Posts Tagged ‘reference works’
Friday, January 7th, 2022
Three more reference works:
(Ballard, J. G.) McGrath, Rick. Deep Ends: A Ballardian Anthology 2018. Terminal Press, 2018. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of essays on Ballard, including David Pringle’s continuing, invaluable “Ballard/Moorcock Chronology,” of which Moorcock himself says “I frequently trust his memory over my own.” Bought from Amazon.
Gaiman, Neil (with Leslie S. Klinger). The Annotated American Gods. Morrow, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Annotated version of Gaiman’s Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning novel, made into the acclaimed TV series of the same name. This edition follows the text of the 10th Anniversary edition, but the annotations note where it differs from the first edition (among other things). Bought for $24.99 from a Houston-area Half Price Books. I will have one copy of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
(Gibson, William) Westfahl, Gary. William Gibson. University of Illinois Press, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Critical companion to Gibson’s work. Bought at Half Price Books for $12.49.
Tags:Books, David Pringle, Fantasy, Gary Westfahl, Half Price Books, J. G. Ballard, Neil Gaiman, reference works, Science Fiction, small press publishers, William Gibson
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Sunday, December 26th, 2021
I have several Magill’s literary survey sets, and picked up these at Armadillocon:
Magill, Frank, editor. Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction Authors. Salem Press, 1988. First edition hardbacks, a four volume set, reasonably clean Ex-Library copies, with slight signs of sticker removal from spine and a few bits of interior writing or marker crossout, but no pocket removal, sans dust jackets, as issued. Four volumes covering just about every important mystery writer up to that time (no Joe R. Lansdale, though, as this was right before the first Hap & Leonard novel). Bought for (I think) $20 from Scott Cupp at Armadillocon.
Tags:Books, Mystery, reference works
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2021
Outside of eBay, I rarely win things at auction these days, as almost everything seems to go for more than I’m willing to bid. But here’s an exception on: Three items from the same Asimov-heavy auction that I picked up at bargain prices.
Asimov, Isaac. The Best of Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and a slight bit of lean, in a Very Good, price-clipped dust jacket with a 1/4″ closed chip at head, shallow edgewear at head, and slight dust staining to white rear cover. Just what the title says, and it includes “Nightfall” and “The Last Question.” Bought in an online auction for $4.88 plus shipping.
(Asimov, Isaac) Carl Freedman. Conversations With Isaac Asimov. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy with with ISBN sticker to rear cover, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued. (The Google Books image also lacks a dust jacket.) Collection of interviews with Asimov. There was a simultaneous trade paperback edition, and the hardback state seems uncommon. Bought at auction for $1.22 and shipping.
(Asimov, Isaac) James Gunn. Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. Oxford University Press, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Probably the main critical study of Asimov’s work. Bought at auction for $1.22 and shipping.
Tags:Books, Isaac Asimov, James Gunn, reference works, Science Fiction
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Thursday, June 10th, 2021
Three new R. A. Lafferty firsts, two signed (one by Lafferty).
Lafferty, R. A. The Collected Short Fiction Volume Six: The Man Who Never Was. Centipede Press, 2021. First edition hardback, #40 of 300 numbered copies signed by Neil Gaiman, John Pelan, and Jacob McMurray, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Presumably the last volume edited by John Pelan, who died April 12. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. Normally I would have copies available, but all the copies I’ve been allocated have sold to people who bought previous volumes with matching numbers.
Lafferty, R. A. The Early Lafferty II. United Mythologies Press, 1990. First edition chapbook original, #57 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Near Fine copy with some phantom creasing on the top left front cover. Bought for $49.99 off eBay. The signed copy of this chapbook original sold for $7, and the unsigned for $4, and both editions are now scarce and pricey.
(Lafferty, R. A.) Cheek, Kevin, editor. Feast of Laughter Volume 5. Kistic Press, 2020. First edition trade paperback original (POD publication), a Fine copy. Ongoing anthology series of Lafferty interest, including fiction, essays, etc. Includes three Lafferty works (“The Hands of the Potter: An Idyll” (which seems to be fiction, and not in the ISFDB), “Astérix et Cléopâtra” (a review of the French comic) and “Riddle Writers of the Ithmus,” a short essay. Plus contributions from Michael Swanwick, Howard Waldrop, etc. Bought from Amazon at full price, since they do fulfillment (and hence the link on the title).
Tags:Books, Centipede Press, Fantasy, R. A. Lafferty, reference works, Science Fiction, small press publishers, United Mythologies Press
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Thursday, June 3rd, 2021
Someone sold off a large science fiction collection on eBay, including a great deal of Stephen King. All the actual King books went for way more than I bid, but I did pick up a couple of King reference works:
(King, Stephen) Blue, Tyson. The Unseen King. Starmont House, 1989. First edition hardback, #24 of 100 copies with a signed, numbered sheet done for The Overlook Connection laid in, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Critical companion of Stephen King works that had never (up to this publication) been republished. I’m sort of half-assedly collecting all these Starmont House/Borgo Press SF/F/H critical hardbacks when I find them cheap. Won off eBay for $15.50.
(King, Stephen) Terrell, Carroll F. Stephen King: Man and Artist. Northern Lights, 1990. First edition hardback, #158 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine- slipcase with two pinprick nicks to the top rear. Critical companion. Won off eBay for $30.51.
Tags:Books, Horror, reference works, Starmont House, Stephen King
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Thursday, May 13th, 2021
Another book in my quest to get a signed copy of every Ray Bradbury-related book:
(Bradbury, Ray) Nolan, William F. The Ray Bradbury Companion. Gale Research, 1975. First edition hardback (no statement of printing as per Currey), a Fine copy in a sound, Very Good slipcase from which numerous small (tackhead sized and smaller) pieces of the affixed wrap-around paper label have chipped away, plus a few other touches of dust and wear, sans dust jacket, as issued, signed by Bradbury on page 37. Critical companion on Bradbury’s work. Currey, page 59. Tymn, Schlobin, Currey, 221. Bought off eBay for $59.
Tags:Books, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Science Fiction, William F. Nolan
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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020
Three Half Price Books purchases:
Finn, Mark. Gods New and Used. Clockwork Storybook, 2001. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Finn, with a “Signed by Author at Book People” sticker on it. Collection of linked stories. Bought at Half Price Books for $10.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Patterson, William H., Jr. Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue With His Century — Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Better | 1948—1988. The second half of Patterson’s mammoth biography. Bought at Half Price Books for $17.49.
Moorcock, Michael. The White Wolf’s Son. Warner Aspect, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Elric/von Beck novel. Bought at Half Price Books for $7.98.
Tags:biography, Books, Clockwork Storybook, Fantasy, Half Price Books, Mark Finn, Michael Moorcock, reference works, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Tuesday, March 17th, 2020
Still more books I bought from Michael Moorcock, including art books and non-Moorcock paperbacks I bought off him. I think he received all these as review copies.
Garnett, David, editor. New Worlds 2. VGSF, 1992. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Inscribed to me by Moorcock, who wrote the afterword.
Hardy, David A. Hardyware: The Art of David A. Hardy. Paper Tiger, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few invisible scratches, etc., with review materials laid in. Science fiction art, of the planet and spaceship variety. (Not the Austin writer.)
Kilworth, Garry. House of Tribes. Bantam Press (UK), 1995. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, of the hardback first edition, a Fine- copy with a bump at heel in a Near Fine dust jacket which is slight taller than the proof, hence the bend at the top. Fantasy about mice. Also has a personalized review letter from Bantam laid in upon which Mike written “Mouse shit.”
Tuttle, Lisa. The Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief. Jo Fletcher books, 2016. Uncorrected bound proof, trade paperback format, of the trade paperback first edition, a Fine- copy with edgewear. Jesperson and Lane book I.
Youll, Stephen. The Art of Stephen Youll: Paradox. Paper Tiger, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with bumping at head, heel and top front corner, with review materials laid in. Science fiction art, lots of which you would recognize.
Tags:art, Books, David Garnett, Fantasy, Garry Kilworth, Lisa Tuttle, Michael Moorcock, reference works, Science Fiction, Stephen Youll
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Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
Slightly out of the ordinary for what I usually collect:
Penzler, Otto. Mysterious Obsession: Memoirs of a Compulsive Collector. The Mysterious Bookshop, 2019. First edition hardback, #219 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction. The story of how Penzler assembled his famed collection of mystery first editions. This edition sold out before publication. I have precisely one copy available through Lame Excuse Books. Bought directly through Mysterious Bookshop at a slight discount off the $50 cover price.
Tags:Book Collecting, Books, Mystery, Otto Penzler, reference works, small press publishers
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Wednesday, July 17th, 2019
A fellow collector alerted me to a bargain pre-publication price for this through Amazon:
Delany, Samuel R. Letters From Amherst. Wesleyan University Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine new copy, sans dust jacket with ISBN price sticker, as issued. Subtitled “Five Narrative Letters.” Bought for $16.96, considerably off the list price of $45.
I have several other Delany non-fiction works. I hope this is more accessible than some of his critical works, which tend to be too heavily influenced by various academic critical trends (post-modernism, close-reading, etc.).
Tags:Books, reference works, Samuel R. Delany
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