The Harlan Ellison Hornbook
The Harlan Ellison Hornbook (ISBN 978-0892962396) is a 1990 compilation of columns written by Harlan Ellison for several counterculture newspapers in Los Angeles, mostly for the Los Angeles Free Press and the L.A. Weekly News in 1972 and 1973.
 First trade edition (publ. Penzler) | |
| Author | Harlan Ellison |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | essays |
| Publisher | Warner Books Inc. |
Publication date | November 1990 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 417 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-89296-239-6 |
Many of the essays are of an autobiographical nature as Ellison writes about particularly colorful moments from his past, including a love affair gone bad with a woman who he identifies only as "Valerie," an infamous diatribe about his hatred of Christmas entitled, "No Offense Intended, But Fuck Xmas!", a tribute to his departed dog Ahbhu and a chilling account of his journey to San Quentin State Prison to visit a man on death row.
Also included is an article about Lenny Bruce that originally appeared in Los Angeles magazine, a tribute to the comic wit of illustrator George L. Carlson and an essay defending comic books as a legitimate art form entitled, "Did Your Mother Throw Yours Out?" that appeared in Playboy magazine.
In 1990, Mirage Press published an edition of the Hornbook with the screenplay for Harlan Ellison's Movie. Both were reprinted yet again in Edgeworks 3, published by White Wolf Publishing in 1997.