Posts Tagged ‘Gene Wolfe’
Sunday, August 14th, 2011
One of my favorite authors is Gene Wolfe (which you might have noticed before), so naturally I’ve tried to collect all his books. This includes all his chapbooks, some of which can be quite difficult to find.
Among his hardest to find are the ones he did for Cheap Street. Over the years I have picked up four of the five pure chapbooks done by them (as well as the two hardback books, Empires of Flowers and Foliage and Bibliomen), but frequently I would have trouble remembering which of them I have, a difficulty not aided by rather bland exteriors of the chapbooks themselves and the fact that all came in a standard Cheap Street envelope when I bought them, none of which revealed what was inside.
So, for both the sake of Gene Wolfe collectors, and to jog my own memory, I’ve scanned the title pages of each of the ones I have (click to embiggen):
Or, to list them in order of publication:
Wolfe, Gene. At the Point of Capricorn. Cheap Street, 1983.
Wolfe, Gene. The Boy Who Hooked the Sun. Cheap Street, 1985.
Wolfe, Gene. The Arimaspian Legacy. Cheap Street, 1988.
Wolfe, Gene. Slow Children at Play. Cheap Street, 1989.
I think I paid in the $35-$40 range for each of those.
Chalker and Owings says that seven copies of each of the above were done as leather-bound hardbacks. Not only do I not have those, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them offered for sale.
As far as I can tell, I’m only missing two Wolfe chapbooks now:
Wolfe, Gene. The Old Woman Whose Rolling Pin Was the Sun. Cheap Street, 1991.
Wolfe, Gene. The Grave Secret. The Pretentious Press, 1991.
I’ll have to add those to the want list.
I think I have a first edition hardback of every other Gene Wolfe book.
More about Cheap Street here.
Tags:Book Collecting, Books, chapbooks, Cheap Street, First Edition, Gene Wolfe
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 7 Comments »
Sunday, August 7th, 2011
The 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, as there’s a large number of unclaimed Nova Express proofs and ARCs that were integrated into my own library after I cleaned my office. All of these are Fine hardback first editions in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted. Signed book are noted, except for recent titles where the entire run was signed (like several Subterranean Press books).
Books that I have available for sale through Lame Excuse Books are marked LEB (though some of those titles won’t appear on the stock page until after I send out my next book catalog, which will probably be late this month or early next; email me if you’d like to get on the mailing list to received it).
And if perchance you’re new to my mad bibliomania, the most comprehensive post on my library can be found here.
Now the books:
Aldiss, Brian. Brothers of the Head Pierrot Publishing Ltd., 1977. First edition hardback (simultaneous with the much more common trade paperback edition), oversized and illustrated, a Fine copy in a VG+ dust jacket with light wrinkling, wear to extremities, and some age toning to white flaps of the dust jacket. Signed by both Aldiss and illustrator Ian Pollock. The hardback edition was already uncommon, but became more so after an art house movie based on it came out a few years ago. Bought this from a dealer in France, of all places.
Aldiss, Brian. Cultural Breaks. Tachyon, 2005. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format, with packet of review material.
Aldiss, Brian. This World and Nearer Ones. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1979. Signed by Adliss. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer. Non-fiction.
Aylett, Steve. Lint. Thunder Mouth Press, 2005. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Baker, Kage. The Graveyard Game. Tor, 2005. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Baker, Kage. The Life of the World to Come. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Baker, Kage. The Machine’s Child. Tor, 2006. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Baker, Kage. The Sons of Heaven. Tor, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Barker, Clive. Weaveworld. Poseidon Press, 1987. One of signed, 500 numbered copies, in unprinted Mylar dust jacket, in slipcase, as issued. Bought from a notable SF dealer for less than half original publisher’s price.
Barnes, John. The Armies of Memory. Tor, 2006.
Bear, Greg. The Collected Stories of Greg Bear. September, 2002. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Bear, Greg. Heads. One of 300 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Binder, Eando. Lords of Creation. Prime Press, 1949. One of 112 copies with plate signed by Binder affixed, Near Fine, sans dust jacket, with uncut pages, as issued. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Bisson, Terry. Greetings & Other Stories. Tachyon, 2005. Trade paperback original.
Bisson, Terry. Numbers Don’t Lie. Tachyon, 2005. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Boyett, Steven R. Mortality Bridge. Subterranean Press, 2011.
Boyle, T.C. The Human Fly and Other Stores. Speak, 2005. Advanced uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, with packet of review material.
Brin, David. Dr. Pak’s Preschool. Cheap Street, 1989. One of 117 signed, numbered copies of the “Collector’s Edition,” in Fine handmade dust jacket and slipcase. Bought from a notable SF book dealer at a considerable discount off the original offered price.
