James Moffat
Encyclopedia
James Moffat was an author who wrote under several pen names.
He produced many pulp
novels for the United Kingdom publishing house New English Library
during the 1970s. Moffat's pen names included Richard Allen, Etienne Aubin (The Terror of the Seven Crypts) and Trudi Maxwell (Diary of A Female Wrestler). Moffat's pulp novels mostly focused on youth subculture
s of the late 1960s and 1970s, such as skinhead
s, hippies and bikers
. In particular Moffat wrote a series of popular and commercially-successful books featuring what came to be known as his most famous protagonist, the skinhead antihero Joe Hawkins. Moffat often expressed admiration for his subject matter and commented on social issues, mostly from a right wing perspective.
The collected works of Richard Allen were reissued in a six volume set by ST Publishing in the 1990s. A BBC
TV documentary about his life, Skinhead Farewell, aired in 1996. Allen's formulaic and sensationalist writing style has been imitated by Neoist
writer Stewart Home
. Mark Sargeant wrote a feature in Scootering Magazine titled The Richard Allen Legacy. An interview titled The Return of Joe Hawkins with publisher George Marshall was in issue seven of Skinhead Times (1992).
Moffat also published books under his own name; including the movie tie-in Queen Kong, based on the low-budget 1976 movie
.
He produced many pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
novels for the United Kingdom publishing house New English Library
New English Library
The New English Library was a United Kingdom book publishing company, which became an imprint of Hodder Headline.- History :New English Library was created in 1961 by the Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles, with the takeover of two small British paperback companies, Ace Books Ltd and Four Square...
during the 1970s. Moffat's pen names included Richard Allen, Etienne Aubin (The Terror of the Seven Crypts) and Trudi Maxwell (Diary of A Female Wrestler). Moffat's pulp novels mostly focused on youth subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
s of the late 1960s and 1970s, such as skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s, hippies and bikers
Motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...
. In particular Moffat wrote a series of popular and commercially-successful books featuring what came to be known as his most famous protagonist, the skinhead antihero Joe Hawkins. Moffat often expressed admiration for his subject matter and commented on social issues, mostly from a right wing perspective.
The collected works of Richard Allen were reissued in a six volume set by ST Publishing in the 1990s. A BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV documentary about his life, Skinhead Farewell, aired in 1996. Allen's formulaic and sensationalist writing style has been imitated by Neoist
Neoism
Neoism is a parodistic -ism. It refers both to a specific subcultural network of artistic performance and media experimentalists, and more generally to a practical underground philosophy...
writer Stewart Home
Stewart Home
Stewart Home is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. He is best known for his novels such as the non-narrative 69 Things To Do With A Dead Princess , his re-imagining of the 1960s in Tainted Love , and earlier parodistic pulp fictions Pure Mania, Red...
. Mark Sargeant wrote a feature in Scootering Magazine titled The Richard Allen Legacy. An interview titled The Return of Joe Hawkins with publisher George Marshall was in issue seven of Skinhead Times (1992).
Moffat also published books under his own name; including the movie tie-in Queen Kong, based on the low-budget 1976 movie
Queen Kong
Queen Kong 1976 British comedy film spoofing King Kong. The film was never released theatrically in the UK, due to legal action by Dino De Laurentiis, producer of the 1976 King Kong remake. It got limited release in Italy and Germany. The film has since resurfaced on DVD.The film has a cult...
.
Books written as Richard Allen
- Boot Boys
- Demo
- Dragon Skins
- Knuckle Girls
- Mod Rule
- Glam
- Punk Rock
- Skinhead
- Skinhead Escapes
- Skinhead Farewell
- Skinhead Girls
- Smoothies
- Sorts
- Suedehead
- Teeny Bopper Idol
- Terrace Terrors
- Top-Gear For Skinhead
- Trouble For Skinhead (originally to be titled Skinhead In Trouble)