Behold, the weirdness of Cyriak! You’ve probably seen a few of these before in various corners of the web.
And I double-dog dare you to make the “Wall of Shatner” your animated desktop background…
Archive for July, 2010
Weird Digital Video Artist
Monday, July 19th, 2010New Book Acquisition: Signed H. G. Wells
Sunday, July 18th, 2010Half-Price Books was having their usual coupon sale, so I picked up their set of H. G. Wells’ The World of William Clissold. Published by Ernest Benn (UK) 1926, it’s three volumes, one of 198 copies signed by Wells on the title page, green boards and vellum spines, with gold gilt on front board, spine, and top book edge, some leaves still unopened, two of the three volumes in paper slipcases (the slipcase for volume 2, alas, was missing). Originally priced at $500, marked down to $350, minus 50% off with the coupon. It’s not one of the key Wells SF works I really want, but I thought a signed Wells (and in particular, a set for which you know the signature is genuine; see L. W. Currey’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction, 1978, page 527), was a nice thing to have.
Below are some pics. Click to embiggen.
H. G. Wells: The World of Williams Cissold, three volume set of the first edition, signed by Wells
The limitation page, with H. G. Wells' signature
This Time for Sure!
Saturday, July 17th, 2010Know all those stories about gullible Western men swearing up and down that their Thai holiday girl is really in love with them?
Here’s the same story, but this time it’s about middle-aged women falling for the same line from Middle Eastern tour guides.
It’s strangely reassuring to find out that Eros-driven gullibility strikes both sexes…
New Old Adventures in Theme Parks
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
New theme park? Meh.
How about a theme park with monsters? Now you’re starting to grab my attention.
How about theme parks with monsters so large you can stand in their mouth? Definitely seeing some action on the Cool Meter.
The twist: The theme park was built in 1552.
(Hat tip: The Inferior 4+1.)
Library Additions, January 25, 2010—July 11, 2010
Sunday, July 11th, 2010It’s been a while since I listed additions to my library, so here’s an update for my fellow bookoholics that includes everything since the weekend of my Archer City trip. All are new and unread Fine first edition hardbacks in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted. Now that I’ve finished staining and varnishing a new bookshelf, and moving books around to accommodate it, I hope to do a more detailed photographic post on my library, since a few people complained that they couldn’t read the spine titles in the last set of pictures.
Books that I have available for sale through Lame Excuse Books are marked LEB (though some of those titles won’t appear on the stock page until after I send out my book catalog later this month), while other current publications contain Amazon links.
- Baker, Kage. Not Less Than Gods. Subterranean Press, 2010. One of 474 signed, numbered copies.
- Barron, Neil, ed. What Fantastic Fiction Do I Read Next? A Reader’s Guide to Recent Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction. Gale Research, 1998. Non-fiction. Issued without dj.
- Bear, Elizabeth. Bone and Jewel Creatures. Subterranean Press, 2010.
- Bear, Greg. Hegira. Dell, 1979. PBO original, NF-.
- Bond, Nelson. Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobblies and Other Fantastic Tales. Coward-McCann, 1946. NF in a VG, price-clipped dj. Inscribed by Bond.
- Campbell, Ramsey. Creatures of the Pool. PS Publishing, 2009. LEB
- Chabon, Michael. The Final Solution. Fourth Estate, 2004. One of an undetermined number of copies signed on a special limitation page issued by the publisher.
- Datlow, Ellen and Teri Windling, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Thirteenth Annual Collection. St. Martins, 2000. Inscribed to me by Datlow.
- Datlow, Ellen, Gavin Grant and Kelly Link, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2007: Twentieth Annual Collection. St. Martins, 2007. Inscribed to me by Datlow.
- Datlow, Ellen, Gavin Grant and Kelly Link, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008: Twenty-First Annual Collection. St. Martins, 2008. Inscribed to me by Datlow.
- Del Rey, Lester. Mortals and Monsters. Ballantine Books, 1965. PBO, Fine-.
- (Dick, Philip K.) Williams, Paul. Only Apparently Real: The Life of Philip K. Dick. Arbor House, 1986. Non-fiction. Fine copy in wraps, as issued (no hardback).
