|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Suggested Reading |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
NEW RELEASE: Charles Manson (Heroes and Villians)
"Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry. Everyone knows all about this book by Manson's prosecutor so I won't bother to say anything more. (hardback or paperback).
RE-RELEASED "The Family: The Story of Charles Manson's Dune Buggy Attack Battalion" by Ed Sanders. An absolute must have. Most everyone refers to this simply as "The Family" and it is the perfect companion to Bugliosi's book. This one goes more with the satanic angle. There have been at least three variations with chapters added and dropped. This and "Helter Skelter" are probably the two major Manson books. NEWS FLASH: This book was re-released in 2002. Partially re-written and includes new material and many photographs. [2]
"The Shadow Over Santa Susana" by Adam Gorightly. Nearly 600 pages! This one brings together lots of information from a vast number of sources.
"Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" by Greg King. New book (mid-2000) which is more biographical of Sharon than we usually get. I haven't read it yet, so I can't really say. I did see some recent quotes from Clem and it does contain a couple of crime scene photos (most books skip this). The publisher failed to give us an index and the end notes are all off by one chapter!
"Manson in His Own Words" by Charles Manson with Nuel Emmons. Manson isn't happy about this book, so take the title with a grain of salt..
"Taming the Beast: Charles Manson's Life Behind Bars" by Edward George and Dary Matera. George was Manson's prison counselor. I'm still reading so can't comment yet... (hardback or paperback). You can read the author's complaints about how the book was changed by clicking here.
"Squeaky: The Life and Times of Lynette Fromme" by Jess Bravin. I found this very interesting. Did you know that Squeaky was friends with Phil Hartman (of "Saturday Night Live" fame, and a famous murder victim)? (hardback or paperback)
"The Ultimate Evil" (updated in 1999) by Maury Terry. Well, he has extremely interesting Manson related info (if it's real). The book is mostly about the Son of Sam, though. Definitely worth checking out if you're really into Manson. As of July, 2004, it seems Amazon no longer has the updated edition in stock (or even in their database). They do have links to older editions here and here.
"Manson: The Unholy Trail of Charlie and the Family" by John Gilmore and Ron Kenner. This is a reprint of "Garbage People."
"The Long Prison Journey of Leslie Van Houten: Life Beyond the Cult" by Karlene Faith. Biography of Leslie Van Houten. Quite one-sided (pro-Leslie).
"The Zodiac/Manson Connection" by Howard Davis. Was Bruce Davis also the infamous Zodiac killer? The whole thing, I think, is based on the scientology student murders that Davis was suspected of. The female victim received a letter similar to the Zodiac letters. It's yet another I haven't read.
"Desert Shadows: A True Story of the Charles Manson Family in Death Valley" by Bob Murphy. Written by a former superintendent of Death Valley National Monument. I haven't read this one but believe it is based on the Family's days in Death Valley.
"These Canyons Are Full of Ghosts" by Emmett Harder. Written by a Death Valley prospector and is mostly about the area and its inhabitants and history. It does have around 25 pages about Harder's encounters with Manson and the Family.
"Hollywood Death Scenes" by Corey Mitchell. A tour of Hollywood crime scenes. Reportedly has about 25 pages about the Manson family with various photos of the major sites.
"Manson: Behind the Scenes" by Bill Nelson. Nelson ran the web site www.mansonmurders.com which many loved to hate. Lots of really interesting data that I've never seen elsewhere. Unfortunately this book has misspellings and typos on nearly every page. Probably out of print.
"Tex Watson: The Man, the Madness, the Manipulation" by Bill Nelson. Nelson's first book (see above). Quite a bit of trial testimony.
"No More Tomorrows" by Alice LaBianca. This is a biography of Manson victim Leno LaBianca by his ex-wife. Hey, lots of Leno photos (most of us have only seen that one pic over and over).
"Road Mangler Deluxe" by Phil Kaufman. Autobiography. Phil Kaufman is probably best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. Before all that, though, he served time with Charles Manson. After his release, he hung out with the Family. Phil produced Manson's "Lie" album (he's listed on the back cover as "phil 12258cal" which was his prison number). Several pages of his autobiography are about Manson and the remainder are an amazing story. If you click HERE, you can order the book direct from Phil and he'll autograph it.
