Archive for March, 2011

The Lame Excuse Books Catalog for March 2011

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Greetings, and welcome to the latest installment of Lawrence Puts The Latest Book Catalog Up as a Whopping Big Block of Text Without Any Formatting. All these are available for sale. (Check out the Lame Excuse Books page for my previous stock and payment details.)

Hardbacks

LP1872. Anderson, Poul. The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson Volume 3: The Saturn Game. NESFA Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Bob Eggleton cover. I still have one copy of Volume 2 around if you need one. $26.

LP1247. Attanasio, A. A. Radix. William Morrow and Company, 1981. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy, some of the usual flaws (see Ex-Library Note), including stamps on all three edges, interior stamps and dj protector remnants inside front and rear covers, a slight bit of spine lean, and a slight bit of wear at heel; however, the dust jacket is in Near Fine shape, with moderate, slightly uneven (from a successful sticker removal that left no other signs) sunfading to spine, but otherwise complete and very attractive. Spine out, there is no sign this is an Ex-Library copy. The true first hardback edition of Attanasio’s first book (and a Nebula Finalist), and very uncommon thus (reportedly only 1000 hardbacks were done). $100.

LP1874. Bacagalupi, Paolo. The Alchemist. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Novella set in the same fantasy universe as Tobias Buckell’s simultaneously published The Executioness. $18.

LP1875. Buckell, Tobias. The Executioness. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Novella set in the same fantasy universe as Paolo Bacagalupi’s simultaneously published The Alchemist. $18

PBTBCombo1: Pick up both The Executioness and The Alchemist for $35.

LP1519. Bradbury, Ray. Moby Dick: A Screenplay. Subterranean Press, 2008. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. The basis of the John Huston movie. $29.

LP1456. Brite, Poppy Z. Antediluvian Tales. Subterranean Press, 2007. First edition hardback, one of 400 numbered copies signed by Brite in a better binding with marbled endpapers, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. Collection of short stories all written before her home town of New Orleans was flooded. $35.

LP1253. Bujold, Lois McMaster. Falling Free. Easton Press, 2001. First edition hardback thus (“Collectors Edition”), and first non- book club hardback edition, a Fine- leatherbound copy, new and unread (though with a slight “scratch” to top edge gilt finish), sans dj, as issued. Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel. This edition contains a new introduction by James Gunn, as well as original artwork. Easton Press “Collector’s Notes” laid in. Precedes the NESFA edition by several years. $49.

LP1838. Butler, Octavia. Patternmaster. Doubleday, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with previous owner’s signature on inside front cover and slight spine lean (but NO remainder spray) in a Near Fine dust jacket with a few tiny scratches and abrasions, tiny bit of foxing on interior flap edges, and foxing to blind side of dust jacket spine. Still a very attractive and presentable first edition of Butler’s first book. $60.

LP1053. Campbell, Ramsey. The Overnight. PS Publishing, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, one of 500 limited copies signed by Campbell (plus an additional 200 slipcased), new and unread. Full length horror novel set in a bookshop. What self-respecting book junkie can resist that? Only have one. $30.

LP889. Campbell, Ramsey (Poppy Z. Brite). Told By the Dead. PS Publishing, 2003. First edition hardback, one of 500 numbered “trade” hardbacks signed by Campbell and Introduction author Poppy Z. Brite, Fine in a Fine dj, new and unread. Full length short-story collection. Had an extra around a while I forgot to list. $35.

LP1385. Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. Tor, 1985. First edition hardback, an externally clean Ex-Library copy, with dj flaps formerly attached to book, pocket removal on FFE, and discard stamp on title page, otherwise VG with slight spine lean and slight wear at heel, in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket. Formerly my own personal copy. Far and away the most difficult domestic Hugo and Nebula winner of the last quarter century; you’d have to go back to Lord of Light in 1968 to find a domestic Hugo & Nebula winner that goes for more. $495

LP1628. Carey, Jacqueline. Kushiel’s Dart. Tor, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight dust staining to head in a Fine- dj with just a tiny trace of wear at the top outer tips. First in the Kushiel series. Supposedly very good, very popular, and very kinky. $35.