Broderick, Damien. Godplayers. Thunder Mouth Press, 2005. Trade paperback original.
Broderick, Damien. K-Machines. Thunder Mouth Press, 2006. Trade paperback original.
Brotherton, Mike. Star Dragon. Tor, 2003. Advanced uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Buckner, M. M. Wintermind. Tor, 2008.
Burks, Arthur J. Black Medicine. Arkham House, 1966.
Canon, Peter. Forever Azathoth. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 350 signed/numbered copies.
Charnes, Suzy McKee. Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Clarke, Arthur C. and Stephen Baxter. Firstborn. Del Rey, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Constantine, Storm. The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure. Tor. 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Crowther, Peter & Nick Gevers, editors. Postscripts #24/25: The New and Perfect Man. PS Publishing, 2011. Signed, traycased edition. Contributor copy, with my story “The Dog Parade” inside. For more information, see here.
De Camp, L. Sprague & Catherine Crook. Footprints in Sand: A Literary Sampler. Advent, 1981. One of 500 signed, numbered copies. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
De Camp, L. Sprague. Heroes & Hobgoblins Donald M. Grant, 1981. One of 1,250 copies signed by de Camp, a Fine copy in a price clipped (but otherwise Fine) dust jacket.
De Camp, L. Sprague. The Prisoner of Zhamanak. Phantasia Press, 1982. One of 500 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Di Filippo, Paul. The Emperor of Gondwanaland. Thunder Mouth Press, 2005. Trade paperback original.
Di Filippo, Paul. A Princess of the Linear City. PS Publishing, 2010. Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. LEB
Doctorow, Cory. A Place So Foreign and 8 More. Four Walls and Eight Windows, 2003. Trade paperback original. Signed by Doctorow.
Egan. Greg. The Clockwork Rocket. Night Shade Press, 2011. LEB
Emshwiller, Carol. I Live With You. Tachyon, 2005. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Farris, John. Fiends. Dark Harvest, 1990. One of 500 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Finch, Sheila. Reading the Bones. Tachyon, 2003. Trade paperback original.
Gaskell, Jane. Atlan. Hodder and Stoughton, 1965.
Gunn, Eileen. Stable Strategies and others. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Gunn, James. The End of the Dreams: Three Short Novels. Scribner’s, 1975. Inscribed by Gunn. Review materials laid in. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Gunn, James. The Magicians. Scribner’s, 1976. Inscribed by Gunn. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Haldeman, Joe, Stephen Giron, Edo van Belkom. Chapbook Seven. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2008. First edition hardback chapbook, one of only 20 copies bound in hardback, signed by Haldeman and Giron, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Haldeman’s section is hand-written and -illustrated.
Halpern, Marty and Claude Lalumiere. Witpunk. Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003.
Heinlein, Robert A. Assignment in Eternity. Fantasy Press, 1953. First edition hardback, first state Currey A binding (brick red cloth, with six gilt bands on spine, and with “Heinlein” 3mm high), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. Have Space Suit–Will Travel. Scribner’s, 1958. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. A Heinlein Triad. Gollancz, 1966. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Shasta Publishers, 1950. Details here.
Hughes, Matthew. Black Brillion. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Jablokov, Alexander. Brain Thief Tor, 2010. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Adventure of Cobbler’s Rune. Cheap Street, 1982. One of 250 signed, numbered hardback copies, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Solomon Leviathan’s Nine Hundred and Thirty-First Trip Around the World. Cheap Street, 1984. One of 250 signed, numbered hardback copies, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Water is Wide. Pendragon Press, 1976. Chapbook, one of 200 signed copies, a Fine copy.
Leiber, Fritz. The Change War. Gregg Press, 1978. Fine sans dj, as issued.
Link, Kelly and Gavin J. Grant. The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Del Rey, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Link, Kelly and Gavin J. Grant. The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Del Rey, 2007. Trade paperback original.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Leiber, Fritz, etc. H. P. Lovecraft: A Symposium. Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society/Riverside Quarterly, 1964. Chapbook, a Fine copy, with errata sheet laid in. Non-fiction.
MacLeod, Ken. The Night Sessions. Orbit, 2008.
Marusek, David. Mind Over Ship. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Marusek, David. Mind Over Ship. Tor, 2009.
McDevitt, Jack. The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge. Buffalo fantasy League, 2003. First edition hardback chapbook, #16 of a very small number bound into hardback, signed by McDevitt, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. The first of the Eeriecon chapbooks.
McMullin, Sean. Voyage of the Shadowmoon. Tor, 2002. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Melko, Paul. Singularity Ring. Tor, 2008.
Mieville, China. Embassytown. Macmillan (UK), 2011. Signed.
Moorcock, Michael/Joe R. Lansdale. Sojan the Swordsman/Under the Warrior Star. Planet Stories/Paizo, 2010. Trade paperback.
