Archive for the ‘Science Fiction’ Category
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
Here it is, the giant roundup of all books I bought during the first half of the year. Some, but not all, of these have been covered here before.
Allston, Aaron. Galatea in 2-D Baen, 1993. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight wear at points, inscribed by the author: “To Scott,/Many thanks!/Aaron Allston/ 11/5/93.” Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought from Half Price Books for $2.24.
Asher, Neal. Prador Moon. Night Shade Books, 2006. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Bought for $2 from a friend culling his library.
Avallone, Michael. Mannix. Popular Library, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with tiny chip out of top front corner, three small closed tears along rear outer cover edges, age darkening at top and along spine, and other touches of wear. Tie-in novel based on the first season of the TV detective show Mannix. Given to me as a gift.
Bloch, Robert. Screams. Underwood -Miller, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a $39.95 overprint pricing sticker on flap (as issued). Signed by Bloch. Omnibus edition of The Will To Kill, Firebug, and The Star Stalker, being the first hardback editions of each. Replaces an unsigned copy. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 440. Bought off eBay for $25.
Bradbury, Ray. Bullet Trick. Gauntlet Press, 2009. First edition hardback, one of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. Collection of teleplays and short fiction. List price of $85. Bought off eBay for $46.
Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings 1982. Self-published, 1982. First edition broadsheet, a Near Fine copy with wrinkling on the right side (probably do to inadequate stiffing in an envelope shipped from France) and a former paperclip impression at top left. Inscribed by Bradbury. Bought for $30 plus shipping.
Bradbury, Ray, et. al. Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 6. Nantier Beall Minoustchine/Byron Preiss, no date (but 1994). First edition hardback, #828 of 1000 signed, numbered copies signed by Bradbury and the illustrators, a Fine- copy with a bit of spine lean (only noticeable because the book is so thin), in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $26.10 plus shipping off eBay. Original published price was $45.
(Bradbury, Ray) Robin Anne Reid. Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press, 2000. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Bradbury. Non-fiction reference book. Bought from an Internet book dealer for $35.
Bush, George W. Decision Points. Crown Publishers, 2010. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a faint red stain at heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with just bit of wrinkling at top and bottom edges. Signed by Bush. Autobiography of his time as President. Bought at a Half Price Books in Houston for $7.99, picked out of several unsigned copies (obviously they failed to check it for signatures when it came in; having known Bush signed in Houston, I took care to check every copy).
Bush, George W. 41: A Portrait of My Father. Crown Publishers, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at head and heel. Signed by George W. Bush. Political biography of George H. W. Bush. Bought for $7.99 at a Half Price Books in Austin.
Campbell, John W. Frozen Hell. Wildside Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Longer version of Campbell’s “Who Goes There?” recently rediscovered. Introduction by Silverberg. Bought off Kickstarter for $25.
Caro, Robert A. Working. Knopf, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, signed by Caro. Book of essays from this multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer. Tells stories from Caro’s research about the lengths to which he went to get the story right, such as finding out how Brown & Root made LBJ, and how Caro actually sat down to interview Ladybird Johnson about her husband’s longtime lover. Bought at Caro’s signing at Bookpeople for cover price.
Carroll, Jonathan. The Crow’s Dinner. Subterranean Press, 2017. First edition hardback, #220 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Collection of essays. Bought on sale at 50% off cover price.
Dalgaard, Niels. Damphammeren: En steampunk-anologi. Science Fiction Cirklen, 2018. First edition trade paperback original (with self-wrapper flats), a Fine copy, new and unread. Danish-language steampunk anthology Paul di Filippo sent to me.
Davidson, Avram. The Redward Edward Papers. Doubleday, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with very faint spotting, fading the red lettering on spine, slight age darkening to the white cover, and a few tiny specks of dust soiling. Inscribed to fellow science fiction and fantasy writer Randall Garrett on the front free endpaper: “June 25/78 Pacific Grove/Califo./For an old, good and helpful/friend,/Randall Garrett/with the Compliments/of the Author,/Avram Davidson.” Additionally signed by Davidson on the title page. Bought from Half Price Books for $45.
Delany, Samuel R. Letters From Amherst. Wesleyan University Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine new copy, sans dust jacket with ISBN price sticker, as issued. Subtitled “Five Narrative Letters.” Bought for $16.96 pre-publication off Amazon, considerably off the list price of $45.