- Domenici, Joe. Bringing Back the Dead. Thomas Dunn, 2008. Inscribed to me by the author.
- Duncan, Andy. Night Cache. PS Publishing, 2009. LEB
- Erikson, Steven. Crack’d Pot Trail. PS Publishing, 2009. LEB
- Fernandez-Florez, W[encesiao]. The Seven Pillars. Macmillan and Co., Ltd. (UK), 1934. First edition hardback, a NF/G+ copy.
- Gaiman, Neil. The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch. Night Horse Comics, 2007. Hardback graphic novel.
- Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. HarperCollins, 2008. Fine in a Fine- dust jacket.
- Harrison, Harry. Bill, the Galactic Hero. Doubleday, 1965. Fine in a Near Fine, slightly spine-darkened dust jacket.
- Hill, Joe. Horns. PS Publishing, 2010. First UK and first limited edition hardback, one of 200 copies signed by both the author and artist Vincent Chong in traycase with three extra chapters not in the trade edition, extra art not in any other edition, etc. a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and traycase. Notably thicker than the signed, slipcased edition. LEB
- Hill, Joe. Horns. PS Publishing, 2010. First UK and first limited edition hardback, one of 500 copies signed, slipcased copies. LEB
- Houdini, Harry. The Right Way to Do Wrong: An Expose of Successful Criminals. Easton Press, no date (probably around 2000); Reprint of the 1906 wraps original done as part of the Treasures of the Library of Congress series. Hardback, no dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
- Howard, Robert E. Cthulhu: The Mythos and Kindred Horrors. Baen, 1987. PBO, Fine (replaces a VG copy). LEB
- Koontz, Dean R./ Bulmer, Kenneth. The Fall of the Dream Machine/The Star Venturers. Ace, 1969. PBO, NF.
- Kowal, Mary Robinette. Scenting the Dark. Subterranean Press, 2009.
- Lansdale, Joe R. The Best of Joe R. Lansdale. Tachyon, 2009. TPO. LEB
- Lansdale, Joe R. and Keith, editor. Son of Retro Pulp Tales. Subterranean Press, 2010. One of 200 signed, numbered copies, signed by all the contributors. LEB
- Leiber, Fritz. Selected Stories. Night Shade Books, 2010. LEB
- Ligotti, Thomas. Songs of a Dead Dreamer. Subterranean Press, 2010. Hardback. First edition thus.
- (Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. Black Wings: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2010. LEB
- Mitford, Bertram. The Sign of the Spider. Methuen & Co., 1896. VG- copy, no dust jacket (may not have been issued with one).
- Partridge, Norman. Lesser Demons. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 200 copies with bonus chapbook.Red Rover, Red Rover.
- (Pohl, Frederik) Hull, Elizbeth Anne, editor. Gateways. Tor, 2010. Tribute anthology.
- (Powers, Tim) Berlyne, John., ed. Powers: Secret Histories. PS Publishing, 2009.
- Reynolds, Alastair. Deep Navigation. NESFA Press, 2010. LEB
- Reynolds, Alastair. Terminal World. Gollancz, 2010. Signed by the author. LEB
- Shea, Michael. The Extra. Tor, 2010.
- Shepard, Lucius. Viator Plus. PS Publishing, 2010. LEB
- Shepard, Lucius. The Tanborn Scale. Subterranean Press, 2010.
- Simmons, Dan. Black Hills. Reagan Arthur Books, 2010. Inscribed to me by Simmons.
- Tymn Marshall B. Horror Literature A Core Collection and Reference Guide. R. R. Bowker, 1981. Non-fiction. No DJ, as issued.
- Vance, Jack. Hard Luck Diggings. Subterranean Press, 2010. LEB
- VanderMeer, Jeff. Finch: The Rebel Samizdat Edition. Underlands Press, 2009. One of 350 signed, numbered copies with a Murder By Death CD laid in, in wax-signet sealed (!) Mylar bag. LEB
- Wellman, Manly Wade. Giants from Eternity. Avalon, 1959. A Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket.
- Wilson, F. Paul. The Last Rakosh. Overlook Connection Press, 2008. One of 500 signed/numbered copies.
- Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. Ace, 1966. PBO, Fine. LEB
- Zelazny, Roger. Four for Tomorrow. Ace, 1967. PBO, Fine.
- Zelazny, Roger. Hymn to the Sun: An Imitation, DNA Publications, 1996. Poetry chapbook, a Fine- copy with some rubbing to price code on rear cover.
- Zelazny, Roger. This Immortal. Ace, 1964. PBO, Fine. LEB
- Zivkovic, Zoran. Impossible Stories 2. PS Publishing, 2009. LEB
LeBron to Miami: Impact on the Houston Rockets
Friday, July 9th, 2010LeBron James is joining the Miami Heat. (Perhaps you have heard this already. The media does seem to have covered the issue.) Although James will not be joining the Rockets, this is still good news for the Rockets for two reasons:
- James stays in the East.
- He doesn’t go to New York, which means those draft picks Daryl Morey stole from the Knicks for the ghost of TMac (semi-protected rights to switch next year, and their semi-protected 2012 pick outright) look to remain mid-level lottery picks.
The consensus out there is that, once again, the Knicks screwed up, and, once again, Daryl Morey made out like a bandit.
(As I was finishing up this post, I noticed that Tom Martin over at SB Nation made many of the same points.)
As far as James himself is concerned, I won’t say that the outraged vitriol is surprising (it is, after all, American professional sports in the 21st century, but I do think it’s misplaced. James made a professional business decision of where he could best win championships, and Cleveland lost out on entirely understandable and indeed totally rational criteria. Of course, if sports fans were rational, they wouldn’t develop an emotional attachment to athletically talented millionaires who just happen to be plying their trade in their city of choice in any particular year. (Cue Jerry Seinfeld’s rooting for laundry bit.) Some may think my attitude on James hypocritical given my loathing of Bud Adams, but there’s one key difference: to the best of my knowledge, James never received tens of millions of dollars in direct taxpayer subsidies before leaving town.
Night Shade Books
Thursday, July 8th, 2010The hot topic of conversation in the skiffy blogsphere has been Night Shade Books,
which
seems
to be
having some
problems.
This is a shame, as the guys behind Night Shade seem like good people, and they’ve published some swell books. As for the reasons behind these problems, well, anyone who has read Jack Chalker & Mark Owings’ The Science Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History will recognize a certain pattern. Small press publishers don’t duck calls from authors and agents and fail to send out royalty checks because of “major miscommunication” or “lack of communication,” they do those things because they’re out of money.
By an amazing coincidence, here are some Night Shade Books from the Lame Excuse Books stock which just happen to have been marked down to outrageously low prices today for absolutely no particular reason:
- LP1115. Baker, Kage. Mother Aegypt and Other Stories. Night Shade Books, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. includes an original, never before published novella. $12.
- LP1261. Drake, David (Gene Wolfe). The Complete Hammers Slammers. Night Shade Books, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. First of three volumes of linked stories of future tank warfare. Gene Wolfe provides the introduction. If you think that’s odd, Barry Malzberg is penning the intro to one of the subsequent volumes… $19.
- LP795. Harrison, M. John (China Mieville, Simon Inge). Things That Never Happen (w/ The Rio Brain). Night Shade Books, 2003. First edition hardback, one of only 150 copies signed by Harrison and introduction author China Mieville, Fine in a Fine dj, new and unread. Also included with the limited edition is the chapbook The Rio Brain by Harrison and Simon Inge. (The latter features a photo of Samuel Beckett on the cover, and seems to revolve around theater.) Harrison has long been a critical favorite for his Virconium sequence, among other works, but the recent popularity of Light and his influence on Mieville has raised his visibility considerably. Sold out from the publisher and already very hard to find. The minuscule limited edition all but guarantees this to be one of the more difficult items for the Mieville completist to obtain in coming years. (Note: Originally this edition was supposed to be slipcased, but Night Shade substituted the chapbook when they were unable to obtain the slipcases for the limited.) $80.
- LP1270. Hughes, Matthew. The Gist Hunter & Other Stories. Night Shade Books, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. I know a number of Jack Vance fans who think very highly of Hughes, whose work as very obviously influenced by The Dying Earth Stories. $14.