Morrow, James. The Cat’s Pajamas & Other Stories. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Nagata, Linda. Memory. Tor, 2003.
Nasir, Jamil. The Houses of Time. Tor, 2008. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Niven, Larry. A Gift From Earth. Macdonald, 1969. First hardback edition. Signed. A Near Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket.
Niven, Larry/Derwin Mak. Eeriecon Chapbook Ten: Doubling Rate/Willpower. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2011. First edition hardback chapbook, one of only 15(!) hardback copies, signed by both authors, Fine in a Fine dust jacket. LEB
Niven, Larry/Derwin Mak. Eeriecon Chapbook Ten: Doubling Rate/Willpower. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2011. Wraps edition.
Priest, Cherrie. Fathom. Tor, 2008.
Reed, Robert. Sister Alice. Tor, 2003.
Resnick, Mike. The Science Fiction Professional: Seven Years of “Ask Bwana” Columns. Farthest Star Science Fiction, 2002. Trade paperback original.
Resnick, Mike, et. al. With a Little Help From My Friends. Farthest Star Science Fiction, 2002. Trade paperback original.
Reynolds, Alastair. Troika. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 350 signed, numbered copies with a different cover.
Reynolds, Alastair. Troika. Subterranean Press, 2011. Trade edition. LEB
Robson, Justina. Natural History. Macmillan (UK), 2003. Trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback edition), signed by Robson, with additional signed note on a Post-It square laid in.
Rossi, Matthew. Things That Never Were. MonkeyBrain Books, 2003.
Rucker, Rudy. Frek and The Elixer. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Rucker, Rudy. Mad Professor: The Uncollected Short Stories of Rudy Rucker. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2007. Trade paperback original.
Rucker, Rudy. Mathematicians in Love. Tor, 2006. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Rucker, Rudy. Postsingular. Tor, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Schroeder, Karl. Sun of Suns. Tor, 2006. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Schroeder, Karl. The Queen of Candesce. Tor, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Schroeder, Karl. Pirate Sun. Tor, 2008. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Schroeder, Karl. The Sunless Countries. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Shiner, Lewis. Dark Tangos. Subterranean Press, 2011.
Shunn, William. An Alternate History of the 21st Century. Spilt Milk Press, 2007. Chapbook.
Silverberg, Robert. Homefaring. Phantasia Press, 1983. One of 450 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Silverberg, Robert. Sunrise on Mercury and Other Science Fiction Stories. Thomas Nelson Inc., 1975. Signed on affixed label by Silverberg. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Spector, Craig. Underground. Tor, 2005.
Stewart, Ian and jack Cohen. Heaven. Warner Books, 2004.
Stross, Charles. The Family Trade. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Stross, Charles. The Clan Corporate. Tor, 2006. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Stross, Charles. The Merchant’s War. Tor, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Stross, Charles. The Revolution Business. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Stross, Charles. Trade of Queens. Tor, 2010. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Stross, Charles. Rule 34. Ace, 2011.
(Sturgeon, Theodore) Diskin, Lahna F. Theodore Sturgeon: a primary and secondary bibliography. G.K. Hall & Co., 1980. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
Swanwick, Michael. Bones of the Earth. Eos, 2001. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Swanwick, Michael. The Dragons of Bable. Tor, 2007. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Totten, Michael. The Road to Fatima Gate. Encounter Books, 2011. Signed. Non-fiction.
Tregillis, Ian. Bitter Seeds. Tor, 2010.
Vance, Jack. Dangerous Ways. Subterranean Press, 2011. Traycased edition, signed by Vance. See here for more details.
(Vance, Jack) Tiedman, Richard. Jack Vance: Science Fiction Stylist. Mimeographed from typewritten copy on yellow paper stock, self wrappers, stapled, one of only 225 copies, Fine, with additional correspondence laid in.
Vinge, Vernor, and John-Allen Price. Chapbook Eight. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2002. First edition hardback chapbook, one of a very small number hardbound, signed by Vinge and Price, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Watts, Peter. Behemoth: ß-Max. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Devils Planet. World Distributors, 1951. First edition, pulp paperback format, Very Good with slight rubbing and internal tape reinforcement, and spine creasing, otherwise bright.
Westerfield, Scott. Peeps. Razorbill, 2005.
Westerfield, Scott. The Risen Empire. Tor, 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Westerfield, Scott. The Killing of Worlds. Tor, 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Westfahl, Gary, George Slusser and David Leiby, editors. Worlds Enough and Time: Explorations of Time in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Greenwood Press, 2002. Fine first edition hardback, sans dj, as issued, with review slip laid in. Non-fiction.
What, Leslie. Olympic Games. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced review copy, trade paperback format.