LP48. Carter, Raphael. The Fortunate Fall. Tor, 1996. First edition hardback, Fine/Fine-, unread, with trace of wear to matte black cover. One of the best first novels of the 1990s. Recommended. $10.

LP655. Cherryh, C. J. Cyteen. Warner Books, 1988. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy, with all the usual flaws, otherwise G+/NF+ with spine lean, significant wear to bottom boards, long black marker line on heel, spine leaned and slightly concave. Well-worn, but an attractive dj for an Ex-Lib, and a true first of a Hugo winner. $8.

LP1386. Clarke, Arthur C. Earthlight. Ballantine Books, 1955. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey), an Ex-Library Copy, with two lines of black marker on half title page, small stamp and writing on copyright page, “Salvage” stamp on FFE, pocket and stamps on RFE, and tape ghosts to boards, otherwise VG- with moderate dust soiling to top page block and wear to bottom boards in a VG+ dust jacket with 1″ x 2″ yellowed repair tape to head to repair what appears to be two 1/2 x 1/8″ sections of dj loss along front and rear join folds; save for that, this is a very attractive dust jacket in a Mylar protector that shows no signs of being from an Ex-Lib copy, and save the tape, the rear white panel appears to be free of the usual soiling. All and all, better than a shelf-filing copy of one of Clarke’s better novels, depicting a military conflict centered around a moon colony and near-Earth orbit. The Ballantine Books hardbacks of this era had very small runs compared to the simultaneous paperback editions; while this is not quite as hard to find as Childhood’s End, it’s hard enough. $225.

LP1119. De Camp, L. Sprague. Time & Chance. Donald M. Grant, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. De Camp’s massive, Hugo-award winning autobiography. $24.

LP1878. Dick, Philip K. The Complete Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 1: The King of the Elves. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. If you don’t have the Underwood/Miller Collected PKD set, then you need this. If you do, you should know that is expanded from the edition, incorporating new story notes, and two added tales, one previously unpublished, and one uncollected. So if you’re a serious Dick fan, you probably need this as well… $37.

LP1395. Dick, Philip K. Voices from the Street. Tor, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Dick’s last previously unpublished novel (or at least the last for which a manuscript is known to exist). David Hartwell tells me that it’s actually much better than it’s reputation. $12.

LP1260. Disch. Thomas M. The Prisoner. Dennis Dobson, 1979. First hardback edition, an Ex-Library copy, with faint signs of pocket removal from FFE, and stamps to copyright page, in an otherwise VG copy with spine lean, slight wear at heel, and a half a dime-sized stain to RFE, in a VG+ dj with no visible Ex-Lib signs, some slight 1/8″ or less chipping at head and heel spine joins, and a touch of darkening along top and bottom dj edges. Quite a presentable copy, actually. Based on the cult TV show starring Patrick McGoohan. $25.

LP658. Dozois, Gardner. Strange Days: Fabulous Journeys with Gardner Dozois. NESFA Press, 2001. First edition hardback, Fine in Fine dj, new and unread. A short story collection, not completely overlapping with Slow Dancing Through Time and Geodesic Dreams. This also includes his 1995 travel diary, his novel Strangers, and introductions to the works by people like Michael Swanwick, George R. R. Martin, Ian MacLeod (whose name is misspelled on the back cover), Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert Silverberg, etc. Gardner is such an excellent and influential editor that it’s easy to forget what a fine writer he was before taking over Asimov’s. You need it. Signed by introduction author Connie Willis. $24.

