I’m glad I’m not the only person writing “unmarketable” biographies of esoteric figures. I have just ordered Feral House’s new bio of Anita Berber–mind you, I don’t know if it will be any good or not, but my fingers are crossed.
And for the fall, a new bio of the Dolly Sisters is promised . . . Something to live for . . .
Speaking of Feral House bio’s, how good is NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY about Ed Wood in your opinion? I got it years ago when the Tim Burton movie came out & enjoyed it enough but was disappointed that it was mostly comments from interviews rather than a cohesive narrative.
Yeah, it’s not a linear biography at all, but it is interesting. The thing about presses like Feral, McFarland, Scarecrow, etc., is that they publish “really terrific stuff that other houses found unmarketable,” and also “utter crap by people who couldn’t write a suicide note.” And by the time you find out which it is, you’ve already bought it . . .
I know the work of both the Berber and Dollies authors, so I have high hopes.