Myths for the Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe (Paperback)

by Win Scott Eckert (Author), Philip Jose Farmer (Contributor), Matthew Baugh (Contributor), Christopher Paul Carey (Contributor), Peter Coogan (Contributor), Rick Lai (Contributor), Brad Mengel (Contributor), Jess Nevins (Contributor), Dennis E. Power (Contributor), John Small (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
On December 13, 1795, a small meteorite plunged to the ground near the Yorkshire village of Wold Newton. According to veteran sf author Philip Jose Farmer, the crash produced a radiation shower that blanketed two horsedrawn carriages carrying some extraordinary witnesses. The meteorite was very real (a memorial marks where it struck); the witnesses were entirely fictional. As delineated in a series of papers spanning several decades of his career, Farmer's "researches" identified among the witnesses an impressive roster of celebrities, including everyone from Captain Blood, Sherlock Holmes, and Allan Quatermain to Tarzan, Doc Savage, and James Bond--often along with their offspring--just to name a few. Editor Eckert collects all of Farmer's so-called essays as well as others by several fans to fill out Farmer's fanciful scholarship. Although the volume appeals primarily to Farmer fans, anyone interested in "secret" biographical tidbits on Holmes and his popular-literary ilk may enjoy at least taking a peek. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
In his classic "biographies" of fictional characters (Tarzan Alive and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life), Hugo- and Nebula-award winning author Philip José Farmer introduced the Wold Newton family, a collection of heroes and villains whose family-tree includes Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, Philip Marlowe, and James Bond. In books, stories, and essays he expanded the concept even further, adding more branches to the Wold Newton family-tree. MYTHS FOR THE MODERN AGE: PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER’S WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE collects for the first time those rarely-seen essays. Expanding the family even farther are contributions from Farmer’s successors—scholars, writers, and pop-culture historians—who bring even more fictional characters into the fold.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: MonkeyBrain Books (November 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932265147
• ISBN-13: 978-1932265149
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #459,804 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Davies is WRONG!, May 18, 2006

By	Joshua Small "Josh" (Tishomingo, OK) - See all my reviews

Having read both this book from cover to cover and the reviews that are posted on this sight, I can only conclude that one of the reviewers has an axe to grind with one or more of the writers responsible. Don't let that sway you; this is an excellent book that, yes, occasionally offers up contradictory information - if you take the time to read the introductory portion CAREFULLY, you will note that not only does Mr. Eckert acknowledge as much, but goes on to state that this is part of the fun in the game these writers are playing. Some people should lighten up and learn how to have fun already!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read and a bargain for the price, November 22, 2005

By	Karltoons - See all my reviews

Besides the current series of Farmerphile magazine, which includes previously-unseen works by Farmer, this is the first new publication in a while to showcase his mastery of the 'fictional' genre by collecting a slew of articles he wrote for various related fanzines over the years.
At its best, this is no 'Game', but a scholarly investigation into connections that might otherwise might've gone unnoticed or been unacknowledged. Despite the various subjective takes on the Farmerian Monomyth by the other authors also included here, all ultimately serve to contribute to a rising awareness in the reader of Farmer's own intricate and well-researched ideas, and the obvious great lengths he's undertaken to uncover them. Beginning with TARZAN ALIVE!, followed by DOC SAVAGE: HIS APOCALYPTIC LIFE, and including various related tomes, Farmer blew the lid off a kettle of worms, and now has a plethora of like-minded individuals following in his footsteps, equal in fervor and sometimes even with the same high standard of technique and craftsmanship.
No matter how the book is taken, MYTHS FOR THE MODERN AGE : PHILIP JOSE FARMER'S WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE is a great read and will interest anyone who is into pulp literature, thought-provoking essays, not to mention comic books, as Wold-Newtonry closely parallels the now-rampant staple of 'crossovers' in that medium.
The cover is by John Picacio and below is a listing of the contents:

Introduction: Myths for the Modern Age: Farmer's Wold Newton Family and Shared Universe-
Win Scott Eckert
Wold-Newtonry: Theory and Methodology for the Literary Archaeology of the Wold Newton
Universe- Dr. Peter M. Coogan
The Arms of Tarzan (The English Nobleman whom Edgar Rice Burroughs called John Clayton,
Lord Greystoke)- Philip José Farmer
The Secret History of Captain Nemo- Rick Lai
From Pygmalion to Casablanca: The Higgins Genealogy- Mark K. Brown
A Reply To "The Red Herring"- Philip José Farmer
The Daughters of Greystoke- Chuck Loridans
The Green Eyes Have It - Or Are They Blue? or Another Case of Identity Recased-
Christopher Paul Carey
The Two Lord Ruftons- Philip José Farmer
Kiss of the Vampire- John A. Small
Name of A Thousand Blue Demons- Cheryl L. Huttner
The Great Korak-Time Discrepancy- Philip José Farmer
Asian Detectives in the Wold Newton Family- Dennis E. Power
This Shadow Hanging Over Me Is No Trick Of The Light- Jess Nevins
The Lord Mountford Mystery- Philip José Farmer
The Magnificent Gordons- Mark K. Brown
The Legacy of the Fox: Zorro in the Wold Newton Universe- Matthew Baugh
From ERB To Ygg- Philip José Farmer
Who's Going to Take Over the World When I'm Gone? (A Look at the Genealogies of Wold
Newton Family Super-Villains and Their Nemeses)- Win Scott Eckert
Jungle Brothers, Or, Secrets Of The Jungle Lords- Dennis E. Power
A Language For Opar- Philip José Farmer
Watching the Detectives, Or, The Sherlock Holmes Family Tree- Brad Mengel
Fu Manchu Vs. Cthulhu- Rick Lai
Jonathan Swift Somers III, Cosmic Traveller in a Wheelchair: A Short Biography by Philip
José Farmer (Honorary Chief Kennel Keeper)- Philip José Farmer
John Carter: Torn from Phoenician Dreams (An Examination Into the Theories that John
Carter was Phra the Phoenician and Norman of Torn)- Dennis E. Power and
Dr. Peter M. Coogan
D is for Daughter, F is for Father- Mark K. Brown
The Monster on Hold (A chapter from a projected novel in the Lord Grandrith/Doc Caliban
series)- Philip José Farmer
Travels in Time- Loki Carbis
A Review of Final Menacing Glimpses- Art Bollmann

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have any love for the Pulps, buy this now, December 28, 2005

By	R. Dorf - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really can't say enough good things about this book, or about Win Eckert's incredible Wold Newton web site. For those new to it, the Wold Newton universe grew out of Science Fiction legend Philip Jose Farmer's imaginative take on a world where almost every major event and adventure of nineteenth and early twentieth century fantastic fiction had some basis in reality. It was a world where Doc Savage and Tarzan brushed shoulders and/or shared bloodlines with Phileas Fogg and Sherlock Holmes, a world where Bruce Wayne did fight crime, if not quite in the way portrayed by his more imaginative biographers. The Wold Newton Universe as Farmer created it was the mindscape of every voracious young reader of a certain generation. The essays collected here by Win Eckert expand and enlarge on that world, adding a depth and level of detail worthy of both the original source material and Farmer's own creations.

If you are a fan of early twentieth century speculative and fantastic fiction, the pulps, or Philip Jose Farmer, this book is a must read. It is also of special interest to fan fiction writers and role playing gamers, presenting a first rate re-imagining of established fictional characters.

I strongly recommend it.