You may have noticed that I buy a lot of books. This year I had another family event in the Dallas area in mid-January, so I took time out to drive up to Recycled Books in Denton (where I found so much cool stuff that time last year) once again, though this time I only found $500 in books worth buying (as opposed to the $1,200 last year). And the same week I had an order come in from a notable SF book dealer having a 50% off sale, including a couple of Stephen King signed/limited editions. I don’t normally concentrate on limited and ultra-limited editions, but when one comes along at the right price…
So here’s a description of what I bought. As usual, all books are Fine hardback first editions in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted. The books on their side in the first picture are ones I bought to sell, and should show up in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Stuff I bought at Recycled Books in Denton:
Clement, Hal. The Essential Hal Clement Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter. NESFA Press, 1999. Signed by the author: “Hal Clement”/Harry C. Stubbs”. Bought for half cover price ($12.50).
Clement, Hal. The Essential Hal Clement Volume 2: Music of Many Spheres. NESFA Press, 2000. Signed by the author: “Hal Clement”/Harry C. Stubbs”. Bought for half cover price ($12.50). Replaces an unsigned copy in my library.
Clement, Hal. The Essential Hal Clement Volume 3: Variations on a Theme by Sir Isaac Newton. NESFA Press, 2000. Signed by the author: “Hal Clement”/Harry C. Stubbs”. Bought for half cover price ($12.50). Replaces an unsigned copy in my library. When Hal was a guest at one Armadillocon one year, I ended up driving him to and from the after-con BBQ dinner, and we discussed his career flying B-24 Liberators in World War II…
Etchison, Dennis. The Dark Country. Scream Press, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket, with sheet laid in describing how the book was one of two boxes of distributor returns with imperfect covers, and were the last first printings available, and had been signed by both Etchison and artist J. K. Potter.
Howard, Robert E. The Sword of Conan. Gnome Press, 1952. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with wear at head and heel, but otherwise a bright, beautiful dust jacket.
Howard, Robert E. The Pride of Bear Creek. Donald M. Grant, 1977. First edition thus.
Howard, Robert E. Mayhem on Bear Creek. Donald M. Grant, 1979.
Howard, Robert E. The Vultures. Fictioneer Books, Ltd., 1973.
(King, Stephen) Collings, Michael B. The Stephen King Phenomena. Borgo Press/Starmont House, 1987. First edition hardback, Fine- with slight bumping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. One of a very small number bound in boards by Borgo Press.
Lansdale, Joe R. A Fist Full of Stories. Cemetery Dance, 1996. First edition hardback, one of only 26 lettered copies bound in leather, containing two additional stories (“Subway Jack” and “Belly Laugh or The Joker’s Trick or Treat”) not in the trade or regular limited edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, in traycase. Decided to pick this up since I already have the lettered edition of For a Few Stories More.
Lovecraft, H. P. To Quebec and the Stars. Donald M. Grant, 1976. Non-fiction. I have no idea why they printed this as an oversized book when the margins are those for a regular book. Sadly, Jack Chalker and Mark Owings The Science Fantasy Publishers sheds no light on the issue either…
Pohl, Frederik. The Age of the Pussyfoot. Trident Press, 1969. First edition hardback, Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear along far front edge, with review slip and photo of Pohl laid in.
Vance, Jack. The Book of Dreams. Underwood/Miller, 1981. First hardback edition, Fine, sans dj, as issued. Fifth and final book of the Demon Princes series, and the hardest to find. Replaces an imperfect copy.
Stuff I bought at 50% off from a notable SF dealer:
Brunner, John. Quicksand. Doubleday, 1967. First edition hardback, Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket with a few spots of staining or dust soiling. Signed by Brunner.
King, Stephen. Desperation. Donald M. Grant, 1996. First edition hardback, one of 2000 signed, numbered copies bound in leather, Fine, sans dj, as issued, in leather traycase.
King, Stephen, and Peter Straub. Black House. Donald M. Grant, 2002. First edition hardback, one of 1520 numbered copies signed by both authors, bound in leather, a Fine copy, sans dj, as issued, in leather traycase. Met Straub at the 2009 Readercon, and he seemed like a nice guy.
(Shaver, Richard) The Hidden World, Spring, 1963, Issue # A1. Magazine edited by Richard Palmer and dedicated to “The Shaver Mystery,” a pseudoscientific belief system that “detrimental robots” (or “deros”) live in caverns deep into the earth, and which beam mind-control rays at humans on the surface, occasionally taking people (and especially women!) as captives. I already have issues 2-4 as part of my crank/pseudoscience library.
Williamson, Jack. Wizard’s Isle: The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson, Volume Three. Haffner Press, 2000.
Of course, since that week, more books have come in…
Tags: Books, Dennis Etchison, Frederik Pohl, H. P. Lovecraft, Hal Clement, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Peter Straub, Robert E. Howard, Shaver Mystery, Stephen King
This entry was posted on Sunday, February 6th, 2011 at 5:07 PM and is filed under Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Sounds like it’s time to upgrade your home security system.
I think Jigsaw remains sufficient deterrent.
[…] my serious mental illness the latest acquisitions for my professional science fiction library since the last time I listed them. All these are first edition hardbacks in Fine condition, with Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise […]
[…] book-buying continues apace here at Stately Person Manor since the last roundup. Many were bought from a notable SF book dealer having a sale. And some weren’t even bought, […]