Psycho Paperback - 1991

Name: Psycho
Price: 11.57 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Bloch, Robert
ISBN: 9780812519327

by Bloch, Robert

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About this book

One of the most famous horror novels in history, Robert Bloch's Psycho is a true classic for anyone who collects modern first editions. Bloch had already been an established science fiction writer, and was even a toastmaster for the famed Hugo Awards just a year before Psycho was published. Using a real life case of grisly murder in a small town in Wisconsin as inspiration, Bloch was truly able to tap into the minds of readers with Psycho. Not only is Psycho one of the foremost novels of modern horror fiction, it also continues the tradition of fiction based loosely on actual events, a tradition also shared by authors such as Truman Capote with his novel In Cold Blood.
Psycho was first published in 1959 by Simon and Schuster, and it became immensely popular after Hitchcock's famed film adaptation was released just a year later in 1960.

The first edition dust jacket is well known. It is relatively simple in design, with the title printed sideways featuring cracks through the letters. Because the dust jacket was printed on standard stock paper which was generally lacking in durability, the jacket should be expected to be browned or yellowed with age. The first UK edition of Psycho features a more colorful and detailed dust jacket, and the UK edition was published by Robert Hale in London in 1960.

If you are a collector of modern first editions, or if you collect horror literature, you will definitely want to search for that perfect copy of Psycho to add to your bookshelf. Truly, this book caused quite the stir when it was first published, and it continues to influence readers and writers alike today.

From the publisher

Mary Crane believes she has found shelter from the storm when she checks into the Bates Motel, but the knife-wielding owner, Norman Bates, soon rips her piece of mind to shreds and the nightmare begins.

First line

NORMAN BATES heard the noise and a shock went through him.

Details

Title Psycho
Author Bloch, Robert
Binding Paperback
Edition First Thus
Pages 224
Publisher Tor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date June 15, 1991
ISBN 9780812519327

About the author

Robert Bloch is the author of the classic horror novel, " Psycho," which served as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's thrilling film of the same name. At the urging of H. P. Lovecraft, Bloch began writing short fiction in the 1930s; his first short novel, "The Scarf," was published in 1947. In 1959, the year "Psycho" was published, Bloch won the Hugo Award for a short story and began to write for television and film, starting with "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"-a job he earned before the film version of "Psycho" had completed shooting!
Bloch also worked on "Thriller," a TV series hosted by Boris Karloff, twice collaborated with famed filmmaker William Castle, and wrote three episodes of the original "Star Trek" television series. In addition to this work, Bloch continued to write chilling and perceptive short stories and novels, including "Firebug, American Gothic, Psycho II, "and" The Night of the Ripper." Bloch's "unauthorized" autobiography, " Once Around the Bloch," was his last major work. Robert Bloch died in 1994 after a long bout with cancer.