THE BOX OF DELIGHTS: TRAWL ONE

For Hammer Film Fans, just when it looked like it was safe to put away your wallet, along comes another book, that many may find hard to resist. THE HAMMER VAULT by Marcus Hearn (Titan Books, 2^nd December 2011, £29.99) is packed with images, artifacts and goodies from the Hammer archives. 

There's something for everyone here, as the book trawls through the early beginnings of the company that turned the classic Gothic monster market on it's head for the best part of thirty years.

There's lots to find for the first time, many examples of original correspondence, lobby cards and pages of scripts from some of Hammer films most famous productions. There are scores never before seen photographs and unpublished material.

The book also has some great examples of press books and publicity manuals, letters to and from some of the company’s stars, pages from managing director Michael Carreras and Peter Cushing’s scrapbooks, pre-production artwork, trade advertisements and production designs.

There is also a LIMITED EDITION: The special slipcased edition of The Hammer Vault is strictly limited to 1,000 numbered copies. The book is presented in a foil-stamped slipcase, featuring the Hammer logo on one side, and on the reverse a photo of one of the company’s most iconic props — the clasp worn by “the most evil man of all time” in Taste the Blood of Dracula. Also included in the slipcase is an envelope containing a collection of ten pieces of rare and previously unseen memorabilia, reproduced from the originals in the Hammer archive:

A ticket for the première of The Curse of Frankenstein
A 4pp brochure, originally given to attendees at The Curse of Frankenstein’s première A 4pp brochure, originally given to attendees at the première of Dracula
A US lobby card for Quatermass 2 (under its American title, Enemy From Space)
A US lobby card for X the Unknown
Hammer’s 1971 Christmas card, featuring photos of (among others) Julie Ege and Ingrid Pitt
A British front of house still for Countess Dracula
A British front of house still for Twins of Evil
A promotional brochure for Stones of Evil, a horror film about the creation of Stonehenge which was never made
Peter Cushing’s own costume design, painted by him in watercolours and with his own handwritten annotations, for his character in the unmade film The Savage Jackboot

These extra items, reproduced on heavy art paper stock or art cards, are all exclusive to the Limited edition, and do not feature as illustrations inside the book.

The LIMITED EDITION is priced £50.00 

Marcus Hearn has worked with Hammer Film Productions since 1994, initially as the editor of its official magazine and latterly as a rights and archive consultant. He is the author of The Hammer Story (with Alan Barnes), Hammer Glamour and The Art of Hammer, winner of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Book of the Year 2010.