LP1334. Dozois, Gardner, editor (with Bruce Sterling, Howard Waldrop, Lucius Shepard, Michael Swanwick, William Gibson, Frederik Pohl, Bruce Sterling, John Crowley, Orson Scott Card, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Silverberg, James Patrick Kelley, Avram Davidson, Nancy Kress, Joe Haldeman, Walter John Williams, James Tiptree, Jr., George R. R. Martin, Lucius Shepard, R. A. Lafferty, Pat Cadigan, James P. Blaylock, Lewis Shiner, Kim Stanley Robinson). The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection. Bluejay, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dj with one 1/2″ closed tear at top front (right through the dj protector). Signed by Haldeman, Sterling and Waldrop. Man, look at that list of names above! If you want to know why Dozois won more Best Editor Hugos than anyone else, here’s a good place to start. With the exception of S. C. Sykes, every single person in this collection was or is a major writer in the field, even though many were just starting out when he picked these stories. This is one of the strongest of all the Year’s Bests he’s done. All the Bluejay Year’s Best volumes are hard to find now in any state or condition, and hardbacks firsts are nearly impossible. Highly recommended. $115.

LP1527. Egan, Greg. Incandescence. Gollancz, 2008. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dj with a tiny bit of crimping at head, new and unread. Far future SF novel, and the first in several years for Egan. Precedes the Night Shade edition. Gollancz seems to have cut back drastically on their hardback print runs; this came out May 15, and was already OP in hardback on June 1, and I had to scramble around to find some in the UK. $49.

LP1836. Egan, Greg. Zendegi. Night Shade Press, 2010. First U.S. edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Egan’s latest novel, set in a post-theocracy Iran and a popular virtual reality game. $15.

LP1688. Farmer, Philip Jose. The Other in the Mirror. Subterranean Press, 2009. First hardback edition (and first thus), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Collects three novels (Fire and the Nigh, Jesus on Mar, and Night of Light), previously published as paperback originals. Only have one. $35.

LP487. Fuentes, Carlos. The Good Conscience. Ivan Oblensky, Inc., 1961. First edition hardback (“First Printing” stated), an Ex-Library copy will all the usual flaws, otherwise G+/NF- with wear to head and heel as well as a thin line staining at top and bottom boards (almost certainly from an old style library dust jacket protector), front hinge starting to crack and shallow chipping at dj head. His second novel. $15.

LP1879. Garton, Ray. Darklings. Bloodletting Press, 2004. First hardback edition, one of only 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. $30.

LP1461. Gaiman, Neil (Gahan Wilson). M is for Magic. Subterranean Press, 2007. First Limited Edition, one of 1000 copies signed by Gaiman and illustrator Gahan Wilson, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. New collection of stories, theoretically of the children-friendly variety, but I’m sure all Neil’s fans will want a copy, especially given the usual wonderful Gahan Wilson illustrations. List price is $60. Your price: $45.

LP1785. Gentle, Mary. Ash: A Secret History. Gollancz, 2000. First edition hardback (the American edition was broken up into four paperback volumes, the first volume of which preceded this), a Fine- copy with a few pinhead sized spots of black ink to the front free endpaper (transfer from a former magic marker over the price on the dust jacket that wiped right off, leaving no sign on the dust jacket itself) and one page with the very tip slightly dog-eared, in a Fine- dust jacket with one tiny wrinkle at head, and one very faint brownish spot, smaller than a half dime, at the top of the inner flap; just short of a perfect copy, as these are all extremely minor flaws. Huge (1,110+ page), ambitious fantasy (with science fiction elements) about a female mercenary captain in a middle ages very different from our own (a world where a Visigothic Carthage not only never fell, but which lives under the Penitence, a sort of supernatural perpetual twilight), framed by a scholar reading the manuscript of same, only to find elements of this divergent reality leaking into our own. Recommended. $65.

LP1058. Glass, Julia. Three Junes. Pantheon, 2002. First edition hardback (numberline goes down to I, “First Edition” statement present) in a first state dj (no mention of Good Morning America), a Fine-/Fine- copy with just the barest trace of bumping at head and heel, and a phantom wrinkle to top front cover just above title. National Book Award winner. $10.

