IMPORTANT PRE-ORDER INFORMATION:
Publication Date APRIL 2025
Your payment will be taken immediately upon completion of your order, but any order including COCKFIGHT will not ship until April 2025
Limited Edition
COCKFIGHT: A Fable of Failure
Special Features of this Signature Plate Edition of Cockfight:
- Includes custom bookmark
- Author Signature Plate — each Collector's Edition book will come with a Kier-La Janisse signature label; either hold onto it as a standalone keepsake item, or affix it to the book's title page as you prefer
- Director Monte Hellman (RIP) and Producer Roger Corman (RIP) signature labels also included; either hold onto them as standalone keepsake items, or affix them to the book's inner cover as you prefer
There is no shortage of loaded — and often gendered — symbolism in the sport of cockfighting. And this becomes a starting point for author Kier-La Janisse (who broke new ground in film criticism with her 2012 book House of Psychotic Women) to investigate the themes of obsession, competition, mobility and nobility that dominate the hyper-masculine world of Monte Hellman's existential and controversial film, Cockfighter (1974), based on the 1962 novel by crime writer Charles Willeford (Miami Blues).
Infamously touted as the only movie that producer Roger Corman ever lost money on, Cockfighter stars character actor Warren Oates as Frank Mansfield, a career cocker who has taken a vow of silence until he can win the Cockfighter of the Year Award. Surrounded by fellow cockfighters played by Harry Dean Stanton, Ed Begley, Jr, Steve Railsback, Richard B. Shull and even author/screenwriter Charles Willeford himself, the film traverses the underground cockfighting world of the Deep South, with a highly detailed documentation of this unique subculture brought vividly to life by esteemed cinematographer Nestor Almendros.
Densely illustrated and featuring interviews with director Monte Hellman, producer Roger Corman and several surviving cast and crew members, Janisse’s study explores the many mythologies that intersect in Cockfighter, approaching the story and its backdrop through a variety of lenses, using a combination of cultural criticism, production history and even personal anecdotes, as the author delves into the contradictory world of cockfighting in the American South. At its core it is a story about work, honour, conviction and finding religion and beauty in strange places.
“Janisse leverages her impressive scope of research toward a truly dazzling analysis of the film.”
— LA Review of Books
CHOOSE YOUR PACKAGE!
Collector's Edition Book with Author Signature Plate and Bookmark – CLICK HERE
GB £24.99
Hellman/Corman/Janisse Signature Edition (Only 35 Available) – THIS ITEM PAGE
— Cockfight book with three signature plates, personally autographed by author Kier-La Janisse, director Monte Hellman (RIP) and producer Roger Corman (RIP), PLUS bookmark.
GB £40.00
Cockfighter of the Year Medal & Signature Edition (Only 55 Available) – CLICK HERE
— Cockfight book with three signature plates, personally autographed by author Kier-La Janisse, director Monte Hellman (RIP) and producer Roger Corman (RIP), PLUS bookmark, PLUS exclusive Cockfighter of the Year Medal. PLEASE NOTE: this Bundle is included as part of the DISCOUNT BUNDLE for 10% off; discount only applicable if purchased as part of that deal, see below!
GB £50.00
February Pre-Order DISCOUNT BUNDLE (SAVE 10%) – CLICK HERE
— Cockfight book with signature plates personally autographed by Kier-La Janisse, Monte Hellman and Roger Corman, PLUS bookmark, PLUS Cockfighter of the Year medal, PLUS the DISCOMANIA book & T-shirt bundle, PLUS the SONIC SEWER signed art card and T-shirt bundle. PLEASE NOTE: Very Limited Availability!
GB £139.50 (10% off £155.00 full bundle value)
Check out all the February Pre-Order options in detail before making your choice... CLICK HERE FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Cockfight Technical Details
Size: 203mm x 153mm
Binding: Paperback
Extent: 296 pages, heavily illustrated throughout
ISBN: 978-1-913051-40-2
Expected Publication Date: April 2025
Market: Cinema
Packed weight: 850g
Edition: First FAB Press Edition (originally published in 2024 by Spectacular Optical)
Book Cover Price: £24.99 (UK) / $34.95 (US)
EU Safety Representative: Easy Access System Europe, Mustamäe tee 50, 10621 Tallinn, Estonia, gpsr.requests@easproject.com
