PODCAST · arts
The Paperback Show
by Ricky Lee Grove
Exploring the world of paperback books, their history, authors, and cover artists. We also feature interviews with readers, authors, and paperback collectors.
Episodes
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Ep 31 The Dell Abyss Line of Horror Paperbacks
Ep 31 of the Paperback Show podcasts covers the remarkable series of horror paperbacks published from 1991 to 1995 by Dell called "The Abyss" line. Special guest is Ben Rubin, archivist at the Horror Special Collections section of the Unversity of Pittsburgh. Full notes with links and a list of…
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Ep 30 Book to Movie: Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton
Ep 30 is another in our series of podcasts on Book to Movie adaptations. Special guest: Matt Kelland. In this podcast, Matt and I discuss the book Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton (2022) and its subsequent movie adaptation by Korean director Bong Joon Ho (2025). We look at story and character changes,...
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Ep 29 Book to Movie: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by B. Traven
In this episode, Matt Kelland and I reflect on the B. Traven novel, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, originally published in German in 1927. It was translated into English and published by Hill & Wang in 1935. John Huston was enamored with the story and wanted to adapt it late in the 1930s, but...
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Ep 28 - Favorite Books of 2025
Special Guest, Matt Kelland, and I discuss our favorite books read in 2025. Full links to books in our Show notes at paperbackshow.com. Note: Music for his episode is from Free Music Archive, a creative commons 4.0. Artist: Loopkerjoe. Track: Be Bop Behind....
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Ep 27 Book to Movie: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
Ep 28 is about the difference between the book, Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, and the movie version directed by Roman Polanski and starring Mia Farrow (1968). My co-host, author Matt Kelland, and I look at the adaptation, the acting/actors, the music and, most importantly, the penultimate scene...
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Ep 26 - Our Private Library, A Conversation with Charles Duncombe and Frederique Michel
First of a series of podcasts with couples and their private libraries. When did they start collecting? What books do they collect? How do they organize their books? These are only a few of the questions I'll be asking. In this episode, we talk with City Garage Theatre founders, Charles Duncombe...
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Ep 25 Book to Movie: Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Music by Dances with Wolves (The Frailty and Anxiety). Archive.org. Note that full show notes are available at the PaperbackShow.com
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Ep 24 Book to Movie: The Coldest City (Atomic Blonde) by Antony Johnston
The Coldest City is a 2012 graphic novel by Antony Johnston with artwork by Sam Hart. It was made into a movie in 2017, starring Charlize Theron. In this episode, Matt Kelland and I discuss the adaption and the differences between the noir style black and white comic vs the full color, punk style...
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Ep 23 Book to Movie: First Blood by David Morrell
Ep 23 continues our Book to Movie series with guest Matt Kelland. In this episode we examine the action/thriller First Blood by David Morrell (1972) and its adaptation into the 1982 movie starring Sylvester Stallone. Full show notes can be found at paperbackshow.com. Note music for this episode…
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Ep 22 Book to Movie: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Ep 22 is the second in our Book to Movie podcasts with writer Matt Kelland. Annihilation, both book and movie, is discussed. Jeff Van Der Meer wrote the highly-acclaimed novel in 2014 which Director Alex Garland then adapted into the 2018 movie starring Natalie Portman. We discuss the background…
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Ep 21 - Book to Movie: The Princess Bride by William Goldman
First of a series of podcasts on film adaptations of books. The Princess Bride (1973) by William Goldman was adapted by Goldman and director Rob Reiner in the 1983 film of the same name. Discussion of the adaptation with special guest, Matt Kelland. Full show notes available at paperbackshow.com
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Ep 20 J.R.R. Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories"
Ep 20 features a discussion with writer, Chen Malun, on J. R. R. Tolkien's essay, "On Fairy Stories". This essay set the literary and philosophical foundation for modern fantasy and helped Tolkien determine what kind of book he was going to write when he was struggling with the "Hobbit sequel" in...
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Ep 19 - Holloway House and the Rise of Black Pulp Fiction
Ep 19 features a brief history of the sleaze publisher, Holloway House, along with a discussion of the Black authors Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines (and others) and the development of Black Pulp Fiction with crime writer, Gary Philips. Full show notes with links is available at Paperbackshow.com...
