The Merchandise GuideNovelisations
Novels Guide
Compiled by Martin Willey
The Merchandise GuideButterworth was born in 1947 in Manchester, UK. In 1966 he started writing for the science fiction magazine New Worlds, edited by Michael Moorcock. In 1976 he wrote his first book, Time of the Hawklords; Moorcock was listed as co-author, but only contributed the concept, based on the stage show of the space-rock group Hawkwind.
In 1975 he founded the book publishing company Savoy with David Britton, with a number of shops in Manchester. These were raided several times by police on obscenity charges. Butterworth edited Britton's 1989 book Lord Horror, which was found obscene at trial in 1991, the last such obscenity trial in Britain. The charge was overturned in 1992.
Savoy was also closely involved in music, and Manchester musicians were also interested in new wave science fiction and comics. Among Butterworth's friends was Ian Curtis of Joy Division. In 1982 he was present when New Order recorded their song Blue Monday; his 2016 book The Blue Monday Diaries is a non-fiction account of the recording session, and Manchester in the early 1980s.
Mind-Breaks Of Space was co-written with a friend by Butterworth, Jay Jeff Jones (credited as J Jeff Jones). Jeff Jones was an American living in Manchester who worked as regional creative director for the advertising company Saatchi and Saatchi. He worked with Butterworth as an associate editor in the 1960s, and in 1977 he would become editor of the quarterly magazine New Yorkshire Writing.
| Title | Author(s) | First Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Planets Of Peril | Michael Butterworth | 1977 |
| Mind-Breaks Of Space | Michael Butterworth, J. Jeff Jones | 1977 |
| The Space-Jackers | Michael Butterworth | 1977 |
| The Psychomorph | Michael Butterworth | 1977 |
| The Time Fighters | Michael Butterworth | 1977 |
| The Edge Of The Infinite | Michael Butterworth | 1977 |
| Space 1999 Year Two | Michael Butterworth, J Jeff Jones | 2006 |
Copyright Martin Willey