Val Lewton.org

Books written by Val Lewton

Lewton and his pseudonyms

[Below: from an undated but presumably early 1930's newspaper clip from the Lewton scrapbooks, Library of Congress, Washington DC:]

"Val Lewton, author of 'No Bed of Her Own,' which is running serially in the Mirror, stopped at a gas filling station near his home in Riverside, Conneticut, the other day, to purchase a couple of galllons of gas for his car. The attendant, with the paper he had been reading under his arm, proceeded to serve Mr. Lewton, who noted that the paper was none other than The Mirror, and that the page the chap had been looking at was the one carrying his serial, for he could see plainly, "No Bed of Her Own," by Val Lewton, with the line "man begs, woman sells' – Victor Hugo, which he had chosen as a sort of theme introduction.

"Say," asked Val, curious to learn the reaction of his public, "Is that a good serial that you're reading?"

"Swell," came back the filling station attendant,"it's by Victor Hugo."

Some of the Val Lewton Pseudonyms:

Cosmo Forbes
Herbert Kerkow
Carlos Keith
Sidney Valentine
Vladimir Yiblonili

Rape of Glory Cover

Poetry by Val Lewton

1. Panther Skin and Grapes
   Poynton Press 1923
   A book of poetry

Novels by Val Lewton

1. Improved Road
   Published in Edinburgh, Scotland 1924
   Novel
2. The Cossack Sword
   Collins and Sons, Scotland 1926
   Novel (released in Amerca as The Rape of Glory in 1931)
   "Val Lewton's Rape of Glory is a flop in this country, but is a best seller in England under the title 'Sword of the Cossack" Variety, April 26, 1932
3. The Fateful Star Murder
   Mohawk Press 1931
   Written with Herbert Kerkow
4. Where the Cobra Sings
   Macaulay Publishing Company 1932
   Novel written under pseudonym Cosmo Forbes
5. No Bed of Her Own
   Vanguard Press 1932
   Novel (According to Joel Siegel's The Reality of Terror, this book was so succesful it was translated & published in 12 countries.) Kingly books has issued a new printing of this book. Their web site is here.
6. Yearly Lease
   Vanguard Press 1933
   Novel
   
7. Four Wives
   Vanguard Press 1933
   Novel written under pseudonym Carlos Keith
8. A Laughing Woman
   Vanguard Press 1933
   Novel written under pseudonym Carlos Keith
9. This Fool Passion
   Vanguard Press 1933
   Novel written under pseudonym Carlos Keith

Edmund Bansak's Fearing the Dark: The Val Lewton Career lists Lewton as having contributed journalism to the magazines Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Adventure, Biography, American Mercury, The Mentor, and New York Times Magazine. Lewton also contributed the short story "The Bagheeta" to the July, 1930 Weird Tales.

Non-Fiction

This list below based on Lewton's own credit list published in Siegel's The Reality of Terror.

1. The Green Fang of Jehad - 1926 Published by John Day and Collins and Sons
2. The Women of Casanova - "A John Day Pamphlet" - published 1927
3. The Theatre of Casanova - "A John Day Pamphlet" - published 1927
4. The Unemployed Working Girl in the Present Crisis -"A John Day Pamphlet" - published 1931
5. Manual and History of Cosmetics - McGraw Hill Publishing, 1930 - Under the pseudonym Sidney Valentine

Radio

The Luck of Joan Christopher - broadcast over radio station WOR and sponsored by the Hocker Flour Company, 1933 (cited in Siegel's The Reality of Terror, page 174.)