As a kid, some 45 years ago, I used to buy and read a lot of film tie-in paper-backs, mainly because I was too young to watch the real thing on the big screen.
The paperbacks were very special, at the time, because they gave you a taste of something that only adults could enjoy…
It then became a passion, searching charity shops for original novels that had been turned into films, or films that spawned a ‘book of the film’.
I specifically remember Ernest Tidyman’s ‘High Plains Drifter’, which I read five times, before getting to see the film.
I remember my parents trying to sneak me in to the film, in 1973…
Lost my copy of the paperback now, but still have fond memories of imagining it on screen, while reading the book.
I read this goodness knows how many times, before I saw the film on TV.
Instantly followed it up with reading the other ‘Dollar’ novilisations…magic for a kid, in those days.
Never colected them at the time but have subsequently picked up all the Dollars novels plus Fistful of Dynamite, Sabata and Hannie Caulder.
There were plenty of novels that were made into films though where I knew of the film first but read the book because I couldn’t see the film. Clockwork Orange falls into that category. So did The Exorcist.
Haha, I’ve read that Sabata book. It’s really terrible as it’s just a very plain written version of Sabata. Any of the motives of the characters are not explained it just the describtion of what happens in the movie.
They’re not so easy to find these days - I used to pick them up at charity shops and car.boot sales, etc … for very little money, pennies - but now they sell online for quite a bit.
Nice to have them as a souvenir from times when you couldn’t buy a film on DVD or just summon it up on a streaming service.
Most of the Tie in books I buy are 20 years older than me. I don’t buy them unless I come across them now. I do still buy annuals from yesteryear online. The genre tie ins I have are the Joe Millard Man with no name novels.
Any book written by Alistair McLean is a great read in my… book. Where Eagles Dare is one of my favourite films. Last year I went to Austria for a holiday and we stayed close to the Hohenwerfen Castle where filming took place.
Where Eagles Dare is one of my favourite films. Last year I went to Austria for a holiday and we stayed close to the Hohenwerfen Castle where filming took place. 
