Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Library Addition: Signed Willis/Felice Light Raid First

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

Another ex-Meschke/Duarte book:

Willis, Connie, and Cynthia Felice. Light Raid. Ace, 1989. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with rubbing along gilt of spine and bumping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by both the authors: “To Meschke,/The elegeantly/written half is by me./Connie/Willis” “To Meschke/The fun stuff is all/by me! Cynthia Felice.” Karen Meschke was con chair of the 1997 San Antonio Worldcon, where Willis won the Hugo for Best Short Story. Bought from Half Price Books for $13.50.

Library Additions: Signed Editions of Two H. G. Wells Classics

Thursday, March 7th, 2019

Not signed by H.G. Wells, alas, (I have one of those) but by the illustrator.

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine with The War of The Worlds. Limited Editions Club, 1964. First edition thus, #1327 of 1500 numbered sets signed by illustrator Joseph Mugnaini in each book, each Fine copies, sans dust jackets (as issued), in a Very Good+ slipcase with abrasions along the top and other touches of wear. Mugnaini is probably most famous to SF readers for his illustrations of Ray Bradbury books, especially the first edition of The Halloween Tree. This is a handsome set that usually lists for 2-3 times what I paid, and it’s possible I’ll never own nice copies of the true first editions of either. Bought off eBay for $50 for the set.

Library Additions: Two Signed Jack Vance Firsts

Tuesday, March 5th, 2019

The Jack Vance buying spree continues:

  • Vance, Jack. To Live Forever. Charles F. Miller, 1995. First limited edition, #116 of 500 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Cunningham, 79c. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 533. Supplements a signed copy of the Ballantine Books hardback first edition. Bought off eBay for $46.57 (original publication price was $60).

  • (Vance, Jack) Tim Underwood and Chuck Miller, editors. Jack Vance. Taplinger, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Vance. Book of critical essays. Hewett, M74. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought from a friend for $35.

  • Library Additions: Wolfe, Schow Signed Firsts

    Saturday, March 2nd, 2019

    Two signed firsts bought cheap off eBay:

  • Schow, David J. DJStories. Subterranean Press, 2018. First edition hardback, #927 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Oddly enough, this is one of the books I wanted to pick up in the Camelot sale late last year, but it was too recent to earn the discount. Bought off eBay for $17.95, plus shipping. (List price was $40.)
  • Wolfe, Gene. Weird Tales #290 (Sixty-Fifth Anniversary Issue): Special Gene Wolfe Issue. Terminus Publishing, 1988. First edition hardback-bound state of the magazine, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Inscribed by Wolfe and editors Darrell Schweitzer, John Betancourt, and George H. Scithers to “Bruce.” Presentation state, lacking the limitation page but including the extra George Barr illustration not in the regular magazine edition, which is where Wolfe signed. Includes six Wolfe stories (one original), an interview and a profile. There were evidently 100 copies of the hardbound limited edition done at a list price of $50, but I’m not sure how many of these presentation state were done. Bought off eBay for $27.95.

  • Library Addition: Ward Moore’s Breathe The Air Again

    Thursday, February 21st, 2019

    Most SF readers think Ward Moore only published four books: Bring the Jubilee, Greener Than You Think, Joyleg (with Avram Davidson), and Caduceus Wild. However, Moore publshed two mainstream novels before any of those, Cloud by Day and the book below:

    Moore, Ward. Breathe the Air Again. Harper & Brothers, 1942. First edition hardback (stated), an Ex-Lbrary copy with all the usual flaws, including spine sticker, stamps, pocket, internal stamps and stickers, etc., with touches of wear, some mild page-block soiling, points blunted, etc., lacking the dust jacket. Really only a reading/placeholder copy, but this seems to be a genuinely rare book; the only other copy I’ve seen pop up in all that time was about the same condition, but offered at over 10 times the cost. Reportedly a mainstream novel of labor organizing. Bought from a multilister for $18.63.