(Dick, Philip K.) Mckee, Gabriel. Pink Beams of Light from the God in the Gutter: The Science-Fictional religion of Philip K. Dick. University Press of America, 2004. First edition trade paperback original, #68 of 100 copies signed and dated by the author on the date of publication (1-6-04). Bought from an online book dealer for $35.
Di Filippo, Paul. Aeota. PS Publishing, 2019. First edition hardback, #76 of only 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. “On the trail of a missing con man, our private eye hero uncovers a vast conspiracy that stretches from the dawn of time to the Omega Point—and find himself central to the whole enigmatic game.”
(Gaughan, Jack) Ortiz, Luis. Outermost: The Art + Life of Jack Gaughan. Nonstop Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, new and unread. Book on the renowned SF/F artist, including hundreds of examples of his art, in color throughout. Bought at a significant discount from the publisher.
Hand, Elizabeth. Icaus Descending. Bantam Spectra, 1993. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of wear at points and foxing to inside covers.
Harrison, Harry. The Stainless Steel Rat for President. Bantam Books, 1982. First mass market edition and first paperback edition (preceded by the SFBC edition, for which I also have a signed copy), a Near Fine copy with a bit of edgewear, most notable at head join, where there is also a very short (1/4″) crease. Signed by Harrison. The fifth Stainless Steel Rat book (at least by publication order).
Hawke, Simon. Much Ado About Murder. Tor Forge, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Shakespeare mystery. Bought for $2 from a friend culling his library.
Hawke, Simon. Timewars 1: The Ivanhoe Gambit. Ace, 1986. Paperback reprint, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of edgewear. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Hawke, Simon (as Nicholas Yermakov). Jehad. Signet, 1984. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing, edgewear, slight darkening to outer portion of white back cover, and slight foxing to inside covers. Inscribed by Hawke: “To Lori,/Best/(signature).” I think it may be signed as Yermakov; if so, it’s very similar in style to his Hawke signature. Hawke used to write under his birth name of Nicholas Yermakov, but legally changed his name to Simon Hawke in 1984. Third book in the Boomarang trilogy, about an alien race that possesses a form of linear immortality and human missions to the planet to “capture” it, and one with a number of notable cyberpunk elements.
Hawke, Simon. The Wizard of Camelot. Warner Books, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Hawke, Simon. The Wizard of Santa Fe. Warner Books, 1991. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with an invisible spine crease. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Kosinski, Jerzy. Passing By: Selected Essays 1960-1991. Random House, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Left out on a neighborhood freebie table.
Lafferty, R. A. The Man Who Walked Through the Cracks: The Collected Short Fiction Volume Five. Centipede Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #40 of 300 signed, numbered copies, new and unread, still in publisher’s polybag. I have matching numbers of all five books in the series.
Lake, Jay. Death of a Starship. Monkeybrain Books, 2009. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Bought for $4.99.
Lansdale, Joe R. Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers. Subterranean Press, 2917. First edition hardback, letter G of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine traycase. Prequel to Bubba Ho-tep. The traycase is a vaguely coppery color and feels vaguely suede-like. Supplements a signed trade edition. Bought off eBay for $185, $65 less than the original $250 publication price. I wouldn’t mind picking up all the Lansdale traycase editions, since I already have four of those, and have virtually everything else of Joe’s…
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #36 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in imitation leather boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Pulphouse Short Story Hardback #7, reprinted from By Bizarre Hands. I avoided the short story hardback line when it first came out, as I had a hard time thinking of them as real books rather than gimmicks, and didn’t expect them to hold their value. Now, after I’ve collected everything else by the author, I’ve been picking them up, and my original judgment about their collectability (or lack thereof) was largely accurate. I picked this and the following up for $29, which is all of $7 over the combined price of both when published…
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback), a Fine copy, signed by Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. and Karen, editors. Dark at Heart. Dark Harvest, 1992. First edition hardback, #120 of 400 copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a couple of touches of edgewear at top front (and a $45 price sticker on inside front flap, as per Chalker/Owings), in a Fine slipcase. Anthology of “dark suspense.” Includes some signatures I didn’t have in my collection heretofore. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1049. Nova Express Lansdale Bibliography, 1A.2. Hankow, A Checklist of Joe R. Lansdale, AA4a. Bought for $17.26 plus shipping off eBay, less than half the publication price of $45.