Wilhelm, Kate. Listen, Listen. Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Signed by Wilhelm. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Wilhelm, Kate. A Sense of Shadow. Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Inscribed by Wilhelm. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Wilson, F. Paul. Gateways. Tor, 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wilson, F. Paul. Ground Zero. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wolfe. Gary K. Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001. Beccon, 2010. Trade paperback. Non-fiction.
Wolfe. Gary K. Sightings: Reviews 2002-2006. Beccon, 2011. Trade paperback. Non-fiction.
Wolfe, Gene. The Best of Gene Wolfe. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wolfe, Gene. Innocents Aboard. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wolfe, Gene. An Evil Guest. Tor, 2008. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Wright, John C. Orphans of Chaos. Tor, 2005.
Zivkovic, Zoran. The Book. Polaris, 2003.
Zivkovic, Zoran. Hidden Camera. Dalkey Archive Press, 2005.
Zivkovic, Zoran. Steps Through the Mist. Polaris, 2003.
Previous posts on my book collection:
Library Additions: November 15, 2010—January 14, 2011
Library Additions, July 12—November 14, 2010
Library Additions, January 25, 2010—July 11, 2010
Library Additions: December 1, 2009—January 14, 2010.
My Book-Hunting Trip to Archer City and Points East (and New Acquisitions Found There)
Items in Evidence of a Case of Bibliomania (or, How I Spent $1,000 in One Week and All I Got Were These Cool Books)
Lawrence Person’s Library: Reference Books (Part 1)
Lawrence Person’s Library: Reference Books (Part 2: Oversized Books)
Tags:Book Collecting, Books, Brian Aldiss, Charles Stross, F. Paul Wilson, First Edition, Gary K. Wolfe, Gene Wolfe, Greg Bear, James Gunn, Jane Gaskell, Kage Baker, Karl Schroeder, Kate Wilhelm, L. Sprague de Camp, Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Paul Di Filippo, Robert A. Heinlein, Rudy Rucker, Science Fiction, Scott Westerfield, Subterranean Press, Ursula K. Le Guin, Vernor Vinge
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Saturday, December 18th, 2010
Home Fires
By Gene Wolfe
Tor, 2011.
Following the fantasy of The Sorcerer’s House, Gene Wolfe has given us a near-future, stand-alone SF novel. Home Fires features Skip, a very successful lawyer in a somewhat dystopian North America awaiting the return of his young, beautiful wife (or “contracta”) Chelle from military service in another star system. She’s only slightly older than when she left thanks to relativistic effects, while he’s reached the marches of middle age. As a coming home gift, Skip pays for the resurrection of Chelle’s mother by having her stored personality implanted in the body of another, closely-matching woman. However, no sooner is she back among the living than someone tries to kill her, and things only get more tangled upon the cruise ship he’s booked them on. Hijackings, murders, suicide clubs and general mysterious skullduggery ensues.
The difficulty in reviewing Home Fires is the Babushka Doll structure of, not the narrative itself, but of the genre techniques and expectations of the narrative. Homes Fires is science fiction novel as romance novel as mystery novel as spy novel, and any given scene may be fulfilling the expectations of any of those genres. Chelle’s estranged mother is far from the only one who is not what she appears to be, and in the mystery novel tradition, a lot of interrogation ensues as Skip attempts not only to rekindle Chelle’s love, but also to figure out what’s going on and who’s behind it…and to stay alive long enough to find out.
Home Fires also exhibits a lot of Wolfe’s recent themes and techniques, namely:
- Characters who are other than what they appear
- A deeply honest, good-hearted and dependable protagonist always willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to others (Patera Silk, Horn)…
- Who is deeply in a love with a beautiful woman who may not be worthy of him (ditto)
- Secondary characters who keep turning up long after you thought they had exited the stage, many with their own hidden agendas
- A story revealed mostly by dialog
- Action that happens primarily off-screen
- An ending that’s impossible to predict until you finally get to it.
There’s also a voodoo priestess, some gun-running, a bomb, some (possible) spies, and the usual Wolfe trickery. There’s also a refreshing dollop of political incorrectness: One character has had his hands amputated for theft, and our protagonist remarks that it must have happened in the EU under Sharia.
The biggest drawback of this novel was just how talky the book gets. Certainly Wolfe has done wonders with telling stories mostly in dialog in other works, and the mystery novel (one of the genre forms he’s deploying) can tend to be dialog-heavy. But there’s an awful lot of “Tell me know how you knew that”/”OK, but tell me how you knew that I knew that” exchanges in the novel. Classic mystery novel technique, but a bit too much; the late middle of the book feels clotted with it.
Making up for it, Home Fires finishes strongly, with an ending as apt as it is unexpected. It leaves many of the lesser issues unresolved, but provides a very elegant solution to the main character’s greatest dilemma.
