Thursday 14 June 2018

Tracking down the cover location of THE EMPTY HOURS

If you're listening to the new bonus episode of the podcast, you'll have heard me (Paul) telling Morgan and Stephen all about the cover of their Pan editions of The Empty Hours, the collection of three novelettes by Ed McBain from 1962. The cover is clearly intended to represent a street in Isola during "The Empty Hours" - that time when the street lights are still on, but morning has begun - no-one's around and the cops of the 87th Precinct are about to end their night-shift. 

Of course the 87th Precinct exists in the fictional area of Isola, but New York is always used in the various photographic covers and this particular edition gave away a clue to where it was taken. Surely "Ted Steel - Garment Racks" can't still be there, forty years after the picture (by Colin Thomas) was taken? Well it is! And that was the clue that the cover was taken with the photographer stood at about 365 W36th Street in the Garment District of Manhattan!

The buildings for the most part look the same now as they did in the '70s/80s (the picture I selected from Google Maps was taken in Jun 2014 - the picture on the timeline slider with the fewest vehicles in it), although the tall street lighting has gone now and there's obviously been some cosmetic changes to some buildings, but it's still a fair match!

Anyway, I wanted to share that because [a] if I find it interesting, someone else might and [b] I want you to understand quite how much nerdy research goes into these shows!

Click to enlarge

Ed McBain's The Empty Hours - Episode 15, Bonus: Crime Prevention Knees

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast Bonus Episode!
Paul's research into the different first editions of Ed McBain's 1962 collection of "novelettes", The Empty Hours, leads the team into some very silly places indeed. Prepare yourself for an entirely indulgent (and slightly tipsy) bout of INVENT A BOOK TITLE. Stevo is a natural.
Also, we see how nerdy Paul can get in his cover-image research and we become obsessed with Crime Causing/Crime Preventing knees.
Apologies for the sound issues with this (and the main podcast) - we seemed to be having some mic issues as a consequence (probably) of rushing to set up.
Join us soon for the next 'full' novel in the 87th Precinct series, Like Love. Please rate, review, share and get-in touch with us to help us spread the word about McBain and his wonderful books. Fare thee well.

Thursday 7 June 2018

The Empty Hours - Original Publications

As we suggested in the new podcast (here), The Empty Hours, as a collection of 'novelettes' was probably released as a way of getting out a new 87th Precinct book whilst Evan Hunter was away from home working intensely on the script to The Birds with Alfred Hitchcock, in California. 



The stories came from a couple of different sources, as outlined below:

The Empty Hours
Ed McBain's Mystery Book #1 - (October?) 1960


Click the image for the magazine contents

'J'
The New Golden Argosy Vol.352 #5 - May 1961
Illustrations by Sandy Kossin



Storm - originally Murder On Ice
The New Golden Argosy Vol.353 #5 November 1961
Illustrations by Lou Feck


Ed McBain's The Empty Hours - Episode 15: Carry On Candelabra

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast!

Join us on our journey to find out what happens during "The Empty Hours" - McBain's collection of three novellas released in one volume from 1962. Carella takes on a paper-chase in the title story, whilst Meyer questions his place in the world in 'J' and Hawes goes out of town looking for loving and finding murder instead in Storm. Our research throws up some trivia about the original publication times and places for the stories, as well as info about forensic methods and a sobering look at the sort of idiots spreading race-hate then and now. 

Of course we also talk a lot of the usual rubbish too! We have a look at what was going on in the early part of 1962 in Music, film, World Events and Crisps. Paul reveals a Doctor Who link to Ed McBain and Stevo contemplates undermining the podcast by reading ahead and backwards. 

Join us next time for a return to the full novel format for the book from later in 1962, "Like Love". As ever, a review, rating or share on any of the platforms (but especially Apple and Stitcher!) is massively appreciated and helpful. Fare thee well.