Hex Files: The Goth Bible

by Mick Mercer

The vast Goth underground--with its dignified, melancholic graveyard aesthetic derived from such sources as Gothic horror novels, the Addams Family, Alice Cooper, and Anne Rice--is nothing short of an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879517832
• ISBN13: 9780879517830
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Overlook Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.3" x 11.7"

Customer Reviews

Please take note

This book is now seven years old. People buying it should either be aware it's been out for ages, or at least appreciate that it predates Net popularity, meaning I had to get info printed in overseas fanzines to get a lot of the International responses I did. The content from certain countries will therefore seem small or incomplete. As to people saying this is pretentious, that's their assessment, which is fine, but I know what bands are Goth and which have simply had an influence on Goth. It isn't a subtle difference, and it shouldn't be hard to work out. The book stands as the best record from its time, of what was possible to find out without bankrupting myself on postal costs. People may look at it now and regard it as curious, but this is now a period piece. It stands on its own merits as having more info than was available to anyone at the time, and beautiful photos, and at no point did it set out to get to the root of what the Goth culture was, as I made it clear at the time that it was an International Guide, following my previous books which had a European bias.

Continued brilliance

Mr. Mercer has done it again! As if his first books weren't pleasure enough, he's finally released the long-awaited, long-time-in-the-making sequel...the Hex Files. If you're looking for a glorified, poetic view of Goth, this book isn't what you want. But if you're wishing to find a grand collective of bands and contacts in the Goth world, here it is. Mick is simply amazing, and this book is proof (if you didn't already know it).

Incredibly well-written; the most in-depth book of its genre

Mick Mercer did an amazing job reviewing and compiling this book - a task that must have been daunting, considering the amount of entries there are. One of the best things about this book is that not only does it provide the reader with information of all parts of the goth lifestyle, but Mercer has covered goth all over the world. The 2-disc cd entitled "The Hex Files," that is available as an acompaniment to the book is a definite must, especially disc 2, track 2. The song, "A Broken Heart for Carolyn" is by far the epitome of goth music: sonorous, richly textured, sad and wonderful all at once. If anyone has any information about the band (Nadezhda), I must know!

Great info, but it needs a web site

This book was extremely informative, but did not give the depth of cultural perspective and history I was looking for. For this info., check out Gothic, an accompanyment to an exhibition at the Chicago Art Institute.

Invalueabe resource material for those active/intertested.

A marvelous effort in compiling a resource for anyone curious about/active in this phenmomenon. For creating an incredabily useful utility for living and a work of art in its own right, Mercer is owed a huge amount of gratitude from those of us for whom The Dark brings out the best of character. For making our lives easier to live (and a hell of a lot more fun!), the man has a special place in heaven reserved just for him.