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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign Paperback - 1992

by Martin Barker

From the publisher

Between 1949 and 1955 Britain was swept by a rising tide of panic about "American-style" or "horror" comics. The British press cried out in alarm: "Now Ban This Filth That Poisons Our Children," "Drive Out the Horror Comics." As one frenzied columnist protested: "I feel as though I have been trudging through a sewer. Here is a terrible twilight zone between sanity and madness . . . peopled by monsters, grave robbers, human flesh eaters." A campaign against ghoulish comic books climaxed in an Act of Parliament making it illegal to publish or sell any material in comic form deemed to be "harmful to children."

But behind the facade of concern for the protection of children, another very different story lurked. This book explores the British campaign by asking some rather different questions. Who were the people at the heart of the anti-comics campaign? Why and how did the British Communist Party come to play a central role, and yet end up attacking a group of comics which were "on their side" in assaulting their rationality of McCarthyism?

The British "horror comics" campaign reveals the inadequacy of some conventional assessments of anti-media panics. In showing a curious gap between the private concerns of the campaigners and their public rhetoric, A Haunt of Fears, originally published in Britain in 1983, raises serious questions about the state of British culture during this era.

First line

On 3 January 1983, the Sunday Times ran an opinion column article by David Holbrook, supporter of a number of moral and censorious causes.

Details

  • Title A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
  • Author Martin Barker
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 252
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.A
  • Date 1992-10-01
  • ISBN 9780878055944 / 0878055940
  • Weight 0.66 lbs (0.30 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.93 x 5.13 x 0.77 in (20.14 x 13.03 x 1.96 cm)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 92017769
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.31

About the author

Martin Barker is Research Professor at Aberystwyth University. He has researched and published widely on topics ranging from comic books, censorship campaigns, arguments over "dangerous media," methods of film analysis, and audiences for films ranging from Judge Dredd and Crash to Being John Malkovich and The Lord of the Rings. He is author of A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign and The Lasting of the Mohicans: History of an American Myth, both published by University Press of Mississippi.

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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular Culture)

by Barker, Martin

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University Press Of Mississippi, 1992. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,350grams, ISBN:9780878055944
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Haunt of Fears: Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular Culture)
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Haunt of Fears: Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular Culture)

by Barker, Martin

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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign

by Barker, M.

  • Used
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Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780878055944 / 0878055940
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University Press Of Mississippi, 1992. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,400grams, ISBN:9780878055944
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign

by Barker, M.

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780878055944 / 0878055940
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Description:
University Press Of Mississippi, 1992. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,400grams, ISBN:9780878055944
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SGD 34.99
SGD 22.14 shipping to USA
A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign

by Martin Barker

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780878055944 / 0878055940
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Paperback / softback. New. The British "horror comics" campaign of the 1950s reveals the inadequacy of some conventional assessments of anti-media panics. In showing a curious gap between the private concerns of the campaigners and their public rhetoric, A Haunt of Fears raises serious questions about the state of British culture during this era.
Item Price
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign

by Martin Barker

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  • Paperback
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New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780878055944 / 0878055940
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Univ Pr of Mississippi, 2006. Paperback. New. 256 pages. 8.25x5.25x0.75 inches.
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign

by Martin Barker

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Univ Pr of Mississippi, 2006. Paperback. New. 256 pages. 8.25x5.25x0.75 inches.
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular...
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular Culture Series)

by Barker, Martin

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular...
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A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign (Studies in Popular Culture Series)

by Barker, Martin

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  • Paperback
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Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780878055944 / 0878055940
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University Press of Mississippi, 1992-10-01. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
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