All in all, I liked this better than An Evil Guest but not quite as much as The Sorcerer’s House. But Wolfe fans will, as always, find much of interest.
Tags:Book reviews, Books, Gene Wolfe, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 9 Comments »
Sunday, November 14th, 2010
The period right around Halloween and the election was particularly busy, so I took a break from blogging here. To get back in the skiffy swing of things, here’s the latest list of books I’ve added to my library.
Books that I have available for sale through Lame Excuse Books are marked LEB (though some of those titles won’t appear on the stock page until after I send out my next book catalog, which will probably be late this month or early next; email me if you’d like to get on the mailing list to received it).
Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship-Breaker. Little Brown, 2010.
Baring-Gould, William S.. The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1976. Two volumes, reprint.
Barker, Clive. Visions of Heaven and Hell. Rizzoli, 2005. Art book.
Bennett, Robert Jackson. Mr. Shivers. Orbit, 2010.
Bennett, Robert Jackson. Mr. Shivers. Orbit, 2010. Mass market paperback, inscribed by Bennett. (He was giving them away at his Armadillocon signing.)
Brackett, Leigh. The Best of Leigh Brackett. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1977. Near Fine/Near Fine.
Bradbury, Ray. Dark Carnival. Arkham House, 1946. First edition hardback, good only, with lettering on spine almost completely worn away, spine lean, general wear, and lacking the dust jacket.
Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. Doubleday, 1951. First edition hardback, lacking the dust jacket.
Brunner, John. The Jagged Orbit. Ace (SFBC), 1969. (Book club, first hardback edition).
Chiang, Ted. The Lifecycle of Software Objects. Subterranean Press, 2010. Signed limited edition.
Chiang, Ted. The Lifecycle of Software Objects. Subterranean Press, 2010. Trade edition. LEB
Coover, Robert. The Public Burning. Viking, 1977. Signed by Coover.
Cullin, Mitch. Tideland. Dufour Editions, 2000. Signed by Cullin. Basis of the Terry Gilliam film.
Day, Bradford M. The Supplemental Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Arno Press, 1974. First hardcover edition, Fine, sans dj, as issued. Non-fiction.
Di Filippo, Paul. Roadside Bodhisattva. PS Publishing, 2010.
Doctorow, Cory. Makers. Tor, 2009.
Egan, Greg. Zedengi. Orion/Gollancz, 2010. I have the Night Shade edition for sale here.
Harrison, Harry. The Stainless Steel Rat Returns. Tor, 2010.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Chatto & Windus, 1932. VG- only, lacking the dust jacket.
Kelly, James Patrick and John Kessel. Rewired: The Postcyberpunk Anthology. Tachyon, 2007. Trade paperback original.
King, Stephen. The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla. Donald M. Grant/Scribner’s, 2003. First trade edition.
King, Stephen. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. Donald M. Grant/Scribner’s, 2004. First trade edition.
Kay, Guy Gavriel. Under Heaven. Roc, 2010.
Kunitz, Stanley J. & Howard Haycraft. British Authors Before 1800: A Biographical Dictionary. H. W. Wilson, 1975. Fifth printing, an Ex-Library copy, otherwise Fine-, no dust jacket, presumably as issued. Non-fiction.
Kunitz, Stanley J. & Howard Haycraft. British Authors of the Nineteenth Century. H. W. Wilson, 1982. Eighth printing, an Ex-Library copy, otherwise Fine-, no dust jacket, presumably as issued. Non-fiction.
Lansdale, Joe R. Deadman’s Road. Subterranean Press, 2010. LEB
Lake, Jay. The Sky That Wraps. Subterranean Press, 2010. LEB
Lake, Jay. Specific Gravity of Grief. Fairwoods Press, 2010. LEB
Leiber, Fritz. Strange Wonders. Subterranean Press, 2010. LEB
Lentz, Harris M. III. Science Fiction, Horror, & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Second Edition: Volume 1: Credits. McFarland & Company, 2001. Ex-library copy, otherwise Fine-, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
Ligotti, Thomas. The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. Hippocampus Press, 2010. Non-fiction.
Lovecraft, H. P. Black Seas of Infinity: The Best of H.P. Lovecraft. SFBC, 2001.
Lovecraft, H.P. Collected Poems. Arkham House, 1963. VG/VG, with top inch of boards discolored and sun-fading to spine.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft Hippocampus Press, 2010. Two volumes, one of 1000 sets. Non fiction. LEB
Manvell, Roger, ed. The International Encyclopedia of Film. Joseph, 1972. Near Fine/Near Fine.
McDevitt, Jack. Time Travelers Never Die. Ace, 2009.
McDonald, Ian. The Dervish House Pyr, 2010.