    Including two Armchair Fiction magazine reprints, I have all Moore’s books except the Tachyon Press hardback of Lot and Lot’s Daughter.

    Library Additions: Two Signed Manly Wade Wellman Books

    Tuesday, February 12th, 2019

    Picked up two signed Manly Wade Wellman firsts off eBay to replace unsigned copies:

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. The Kingdom of Madison: A Southern Mountain Fastness and Its People. The University of North Carolina Press, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a trace of dust soiling at head and heel in a Near Fine, corner-clipped dust jacket that will get traded out for the unclipped dust jacket on my unsigned copy. Inscribed by Wellman: “for/Bill Washburn/and/Linda Ocker/Manly Wade Wellman/April 26, 1973.” Non-fiction. Bought for $20 plus shipping off eBay.

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. Not At These Hands. Putnam’s, 1962. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with slight bumping at head and heel, slight wear to spine, and a faint dime-sized stain to page edges, in a Very Good- dust jacket with several small tears which I’ll be trading out with the better dust jacket on my unsigned copy. Inscribed by Wellman: “with best wishes/to/Richard Steele/(read it sometime)/Manly Wade Wellman.” Currey (1979), page 514. Mystery novel. Bought for $34.99 off eBay.

  • National Book Auctions Owner David Hall Arrested for Fraud

    Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

    This was bought up by a commenter on an older thread, but I thought it worth a post on its own, even if it falls into the “old news is so exciting” category.

    National Books Auction owner David Hall was arrested for fraud by the New York State Police late last year:

    David Hall, the long established auctioneer who runs National Book Auctions and Worth Auctions in Freeville, New York near Ithaca, has been arrested and charged with second degree grand larceny. This comes on the heels of persistent reports over the past several years of non-payment to consignors. On Ithaca.com a story on this development describes the indictment as “adding credence to the growing number of people in Tompkins County and across the country who say they’ve been cheated by his business.”

    Such issues are hardly front page news as auction houses in every generation encounter such disputes as they maneuver between consignors and buyers, changing markets and occasional problems collecting from winning bidders. Almost all such issues are settled privately. It is rare for auctioneers and auction principals to be arrested.

    Mr. Hall was taken into custody on November 19th on the charge that he handled the sale of an estate valued at over $500,000 and subsequently failed to fully pay the consignor.

    He was remanded to the Tompkins County jail after arraignment and held on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 property bond.

    The investigation into Hall by the New York State Police began late last year, in which he was accused of selling an estate valued at over $500,000, but failed to pay what was owed to the original owner after the auction sale. Eventually, he began to pay back the money but by Monday afternoon [November 19th], when he turned himself in, he still allegedly owed the consignor over $200,000.

    I didn’t hear about this when it happened, but it does explain why a lot of recent NBA auctions have seemed to have been filled with “junk lots” of little real interest.

    I sent an email to NBA asking if there were any additional news on the case, but they haven’t written back, and their news page hasn’t been updated since January 3, 2016…

    Library Additions: Three Signed Ray Bradbury Books

    Tuesday, January 29th, 2019

    The signed Ray Bradbury buying spree continues apace:

  • Bradbury, Ray. Bullet Trick. Gauntlet Press, 2009. First edition hardback, one of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. Collection of teleplays and short fiction. List price of $85. Bought off eBay for $46.
  • Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings 1982. Self-published, 1982. First edition broadsheet, a Near Fine copy with wrinkling on the right side (probably do to inadequate stiffing in an envelope shipped from France) and a former paperclip impression at top left. Inscribed by Bradbury. Bought for $30 plus shipping.

  • (Bradbury, Ray) Robin Anne Reid. Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press, 2000. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Bradbury. Non-fiction reference book. Bought from an Internet book dealer for $35.

