My Memoirs of the Dark Shadows Conventions
by Anthony Taylor
AuthorHouse


""...Dark Shadows Convention was a marvelous meeting Place to cherish, reflect, and look forward to future accomplishments That the Dark Shadows serial inspired since its debut in 1966."

Since the nineteen-fifties, there have been science fiction conventions where fans and writers can meet and greet, followed by lectures and talks given by the authors. Some television series that have reached a certain level of popularity have also spawned fan conventions. The 1960s television series Dark Shadows is one of those "cult" TV shows created and produced by Dan Curtis that a certain subset of people revere. They are willing to spend substantial amounts of money to travel, stay in hotels, and pay for meals while attending the usual three-day convention. This book is one such fan's recounting of nine such Dark Shadows conventions, beginning in 1993 and extending to 2016. Autographs given by the cast are described, as is the emergence of the actor Jonathan Frid one year after the series' 1966 debut, boosting its ratings with his portrayal of Barnabas Collins.

Taylor's book is slim but presented in a large format with large type that makes reading very easy. It has an excellent picture of the Collins estate on the cover. Told in nine succinct chapters with a short conclusion at the end, the writer tries to describe what he liked about the show, what he did at the various conventions he attended, and the historical background of the show's development. Told in the first person, the author uses an informal tone while discussing the series and his joy at the opportunity to help celebrate it at these conventions, which were usually held in or around New York City. The book is an excellent recounting of a unique subculture in America, while the author's use of capitalization and other grammatical notations is similarly unique and distinctive. This work is chock-full of information about the show and might make a welcome addition to any Dark Shadows fan's collection.

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