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The Sunday Post, Issue #12: Book Reviews, Discoveries, and Thoughts on Mass-Market Paperbacks Ending

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Happy Sunday! 

It's been a few weeks since my last Sunday Post. Honestly, these posts don’t get many views, so I decided to take a little break. If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment, and I’ll think about doing more weekly wrap-ups. 

Since my last update, I’ve reviewed Cameron Judd’s Renegade Lawmen and the short story The Sheriff Went to Cincinnati, which was written by Janice Holt Giles but published under her husband’s name, Henry E. Giles. There have also been three Friday 56 posts featuring Luke Short’s Raw Land, The Wild Wild West by Robert Vaughan, and Zane Grey’s The Lost Wagon Train. 

I haven’t had much luck finding more Westerns at my local Salvation Army. The best I’ve come across recently are Place of the Trap by William O. Turner, and Gunman’s Song by Ralph Cotton. I also picked up a non-Western: a French Revolution tale titled The Devil’s Laughter by Frank Yerby. This past week, I found A Lone Star Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone on the free shelf at the library. 


What does everyone think about mass-market paperbacks coming to an end this year? I’m not a fan; it seems like a poor decision, but I understand it’s all about profit. I hope publishers will lower the prices on premium/trade paperbacks, or I might not buy any new titles in 2026.

Speaking of new books, I recently picked up the latest batch from William W. & J.A. Johnstone: Heat Lightning, Everyone Has a Gun, and Contagious. 

I recently added two new additions to my Janice Holt Giles collection: a second printing of Run Me a River (1964) and a first printing of The Kentuckians (1953). It's my third copy of The Kentuckians; missing its jacket, but Janice Holt Giles signed it, and I genuinely believe it’s her real signature. The title page features an inscription that reads: “L.A. Wallace, Dec. 25, 1953, From: David & Jo.” Inside the book, I found a bookmark from a used bookstore in Oak Ridge, TN, along with an address label for David & Jo, which indicates they lived in Tennessee. 

After some online sleuthing through obituaries, newspapers, and genealogy sites, I found that L.A. is likely David's father. David married Jo (a nickname; she sadly passed away last year) in November 1953. I suspect Jo might have gotten the book signed for her father-in-law as a Christmas gift, especially since Mrs. Giles was doing a promotional event for The Kentuckians around that time in Louisburg, Kentucky, and I can place David and Jo in that area. 

As for the address label in the book, it seems that David may have inherited the book from his father after his passing. I didn’t spend much on this book; I snagged it at a great price, and I’m thrilled to own a signed copy from one of my favorite authors, who unfortunately passed away before I was born.

Next up on my reading list is Cut Them Down by T.G. Brown; here’s hoping my review will be ready by Thursday. For my next Friday 56, I’ll share a snippet from The Night Riders by Todhunter Ballard.

Happy reading, everyone!
⁓B.J. Burgess

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