"The Trial of Charles Manson: Cult Murders in California (Famous Trials)" by Craig L. Staples. This book is nearly $30 and less than 100 pages. It is reportedly a children's text book and not worth the time of day unless you have to have everything.
"Manson Family Picnic" by Downey and Clark. This has a forward by Bugliosi and an afterword by Manson. But don't get the idea that either participated or approved. It has been described as "a book with talking animals who get high on drugs and discuss 1960s politics. [3]
"5 to Die" by Jerry Le Blanc. Probably the first book to appear on the case. Best known for some obscure photos such as an alternate of Hinman.
"The Killing of Sharon Tate" by Lawrence Schiller. This was a quickie put out shortly after the arrests. About half is an interview with Atkins.
"Will You Die for Me" by Charles Watson. This is the one by killer Tex. Quite worth reading for a first-hand account. Check his web site and you can usually find it for free!
"My Life With Charles Manson" by Paul Watkins. Excellent book by Family member. Very tough to find and usually goes for around $50 on eBay.
"Child of Satan, Child of God" by Susan Atkins and Bob Slosser. It's been a long time since I read this, but I seem to recall finishing it and thinking "Man, she really doesn't seem to know why those people were killed."
"The Manson File" by Nikolas Schreck. Get it if at all possible. Fantastic!
"Prose and Cons" by Frank Andrews. This is a collection of writings by inmates. It's of interest to us because it has poems, short stories and drawings by Leslie Van Houten and Pat Krenwinkel. Very tough to find but is interesting since it has material by these otherwise silent killers.
"Charles Manson Love Letters to a Secret Disciple" by Sy Wizinsky. Extremely hard to find and usually over $100.
"Devil's Dropout: Manson Follower Turns to Christ" by Onjya Sipe. A couple of chapters of interest and nearly impossible to locate.
"Garbage People" by John Gilmore and Ron Kenner. First book that I ever saw with the crime scene photos. Although out-of-print, this has possibly been re-released under a new title.
"Reflections on the Manson Trial: Journal of a Pseudo-Juror" by Rosemary Baer. Written by a Manson juror's wife.
"Trial by Your Peers" by William Zamora. Written by a Manson juror and has also been released under the title "Blood Family".
"Witness to Evil" by George Bishop. Bishop attended every session of the Tate/LaBianca trial and was a confidant of both investigators and lawyers. Quite a bit of trial testimony. Nice illustrations. [4]
"Manson Murders" by D. E. Cooper. I don't know what this is but it's likely an earlier edition of the following book.
"Manson Murders: A Philosophical Inquiry" by David Cooper. It is "a discussion of the philosophical questions raised by the Tate/LaBianca murders..." and "was edited before Tex Watson went to trial... The book does a good job of discussing the ethics of folks who are amoral and how society is to deal with them." (Thanks to Jim Davis for the description."
"Manson Women" by Clara Livsey. I've been told it's more about Manson than the women.
"Alone With the Devil" by Ronald Markman. 55 page chapter about Watson and Van Houten.
"Mindfuckers" by David Felton. Very rare book that covers several people such as Manson and Mel Lyman. Almost always over $100.
"Jonestown and the Manson Family" by Robert Endleman.
"Our Savage God: The Perverse Use of Eastern Thought" by Robert Zaehner. Out-of-print. The author essentially says that Manson is the same as Eastern mystics and uses this to discredit them relative to the author's own hero, Aristotle. [1]
"Figli dei Fiori, figli di Satana" (Flower Children, Satan Children) by Ezio Guaitamacchi. This is an Italian book which was kindly sent to me by the author. Here is his description: "I wrote a book on a series of events that happened in the summer of 1969. More specifically, I started out with an overlook of the tragic death of Brian Jones (July 3), the U.S. premiere of Easy Rider (the movie, July 10), the Manson murders (August 9 and 10), The Woodstock Festival (August 14,15 and 16). I found lots of unexpected connections, interesting and sometimes frightening factors in common." The author also has a website at www.JamOnline.it. He has recently released a CD-ROM to accompany the book and is doing a live show with lectures, videos and live music.
Click HERE for a listing of additional crime books.
Special thanks to:
[1] Eric Ralph Thornburg
[2] Update info by Beekaltweekal
[3] Tami Brandt
[4] Extra info by Tommy Moore
|
|
