Kicks Books Brings Back Paul Merchant!

Been waiting for this one. Kicks Books reissues the 1959 book that Ellison used to deny, would never reprint, but now in his 11th hour on earth, he allows “a very young” collection of his then-racy stories published in men’s magazines like Knave, Rogue and Caper, and pulp crime rags like Manhunt and Guilty…the original Nightstand Books title was, of course, Sex Gang by Paul Merchant (he originally wanted to use D.S. Merchant, as in Dirty Sex), the third title from the series after Robert Silverberg’s Love Addict.

Pulling a Train is the new title (from a novella in the book), with an ironic twist on the cover: a woman with a blade hovering over a man.

I have not gotten a copy yet, but when I do, I will talk about it more. What is nifty is that Kicks will come out with a companion volume, Getting in the Wind, that will contain previously uncollected softcore sex and crime stories from the same era, written under a variety of pen names.

What is nifty is that Kicks also offers a limited box set and a perfume called Sex Gang. Great creative marketing there indeed…

Sex Gang to Pulling a Train — Harlan Ellison Becomes Paul Merchant Once Again

Word has it that Harlan Ellison has agreed to reprint his Paul Merchant Nightstand Sex Gang with a new title, Pulling a Train, containing new stories. The publisher is the new Kicks Books, from underground music zine Kicks Magazine, also a vintage record label, Norton Records, that reissues and produces new groovy, 50s-style retro bachelor pad garage tunes and co-run by vintage-collector, ex-Cramps drummer, Miriam Linna.

Kicks is also publishing a collection of “science fiction” poetry by Sun Ra. How cool is that? The line has a vintage look based on Signet and Avon books of the salad days.

This is a curious and surprising re-issue on many levels…Ellison has said he would never republish it, had in the past denied it…maybe the upswing in vintage reprints by many old pals from the heydays changed his mind…one would surmise he would have gone with Subterranean or Stark House or even Hard Case rather than a new venture, or maybe a new venture is the way to go.

Either way, we are looking forward to this one.