Lee, Tanith. Dancing Through the Fire. Fantastic Books, 2015. First edition (stated, though it looks like a POD book) hardback, an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws (stickers, stamps, dust jacket taped to boards, etc., but otherwise apparently new and unread. Don’t usually pick up such current books as Ex-Lib copies, but I’d never seen a copy of this before, there are no other firsts listed online, and this was very cheap (I think $3).
Ligotti, Thomas. A Little White Book of Screams and Whispers. Borderlands Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a #501 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. A “compilation of Interviews with Ligotti that have never been collected or reprinted.” Out of print before publication.
Locke, George. Voyages in Space. Ferret Fantasy, 2015. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with a very small hardback run of only 28 copies), one of 500 copies, a Near Fine copy with slight wear along spine and what appears to be a spot of dampstaining at heel. Inscribed to Australian-born, Paris-resident science fiction, film and travel writer (and fellow book collector) John Baxter: “For John Baxter/With all good wishes and the/hope that you’ll run into one of the Olde/Aussie Interplanetaries when you next meet/the banana-benders!/George Locke”. (I also own Baxter’s The Inner Man: the life of J. G. Ballard.) Subtitled “A Bibliography of Interplanetary Fiction, 1801-1914.” Tymn Schlobin Currey, A Research Guide to Science Fiction Studies, 47. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 7-7 (though only in passing, since the main entry is for Currey). Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975—1991, 28470. Bought from a UK bookdealer for £40 plus shipping.
Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards: Black Trump. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with trace of edgewear and spine just slightly concave. All the Baen Wild Cards volumes are hard to find these days. Bought for $2.69.
Matheson, Richard. The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok. Jove, 1996. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with previous owner’s small (Mylar?) ownership label and “January 1996” on the second blurb page, plus slight edgewear. Western novel. Replaces a reprint copy. Bought for $2.48.
Mayhar, Ardath. Carrots and Miggle. Atheneum, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Mayhar: “For Marj/with love/Ardath Mayhar/May, 1986.” Would you believe it’s a young adult novel about two girls on a farm in east Texas? Not a lot of those in my library. Bought for $6.49.
Mayhar, Ardath. Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey. Ace, 1982. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with rubbing to raised golden foil letters on front cover and just a trace of wear at heel, otherwise new and apparently unread. Inscribed by Mayhar: “For Marj/May all your dreams/be golden./Ardath —/Oct. 14, 1982.” Sequel to H. Beam Piper’s “Little Fuzzy” stories. Bought for $5.99.
Moorcock, Michael. Modem Times 2.0. PM Press, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Mixture of fiction (a Jerry Cornelius novella “Modem Times 2.0” previous published in different form as “Modem Times”), plus two essays and a bibliography. Bought for $4.99.
Moorcock, Michael, with James Cawthorn, as Desmond Reid. Caribbean Crisis. Sexton Blake Library 501/Fleetway Publications, 1962. First edition (“First Printing” stated) trade paperback original (digest format), a Very Good+ copy with small stains to front and rear cover from rusting staple bleed-through (a common flaw for this title), with very slight wrinkling along spine, slight wear at points, a touch of soiling to white cover and the usual age-darkening to the pages. 62 double-column pages, plus a two page “mailbag” at rear. Not sure if this counts as a book serial or a magazine, but it features an English detective who first made his debut in 1893. Currey, page 368. Tanelorn Archives, page 12. An online Sexton Blake bibliography says that W. Howard Baker also did some revisions on this. Bought online for $8.25.
Moorcock, Michael, and Mervyn Peake. The Sunday Books. Duckworth/Overlook, 2011. First English language edition (originally published in France), a Fine copy in decorated cloth, sans dust jacket, as issued. Book of children’s story art by Peake, based on tales he told his children but never wrote down, with story text by Moorcock (a friend of Peake’s and a notable champion of his work). Bought for $7.99.
Moore, C.L. The Scarlet Dream. Donald M. Grant, 1981. First edition hardback, one of 220 copies signed by Moore and illustrator Alicia Austin, a Fine- copy with a few pinhead spots of light staining at head, in a Fine- dust jacket with just a trace of wear at head and points, and very slight edge wrinkling at rear flap top, in a Near Fine slipcase with two tackhead sized abrasions to bottom. All the Northwest Smith science fiction adventure stories, including one (“Song in a Minor Key”) not in Northwest of Earth or Shambleau. Chalker/Owings, page 221. Bought for $60 from an internet dealer.
