Three Joe R. Lansdale first editions, two signed limited editions and a new Tachyon collection.
I will have copies of the last two in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Library Addition: Three Joe R. Lansdale Firsts
August 2nd, 2023Library Addition: Three Oversized Hardbacks
July 31st, 2023Three more items from that Heritage Auctions lot.
Library Additions: Three Lovecraft-Related Chapbooks
July 21st, 2023Still more items from that Heritage lot. Three 8 1/2″ x 11″ items that are all related to H.P. Lovecraft: one Lovecraftian art portfolio (plus an additional critical chapbook), one prose portfolio, and one fiction chapbook, the latter two from members of the extended Lovecraft circle.
(Though the seem the same size (the blog image default size), the Mosig chapbook is a much smaller trim size, which makes sense given it probably shipped inside the portfolio.)
I tend to pick up obscure Lovecraftian chapbooks when I see them and they’re cheap, and as I noted before, there are few cheaper price points than “you’ve already bought it.”
Library Addition: Fiona MacLeod’s The Hills of Ruel
July 18th, 2023Another book from that Heritage lot. Random short story collections of Celtic fantasy are not exactly my usual line, but I’m keeping this one to solve the mystery of why it was published.
MacLeod, Fiona (pseudonym for William Sharp). The Hills of Ruel and Other Stories. Heinemann, 1921. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy in decorated boards (the design matching the dust jacket) with sight bumping at head, heel and points and slight foxing to inside covers and endpapers in a Very Good- dust jacket with a 7/8″ chip at head, 1/2″ chip at heel, smaller losses at top and bottom edges and wear along outer edges. Beliler Checklist (1978) page 131.
The mystery is why Heinemann decided to do such an elaborate book for an author that is fairly obscure today. It’s oversized (10 1/4″ high, the extact same height as the Dark Harvest first edition of Dan Simmons’ Carrion Comfort) with multiple inserted plates (most in color) and decorated endpapers.
The art, by M. H. Lawrence, in a sort of arts-and-crafts-meets-Art-Deco tops out at “sort of OK.” M. H. Lawrence turns out to be Margery Lawrence, more famous as a writer, including the psychic detective stories collected in Number Seven Queer Street publish by Arkham House sister imprint Mycroft & Moran. Judging from the art here, concentrating on writing was probably the right choice.
Still, fiction works with multiple inserted plates are fairly rare, and today limited to pricey small press editions by the likes of Stephen King and George R. R. Martin. Why did Heinemann go to that extent for MacLeod/Sharp? (This was published 15 years after his death, and he’s clearly listed as being MacLeod on a page advertising MacLeod and Sharp books right before the first plate page.) Presumably Heinemann did well with him, as there are nine books by him and one about him (by his wife) listed there. Also, this ISFDB page says that this was done as a Christmas gift book, which explains the elaborate production.
As I’ve stated before, “you’ve already paid for it” is a pretty compelling argument for adding anything interesting to your library…
Library Addition: Two Arthur Machen Critical Chapbooks
July 14th, 2023More from that Heritage lot, namely two critical chapbooks on Arthur Machen, both from The Arthur Machen Society.
Neither of these is in Donald Hassler’s extensive secondary bibliography on Machen on page 180 of Dictionary of Literary Bibliography Volume 178: British Fantasy and Science-fiction Writers before World War I, nor Wilson’s Shadows in the Attic, nor Tymn/Schlobin/Currey, nor any other reference works at hand. The only bibliography I have of Machen is Danielson’s, which is literally 100 year old. Goldstone and Sweeter did a more recent bibliography (put out by the University of Texas Press, no less) that I should probably keep an eye out for.
Though I’m not really a Machen collector per se, there’s something deeply satisfying about unearthing rare reference chapbooks…
Library Additions: Two Hollow Earth Books
July 13th, 2023Both these books were in the same Heritage lot as the Locke book. I have a small but growing collection of books on Hollow Earth theory and the Shaver Mystery, and these two fit right in.
Library Addition: Signed, Limited Hardback of George Locke’s Voyages in Space
July 12th, 2023As part of (I assume) it’s ongoing sale of the Gary Monson collection, Heritage Auctions offered up a lot of oversized and non-fiction works. Of those, this title was one I was most interested in, and is the reason I bid. I won the lot for $240 plus shipping.
Locke, George. Voyages in Space: A Bibliography of Interplanetary Fiction 1801-1914. Ferret Fantasy, 1975. First edition hardback, #17 of 18 signed, numbered hardback copies (plus an additional 10 copies not for sale), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. The definitive bibliography on early space travel fiction. Chalker/Owings, page 527. Tymn/Schlobin/Currey A Research Guide to Science Fiction Studies 47. Barron mentions this in Anatomy of Wonder 4 7-7 (on Currey’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors), but does not have a separate listing for it. Not in Justice. Supplements an inscribed copy of the trade paperback.
Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of John Crowley’s Great Work of Time
July 11th, 2023Crowley, John. Great Work of Time. Subterranean, 2023. First edition hardback, #219 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. “Great Work of Time first appeared in John Crowley’s 1989 collection, Novelty. It was immediately recognized as a major addition to the literature of time travel, and went on to win the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella. More than thirty years after its initial publication, it remains as dazzling, dizzying and totally enthralling as ever.” I have a small number of these available through Lame Excuse Books.
Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of The Essential Peter S. Beagle
July 10th, 2023Another limited edition:
Beagle, Peter S. The Essential Peter S. Beagle. Tachyon, 2023. First edition hardback, #95 of 474 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in silver decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, with Tachyon sticker and business card laid in. Just what it says, a best of collection of stories for this beloved fantasy writer. This combines what are two volumes for the trade edition (which I have on order but haven’t seen yet). I have a small number of these available through Lame Excuse Books.
Library Addition: Thomas Ligotti’s Pictures of Apocalypse
July 5th, 2023Another small press book:
Ligotti, Thomas. Pictures of Apocalypse. Chiroptera Press, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrinkwrap. Also includes a special 24 page Pictures of Apocalypse: Interviews and Sketches chapbook, including new interviews with the author and artist, “Concept to finish” art documentation, outtakes, a thank you card, and a bookmark.” A verse cycle. A fairly elaborate small press production for this stylish horror writer. The book is no longer on the publisher’s website, so I assume it is now out of print. But I still have copies through Lame Excuse Books (including the extras bag).
Here’s a scan of some of the items in the extras bag:
