Archive for May, 2022
Tuesday, May 31st, 2022
Here’s a case of replacing an unsigned copy with a signed copy:
Farmer, Philip Jose. Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke. Doubleday, 1972. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with bumping at head, heel and top front corner, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with several small closed tears (and associated creases) at heel, slight dust soiling to white portions of dust jacket, and a few other touches of wear, inscribed by Farmer: “To Mitchell Haneson/from/Philip Jose Farmer/Oct 21,/1989/Chicago.” Fictional biography of Tarzan, and a central text in Farmer’s “Wold Newton Universe,” which ties a vast array of fictional heroes, from Sherlock Holmes to Doc Savage, into one extended family. Brizzi, Philip Jose Farmer, page 72. Currey, page 185. Bought off eBay for $39.99. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Philip Jose Farmer, Tarzan, Wold Newton
Posted in Books, Fantasy | No Comments »
Monday, May 30th, 2022
Back when James P. Blaylock made it to Armadillocon more regularly than he does now, I got him to sign most of his early work, but neglected to pick up The Elfin Ship, The Disappearing Dwarf and The Stone Giant because I wasn’t yet the completest I am now and they looked a bit “Elfy Welfy” for my tastes. I’ve picked up a couple since, but haven’t had a chance for Blaylock to sign them. These are from the estate of editor and publisher John Pelan (Axolotl Press, Silver Salamander, etc.), sold through Centipede Press, each a price of about $5 each. Since Pelan published several Blaylock books through Axolotl, these are interesting associational copies.
Blaylock, James P. The Digging Leviathan. Ace, 1984. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a tiny flake from the bottom front corner tip, inscribed by Blaylock: “To John Pelan,/the favorite of my/own books./Cheers/James P. Blaylock.” Replaces an unsigned copy and supplements an inscribed first of the Morrigan hardback.
Blaylock, James P. The Disappearing Dwarf. Del Rey, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear and flake chips to outer rear corners, inscribed by Blaylock: “To John,/on the first anniversary/of a hell of a good idea./Cheers,/Jim,/aka James P. Blaylock.” Sequel to The Elfin Ship. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Blaylock, James P. The Elfin Ship. Del Rey, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing, inscribed by Blaylock: “To John Pelan,/My first book, but/not a bad one, I/hope./Best wishes/James P. Blaylock.
Blaylock, James P. The Stone Giant. Ace, 1989. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy with the barest trace of edgewear. Inscribed by Blaylock: “James P. Blaylock/For John,/I hope this is readable./I write it about 5 years/ago and don’t rightly/remember./Cheers/Jim.” Sequel to The Disappearing Dwarf. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Tags:Associational Copy, Books, Fantasy, James P. Blaylock, John Pelan, PBO, signatures, Steampunk
Posted in Books, Fantasy | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 25th, 2022
Another signed Sturgeon first:
Sturgeon, Theodore. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Pyramid, 1961. First edition paperback original (“First printing, June 1961” on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight wear at points, slight edgewear, and usual slight foxing to inside covers and slight age darkening to pages, otherwise a nice, square copy, signed by Sturgeon. Novelization of the Irwin Allen film. Diskin, Theodore Sturgeon: a primary and secondary bibliography, A148. Currey, page 473. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought off eBay for $25.
Tags:Books, Science Fiction, Theodore Sturgeon
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Friday, May 20th, 2022
Another addition to the signed Ray Bradbury reference works collection:
(Bradbury, Ray) Sam Weller. Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews. Stopsmling Books, 2010. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with a small hardback run), a Fine copy, signed by Bradbury. Collection of interviews Weller did with Bradbury, plus a previously unpublished Paris Review interview. Bought for $40 from an online bookseller.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Horror, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, May 19th, 2022
What is the longest you’ve gone between ordering a book and it showing up on your doorstep?
The following showed up five years after I ordered and paid for it. I had honestly forgotten all about it.
Hill, Joe. Strange Weather: Aloft, Rain, Loaded, and Snapshot. Cemetery Dance, 2022. First edition thus and first separate editions of all four individual titles, all of which were originally published in Hill’s 2017 Strange Weather novella collection, each volume one of 948 copies signed by the artist (Charles Paul Wilson III for Aloft, Renae De Luz and Ray Dillon for Rain, and Zach Howard for Loaded), and Snapshot being numbered 781 and signed by both Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, all Fine copies in Fine dust jackets and a Fine slipcase. (There was also evidently a 52 copy lettered edition offered for $1,000 I haven’t seen.) An attractive production. Bought for cover price, and sold out five years before publication…
Tags:Books, Cemetery Dance, Horror, Joe Hill, Limited Editions, small press publishers
Posted in Books, Horror | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Another signed first edition from a Grandmaster. I knew Jack a little, and he was a long-time subscriber to Nova Express.
Williamson, Jack. The Silicon Dagger. Tor, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Williamson: “For/Vicky/Foreman/Jack Williamson/3-2-2000.” Jack’s second-to-last novel. Hauptmann, The Work of Jack Williamson, A78 (still forthcoming at the time). Won off eBay for $5.