- LP1471. Moon, Elizabeth. Moon Flights. Night Shade Books, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. Short story collection by the Nebula and Robert A. Heinlein Award-winning author of The Speed of Dark. Specially signed by Moon. $18.
- LP1478. Shepard, Lucius. Softspoken. Night Shade Books, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. At 179 pages, this is more a short novel than the usual Shepard small press novella. $14.
- LP698. Wellman, Manly Wade. Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales (The Selected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman, Volume 3). Night Shade Books, 2001. First edition hardback, Fine sans dj, as issued, new and unread. Introduction by Stephen Jones. This volume contains some of Wellman’s novella length fiction, including the excellent “Coven.” $22.
- LP806. Wellman, Manly Wade (David Drake). Sin’s Doorway and Other Ominous Entrances (The Selected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman, Volume 4). Night Shade Books, 2003. First edition hardback, Fine, new and unread, sans dj, as issued. Introduction by David Drake. Some of Wellman’s best work in here, including most of the work in the excellent (and now very expensive) Carcosa collection Worse Things Waiting. Recommended. $22.
- LP922. Wellman, Manly Wade (Karl Edward Wagner). Owls Hoot in the Daytime and Other Omens (Selected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman, Volume 5). Night Shade Books, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dj, as issued. Fifth and final volume of collected Wellman, containing all the Silver John stories. Introduction by Karl Edward Wagner. $22
- LP1132. Wellman, Manly Wade. Giants from Eternity (with The Timeless Tomorrow). Night Shade Books, 2004. First edition this, including the first hardback appearance of The Timeless Tomorrow, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dj with a tiny bump at heel, otherwise new and unread. $10.
- LP1553. Williams, Walter Jon. Implied Spaces. Night Shade Books, 2008. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Far future space opera that looks like a cross between Jack Vance and Charlie Stross. Having his latest come from a small press might flat-foot some people, and I’m pretty sure the print run on this will be smaller than his books from Eos or Tor… $12.
To order any of these, email Lawrence Person (lawrenceperson@gmail.com).
My Story “The Dog Parade” will be in Postscripts 24/25 coming out in December
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010A while back I sold my story “The Dog Parade” to Postscripts, the magazine-turned-anthology series from PS Publishing. (I have some previous installments available for sale through Lame Excuse Books.) They just announced the table of contents for Postscripts 24/25, and “The Dog Parade” in among them. Also in that issue are Ken MacLeod, Rudy Rucker, Paul Di Filippo, and Jay Lake, among many, many other, so my story will have some mighty fine company.
Dear Austin Restaurateurs: What the hell is wrong with you?
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010So Dwight and I were discussing possible venues for the next Saturday Dining Conspiracy. Having been burned in the past by places that closed before we got there, we always try to call ahead to make sure they’re open. Today showed at least one obstacle standing between several Austin Restaurateurs and profit: their inability to competently answer a phone call.
- First a call to a place called Flamin’ Grill & Kebob House (which I had a coupon for) in Round Rock: “Hello?” answers the voice at the other in a dead monotone. No “Flamin’ Grill and Kebob House, how can I help you?” Not even “Flaimin Grill.” So I ask if this is, in fact, “Flamin’ Grill & Kebob House.” “Yes,” he answered in a voice that clearly implied I was imposing on his time, and that he would prefer to be anywhere else at that moment rather than answering a restaurant’s phone. With that kind of attitude toward the business, we crossed them off the list.
- Next up: Ilse’s Kitchen, a German Restaurant out in Spicewood. The phone rings ten times (despite it being within the specified business hours), then something like a fax machine pics up, evidently waiting for you to start a fax; no message, no beep, nothing.
- Third try: Your Mom’s Burger Bar. Calling the number listed on their website (474-MOMS) brings up a message saying that “this NXP semiconductor number is no longer in service.”.
Look, I know that telephones are musty old 20th century technology, but is it too much to ask that: A.) The phone number on your own website is correct, and that B.) You answer it when it rings in a (at the minimum) polite manner? Is that just too much to ask of you?