Moore, Ward. Breathe the Air Again. Harper & Brothers, 1942. First edition hardback (stated), an Ex-Lbrary copy with all the usual flaws, including spine sticker, stamps, pocket, internal stamps and stickers, etc., with touches of wear, some mild page-block soiling, points blunted, etc., lacking the dust jacket. Really only a reading/placeholder copy, but this seems to be a genuinely rare book; the only other copy I’ve seen pop up in all that time was about the same condition, but offered at over 10 times the cost. Reportedly a mainstream novel of labor organizing. Bought from a multilister for $18.63.
Nicolle, Ethan. Bears Want To Kill You. Bearmageddon, 2019. First edition hardback, #192 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, with four stickers in a paper band laid in. Illustrated humor. Backed on Kickstarter (my name appears as a backer on page 234) for $35 plus shipping.
Niven, Larry. Neutron Star. Ballantine Books, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing and slight lean, edgewear, and slight black marker staining over prices on front cover and spine (most, but not all, came off with Bestine, leaving a tiny bit of shadowing around the price). Currey, page 386. Bought for $1.99.
Powers, Tim. Alternate Routes. Charnel House, 2018 (though not received until 2019). First edition hardback, #54 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, in boards embossed with a large capital “L” gold stamped onto the cover, in polybag, with a sheet of instructions to leave it in the poly bag (due to possible rubbing off of the gold foil) laid in, sans dust jacket, as issued. Already out of print from the publisher, with at least one companion volume forthcoming.
Powers, Tim. The Drawing of the Dark. Del Rey, 1979. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with bookstore stamp on blurb page, wear along spine edges, and an invisible crease. Inscribed by Powers: “for/Richard—/Hoping you like/dark beer./Cheers,/Tim Powers/ 10/8/87.” Berlyne, A3a/1. Supplements the Hypatia hardback. For some reason I never picked this up when I was picking up all the other Powers PBOs. Bought from Half Price Books for $3.
Powers, Tim. More Walls Broken. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #378 (or possibly 318) of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novella. Bought on sale at 50% off cover price.
Powers, Tim. More Walls Broken. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Trade edition. Bought on sale at 50% off cover price.
Reynolds, Alastair. On the Steel Breeze. Gollancz, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wear at points. Actually, this is a Reynolds that I missed when it first came out and had difficulty locating an affordable copy of, so I was quite surprised to be able to pick this up in just shy of perfect shape for a mere $5.99 at Half price Books.
Rosiak, Luke. Obstruction of Justice: How the Deep State Risked National Security to Protect the Democrats. Regnery Publishing, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. The story of how the Awan spy ring hacked the computers of congressional Democrats, and the ensuing coverup. Bought from Amazon for $19.24.
Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind. DAW, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with the barest trace bend at points and a trace of haze-rubbing. Bought at Half Price Books for $14.99. Popular fantasy that seems to go in the $300-400 range these days.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, editor. Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue Three: Fantasy. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #170 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by contributors Avram Davidson, Harlan Ellison, Jack Williamson, Charles De Lint, Michael Bishop, Don Webb, etc. Bought off eBay for $22.99.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, editor. Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue Five: Horror. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #36 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by contributors George Alec Effinger, Ed Bryant, Elizabeth Hand, etc. Bought off eBay for $19.99.
Schow, David J. The Big Crush. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #733 (or possibly 133) of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novel. Bought on sale at 50% off cover price.
Schow, David J. DJStories. Subterranean Press, 2018. First edition hardback, #927 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Oddly enough, this is one of the books I wanted to pick up in the Camelot sale late last year, but it was too recent to earn the discount. Bought off eBay for $17.95, plus shipping. (List price was $40.)
Shiner, Lewis. Outside the Gates of Eden. Subterranean, 2019. First edition hardback, #327 of 1,000 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Sweeping novel of rock music and the 1960s. Lew’s been working on this one a long time. To quote the publisher: “I consider Lewis Shiner’s Outside the Gates of Eden to be the best original novel SubPress will have published in our nearly twenty-five years of existence. At 880 pages, it’s also the longest. This is a book too important to miss.”