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Ep 18 - Patricia Highsmith and The Incredible Mr. Ripley
Special Guest, novelist Hal Bodner, discusses the unique writer, Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) and, in particular, her most popular novel, "The Incredible Mr. Ripley" (1955). The podcast opens with a short biography and then a more focused discussion of Ripley. Complete notes with links can be...
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Ep 17 Bantam, Louis L'amour and the Paperback Wester
This episode covers (briefly) the history of Bantam paperbacks with a specific focus on the Western and the author Louis L'amour. Full show notes and transcript can be found a paperbackshow.com. Music is from uppbeat.io and is licensed.
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Ep 16 Ace Books Occult & Paranormal Series, Guest: Lisa Morton
Check out the full show notes at paperbackshow.com. Note that the music for this episode is licensed from upbeatio.
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Episode 15 Classic Paperbacks: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Episode 15 of the Paperback Show looks at another classic paperback: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson published by Popular Library in paperback in 1963. The first part of the show introduces the concept of the classic paperback and shares a short bio of Shirley Jackson while she was...
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Episode 14 - Classic Paperbacks: Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl
The first of an occasional series on Classic Paperbacks: those paperbacks that have had a huge influence on popular culture around the world. In ep 14 of the Paperback Show we look at the remarkable book Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Published in 1963 in paperback (originally…
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Episode 13 Ross MacDonald and his Classic Private Eye Novel Black Money
In this episode, we look at the life and work of celebrated private eye novelist, Ross MacDonald (aka Kenneth Millar) who wrote from the late 1940s into the early 1980s. He was the first mystery novelist to be reviewed on the front page of the New York Times book review and his work paralleled…
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Episode 12 Four Vintage Paperback Favorites 2022
I read a lot of paperbacks in 2022, but these four titles stood out. In this episode of the Paperback Show, I share why I liked the books, a bit about the authors, and the specific edition I read. The four titles are My Cousin Rachel by Daphne. Du Maurier, Bugles in the Afternoon by Ernest…
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Episode 11 James M. Cain and Double Indemnity
Episode 11 contains a short biography of noted mystery writer James Mallahan Cain (1892 - 1977) along with a general summary of his books published in paperback. The second half of the show is a discussion with regular guest, Richard Brewer, on Cain's masterpiece - Double Indemnity. In addition…
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Episode 10 - Daphne Du Maurier and My Cousin Rachel
Full show notes including reference materials, music credit and links are available at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 9 - Dan J. Marlowe and his novel The Name of the Game is Death
Full show notes to Episode 9 can be found at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 8 - The Film Guide Paperback
Complete episode notes along links is available at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 7 - Dashiell Hammett and the Glass Key
The full show notes can be found at paperbackshow.com.
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Episode 6 - Sexy Sleaze Paperbacks, Orie Hitt, and Special Guests
ful notes at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 5 - Gold Medal Paperbacks
You can read our full Paperback Show 5 notes along with a gallery of paperback covers at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 4 - The Armed Service Edition Paperback
The background of America's response to Nazi book burnings, the formation of various groups to provide soldiers with reading material, and the final creation of the group that would select, edit, produce and send over 100 million ASE paperbacks to soldiers all over the world are covered in this...
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Episode 3 - Raymond Chandler & The Big Sleep - Guest Richard Brewer
You can read the full show notes for this episode at paperbackshow.com. I've also included many scans of Chandler paperback covers and my full collection of Ballantine's Tom Adams covers for the run of Chandler's novels.
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Episode 2 - Pocket Books, Vampire Hunter D paperback series - guest M dot Strange
Full show notes with links can be found at paperbackshow.com
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Episode 1 - Ace Books & Lisa Morton
Full show notes with links (lots of paperback cover art) are available at the Paperback Show website. Music is by the US Army Blues Band (Live at Blues Alley) which is public domain and available at Freemusicarchive.org
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Paperback Show have?
The Paperback Show currently has 31 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Paperback Show about?
Exploring the world of paperback books, their history, authors, and cover artists. We also feature interviews with readers, authors, and paperback collectors.
How often does The Paperback Show release new episodes?
The Paperback Show has 31 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Paperback Show?
You can listen to The Paperback Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Paperback Show?
The Paperback Show is created and hosted by Ricky Lee Grove.
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