Tags:Books, Jack Williamson, Science Fiction, signatures
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Friday, May 13th, 2022
Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. (FPCI) is not a press that I actively collect, unlike contemporaries Gnome Press, Arkham House or Shasta: Publishers. For every notable writer FPCI published (say, Hubbard or de Camp), they published two by writers that nobody reads or collects any more, but I pick up titles when I find them cheap. This I had wanted to pick up for a while, since I had never actually seen a copy.
Lengyel, Cornel. The Atom Clock. Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. (FPCI), 1951. First edition chapbook original, one of 750 copies (simultaneous with a 250 copy hardback run), a Near Fine copy with sticker pull at top right of title page, over which is a small inked price of $125, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with a shallow chip and associated small crease at top right of the front cover, a closed 1/16th triangular tear at top rear, slight rubbing to front cover, and slight dust soiling to white rear cover. Anti-atomic play. Won awards, but I’m sure the sentiment of the thing would strike me as naive and dated. Chalker & Owings (1991), page 179, where they note that the hardback is “almost never seen.” Kemp, The Anthem Series, pages 89-90. Bought off eBay for a $30 offer.
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Cornel Lengyel, FPCI, Science Fiction, small press publishers
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 11th, 2022
Various books I’ve bought in various places:
Bester, Alfred. Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester. Vintage/Random House, 1997. First edition proof, trade paperback format, a Fine- copy with a tiny chip to tip of bottom front corner, gold “A Vintage Original” sticker on front cover and accompanying review page. Supplements a copy of the trade paperback original. Bought off eBay for $10.97.
Davidson, Avram. Beer! Beer! Beer! Or All The Seas With Oysters Publishing (OATSWOP), 2021. First edition print-on-demand trade paperback (the only print edition offered), a Fine copy. An original prohibition tale unearthed by the Davidson estate and offered through Amazon, which is the only place it’s available.
Howard, Robert E. The Iron Man. Donald M. Grant, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a 1/2″ high area of abrasion across bottom of front and back boards near spine (but not at the spine itself), in a Fine- dust jacket with slight touches of wear at points and elsewhere. Howard’s boxing stories. Obtained as a throw-in freebie on another order.
Tiptree, Jr. James. Up the Walls of the World. Berkley Putnam, 1978. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per ISFDB), a Fine- copy with slight bending at head and a small ding to top front board, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with a long crease along bottom front cover and associated 1/4″ closed tear. Tiptree’s only novel. Bought as part of a four book lot for $15.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Haunts of Drowning Creek. Holiday House, 1951. First edition hardback, a Good only copy with cracked front and rear inner hinges, a 1/4″ triangular board loss at heel, pocket removal, former owner’s name on inside front cover, bumped corners, and general spotting and wear. Reading copy only, but this is possibly the hardest Wellman Young Adult novel to find. Bought off eBay for $15 as part of a two book Wellman lot.
Tags:Avram Davidson, Books, Donald M. Grant, Fantasy, James Tiptree Jr., Manly Wade Wellman, Robert E. Howard, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Monday, May 9th, 2022
This is another one of those out-of-the-blue “Why, yes, I do want that book” purchases.
Miranker, Cathy and Glen S., curators. Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects: From the Collection of Glenn S. Miranker. The Grolier Club, 2022. First edition hardback, reportedly one of only 500 copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. A descriptive catalog, with pictures, of items exhibited from Miranker’s Sherlock Holmes collection, including not only rare first editions (including the only know first edition, first printing of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in dust jacket), but also Doyle letters, original art, movie posters, etc. A fascinating and extensive collection. I ordered this from The Mysterious Bookshop at the usual discount, only to find out they had sold out of their copies, so I ordered another one from another source. However, before that came in, Mysterious Bookshop got more in, so I ended up with an extra copy that will go in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Arthur Conan Doyle, Books, Mystery, reference works, Sherlock Holmes
Posted in Books | No Comments »
Friday, May 6th, 2022
Three more Lansdale firsts for the collection, two of them signed, limited editions.
Lansdale, Joe R. Gothic Wounds. Short Scary Tales, 2022. First edition hardback, #101 of 550 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket with tissue paper sealing sticker, shipping thanks card and SST business card laid in. The fourth in the Lansdale collected stories series. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Magic Wagon. Borderlands Press, 1991. First limited edition hardback, #597 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Supplements an inscribed copy of the true Double-D western hardback first, the UK hardback first, and the BookVoice signed/limited hardback edition. Bought off eBay for $43.
Lansdale, Joe R. (with Timothy Truman and Sam Glanzman). Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo. DC Vertigo, 1994. First edition graphic novel (preceded by the individual comic issues), trade paperback format, a Fine copy. According to comics decoding, the “00111” code on the bar code on the back cover indicates issue 1, cover variant 1 (don’t think there were any others in this case), and first printing (the last 1). Bought off eBay for $9.99.
Tags:Books, Borderlands Press, graphic novel, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, Western
Posted in Books, Horror | No Comments »