Silverberg, Robert. In The Beginning: Tales From The Pulp Era. Subterranean Press, 2006. First edition hardback, probably an Ex-Library copy: the dust jacket flaps have been glued to the inside covers, something has been crossed out at the top of the front free endpaper, and just below that is what appear to be very faint traces of pocket removal, very easy to miss against the thick patterned endpapers used, maybe a Near Fine/Near Fine Ex-Lib copy, #173 of 1,000 signed numbered copies. Again, normally I wouldn’t bother with an Ex-Lib for so recent a book, but I missed this when it first came out and all the copies online list for more than $100. Bought for $17.99.
Swanwick, Michael. Cigar Box Faust. Dragonstairs Press, 2019. First separate edition and first edition thus, preceded by the 2003 Tachyon chapbook Cigar Box Faust and Other Miniatures, one of only 40 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in special cigar box. Here’s the description from the Dragonstairs Press site:
Now you can produce your own performance of Cigar Box Faust. Dragonstairs Press is offering everything you need to mount your own production! The theater (a cigar box), the cast (a cigar in the title role and a cigar cutter as Mephistopheles, the sun, moon, and stars– well, cutouts and glitter), an mp3 file of Swanwick reading the text, and a chapbook of the script (a limited edition, signed by Michael Swanwick and numbered)!
Stross, Charlie. The Trade of Queens. Tor, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Sixth book in The Merchant Princes series. Bought for $5 from Recycled Reads.
Swanwick, Michael. Dragonskin. Dragonstairs Press, 2019. First edition chapbook original, letter J of 10 copies bound in python skin, a Fine copy, new and unread. Essays on writers who have written works on dragons: “The Scale-Hunter’s Wayward Son,” “The Mother of Earthsea,” “A Daughter of Pern,” “The Iron Dragon’s Father,” and “Afterword.”
Swanwick, Michael. Dragonskin. Dragonstairs Press, 2019. First edition chapbook original, #39 of 50 numbered copies, a Fine copy. (Note: the numbered edition I have states that the lettered edition is in boa constrictor skin rather than python, and it has a more sand-colored look rather than dark green.)
Vance, Jack. To Live Forever. Charles F. Miller, 1995. First limited edition, #116 of 500 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Cunningham, 79c. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 533. Supplements a signed copy of the Ballantine Books hardback first edition. Bought off eBay for $46.57 (original publication price was $60).
(Vance, Jack) Tim Underwood and Chuck Miller, editors. Jack Vance. Taplinger, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Vance. Book of critical essays. Hewett, M74. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought from a friend for $35.
(Jack Vance) David Russell. Tschai: An illustrated Portfolio. First edition portfolio, #18 of 100 numbered copies signed by both artist Russell and Jack Vance, a Fine copy. Four black and white art prints. Bought off eBay for $35 plus shipping.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Clash on the Catawba. Ives Washburn, 1962. First edition hardback (no statement of printing, as per Currey), a Fine- copy, with a little bend at head and heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket with extremely shallow loss at head and heel and wear at points, plus bottom front flap corner (non-priced corner) clipped, which I’ve seen on several other Washburn titles, otherwise bright and unfaded. Third in a four-volume Revolutionary War YA series, preceded by Rifles at Ramsour’s Mill and Battle for King’s Mountain, and followed by The South Fork Rangers, all of which I have. Currey, page 512. Bought off the Internet for $20 plus shipping.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Harper’s Ferry Prize of War. MacNally of Charlotte, 1960. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight wear at heel and head in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight spine fading, a tiny bit of loss at tips, and a touch of edgewear at head and heel. Inscribed by Wellman to his brother and fellow author Paul I. Wellman on the pictorial front free endpaper: “author time to Paul/the old War Chief of the/Tribe/Centia Campa/from/Manly”. Civil War history book. Bought off eBay for $20.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Kingdom of Madison: A Southern Mountain Fastness and Its People. The University of North Carolina Press, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a trace of dust soiling at head and heel in a Near Fine, corner-clipped dust jacket that will get traded out for the unclipped dust jacket on my unsigned copy. Inscribed by Wellman: “for/Bill Washburn/and/Linda Ocker/Manly Wade Wellman/April 26, 1973.” Non-fiction. Bought for $20 plus shipping off eBay.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Not At These Hands. Putnam’s, 1962. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with slight bumping at head and heel, slight wear to spine, and a faint dime-sized stain to page edges, in a Very Good- dust jacket with several small tears which I’ll be trading out with the better dust jacket on my unsigned copy. Inscribed by Wellman: “with best wishes/to/Richard Steele/(read it sometime)/Manly Wade Wellman.” Currey (1979), page 514. Mystery novel. Bought for $34.99 off eBay.
