Inside the Old House and Related Publications

[Philippe Cordier]

I'm wondering about the quality and accuracy of information in publications like "The Dark Shadows Books of Questions and Answers" published by Dale Clark, who is perhaps best known for his "Inside the Old House" fanzine. I haven't seen any of these, even at the two festivals I've attended. Perhaps I've somehow missed the booths? I would like a good - and accurate -  "question and answer" book.

I was favorably impressed with Dale Clark's "Reunion", the first of a series of DS novels, which was lent to me by a DS friend. To me, the story captured the essence of the characters and the show better than anything else I had read. He does lean heavy on the later part of the series, with a very dark Leviathan and 1840s feeling. I know I posted a question about the books several years back but don't recall getting any responses.

Is anyone familiar with these publications - especially the Q&A books?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I have a Q&A book from Dale Clark, and off hand I can't recall any errors in it - but I haven't actually read it since 1989. What I do remember, though, is it has at least a few rare photos, and they're the actual reason I bought it. 

[Philippe Cordier]

Thanks, MB - and also for your information on the episode time length! 

[The Doctor and K9]

I don't recall exactly how accurate they were. I found them very informative at the time. Keep in mind, when many of the DS zines were written, many of the episodes were not out on video. Some times editors had to rely on audio tapes, notes, or even faulty memory to piece together much of the information. By 1986 3 years of DS syndication was out. The rest of it was not released until the '90s. Any errors you might find, could be attributed to the lack of availability to the episodes.

[quentincollins]

I have these. Dale Clark's novels are really really good. He does an excellent job of working with all the characters and developing them in ways you wouldn't necessrily expect, but it works. The plots are epic in scope, with a pace that will leave you breathles for more.