Press Release:

DreamHaven Books is proud to announce the first U.S. Publication of Vargo Statten’s 1954 novelization of Creature from the Black Lagoon. For more than 57 years, Creature fans in the United States have been vying for copies of the original printing, recently paying prices ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 in the collector’s market. This rare book was first published in a trade hardcover and paperback by a small English publisher, Dragon Books. Due to the popularity of the movie and its author, copies sold out quickly, and were never reprinted.

In 2011, Garcia Publishing Services’ Robert Garcia brought the idea to reprint the novel to DreamHaven Books owner Greg Ketter, who immediately signed on to publish it. A longtime fan of Universal Monsters, Ketter struck a deal with Universal Partnerships & Licensing to put out a new edition of the novel, with a few extras.

Rare and unique are keywords to describe this edition of Creature from the Black Lagoon. It not only contains the complete original novel, but adds an introduction by author-screenwriter and avowed Creature connoisseur David J. Schow detailing the history and impact of the 1954 film. It also contains a special 32-page photo section with dozens of behind-the-scenes photographs, some never before published in connection with the film. In addition, there is a brand-new cover painting of the Gill-man by award-winning sci-fi cover artist Bob Eggleton, who has been creating great monster art for years.

Wrapping up the book is a long afterword by Phil Harbottle about the famous British sci-fi author Vargo Statten (John Russell Fearn) who wrote the novel. It’s an all-star package designed to entice any movie fan.

The book was released on Christmas Day 2011 as DreamHaven Book’s gift to Universal Monsters fans.