Wells, H. G. The Time Machine with The War of The Worlds. Limited Editions Club, 1964. First edition thus, #1327 of 1500 numbered sets signed by illustrator Joseph Mugnaini in each book, each Fine copies, sans dust jackets (as issued), in a Very Good+ slipcase with abrasions along the top and other touches of wear. Mugnaini is probably most famous to SF readers for his illustrations of Ray Bradbury books, especially the first edition of The Halloween Tree. This is a handsome set that usually lists for 2-3 times what I paid, and it’s possible I’ll never own nice copies of the true first editions of either. Bought off eBay for $50 for the set.
Willis, Connie, and Cynthia Felice. Light Raid. Ace, 1989. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with rubbing along gilt of spine and bumping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by both the authors: “To Meschke,/The elegeantly/written half is by me./Connie/Willis” “To Meschke/The fun stuff is all/by me! Cynthia Felice.” Karen Meschke was con chair of the 1997 San Antonio Worldcon, where Willis won the Hugo for Best Short Story. Bought from Half Price Books for $13.50.
Wilson, Gahan. Everybody’s Favorite Duck. Mysterious Press, 1988. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Wilson: “To/David-/Gahan/Wilson/and/the/duck” with an arrow pointing to a drawing of a duck. Looks like a literary mystery/adventure pastiche of multiple authors, much in the manner of Roger Zelazny’s A Night in the Lonesome October (or vice versa, as this precedes the Zelazny by five years), which, interestingly enough, was also illustrated by Gahan Wilson. Bought off the Internet for $17.
Wolfe, Gene. Innocents Abroad. Tor, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Wolfe. Bought off eBay for $14.99 plus shipping.
Wolfe, Gene. Weird Tales #290 (Sixty-Fifth Anniversary Issue): Special Gene Wolfe Issue. Terminus Publishing, 1988. First edition hardback-bound state of the magazine, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Inscribed by Wolfe and editors Darrell Schweitzer, John Betancourt, and George H. Scithers to “Bruce.” Presentation state, lacking the limitation page but including the extra George Barr illustration not in the regular magazine edition, which is where Wolfe signed. Includes six Wolfe stories (one original), an interview and a profile. There were evidently 100 copies of the hardbound limited edition done at a list price of $50, but I’m not sure how many of these presentation state were done. Bought off eBay for $27.95.
Tags:Books, Charles Stross, David J. Schow, Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Liz Hand, Manly Wade Wellman, Michael Moorcock, Michael Swanwick, Neal Asher, Ray Bradbury, Simon Hawke, Subterranean Press, Tim Powers
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, July 18th, 2019
A kickstarter purchase:
Campbell, John W. Frozen Hell. Wildside Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Longer version of Campbell’s “Who Goes There?” recently rediscovered. Introduction by Silverberg. Bought off Kickstarter for $25.
Tags:Books, John W. Campbell, Kickstarter, Science Fiction, Wildside Press
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 17th, 2019
A fellow collector alerted me to a bargain pre-publication price for this through Amazon:
Delany, Samuel R. Letters From Amherst. Wesleyan University Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine new copy, sans dust jacket with ISBN price sticker, as issued. Subtitled “Five Narrative Letters.” Bought for $16.96, considerably off the list price of $45.
I have several other Delany non-fiction works. I hope this is more accessible than some of his critical works, which tend to be too heavily influenced by various academic critical trends (post-modernism, close-reading, etc.).
Tags:Books, reference works, Samuel R. Delany
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Tuesday, July 16th, 2019
The late Ardath Mayhar was a casual acquaintance I would see around various Texas SF conventions, but who I didn’t know well. Save Cross Plains Universe, an anthology we’re both in, I don’t think I have anything signed or inscribed by her. So when I found these two first editions by her cheap, I went ahead and picked them up.
Mayhar, Ardath. Carrots and Miggle. Atheneum, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Mayhar: “For Marj/with love/Ardath Mayhar/May, 1986.” Would you believe it’s a young adult novel about two girls on a farm in east Texas? Not a lot of those in my library. Bought for $6.49.