LP1880. Hamilton, Edmund. The Complete Edmund Hamilton, Volume One: The Metal Giants and Others. Haffner Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. First volume of the collected stories of this early science fiction giant, whose career started before and continued into the Golden Age. I’ve picked up a few Haffner Press titles to see how they sale, and like all of them this is a big fat, square book. Only have one. $5 off cover price. $35.

LP1404. Hand, Elizabeth. Illyria. PS Publishing, 2006. First edition hardback, one of less than 400 signed copies (limited to Postscripts subscribers, plus 200 unnumbered copies, of which this is one), Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. This year’s Postscripts Christmas special. Only have one. $30.

LP1690. Harris, Charlaine. The Julius House. Scribner, 1995. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with small previous owner’s name in blue ink on FFE and slight spine lean, in a Near Fine+ dj with a slight crimping at head and heel and some slight, non-breking creasing to back top and back fold, otherwise fairly nice. Part of the Aurora Teagarden mystery series by the author of the enormously popular Sookie Stackhouse vampire books. $34.

LP1534. Heinlein, Robert A. Project Moonbase and Others. Subterranean Press, 2008. First edition hardback, one of only 750 copies signed by introducer John Scalzi and illustrator Bob Eggleton, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. A huge, 546 page volume containing the screenplay for the SF film of the same name, plus eleven finished teleplays and two story outlines for a projected television show. This, and a forthcoming companion volume, are the last unpublished Heinlein material existent, and 750 is a pretty puny print run considering the huge number of Heinlein fans. No unsigned edition. $60.

LP1637. Hodgson, William, Hope. The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson Volume 5: The Dream of X and Other Fantastic Visions. Night Shade Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. Fifth and final volume of the collected Hodgson. The first printings of all the rest are out of print. $28.

LP1881. Kuttner, Henry. Terror in the House: The Early Kuttner, Volume One. Haffner Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Kuttner was one of the greats, did his best work in short fiction, and is an under-appreciated writer today, so I’m glad to see Haffner collecting all his stories. Only have one. $5 off cover price. $35.

LP1882. Kuttner, Henry, and C. L. Moore. Detour to Otherness. Haffner Press, 2010. Haffner Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Moore was another great writer who did her best work in short fiction, and the two of them together were usually pretty damn good. Only have one. $5 off cover price. $35.

LP1640. King, Stephen. Stephen King Goes to the Movies. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, one of 2000 copies (and the only hardback edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Includes five stories by King that were made into movies (“1408,” “The Mangler,” “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (made into Hearts in Atlantis), “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” “The Mist” and “Children of the Corn,” each with new introductions by King about how the moves were made and what he thought of them. Illustrations by Vincent Chong. With two color printing and heavier than usual paper, this is a lavish production beyond even the usual high Subterranean Press standards. I haven’t read all the stories in here, but the ones I have are among King’s best. Recommended. $65.

LP1884. Lansdale, Joe R. Christmas With the Dead. PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. Zombie story. According to Joe, this has been fast-tracked to be turned into a film. $14.

LP18840. Lansdale, Joe R. Christmas With the Dead. PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Now out of print from the publisher. $35.

LP1277. Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi). Collected Essays Volume 3: Science. Hippocampus Press, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. I haven’t seen a print run listed for this, but according to the publisher, the print run for the hardbacks for the first two volumes was only 250 copies (and I’ve sold all my copies of those). $34.

LP1346. Lovecraft, H. P. Collected Essays Volume 4: Travel. Hippocampus Press, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. I know that there were only 250 copies of the hardback printed for some of the earlier volumes, and of the five copies I ordered, I only have one left. $34.

LP1414. Lovecraft, H. P. Collected Essays Volume 5: Philosophy, Autobiography & Miscellany. Hippocampus Press, 2007. First edition hardback, one of only 250 hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. The final volume of Lovecraft Essays. $34.

LP1885. Martin, George R. R. A Feast for Crows. Voyager, 2005. One of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, in slipcase, as issued, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. List price is $100. My price? $65.