(Moorcock, Michael) Bilyeu, Richard. The Tanelorn Archives: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography of the Works of Michael Moorcock 1949-1979. Pandora’s Books, 1981. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
Niven, Larry. Stars & Gods. Tor, 2010.
Oliver, Chad. The Wolf is My Brother. Herbert Jenkins, 1968. First UK and first hardback edition, a Near Fine copy in a Good+ only dust jacket, missing an irregular 3/4″ x 1/2″ ship at head, and shallow chipping and edgewear. I didn’t even know there was a hardback until I chanced across this copy (though it is in Currey).
Pohl, Frederik. The Best of Frederik Pohl. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1975.
(Powers, Tim) Berlyne, John, editor Powers: Secret Histories: A Bibliography PS Publishing, 2009. One of 200 signed, numbered Slipcased copies in slipcase with companion volume, The Waters Deep, Deep, Deep, not included with the trade edition. Non-fiction with additional fictional material included.
(Powers, Tim) Berlyne, John, editor Powers: Secret Histories: A Bibliography PS Publishing, 2009. One of 26 signed, lettered Deluxe copies in slipcase with two companion volumes, The Waters Deep, Deep, Deep and bound, photographic reproduction of the original hand-written manuscript for The Anubis Gates, not included with the trade or Slipcased editions. Slipcase and Anubis Gates volume very slightly bumped, otherwise Fine/Fine. Non-fiction with additional fictional material included.
Priest, Cherie. Clementine. Subterranean Press, 2010.
Reilly, John. The Painted Word: Paintings by John Reilly. Cross Publishing, 2008. Trade paperback original, NF, slightly bumped and bent in center. Art book.
Rucker, Rudy. Hylozoic. Tor, 2009.
Sadler, Jeff, editor. Twentieth Century Western Writers: Second Edition. St. James Press, 1991. Ex-library copy., otherwise Fine-, sans dust jacket.
Schmitz, James A. The Demon Breed. Ace (SFBC), 1968. First hardback edition, a Fine/Fine- with a trace of edgewear.
Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume Five: The Palace at Midnight. Subterranean Press, 2010. LEB
Silverberg, Robert. The Last Song of Orpheus. Subterranean Press, 2010. On of 200 signed, leatherbound copies.
Summers, Rev. Montague. The Vampire: His Kith and Kin. E. P. Dutton, 1929. First U.S. edition, VG, lacks dust jacket. Non-fiction.
Straub, Peter. The Juniper Tree. Subterranean Press, 2010. Signed, limited edition. LEB
Straub, Peter. The Juniper Tree. Subterranean Press, 2010. Trade edition. LEB
Stross, Charles. The Fuller Memorandum. Ace, 2010.
Stross, Charles. Toast. Wyrm Publishing, 2010. First limited edition and first edition thus, signed, with new material. LEB
Pringle, David, ed. The St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost, and Gothic Writers. St. James, 1998. Ex-Library copy, otherwise NF.
Wells, H. G. The World of William Clissold. Published by Ernest Benn (UK) 1926. Three volumes, one of 198 copies signed by Wells on the title page. Full description here.
Vance, Jack. The Complete Dying Earth. SFBC, 1998. First omnibus edition.
Vance, Jack. Ports of Call/Lurulu. SFBC, 2004. First omnibus edition.
Vance, Jack. Sjambak. Wildside Press, 2010. Chapbook. (There seem to be multiple copies of this title from multiple POD publishers this year, so I’m unclear on the publishing precedence. I suspect that Vance failed to file a renewal, allowing the work to slip into the public domain, which is why it can be found at Project Gutenberg.)
VandeerMeer, Jeff, ed.. Last Drink Bird Head. Wyrm Publishing, 2010.
Wolfe, Gene. The Best of Gene Wolfe. Tor, 2009.
Wolfe, Gene. Home Fires: Tor, 2011. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format. Details here.
Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn. False Dawn. Doubleday, 1978. NF/NF copy, signed by Yarbro.
Previous posts on my library:
A more comprehensive look at my library can be found here.
A previous list of library additions from January to June 2010 is here.
A previous list of library additions from December 2009 to January 2010 can be found here.
Here’s a list of books I picked up on a book-hunting trip to Archer City and Denton.
Tags:Aldous Huxley, Arkham House, Book Collecting, Books, Bradford M. Day, Chad Oliver, Cherie Priest, Clive Barker, Cory Doctorow, first editions, Frederik Pohl, Gene Wolfe, Greg Egan, Harry Harrison, Jack Vance, Jay Lake, Joe R. Lansdale, John Brunner, Leigh Brackett, Library, Mitch Cullin, Paolo Bacigalupi, postcyberpunk, Professional Library, Ray Bradbury, Robert Coover, Robert Jackson Bennett, Rudy Rucker, Science Fiction, Sherlock Holmes, Stephen King, Ted Chiang, Tim Powers
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Gene Wolfe
Home Fires
Tor, January 2011
Seems like a time-lag war romance, ala The Forever War or Voices From a Distant Star. She goes off to war leaving him behind, she comes back, they go on a second honeymoon, and then weird things start happening.
This will probably jump to the next thing on the stack after I finish Charlie Stross’ The Fuller Memorandum
Tags:Books, Charles Stross, Gene Wolfe, proof
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Gene Wolfe
The Sorcerer’s House
Tor, 2010. $24.99
So, once again I’m faced with the problem of how to review a Gene Wolfe book. This is much akin to explaining to radio listeners what a great dancer Fred Astaire is: For those who have seen him, such an explanation is unnecessary; for those who haven’t, such an explanation is impossible. (“Aw man, you should have seen that move! It was totally graceful! Trust me…”) I’ve managed (somewhat) the feat before, having reviewed The Knight in The New York Review of Science Fiction.
Such it is with The Sorcerer’s House. I started a standard review, with a standard plot description (educated man just out of prison mysteriously given deed to house he was squatting in), discussed Wolfe’s literary experimentation (the book is told in epistolary format), and generally tried to jump through the usual hoops of a book review. Then after about three paragraphs, I read what I had written, and went “Damn, this is awful! If I had never heard of Gene Wolfe, this review certainly wouldn’t inspire me to pick it up!”
So: You should read The Sorcerer’s House, because it’s very good, it’s tricky, and it’s better than An Evil Guest. It’s got a fox woman, antique dueling pistols, an impossibly old samurai sword, a trapped vampire, werewolves, and a house that just seems to get bigger as it goes along, and, strangely, it all works.
But most of all you should read it because it’s Gene Wolfe.
Oh, it also has a scene where the protagonist tells his newly incarcerated twin brother that he shouldn’t go on about how excellent to food was, since he knows prison food is bad. And then he spends the next page or so describing what he ate.
Tags:Book reviews, Books, Gene Wolfe, The Sorcerer’s House
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
I put these up on my Facebook account back before I had the blog, but I suspect many non-Facebook people would like a look at them as well.
Gene Wolfe, Liz Hand, Rosemary Wolfe
Chris Nakashima-Brown, Gordon Van Gelder
Chip Delany, Liz Hand
Paul Di Filippo, Howard Waldrop, Jeri Bishop.
Peter Straub, John Crowley
Gary K. Wolfe, John Clute
Tags:Books, Chris Nakashima-Brown, Gary K. Wolf, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Howard Waldrop, John Clute, John Crowley, Liz Hand, Paul Di Filippo, Peter Straub, Readercon, Rosemary Wolfe, Samuel R. Delany, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
In the Before Time, the Long Long Ago (i.e., before I started this blog), I would ask The Vast Wisdom of Usenet (i.e. rec.arts.sf.written) what books I should read this year. Now that I have the blog, I’m posting the question here.
Below are 100 books (or a more, counting multiple titles by a single author) of fiction I’m considering reading in 2010. With a few exceptions (like forthcoming books), they’re all books I already own in first editions. Most likely I’ll get to considerably less than 100. The first few are books I’ll probably get to (or have already read), whereas the rest are a little vaguer (and in alphabetical order by author). That’s where you come in. Tell me which of the books below I should or shouldn’t read, and why. If a book’s not on the list, it’s probably because I’ve already read it, or have no interest in it, won’t get to it this year, etc., so save your electrons instead of suggesting alternates (there are plenty of other places for that). And if I list Book #2 in a linear series, rest assured I’ve already read Book #1.
I don’t promise I’ll read all the highest rated works, but those most highly praised are considerably more likely to be added to the reading stack, which is what’s happened the previous years I’ve done this.