Mayhar, Ardath. Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey. Ace, 1982. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with rubbing to raised golden foil letters on front cover and just a trace of wear at heel, otherwise new and apparently unread. Inscribed by Mayhar: “For Marj/May all your dreams/be golden./Ardath —/Oct. 14, 1982.” Sequel to H. Beam Piper’s “Little Fuzzy” stories. Bought for $5.99.
Tags:Ardath Mayhar, Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction, signatures
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Wednesday, June 19th, 2019
More crazy Jack Vance collecting:
David Russell (Jack Vance). Tschai: An illustrated Portfolio. First edition portfolio, #18 of 100 numbered copies signed by both artist Russell and Jack Vance, a Fine copy. Four black and white art prints. Bought off eBay for $35 plus shipping.
The shadow effects on the image are a photo artifact, and the fact that it’s a pain to take it out of the plastic jacket the previous owner customer constructed for it.
Tags:art, Books, David Russell, Jack Vance, Science Fiction
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Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
No particular theme, just various books I picked up at Half Price Books over the last few months that I didn’t feel like breaking out into separate posts.
Lake, Jay. Death of a Starship. Monkeybrain Books, 2009. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Bought for $4.99.
Lee, Tanith. Dancing Through the Fire. Fantastic Books, 2015. First edition (stated, though it looks like a POD book) hardback, an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws (stickers, stamps, dust jacket taped to boards, etc., but otherwise apparently new and unread. Don’t usually pick up such current books as Ex-Lib copies, but I’d never seen a copy of this before, there are no other firsts listed online, and this was very cheap (I think $3).
Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards: Black Trump. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with trace of edgewear and spine just slightly concave. All the Baen Wild Cards volumes are hard to find these days. Bought for $2.69.
Matheson, Richard. The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok. Jove, 1996. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with previous owner’s small (Mylar?) ownership label and “January 1996” on the second blurb page, plus slight edgewear. Western novel. Replaces a reprint copy. Bought for $2.48.
Niven, Larry. Neutron Star. Ballantine Books, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing and slight lean, edgewear, and slight black marker staining over prices on front cover and spine (most, but not all, came off with Bestine, leaving a tiny bit of shadowing around the price). Currey, page 386. Bought for $1.99.
Reynolds, Alastair. On the Steel Breeze. Gollancz, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wear at points. Actually, this is a Reynolds that I missed when it first came out and had difficulty locating an affordable copy of, so I was quite surprised to be able to pick this up in just shy of perfect shape for a mere $5.99.
Silverberg, Robert. In The Beginning: Tales From The Pulp Era. Subterranean Press, 2006. First edition hardback, probably an Ex-Library copy: the dust jacket flaps have been glued to the inside covers, something has been crossed out at the top of the front free endpaper, and just below that is what appear to be very faint traces of pocket removal, very easy to miss against the thick patterned endpapers used, maybe a Near Fine/Near Fine Ex-Lib copy, #173 of 1,000 signed numbered copies. Again, normally I wouldn’t bother with an Ex-Lib for so recent a book, but I missed this when it first came out and all the copies online list for more than $100. Bought for $17.99.
Tags:Alastair Reynolds, Books, Fantasy, George R. R. Martin, Half Price Books, Horror, Jay Lake, Larry Niven, Monkeybrain Books, Richard Matheson, Science Fiction, Subterranean Press, Tanith Lee, Western
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Saturday, June 15th, 2019
Five of these came from a friend who was culling his library of books signed to his late wife for $1-2 each, while two were Half Price Books buys. All but one of these are PBO firsts of one stripe or another:
Allston, Aaron. Galatea in 2-D Baen, 1993. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight wear at points, inscribed by the author: “To Scott,/Many thanks!/Aaron Allston/ 11/5/93.” Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought from Half Price Books for $2.24.
Harrison, Harry. The Stainless Steel Rat for President. Bantam Books, 1982. First mass market edition and first paperback edition (preceded by the SFBC edition, for which I also have a signed copy), a Near Fine copy with a bit of edgewear, most notable at head join, where there is also a very short (1/4″) crease. Signed by Harrison. The fifth Stainless Steel Rat book (at least by publishing order).
Hawke, Simon. Timewars 1: The Ivanhoe Gambit. Ace, 1986. Paperback reprint, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of edgewear. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Hawke, Simon (as Nicholas Yermakov). Jehad. Signet, 1984. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing, edgewear, slight darkening to outer portion of white back cover, and slight foxing to inside covers. Inscribed by Hawke: “To Lori,/Best/(signature).” I think it may be signed as Yermakov; if so, it’s very similar in style to his Hawke signature. Hawke used to write under his birth name of Nicholas Yermakov, but legally changed his name to Simon Hawke in 1984. Third book in the Boomarang trilogy, about an alien race that possesses a form of linear immortality and human missions to the planet to “capture” it, and one with a number of notable cyberpunk elements.