LP1018. McAuley, Paul [J.]. Whole Wide World. HarperCollins/Voyager (UK), 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dj with a tiny bit of crimping at head and the barest trace of edgewear, otherwise new and apparently unread. They evidently took the J. out of his name in hopes of fooling the computers and making this his breakthrough mainstream technothriller. Actually looks like an SF murder mystery. This UK edition precedes the Tor edition by a year. $10.

LP1886. Morris, Mark, editor (Joe R. Lansdale, Lucius Shepard, Alastair Reynolds, etc.). Cinema Futura. PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Companion volume to Cinema Macabre, with the likes of Joe R. Lansdale, Alastair Reynolds, Mike Resnick, etc. providing commentary on important SF movies from Metropolis to Avatar. If you’re a serious movie buff you probably want a copy, and I only have one. $42.

LP1284. Pohl, Frederik. Gateway. St. Martins, 1977. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey), an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws, otherwise VG- with moderate wear at heel, slight bumping to head and heel, and sticker ghosts on covers, in a NF- dj with slight crinkling at head, library sticker on spine, and three tack-head sized spots of wear that may or may not be on the dj itself rather than the protector, not clipped, with price of $8.95 intact. Signed by Pohl. Hugo and Nebula winner. Perhaps the hardest domestic SF novel of the 1970s to find. $95.

LP1887. Stephenson, Neal. Zodiac: The Eco Thriller. Subterranean Press, 2011. First hardback edition, one of 500 copies signed by Stephenson, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, in slipcase. First hardback of Stephenson’s second novel, and the usual quality Subterranean Press production. Let’s list this at $10 off the publisher’s price. $140.

LP1888. Stross, Charles. Scratch Monkey. NESFA, 2011. First edition hardback, one of only 800 numbered trade copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Previously unpublished novel of far-future, galaxy-spanning SF. 800 copies (plus 200 signed, slipcased copies) is ridiculously low for a Stross book, and the copies I got have numbers in the 790s, so you might ant to pick one up sooner rather than later. $24.

LP523. Turtledove, Harry. Agent of Byzantium. First edition hardback, Fine/Fine-, with barest trace of edgewear to rear cover. Part of the “Asimov’s Presents” line edited by Gardner Dozois. $13.

LP1889. Vance, Jack. Book of Dreams. Underwood/Miller, 1981. First hardback edition. On the exterior, this is a Fine copy; unfortunately, someone has annotated this volume with highlighting and several different colors of pen, including notes on the title, quarter title, and half-title page, so call it Very Good-. The fifth and final Demon Prince novel, and the hardest of the five to find by a good measure. $49.

LP1890. Watts, Peter. Starfish. Tor, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket, with just the barest touches of wear hear and there, otherwise new and unread. His first novel, and increasingly hard to find since Blindsight was a Hugo finalist. $49.

LP696. Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties: Volume II: 1958-1962. McFarland, 1986. First edition hardback, VG+ with slight scuffing to covers (mainly the back) and three tackhead to quarter sized stains to top edge, slightly affecting FFE at top, in yellow decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. The second volume of Bill Warren’s excellent and engaging set documenting and reviewing the science films of the 1950s, and is roughly twice the size of its predecessor (and includes a few films left out of that volume). Covers everything from The Time Machine and Village of the Damned to Plan 9 From Outer Space. Also includes cast and crew listings for the films covered. Truly a must for anyone with an interest in SF films of the era, and has earned the Howard Waldrop seal of approval. Recommended. $35.

LP1192. Wells, Martha. The Element of Fire. Tor, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dj with just a trace of edgewear at extremities, otherwise immaculate. Difficult to find in any edition, nearly impossible for the hardback, and doubly so for a signed copy. $49.

LP207. Williams, Walter Jon. Aristoi. Tor, 1992. First edition hardback, Fine in a Fine DJ. His best SF novel, IMHO. Recommended. $15.

LP1069. Williams, Walter Jon. The Rift. Harper Prism, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dj with traces of bumping at head and heel; extremely minor for a book this large. His disaster novel, where the real life New Madrid fault along the Mississippi River gives way. $10.