- Gene Wolfe: The Sorceror’s House
- John Scalzi: The God Engines
- Joe R. Lansdale: Vanilla Ride
- China Mieville: King Rat
- Steven R. Boyett: Elegy Beach
- Joe Hill: 20th Century Ghosts
- Philip K. Dick: Collected Stories Volume II or Radio Free Albemuth
- Michael Moorcock:The War Hound and the World’s Pain or The Final Programme
- Greg Egan: Crystal Nights
- Peter Ackroyd: Hawksmoor
- J. G. Ballard: Crystal World
- Iain Banks: Against a Dark Background or Matter
- John Barnes: Kaleidoscope Century or Mother of Storms
- Stephen Baxter: Traces or Mayflower II
- Peter S. Beagle: A Fine and Private Place
- Greg Bear: The City at the End of Time
- Poppy Z. Brite: Plastic Jesus
- Tobias Buckell: Sly Mongoose
- Octavia Butler: Fledgeling
- Jack Cady: The Night We Buried Road Dog
- Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
- John Christopher: No Blade of Grass
- Susanna Clarke: Ladies of Grace Adieu
- Hal Clement: Iceworld
- Avram Davidson: The Adventures of Dr. Esterhauzy or Limekiller
- L. Sprague de Camp: A Gun for Dinosaur
- Bradley Denton: Laughin’ Boy
- Paul Di Filippo: Lost Pages or Fractal Paisleys
- George Alec Effinger: What Entropy Means to Me
- Harlan Ellison: Deathbird Stories
- John M. Ford: The Dragon Waiting
- Neil Gaiman: Fragile Things or The Graveyard Book
- John Gardner: Freddy’s Book or The Wreckage of Agathon
- Ray Garton: Night Life or Nids
- Jane Gaskell: The Serpent
- Joe Haldeman: The Accidental Time Machine
- Peter F. Hamilton: Mindstar Rising
- Robert E. Howard: Conan the Barbarian
- Nalo Hopkinson: Brown Girl in the Ring or The Salt Roads
- Shirley Jackson: We Have Always Lived in the Castle or The Lottery
- M. R. James: More Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary
- K. W. Jeter: Noir or Dark Seeker
- Ha Jin: Waiting
- James Patrick Kelly: Strange But Not a Stranger
- Stephen King: Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass or The Colorado Kid
- Russell Kirk: The Surly Sullen Bell (and yes, I’ve read the 2 Arkham House collections)
- Henry Kuttner and/or C. L. Moore: Mutant, Fury, Black God’s Shadow or No Boundaries
- R. A. Lafferty: Archipelago or The 13th Voyage of Sinbad
- Fritz Leiber: Night’s Black Agents
- Stanislaw Lem: Solaris
- Jonathan Lethem: Motherless Brooklyn
- Thomas Ligotti: Grimscribe, Noctuary, or The Shadow at the Bottom of the World
- Ian MacLeod: Breathmoss and Other Exhalations
- Ken MacLeod: Giant Lizards from Another Star or The Execution Channel
- Gregory Maguire: Wicked
- Barry Malzberg: Hervoit’s World
- Richard Matheson: Duel or What Dreams May Come
- Ian MacDonald: River of Gods
- Maureen McHugh: Mission Child or Nekropolis
- Sean McMullen: The Miocene Arrow
- Larry McMurtry: Lonesome Dove
- Ward Moore: Bring the Jubilee
- Pat Murphy: The Falling Woman
- John Myers Myers: Silverlock
- William F. Nolan: Things Beyond Midnight or Wild Galaxy
- Naomi Novik: Throne of Jade
- Patrick O’Leary: Other Voices, Other Rooms
- Chad Oliver: The Shores of Another Sea or The Winds of Time
- Susan Palwick: The Fate of Mice
- H. Beam Piper: Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen
- Tim Powers: Three Days to Never or Pilot Light
- Alastair Reynolds: Redemption Ark
- Rudy Rucker: Master of Time & Space or The Secret of Life or White Light
- Matt Ruff: Fool on the Hill
- Salman Rushdie: Midnight’s Children
- Joanna Russ: The Female Man
- Karl Schroeder: Permanence or Lady of Mazes
- David J. Schow: Crypt Orchids
- Michael Shaara: The Herald or The Killer Angels
- Michael Shea: A Quest for Simbilis
- Lucius Shepard: Floater or Aztechs or Viator
- Lewis Shiner: The Edges of Things or Black and White
- Dan Simmons: The Terror or Hard as Nails
- Robert Sladek: Roderick
- Neal Stephenson: Zodiac or The Big U
- Charles Stross: The Fuller Memorandum (forthcoming)
- Theodore Sturgeon: Microcosmic God: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon Volume 2
- Steph Swainston: The Year of Our War
- Thomas Burnett Swann: The Day of the Minotaur
- Karl Edward Wagner: Darkness Weaves
- Howard Waldrop: The Moone World (forthcoming)
- Manly Wade Wellman: The Sleuth Patrol, The Last Mammoth or Fastest on the River
- Martha Wells: The Element of Fire
- John Whitbourne: To Build Jerusalem or Binscomb Tales
- Liz Williams: The Demon and the City
- Jack Williamson and James E. Gunn: Star Bridge
- Connie Willis: To Say Nothing of the Dog
- Jack Vance: Star King, The Languages of Pao, or Ports of Call
- Roger Zelazny: Wilderness or DonnerJack
Tags:Books, Charles Stross, Gene Wolfe, Howard Waldrop, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, John Scalzi, Michael Moorcock, Philip K. Dick, rec.arts.sf.written, Science Fiction, The Fuller Memorandum, The Moone World, Usenet
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 5 Comments »
