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HARRY STEPHEN KEELER (1890-1967)

Never heard of Harry Stephen Keeler? Don't feel alone. He's America's most forgotten author, victim of a plot by publishers to weed out all writers who don't write swift, easy-to-read, dumbed-down prose for the masses. Harry wrote because he enjoyed it and early on developed a style all his own. He devised incredibly convoluted plots involving ethnic characters (who speak in outrageous dialect), pop culture of the 30s and 40s, and his favorite MacGuffin: skulls. Modern-day writers have their DNA evidence; Harry preferred skulls. Once you read a Keeler, you're never quite the same, and now -- thanks to Ramble House -- you can read all you want. And more!

Ramble House Keelers are A6-sized paperbacks (4.125" x 5.75") with dust jackets by Gavin L. O'Keefe and cost $18.00 -- except for THE FLYER HOLDUP, ADVENTURE IN MILWAUKEE and THE BLACKMAILER, "novellos" of 110-180 pages with illustrations by Gavin O'Keefe; FAKEALOO, a collection of pastiches of HSK's odd style; and KATS I HAVE KNOWN, a biography of his feline friends. Each is a great "starter" Keeler for $12.00. KATS is $10.00.

All of the longer novels that were first published by Ramble House in two or three volumes are now available in a single-volume trade paperback edition.