LP1103. Willis, Connie. To Say Nothing of the Dog. Bantam, 1998. First Edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dj, with very faint bumps at head and heel (including a very slight wrinkle at heel), and the barest trace of haze rubbing to the rear cover. Otherwise this is a beautiful copy of a Hugo winning first that’s recently gotten quite pricey. Signed by Willis. $70.

LP1552. Willis, Connie, with Cynthia Felice. Light Raid . Ace, 1989. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws, otherwise Near Fine/Fine copy with a trace of spine lean. Signed by Willis and Felice. $10.

LP1432. Wilson, Robert Charles. Julian: A Christmas Story. PS Publishing, . First edition hardback, one of 300 numbered copies signed by Wilson and introduction author Robert J. Sawyer, a Fine copy in a Fine dj, new and unread. For those who care about such things, the numbers on the ones I got were all between 10 and 20. Out of print from the publisher. $28.

LP1705. Zelazny, Roger (Neil Gaiman). The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny Volume Three: This Mortal Mountain. NESFA Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. The third in a six volume series of all Zelazny’s short fiction. Neil Gaiman and David Hartwell each provide an introduction. This volume also includes a deleted sex scene from The Guns of Avalon. Another cool thing about this series is a uniform illustration position on the dust jacket so that the spines form a unified picture. I’ll be getting the rest in as they’re published. Highly recommended. $4 off the cover price. $25.

LP1706. Zelazny, Roger (Joe Haldeman, Steven Brust). The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny Volume Four: Last Exit to Babylon. NESFA Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. The fourth in a six volume series of all Zelazny’s short fiction. Joe Haldeman and Steven Brust each provide an introduction. Again, $4 off the cover price. $25.

LP1752. Zelazny, Roger. The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny Volume Five: Nine Black Doves. NESFA Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. $25.

LP17520. Zelazny, Roger. The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny Volume Six: The Road to Amber. NESFA Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. $25.

LP1891. Zelazny, Roger. Eye of Cat. Underwood/Miller, 1982. First limited Edition, #207 of 300 numbered copies signed by Zelazny, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. A novel of a man of American Indian decent stalked by a fearsome alien he captured many years before. $80.

LP1815. Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in Amber. Doubleday, 1970. First edition hardback (Currey, p. 571, Levack 28a) with First Printing stated and date code L16 on page 188 , an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws, including pocket remains to rear, numerous date stamps and paper attachments to FFE, book taped to dust jacket with non-archival tapes, the remains of which have now discolored, with spine lean, worn bottom boards, in a a largely intact but worn dust jacket, with sun-faded spine and stamp at spine heel, numerous white-line creases along spine and at top front of book, a few shallow chips (1/16″) on front dj bottom, small spots of abrasion near the line creasing next to (but not on) the “N” in “Nine” on the front cover, moderate discoloration to white back cover, and general wear; call it a Good/Good Ex-library copy, since the book is very well read, but still structurally sound. The first book in the Amber series. The story is that Doubleday’s warehouse was mistakenly ordered to pulp all Zelazny’s books the same day this one arrived from the printer, which means that only pre-orders and library sales escaped the pulping, and why the vast majority of the very few copies that come up for sale are Ex-Library copies. Normally a book in this condition would only be a space filler copy, but this is so rare that it may have to suffice unless you’re willing to drop a couple of grand for a non Ex-Lib. Highly recommended. $350.

LP1754. Zelazny, Roger. The Sign of the Unicorn. Doubleday, 1975. First edition hardback (Currey, p. 571, Levack 33a), a Near Fine copy with a bookplate and previous owner’s signature on the FFE in a Near Fine- dust jacket, with a 1/2″ semi-closed tear on rear bottom spine join, a 1/2″ closed tear on front bottom spine join, tiny flecks of white rubbing along rear spine join, a 1/4″ closed tear on bottom rear, and some slight dust staining to white rear dust jacket, but otherwise a very presentable copy. The third Amber novel, and getting harder to find. Highly recommended, as are all five of the original Amber novels. $49.

