Walter B. Gibson and the Shadow [Hardcover]

Thomas J. Shimeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 2003

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? . . . The Shadow knows!" And who knew The Shadow better than his creator, Walter B. Gibson. Relatively few people have heard of Gibson, but many more are familiar with The Shadow having heard the program on the Blue Coal Radio Program in the 1930s and read the Street & Smith Shadow novels.

Walter B. Gibson’s life and career come out from behind The Shadow in this biography. It covers his youth in Philadelphia, his development as a writer and magician, his wives, including the third, (Litzka, who was a harpist and magician in her own right), his time living in Maine and upstate New York, and his later years and death.

In addition to being credited with creating The Shadow (he used the pseudonym Maxwell Grant), Gibson wrote 187 books, contributed 668 articles to periodicals, created 283 stories for The Shadow Magazine, wrote 48 separate syndicated feature columns, reported the adventures of The Shadow and Blackstone the magician in 394 comic books and newspaper strips, and helped develop 147 radio scripts and many other works under numerous pseudonyms. Gibson has invented many widely used magic tricks and traveled with and befriended Harry Houdini, Howard Thurston, Harry Blackstone, Sr., and Joseph Dunninger.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkable story" -- Big Reel

"Colorful, interesting...nicely written and well-organized" -- Classic Images

"Unbelievable...comprehensive index...an enjoyable read" -- Magic --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Magician–performer Thomas J. Shimeld lives in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (March 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786414669
• ISBN-13: 978-0786414666
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,522,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Shadow Knows!, December 21, 2004

By 

Ming "Ming" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walter B. Gibson and the Shadow (Hardcover)

Walter B. Gibson is a very overlooked cultural influence in America, arguably even to this day. His Shadow character captured the imagination of a generation, and even spawned a movie (with a too watered-down plot) in the early 1990's. So much Shadow lore is available out there - comics, radio shows, and novels - but many overlook the profound effect of Mr. Gibson, who is entitled to a cult following similar to that of HP Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard. I give this book 4 stars because of the price - it should be about 15 dollars cheaper.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than I expected., March 10, 2007

By 

Paul Galarraga (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walter B. Gibson and the Shadow (Paperback)

Possibly because of the format I thought that this book was going to be like many of the pulpateer biographies out there with a lot of rehashed stories and not much of anything else. But his one was realy entertaining. No scholarly disertation by a fanboy trying to make us think he is a professor and yet contains all the relevant facts about a writer whose life is as mysterious as his characters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Shadow fans and pulp affictionados, February 2, 2006

By 

bOoKwOrM (usa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Walter B. Gibson and the Shadow (Paperback)

This book is great for Shadow fans, so grab this one before it goes out of print(as most other Shadow related books are)! There is plenty here for the seasoned Shadow fan, and the newcomer too. Pulp covers are reproduced in black and white, as are the various photographs of Walter Gibson. The biography is written in a clear,easy to read style, and is very informative.