Chills and Thrills and Sloppiness

The other day I received my order from Amazon of the new paperbound of FROM GOTHIC CHILLS TO CULT TV THRILLS, subtitled THE BAKER AND BERMAN STORY. My interest was self-evident. However, I was dismayed that the book met my expectations. I had seen previous "We Belong Dead" material, which didn't impress me as being authoritative from a scholarly view. Nor was the book visually impressive. But I got the book anyway. After all, it was about Baker and Berman.

I immediately found out that it was self-published. That didn't bother me, as I use self-publication myself, but there is a warning sign. There usually is no outside editor and proofreader with such books. Being one's own writer, editor, proofreader can take time and even more time (tell me about it!), but done correctly, the results can be similar to what the "big boys" employ and can even surpass them. The fact that other people behind the scenes are credited in this book is not really doing a service to them. The book is sloppy. Whose fault is that?

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THE BRITISH 'B' FILM has the same quotes, but footnotes both of them, so you know where they are from. Thankfully, GOTHIC CHILLS mentions one source, but not the other one. Frequently, the book does not mention sources, even the photos used and taken from the internet. Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster is quoted frequently, but where?

Photos. It is one thing to use a photo online without mentioning where it is from unless there is clear ownership and the name of the photographer, but another thing to use a photo in a book and stretched like this one:

 The real photo--from the IMDB:

And sometimes there are screen captures, but they can be stretched, too:

Many, if not all photos are taken from the internet. One impressive shot of Baker and Berman as elderly is taken from an online source, maybe this one.

The chapter I read had several instances of a semi-colon being used wrong. Its use was intrusive. There is also a space mark with the mark showing!

I can understand and sympathize that "mistakes can be made," but usually one or two are a limit. What I read has a lot more than one or two, and shows a frivolous attitude that is both baffling and disappointing.

As British-based, "We Belong Dead" should have better access to British material than those outside of Britain. This can be a plus, and still may be here, but at this point I don't know. I intend to take a look per film as I am researching a particular film. Though I am familiar with some of the films here, and sometimes very familiar, I will leave more criticism when I get to my own research.

So...good stuff in a way, but could have been much, much better.