Trade Paperbacks

LP1892. Bennett, Robert Jackson. Mr. Shivers. Orbit, 2010. Advanced Reading Copy (ARC), trade paperback format, of the first edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. First novel. As you can tell from this review, I’m think it’s pretty good: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/02/review-mr-shivers-by-robert-jackson-bennett/ . $10.

LP1893. Leicht, Stina. Of Blood and Honey. Night Shade Press, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Stina is a friend and long-time member of the Turkey City Writer’s Workshop, so it’s good to see her first novel make it out into the world. This is a fantasy set against the Troubles of Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Signed by Leicht. $14.

LP1894. (Zelazny, Roger) Kovacs, Christopher C., compiler. The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. NESFA Press, 2010. First edition trade paperback original (no hardback edition), a Fine copy, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. Same size and with a cover that extends the matching Whelan spine cover from the six-column Collected Zelazny set. Only have one… $23.

Japan Mini Update on Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor for March 29

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Slashdot posted a story linking a highly speculative piece in The Guardian saying that high levels of radiation might be a sign that molten fuel has leaked through the reactor vessel (not the containment vessel, as the Slashdot summary breathlessly announces). I have not seen any confirmation of this speculation, or indeed seen this speculation repeated outside Slashdot and a few other newspapers in the UK, and it is not confirmed by the most recent IAEA report.

Here’s the official (and comprehensive) report on the current state of the six nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi from the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum.

Things are plenty bad at Fukushima, but (with the caveat that I am not even remotely a nuclear engineer) I see no solid evidence to suggest that there has been even a partial meltdown, much less that the core has melted through the reactor pressure vessel, much less that the containment vessel has been breached. Indeed this statement from the IAEA report would suggest a better cause for the radioactivity spike recently observed: “The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan suggests that higher activity in the water discovered in the Unit 2 turbine building is supposed to be caused by the water, which has been in contact with molten fuel rods for a time and directly released into the turbine building via some, as yet unidentified path.”

Japan suffered a real tragedy, with over 11,000 confirmed dead from the earthquake and tsunami, and Western journalists and bloggers seem unnaturally fixated on a serious but limited nuclear accident that hasn’t claimed any lives yet.

(This and all previous posts on the Sendai earthquake and tsunami can be found here.)

Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Update for March 29

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
  • Official death toll is at 11,102, with 16,493 people missing.
  • Resulting shortages continue to hit the global supply chain, including the world’s two-largest producers of 12″ silicon wafers for semiconductor fabrication and batteries for Apple’s iPod.
  • It has also resulted in food shortages…at a Calgary specialty grocery store. But thankfully, I’m not seeing any reports of a Pocky shortage…
  • Tsunami overwhelming the city of Kesennuma. This one appeared on Fark:

    More tsunami:

    Tsunami hitting port city, including floating some very big ships past with the debris wake:

    Aerial footage of cars attempting to escape the tsunami:

    This and all previous posts on the Sendai earthquake and tsunami can be found here.

    The Fungus That Is Spam (and Ruining Their Business)

    Friday, March 25th, 2011

    I usually get some 20-30 pieces of comment spam or so a day, on various topics. Today, there were 131 pieces, almost all of them for “laser toenail fungus remover.” So in order to ruin their business for anyone who might actually need their service, here’s a hint: Soak the afflicted toe in vinegar. The acidity kills the fungus. And I bet it’s a lot cheaper than going to some clinic…

    Von Neumann’s Cleaning Catastrophe

    Thursday, March 24th, 2011

    I’m getting ready to purchase a new HDTV. (In fact, this will be the first television I’ve actually bought, as opposed to being a hand-me-down. From this you may correctly infer that I’m a cheapass tightwad very frugal. I’m also not a bleeding edge consumer, and have a very high saving throw vs. shiny.) So I thought I should vacuum before I got the new TV. But before I could vacuum I needed to put up some of the odds and ends that had accumulated in the room, such as CDs, DVDs, equipment boxes, etc. But before I could do that, I needed to move some things around in the guest room so I could move some things in there. But before I could do that, I needed to box up some old computer equipment. But before I could do that…

    Anyway, it was like the punchline to a Dilbert strip: Thanks to proper ordering, I almost vacuumed something. The curse of the semi-clean and semi-organized…

    Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction Comes Out in Poland

    Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

    I chanced across this, which, when translated from the Polish, turns out to be Mike Ashley’s The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction, which contains my story “Crucifixion Variations.” Foreign rights were mentioned in my last royalty statement, so I’m guessing this was part of that.

