Still another Lansdale lettered edition bought from that same private collector:
Lansdale, Joe R. The Bottoms. Subterranean Press, 2000. First edition hardback, letter R of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine leatherbound copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine traycase with full color illustration mounted inside front lid. The Subterranean edition was the true first edition, preceding the Mysterious Press edition by several months. Edgar Award winner for Best Novel. Bought for $300 from a private collector, which is just twice list price for the regular numbered edition.
The plastic illustration protector shows both glare and the shadow of my hands holding the iPhone to get the photo. (Also some glare off the dust jacket protector on the book itself.)
Here’s the first of several Lansdale items I obtained from a fellow collector who was selling off his collection:
Lansdale, Joe R. Waltz of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 1999. First edition hardback, letter R of 52 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine- traycase with a few small, shallow, random indentations. The Lost Lansdale Volume One. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 855. Unnoted by Chalker/Owings (or my proof copy of The World Lansdalian), this edition is bound in a very attractive, deep purple cloth rather than the light blue of the trade edition. Bought for $190 ($5 less than cover).
Another book in the Borderlands Little Book series:
Child, Lee. A Little Gold Book of Unconsidered Trifles. Borderlands Press, 2021. First edition hardback, #498 of 600 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Mixture of fiction and non-fiction by the best-selling author of the Jack Reacher series, some original to this volume, including a piece from Esquire. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. Right on the verge of selling out, and may be out of print by the time you read this.
I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog (currently in progress).
Did you know that Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Michael Didra published a book on Arthur Conan Doyle? Neither did I until I saw a signed first available from The Mysterious Bookshop for cover price.
Dirda, Michael. On Conan Doyle. Princeton University Press, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with publisher’s information card laid in. Critical book on Arthur Conan Doyle, covering both Sherlock Holmes and his other works. Bought at a dealer discount.
Dirda is an astute literary critic who also covers science, and I’m passingly acquainted with him. (He’s also bought the occasional book from me.)
Kuttner, Henry and C.L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett). The Day He Died. Duell, Sloan and Pierce, 1947. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a little bit of bend at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with small chip at heel and associated 1/2″ closed tear, plus a trace of wear at points. Mystery. I saw a less attractive copy in an online auction go for considerably more than I was willing to spend, so I bought this (the nicest copy online) from a notable SF dealer for $220.
Three signed hardback firsts editions, of various types:
De Palma, Brian and Susan Lehman. Are Snakes Necessary? Hard-Case Crime, 2020. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors. Bought from The Mysterious Bookstore at a dealer discount.
Holkins, Jerry and Mike Krahulik. Penny Arcade 6: The Halls Below. Del Rey, 2010. First edition hardback, #885 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy with inset color cover illustration, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of Penny Arcade cartoons. Bought from the Penny Arcade store for $30.
Russell, Mary Doria. Doc. Random House, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Russell. Western novel about Doc Holliday Bought from The Mysterious Bookstore for $10.
Still more books for my complete Joe Lansdale collection, including three recently published books that I’ll have copies of in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, already in progress.
This includes two books I didn’t pick up when they came out because I already had the first hardback edition and didn’t feel a need to pick up a post-first limited. In the intervening years the, book market has changed quite a bit, and post-first limiteds have gotten a lot more common. Plus I already had just about everything else Joe published, so I’m rounding out my collection. And I got them at quite attractive prices.
Lansdale, Joe R. Act of Love. Cemetery Dance, 1992. First limited edition hardback (preceded by both the Leisure books PBO and the Kinnell UK hardback), #465 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Bought off eBay for $36 (list price is $50).
Lansdale, Joe R. Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade. Short Scary Tales (SST) Press, 2020. First hardback edition and first signed limited edition (preceded by the Tachyon trade paperback), #101 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. I’ll have copies of this available in the forthcoming Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lansdale, Joe R. Jane Goes North. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #264 of 2,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Road trip novel. I’ll have copies of this too in the forthcoming Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lansdale, Joe R. Of Mice and Minestrone. Tachyon, 2020. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. “Hap and Leonard: The Early Years.” And yes, I’ll have copies of this as well in the forthcoming Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lansdale, Joe R. Paradise Sky. Short Scary Tales (SST) Press, 2016. First UK edition and first limited edition hardback, a PC copy of 350 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and decorated boards. Bought for $30 of eBay.
That’s the unsold pilot for a 1959 Nero Wolfe TV show, with Shatner as Goodwin and Kurt Kasznar (probably known best, most unfairly, for a role in Land of the Giants) as Wolfe.
I could definitely see myself watching this on METV…
Closing in on a complete Manly Wade Wellman collection, and picked up two of his more obscure works:
Wellman, Manly Wade. Many Are The Hearts: a play in one act. North Carolina Confederate Centennial Commission, 1961. First edition chapbook, a Near Fine- copy with small wrinkle on rear cover near head, touches of wear, some sun-fading around the edges, and rust bleed-through on the two staples. One act play about a confederate North Carolina artillery detachment. Even includes a detailed diagram of a 6-pounder field gun at rear; good luck to any theater company trying to get their hands on one of those! I think this is only the second copy I’ve seen offered for sale this decade. Currey, page 513. Bought for $38.25 off a fellow Biblio dealer.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Mystery at Bear Paw Gap. Ives Washburn, 1965. First edition hardback, a Very Good Ex-Library copy in the Hercules library binding, with pockets and interior stamps, with wear at head and heel, a 1″ very light stain to bottom page block, a couple of pinprick spots to top page block, and blunting of points, but no external stamps, sans dust jacket, as expected for the library binding. One of Wellman’s more difficult YA novels. Currey, page 513. Bought for $29.99 off eBay.
Lansdale, Joe R. Blood in the Gears. Short, Scary Tales Publications, 2019. First edition hardback, #101 of 550 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Second in a four volume collection of all Lansdale’s short fiction, this one leaning toward dark suspense stories such as “Drive-In Date,” “The Steel Valentine,” “Incident On And off A Mountain Road,” etc. Bought from the publisher at a dealer discount. I still have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
