jay Ryan
This truly amazing volume contains every known collectable Doc Savage item. On top of the pictures and descriptions, there are interesting facts about the collectibles. This serves as the most complete Doc Savage Checklist ever compiled, featuring 2,418 Doc Savage items. In all, The Collector’s Handbook of Bronze contains 941 additional items not listed in the previous editions. The 2018 edition is the definitive version and has been expanded by 84 pages and includes twice the number of pictures and graphics than the prior releases. And, yes, this covers the Street & Smith Doc Savage Magazine Era, The Bantam Doc Savage Paperback Era, The Doc Savage Comic Book Eras, the Bronze Information Sources and Fanzines, The Doc Savage movie, modern Doc Savage Collectables and more.
Dafydd Neal Dyar’s essays about Doc Savage are in print for the first time in nearly 40 years! Originally published in fanzines such as the Doc Savage Club Reader, Megavore, Doc Savage Quarterly and The Savage Society of Bronze, theses missives haven’t seen print since the late 70’s and early 80’s. Each essay was painstakingly reconstructed and expanded with extensive annotations and new text. Doc Savage fans will delight in the nearly 250 pages of insights and observations from a master of pulp history. With a foreword from the late pulp author/historian Rick Lai, you can be sure this is a treasure. Sadly, I do not believe a volume 2 has ever been released.
By Jay Ryan and Courtney Rogers
This incredible book contains 92 stories penned by fans of Doc Savage and chronicles how each fan “discovered” The Man of Bronze in their own unique way, and are described in their own words. The cross section of authors range from top pulp scholars and illustrators to the average Doc Savage fan… from across the 50 states to other countries around the globe. Whether a story is heart-rending or humorous, spontaneous or adventurous, the one thing they do is create a compelling and enjoyable reading experience. The book has a brilliant full-color cover and is fully illustrated with pulp and paperback covers.