Secrets of BILL CRIDER'S Bookshelf!

We all know what kind of books Bill Crider reads these days (nudge nudge, wink wink), but what was he reading twenty-five years ago? For the straight skinny, we take a squint at this official author photo from the back of his 1990 western novel Medicine Show. Oddly, while Mr. C is known primarily for his mystery and western fiction, there are apparently no westerns represented here, and only one mystery (and that's in a foreign language).

First, what are these two volumes he's putting the squeeze on? Obviously, they have some special significance to him. Here they are:

Next, there are at least four volumes of John Norman's Gor series visible here. Bondage, anyone?

Many masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy reside on these shelves. Robert Bloch, Leigh Brackett, Piers Anthony, Robert Silverberg, Ben Bova, Larry Niven, and Frederic Brown to name but a few. And tucked right in with them are a couple of Doc Savage books (including this one) and the saga of Robby the Robot. What's that weird critter in front of the Conan the Liberator? I don't have a clue.

Remember the Weird Heroes series? I'm pretty sure Bill does:

Remember I mentioned there's one mystery visible here? This is it. Translation: Too Late to Die (first in the Dan Rhodes series). Barbwire bondage? And who knew Bill could write in Italian?

Here's where things get eclectic. This is apparently the Motion Picture shelf. Along with Picture by Lillian Ross (the story of the filming of The Red Badge of Courage), we find:

And way down in the corner, where we weren't supposed to see it, is the Parenting section. Can you see Bill administering baby care? Naaaaaaahhhhhh.

A recycled post from 2015.