Hawke, Simon. The Wizard of Camelot. Warner Books, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Hawke, Simon. The Wizard of Santa Fe. Warner Books, 1991. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with an invisible spine crease. Inscribed by Hawke. “To Lori,/Best/Simon Hawke.”
Powers, Tim. The Drawing of the Dark. Del Rey, 1979. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with bookstore stamp on blurb page, wear along spine edges, and an invisible crease. Inscribed by Powers: “for/Richard—/Hoping you like/dark beer./Cheers,/Tim Powers/ 10/8/87.” Berlyne, A3a/1. Supplements the Hypatia hardback. For some reason I never picked this up when I was picking up all the other Powers PBOs. Bought from Half Price Books for $3.
I enjoyed the Nicholas Yermakov books I read, but never picked up any of his series work once he changed his name for Simon Hawke, so why not pick up some signed PBOs cheap?
Tags:Aaron Allston, Books, Fantasy, Harry Harrison, Nicholas Yermakov, PBO, Science Fiction, signed, Simon Hawke, Tim Powers
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Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
This is something I located at a Half Price Books here in Austin:
Davidson, Avram. The Redward Edward Papers. Doubleday, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with very faint spotting, fading the red lettering on spine, slight age darkening to the white cover, and a few tiny specks of dust soiling. Inscribed to fellow science fiction and fantasy writer Randall Garrett on the front free endpaper: “June 25/78 Pacific Grove/Califo./For an old, good and helpful/friend,/Randall Garrett/with the Compliments/of the Author,/Avram Davidson.” Additionally signed by Davidson on the title page. Bought from Half Price Books for $45.
Garrett was author of the popular Lord Darcy series of fantasy detective novels, basically Sherlock Holmes with magic. He spent the last years of his life in Austin in what we would now call a “memory care facility” after a bout of viral meningitis.
Tags:Associational Copy, Avram Davidson, Books, Fantasy, Randall Garrett, signatures
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Thursday, May 23rd, 2019
Checking eBay after Gene Wolfe died, I came across a listing for a signed copy of Innocents Aboard, and wondered to myself “Is my copy signed?”
That’s when I found out that, much to my chagrin, I did not own a copy of Innocents Aboard at all.
Hence this:
Wolfe, Gene. Innocents Abroad. Tor, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Wolfe. Bought off eBay for $14.99 plus shipping.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Science Fiction, signed
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Sunday, May 19th, 2019
Science fiction bibliographer, bookseller and publisher George Locke died earlier this year. I knew George a bit (as pretty much every bookseller in the field must have), and we had lunch together on my 2005 trip to the UK. George was universally acclaimed as one of the most knowledgeable booksellers and bibliographers the field has ever known, and I already owned a fair number of his books, almost all published by his own Ferret Fantasy imprint, most inscribed to me, including the three volume Spectrum of Fantasy series and the two volume By the World Forget/By The Book World Remembered pairing about Stuart Teitler and Lost Race novels.
Now I’ve picked up another:
Locke, George. Voyages in Space. Ferret Fantasy, 2015. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with a very small hardback run of only 28 copies), one of 500 copies, a Near Fine copy with slight wear along spine and what appears to be a spot of dampstaining at heel. Inscribed to Australian-born, Paris-resident science fiction, film and travel writer (and fellow book collector) John Baxter: “For John Baxter/With all good wishes and the/hope that you’ll run into one of the Olde/Aussie Interplanetaries when you next meet/the banana-benders!/George Locke”. (I also own Baxter’s The Inner Man: the life of J. G. Ballard.) Subtitled “A Bibliography of Interplanetary Fiction, 1801-1914.” Tymn Schlobin Currey, A Research Guide to Science Fiction Studies, 47. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 7-7 (though only in passing, since the main entry is for Currey). Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975—1991, 28470. Bought from a UK bookdealer for £40 plus shipping.
RIP, George.
Tags:bibliography, Books, Ferret Fantasy, George Locke, John Baxter, reference works, Science Fiction, science fiction bibliography, small press publishers
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