    I’m not sure if the entirety of the contents are in the translated edition, or just those few stories listed there. If the latter, it’s nice to make the cut. That will be my second piece translated into Polish, after “Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto” (or “”Notatki do manifestu postcyberpunkowego”), which has also been translated into Portugease and Italian.

    Japan Tsunami/Earthquake Update for Monday, March 21

    Monday, March 21st, 2011

    One more brief update on the aftermath of the Sendai earthquake/tsunami:

  • Death toll at 8,000, with 13,000 missing.
  • All six of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant appear to be under control, though there appears to be damage to the reactor cores of reactors 1-3. Those reactors have been given an International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) rating of 5, which would put it on par with Three Mile Island, but well below the 7 assigned to Chernobyl.
  • Foot shortages in Tokyo appear to be easing.
  • Sendai port is open and receiving emergency fuel shipments.
  • Tsunami video from Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture:

    This and all previous posts on the Sendai earthquake and tsunami can be found here.

    Tangential Crime Blotter: Sherry Black, Warren Jeffs, Robert Ben Rhoades

    Saturday, March 19th, 2011

    As far as I can tell, there’s been no real news in the Sherry Black murder case since it was featured on the America’s Most Wanted website in January. But in poking around, there is some news on some tangents of the story, and tangents of the tangents.

    I recently received a couple of comments on a previous post on the Sherry Black murder, including one claiming to be from Warren Jeffs, accused felon and President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know this may come as a shock to some, but people aren’t always who they claim to be on the Internet. (I will now wait a moment for the incredulous outrage to die down.) As far as I can tell, Mr. Jeffs is currently held in lieu of bail at the Reagan County Jail in Big Lake, Texas awaiting trial. The possibility that he might be allowed Internet privileges while under heavy manners, and that he would use such privileges to post random, badly capitalized blog comments, seems…remote. Plus, the ip address of the poster (72.250.219.218) points to Ogden, Utah, not Big Lake, Texas.

    Incidentally, Jeffs still seems reveared by the FLDS faithful, with thousands of letters and many visitors (up to the max of ten a day).

    Strangely enough, Jeffs isn’t the only famous (or infamous) prisoner currently awaiting trail at Big Lake. Accused serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades, who has been convicted of torturing, killing and raping women, and who has been accused of as many as 50 serial killings, is also held there. For comparison’s sake, 50 victims would put him up in Henry Lee Lucas territory, and more than John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy.

    Here’s some background on Rhodes, evidently written by someone who bought a pallet of true crime adjectives at Sam’s and wanted to use them up before the expiration date. There’s even a Utah angle here as well, since charges against Rhoades for the murder of Candace Walsh were dropped in 2006, mainly so Rhoades could be tried in Texas, where he would be subject to the death penalty.

    As shown in the Deseret News, he even looks like a serial killer.

    He surely must be happy with everything he’s got

    Saturday, March 19th, 2011

    Rereading this post made me go poking around the Internet, where I came across this vintage video of Simon & Garfunkel performing “Richard Corey” live in 1966:

    Two- (and three- and four-) part harmony is sadly underutilized in music today…

    Million Dollar Idea

    Thursday, March 17th, 2011

    Charlie Sheen.

    Lindsay Lohan.

    On Broadway.

    In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?.

    Charge $500 a ticket and it will still sell out a three month run.

    Get on it, Broadway producers! There’s gold in them thar freaks!