Posts Tagged ‘Limited Editions’

Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union

Wednesday, December 12th, 2018

Saw references to this (which might have preceded the trade edition) online, and finally found a copy cheap.

Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. HarperCollins, 2007. First edition hardback, one of 1,000 copies signed by Chabon in a wooden slipcase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap (I think it’s the publisher’s, which is why I haven’t removed it). Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. Supplements a trade copy of the novel inscribed to me by Chabon right after he won the Nebula for it. Original list price was $150. Bought off eBay for $50.

Forgive the crappy scan, since it’s still in the shrinkwrap…

Library Additions: Two Jack Vance VIE “Extra” Volumes

Thursday, September 27th, 2018

Sometimes you overpay for something because you couldn’t afford it when it came out, or to get the whole set.

Both of these volumes were produced by the Vance Integral Edition project (VIE for short), and were produced separately from the 44 volume VIE set (which I also own). I thought the volumes too pricey for what you got when they were announced, but since I’m closing in on a complete Jack Vance hardback collection, and own a VIE, I paid a premium for each.

  • Vance, Jack. Coup de Grace and Other Stories. Vance Integral Edition, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, matching the appearance of the “Reader’s Edition” of the Vance Integral Edition. Short story collection done as a “preview” edition to generate interest in the VIE project. Offered at $75. Chalker & Owings (2002), page 946. Chalker & Owings list a print run of 1,000 copies, which seems too high given the relative scarcity of the title, though several were evidently distributed at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Bought off eBay for $102.50.
  • Vance, Jack. Strange She Hasn’t Written/Death of a Solitary Chess Player/The Man Who Walks Behind (AKA 14 bis). Vance Integral Edition, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, matching the appearance of the “Reader’s Edition” of the Vance Integral Edition. The original titles for three mystery novels originally published under the Ellery Queen pseudonym as (respectively) The Four Johns, A Room to Die In and The Madman Theory, with textual corrections based on evidence of Vance’s original manuscripts uncovered as part of the VIE text correction process. Evidently one of 400 copies printed. ISFDB gives an offering price of $63, [Edited to add: Though this issue of Cosmopolis says they were available to subscribers like myself for $45]. Bought off eBay for $122.50. Edited to add: This source says that there were only 100 copies of this volume printed, which accords much more with how rarely I’ve seen it offered…
  • Neither of these volumes comes to market nearly as often as the stated print runs would have you believe, so I was happy to snag these.

    I lack but one other VIE volume, the “science fiction preview” volume containing The Languages of Pao and The Dragon Masters, which I’ll have to put on the want list even though I already have first edition hardbacks of both… (Update: Now I have that as well.)

    Library Addition: Signed/Limited Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 2

    Thursday, September 6th, 2018

    Picked up another volume of this:

    Bradbury, Ray (with Dave Gibbons, James Sherman, Daniel Torres, Raph Reese, Mark Charello, and Bernard Krigstein). The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 2. Byron Preiss/NBM, 1992. First edition hardback graphic novel,#250 of 1200 signed, numbered copies, a Near Fine copy with trace of dampstaining to bottom boards (but not pages) in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight waviness at bottom and slight blindside dye transfer from boards, along with a few other traces of wear. Signed by Bradbury, Gibbons, Reese and Charello. Tempted to send it back, but the terse listing only said VG, so, eh, caveat emptor. Bought for $37 off eBay.

    I now have Volumes 2 and 7 of this series, but am still looking for the others…

    Library Additions: Two Dean R. Koontz Charnel House Books

    Wednesday, September 5th, 2018

    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.

  • Koontz, Dean R. The Darkest Evening of the Year. Charnel House, 2007. First limited edition hardback, #26 of 350 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued.

  • Koontz, Dean R. Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. Charnel House, 2005. First edition hardback, #209 of 750 numbered copies, a Fine- copy (the Japanese Silver Wave silk the book is bound in appears darker on the spine than the rest of the book; that may be sun fading, or just air exposure the rest of the slipcased book did not get) in a Fine slipcase. A original script for a TV pilot that the network evidently so butchered that Koontz had his name taken off the production.

  • Not a bad score, since I think both original sold for about $150 each…

    Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s By Bizarre Hands

    Thursday, July 26th, 2018

    I was only collecting trade editions of things when this came out, so I was happy to add this to my collection at a bargain price.

    Lansdale, Joe. R. By Bizarre Hand. Mark V. Ziesing, 1989. First edition hardback, #347 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Supplements a trade copy. Bought from Half Price Books for $30 after the 50% off coupon.

    Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of Michael Moorcock’s Pegging the President

    Tuesday, July 24th, 2018

    Received the trade edition earlier, but the limited finally came in:

    Moorcock, Michael. Pegging the President. PS Publishing, 2018. First edition hardback, #71 of 100 signed, numbered copies (reportedly; production difficulties meant I got short shipped this for Lame Excuse Books, so there may be less than 100 copies existent), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, with tissue paper protector for signature page laid in. A new Jerry Cornelius novella.

    Library Additions: Nine NewCon Press Firsts

    Monday, May 21st, 2018

    Had an order from NewCon Press in the UK come in.

    First up: Novella Set Three: The Martian Quartet, set YY of 52 sets of four novella by four different authors, in a pictorial slipcase with a matching “YY” on it:

  • Brown, Eric. The Martian Simulacra. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Fenn, Jaine. The Martian Job. NewCon Press, 2017. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • McCormack, Una. The Greatest Story Ever Told. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Williams, Liz. Phosphorus: A Winterstrike Story. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Other books I picked up (all signed first edition hardbacks):

  • Constantine, Storm. Splinters of Truth. NewCon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #57 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Tem, Steve Rasnic. Twember. NewCon Press, 2013. First edition hardback, #89 of 125 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Tuttle, Lisa. Twember. NewCon Press, 2012. First edition hardback, #104 of 125 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Watson, Ian. The 1000 Year Reich. NewCon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #22 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
  • Williams, Liz and Trevor Jones. Diary of a Witchcraft Shop 2. NewCon Press, 2012. First edition hardback, #79 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread. Non-fiction.
  • Note: I’ll have some of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in preparation.

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s Blue Moon

    Tuesday, May 15th, 2018

    Here’s an interesting item: Another short-run Michael Swanwick chapbook, but with a difference:

    Swanwick, Michael. Blue Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2018. First edition chapbook original, #18 of 69 printed copies, a Fine copy (there’s some slight phantom creasing to the cover, because the chapbook was mailed in a flat envelope, which meant the sewn bead on the outside pressed against the book in transit, and all copies seen so affected), new and unread. Bought for $10 direct from the publisher.

    Here’s the description of the project: “Five ‘flash’ stories, all with a lunar setting. Published in an edition of 69, released for sale on the second “blue moon” of 2018. 67 copies available for sale (publisher’s and author’s copies withheld) on March 31, 2018, for 24 hours only. All copies not sold by midnight, March 31, 2018 will be burned.” In fact, all copies sold out in a matter of hours, so none were burned.

    Since 69 is a pretty small print run for a Swanwick chapbook, I took the liberty of picking up additional copies, and will be offering them in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, now in preparation…

    Library Additions: Two Signed William Tenn Firsts

    Thursday, May 10th, 2018

    Two signed William Tenn books picked up from different venues:

  • Klass, Philip. The Evolution of William Tenn, or Myself When Young. The Pretentious Press, 1995. First edition chapbook original (at 11″ x 6″, an unusually tall chapbook), one of 85 copies, a Fine copy, signed by Klass, with a photo of the author tipped in on the back of the title page. Includes several short pieces published by the The Apprentice, published by NYU when Klass was a 19-year old student in 1939. Bought from a fellow SF dealer for $36.

  • Tenn, William (writing name for Philip J. Klass). Immodest Proposals. NESFA Press, 2001. First edition hardback, a Very Good- copy with a large coffee-colored stain at head (and a smaller one at heel) in a Very Good+ dust jacket, with wrinkling to spine and front cover and spots of staining to blind side of the dust jacket. Signed by Tenn: “P. Klass/W Tenn”. Not a great copy, but bought for $5.99 at Half Price Books. Supplements a Fine/Fine (but unsigned) copy.

  • Library Additions: Signed Farmer and Hodgson

    Monday, May 7th, 2018

    Yes, a signed William Hope Hodgson first…but not signed by Hodgson (for obvious reasons).

  • Farmer, Philip Jose. Gods of Riverworld. Phantasia Press, 1983. First edition hardback, #503 of 650 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and fine slipcase. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 341. Bought off eBay for $25.
  • Hodgson, William Hope (Sam Moscowitz, editor). The Haunted “Pampero”. Donald M. Grant, 1991. First edition hardback, #185 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. “Uncollected Fantasies and Mysteries,” for which Moskowitz provides copious notes. This is the second book I have signed by Moscowitz, after Olaf Stapledon’s Far Future Calling. Bought off eBay for $25.