I finally got round to reading a brilliant book that's been on my shelves for more years than I care to remember. 'Duel - And Other Stories of the Road' is a collection of short stories that loosely fall under a banner, I'm calling, Auto Noir. It's a collection from 1987 curated by William Pattrick and is crammed to the rafters with cracking good reads, all paying homage to the road and the vehicles thereupon. Charles Beaumont, Roald Dahl and Stephen King are all in there but it's Richard Matheson's masterpiece from 1971 that gets top billing: Duel first appeared in Playboy magazine (and anthologised for the first time here), tells the story of one man driving to a sales meeting on a very ordinary day & being stalked by a crazed tanker lorry driver on the open road in California - in broad daylight. Like the film, Stephen Spielberg's first ever movie, it's utterly compelling. And very chilling. Unlike my California road trip in 2022. And James' in 2020; both recorded for posterity above.
Duel - Official Trailer (1971)
Richard Matheson (1926-2013)
Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)
Oh such a great film, I'd be interested to read the short story version too. Love the photos - very glad you both came through your road trips unscathed, I think there might be a tiny part of me tensing just a little bit every time I checked the rear view mirror.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, on the back of this, I've just blagged myself a copy of Playboy from March 1971 which published Matheson's story for the first time. However, when the magazine arrives, Duel may not be the first thing I find when I open its covers...
DeleteLove the film, love the Matheson short story!
ReplyDeleteYou too have good taste, Martin!
DeleteThat sounds like an excellent collection.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, Rol. I'm sure you'll find a cheap and cheerful copy on eBay.
DeleteOuch! This appears to be the cheapest copy; you'll need to scout a few second-hand bookshops.
DeleteYeah, £20 appears to be cheap for that particular title... I've seen copies over £100.
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