The Geek Curmudgeon

On Twitter, Kim Newman has reported that anthologist Michel Parry has died. Throughout the 1970s, Parry edited numerous collections including Archives of Evil (two volumes), The Mayflower Black Magic Stories (six volumes), Reign of Terror (four volumes), The Rivals of Dracula, The Rivals of Frankenstein, and most importantly from my perspective The Rivals of King Kong. As the first anthology devoted to ape fiction, Parry’s book at least partially influenced my own book The Apes of Wrath.  Five of the nineteen stories in Apes also appeared in Parry’s. This is what I wrote about Rivals in Apes:

Surprisingly, given the simian’s influential role in popular culture, only one previous anthology of ape fiction exists. Published in 1978 by Corgi, The Rivals of King Kong collected eight reprinted stories, two originals, and an excerpt from one of H. Rider Haggard’s Allan Quatermain books. Editor Michel Parry contributed the introduction and checklist of simian cinema. The difficult-to-locate collectible paperback original commands a ridiculous price ranging from $30-$200.

I didn’t know Parry personally, so I never got the chance to discuss apes with him or to learn what, if anything, he thought of my volume. Or if he even knew it existed or what he spawned.

So Michel, wherever you are, thanks for those early jungle trails.