Taylorology was a fanzine

Fanzine

A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...

 centered on the unsolved 1922 murder of Hollywood silent film director William Desmond Taylor

William Desmond Taylor

William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...

. The editor was Bruce Long, a staff member at Arizona State University

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

.

The first issue was published in 1985, and two more printed issues followed. In April, 1993, it switched to monthly electronic publication with Taylorology 4. The first three editions were never republished in their original forms on the Taylorology website. As Long wrote at the beginning of Taylorology 4: "Because the essence of those first three issues can be found in hardcover, there are no present plans to reprint those issues here." However, scanned copies of the first three issues were later submitted to the Internet Archive

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...

. (See "external links" below.)

Monthly postings continued until Taylorology 96 in December, 2000. Since then, two additional issues -- Taylorology 97 (2007) and Taylorology 98 (2009) -- have been added. In addition to published issues, the Taylorology web site has supplemental material pertaining to the Taylor case.

Contents

Although there was no fixed limitation on the subject matter, the contents of Taylorology generally could be categorized into the following areas:

• Facts and rumors pertaining to the Taylor murder, with maximum use of rare contemporary source material.
• Taylor's life and film career.
• The impact of the Taylor murder on Hollywood and America.
• The life and careers of individuals associated with Taylor, or individuals regarded as suspects in the Taylor murder.
• The silent film industry in which Taylor worked.
• Examination of various theories regarding the Taylor murder.
• Reviews of books, magazine articles, and televised documentaries (City Confidential
  City Confidential
  City Confidential is an American documentary television show, transmitted on the A&E Network, which singled out a community during each episode and investigated a crime that had occurred there. Rather than being a straighforward procedural, the installments began by focusing on the history and...
  
  , Perfect Crimes, Mysteries and Scandals
  Mysteries and Scandals
  Mysteries and Scandals is an American television program hosted by A.J. Benza. The series was originally broadcast on the E! network from March 1998 until February 2001.-Synopsis:...
  
  ) pertaining to the Taylor murder.
• Other Hollywood scandals during the same era as the Taylor murder.

Impact

The quantity of rare contemporary source material contained within Taylorology has given it a scholarly influence far beyond the confines of the William Desmond Taylor case. A few of the books which have cited Taylorology, and the source material it contains, are:

External links

• Issues 1, 2, and 3 at the Internet Archive:
  • Issue 1
  • Issue 2
  • Issue 3
• Long explains his fascination with the Taylor case here.