I’m not a huge Dean R. Koontz fan, but I do like Charnel House books, and I saw these two from a dealer I knew almost cheap enough to pick up on a whim. I made an offer, we haggled, and I eventually got the following for $150 total, plus a couple of trade books.
Not a bad score, since I think both original sold for about $150 each…
Another elaborate Charnel House Tim Powers book:
Powers, Tim. The Collected Stories of Tim Powers. Charnel House, 2018. First edition hardback (or first thus; see below), #58 of 124 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Even though this was sold out shortly after it was announced, I will have copies for sale in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog. [Sold out.]
One thing the scan doesn’t do justice is just how sparkly this book is, it being “bound in Japanese ‘Snow Dust'” silk silver foiled boards.
There was a 2017 Baen hardback collection, Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers, but this collection evidently has an additional story, in addition to being signed and much better looking…
Another odd item for the reference library:
(Francis, Bruce (uncredited), compiler/editor, with Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Elvira, Rowena, and William F. Nolan.) The Undead (AKA The Book Sail 16th Anniversary Catalogue). McLaughlin Press, 1984. First edition hardback, #326 of 550 copies of the Deluxe (and only hardback) edition, a Near Fine copy with fading to spine, in a Near Fine slipcase, from which the cloth is starting to peel away at the bottom (which I intended to repair), sans dust jacket, as issued. An extremely elaborate affair for a book catalog, including a lenticular image of horror hostess Elvira (who has signed a signature page in the book) embedded in the cover, a Rowena full-page, full-color illustration, “Sorceress,” opposite her signature, which looks like something of a self-portrait, a signed Forward from Ray Bradbury, a signed story (“The Undead”) from Robert Bloch, and a signed William F. Nolan chapbook (“The Dandelion Chronicles”) inserted into a special pocket at the back of the book.
In addition to all that, there’s also an extensive book and manuscript catalog which makes up the bulk of the book, including a ridiculous amount of Lovecraft material, including amateur press publications, original manuscripts, letters, postcards, etc. It also includes Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft’s passport, which I’ve seen at listed for sale/auction least twice since (from L. W. Currey and later listed by Heritage Auctions). Also includes many non-book rarities, including the first appearance of Siegel and Shuster’s Superman character in a fanzine (where he was a bald villain), an original stop-motion armature of King Kong, and Judy Garland’s contract for The Wizard of Oz.
I’ve long lusted after a copy of this book, which came out just before I started collecting, but it usually listed in the $350 range. Bought for $75 off eBay.
Note: The limited, leather-bound presentation state (not seen) evidently included an original, unique Hannes Bok drawing in every copy…
Another signed Jack Vance book from the same seller I previously bought two signed Jack Vance books from:
Vance, Jack. Showboat World (or, to use the title embossed into the front boards of the book itself, The Magnificent Showboats of the Lower Vissel River, Lune XXIII South, Big Planet). Underwood-Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, a Presentation Copy of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at points in a Fine- dust jacket with a few small spots of slight browning discoloration. Hewett, A47h, who notes there were 28 Presentation Copies. Cunningham, Jack Vance: Critical Appreciations and a Bibliography, 71c, who notes that there were 20 Presentation Copies. Supplements a copy of the trade edition. Bought off eBay for $76.
