Hex Files: The Goth Bible [Paperback]

Mick Mercer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

The vast Goth underground--with its dignified, melancholic graveyard aesthetic derived from such sources as Gothic horror novels, the Addams Family, Alice Cooper, and Anne Rice--is nothing short of an international phenomenon. The Hex Files offers a five-continent survey of what's out there and how to plug into the Goth scene worldwide. 200+ illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879517832
• ISBN-13: 978-0879517830
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,384,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please take note, September 10, 2003

By 

mick mercer (Selsey, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hex Files: The Goth Bible (Paperback)

This book is now seven years old. People buying it should either be aware it's been out for ages, or at least appreciate that it predates Net popularity, meaning I had to get info printed in overseas fanzines to get a lot of the International responses I did. The content from certain countries will therefore seem small or incomplete. As to people saying this is pretentious, that's their assessment, which is fine, but I know what bands are Goth and which have simply had an influence on Goth. It isn't a subtle difference, and it shouldn't be hard to work out. The book stands as the best record from its time, of what was possible to find out without bankrupting myself on postal costs. People may look at it now and regard it as curious, but this is now a period piece. It stands on its own merits as having more info than was available to anyone at the time, and beautiful photos, and at no point did it set out to get to the root of what the Goth culture was, as I made it clear at the time that it was an International Guide, following my previous books which had a European bias.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars an incomplete testament, February 22, 2000

By 

Richard Ballard "rjballard" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hex Files: The Goth Bible (Paperback)

I purchased and read this book to answer a question: "What is the Goth subculture?" My question remains unanswered.

This book's format somewhat resembles "The Whole Earth Catalog -- Access To Tools" edited by Steward Brand in the late 1960's and early 1970's. That catalog contained detailed descriptions of tools, books, and organizations. The descriptions helped individuals achieve their "hippie" counterculture goals. The catalog preceded the Internet, but readers' reviews of listed or new items were published in subsequent catalog editions, a form of interaction. The catalog's wide topic range and detailed discussions formed a good composite picture of the hippie counterculture.

Mr. Mercer's book does not provide equivalent detail. A five-page introduction and a three-page postscript discusses the Goth subculture, but the author speaks in generalities. The book consists primarily of Goth band and fanzine listings with some Goth organization and shop listings. The book emphasizes the Goth subculture but contains some vampire, fetish, and pagan subculture listings.

The typical listing is brief. Often only a name plus a postal address, an e-mail address, or a fax number is given. As important as the Internet is today there are fewer Internet website addresses than I expected.

Mr. Mercer's book contains much interesting photography. The Goth, vampire, and pagan subcultures are very fashion- and fetish-oriented. The photography reflects those orientations. With the exception of the front and back covers the book's photography is black and white photography.

I believe that a "bible" should define its subject. This book's brief listings and photography do not answer my original question: "What is the Goth subculture?" The front cover's photograph itself raises a question that the book doesn't answer. Without answering these questions and providing more detailed discussions this book does not qualify as a bible. And by not stressing Internet websites and newsgroups the listings within the book have questionable currency.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly well-written; the most in-depth book of its genre, August 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hex Files: The Goth Bible (Paperback)

Mick Mercer did an amazing job reviewing and compiling this book - a task that must have been daunting, considering the amount of entries there are. One of the best things about this book is that not only does it provide the reader with information of all parts of the goth lifestyle, but Mercer has covered goth all over the world. The 2-disc cd entitled "The Hex Files," that is available as an acompaniment to the book is a definite must, especially disc 2, track 2. The song, "A Broken Heart for Carolyn" is by far the epitome of goth music: sonorous, richly textured, sad and wonderful all at once. If anyone has any information about the band (Nadezhda), I must know!