  • Lame Excuse Books December 2018 Catalog

    Friday, January 18th, 2019

    Time for another edition of “Lawrence Put’s The Latest Book Catalog Up As A Big old text File! OK, I’m a little late on this one, but I sent out the last orders from this catalog this week…


    Greetings, and welcome to the latest Lame Excuse Books catalog! I really like this one, as there’s a good bit of variety and some interesting signed items, many from writers who are no longer with us. There are small press books from Charnel House, Centipede Press, Subterranean, Dragonstairs, PS Publishing, SST and Tachyon, as well signed books from Gardner Dozois, Neal Barrett, Jr., Ellen Datlow (several Year’s Best Fantasy volumes), Ian MacDonald, Michael Moorcock, Charles De Lint. Robert Silverberg, Dan Simmons, Pete S. Beagle, Michael Swanwick and Tim Powers, an out-of-print Philip K. Dick first edition, a Thomas Ligotti rarity, some Jack Vance firsts, a very early proof of a Hugo-winning novel, some markdowns, and even a few cheap paperback reading copies. There are also copies from the late Fred Duarte’s collection, and a few from the collection of the still-very-much-alive Austin science fiction writer Don Webb (he just had to clear some space). Something for everyone!

    As usual, I typically only have a 1-2 copies of even the newest books, so if you want something you should act fast!

    The URL for the main Lame Excuse Books webpage is:

    https://www.lawrenceperson.com/lame.html

    My blog, where I do a lot of book geeking (including new additions to my own book collection) is:

    https://www.lawrenceperson.com

    I’m still doing a Lame Excuse Books Twitter feed:

    https://twitter.com/LameExcuseBooks

    My books are also now listed at:

    https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/lame-excuse-books-austin

    But buying directly from me guarantees you the best price.

    Payment, Contact & Shipping Information

    Email me at lawrenceperson@gmail.com. I can hold books ten days on email or phone requests (please leave a message on my voice mail for
    the latter: (512) 569-9036). U.S. shipping is $5.00 for the first book, and $1.00 a book thereafter. Foreign shipping is at cost (please
    inquire; for most locations, Priority International starts at $34.25 now; but check, Biblio has a new way to ship more cheaply for international orders). Books may be returned in the same condition sent for any reason
    within 10 days of purchase for a full refund. Please make checks payable to Lawrence Person. I can also take PayPal payment to this email address at http://www.paypal.com.

    Please mail checks to:

    Lawrence Person
    Lame Excuse Books
    P.O. Box 27231
    Austin, Texas 78755

    Finally, if you want me to take you off this mailing list, please let me know. I hate spam just as much as the next person.

    Now the books!

    Hardbacks

    LP2626. Barrett, Jr., Neal. Dead Dog Blues. St. Martin’s, 1994. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkling at points, in a dust jacket protector. Inscribed Associational copy by Barrett: “For Fred & Meschke—/Best wishes!/Neal Barrett, Jr.” Fred Duarte and Karen Meshke ran several Armadillocons (and Meschke a Worldcon), and were married for several years. Neal died in 2014, and Fred in 2015. Weird mystery featuring the dead dog of the title, a murdered ex-high school football player whose body is set running by mechanical means back and forth across the local field, and a downfall of suspects. Recommended. $15.

    LP2627. Barrett, Jr., Neal. Skinny Annie Blues. Kensington, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket in a Mylar dust jacket protector. Signed and dated (“7/96”) by Barrett. The first Wiley Moss mystery. $14.

    LP2628. Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey. Tachyon, 2018. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. The very first, never-published version of Beagle’s The Last Unicorn. Discover the “genesis of Beagle’s masterpiece, his own wry musings upon his early career, charming original illustrations, and tributes from modern fantasy legends Patrick Rothfuss and Carrie Vaughn.” $95.

    LP2629. Blaylock, James P. River’s Edge. Subterranean Press, 2018. First edition hardback, one of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, in publisher’s bag. New Langdon St. Ives steampunk adventure. Only have one. $37.

    LP2630. Bradbury, Ray. A Pleasure to Burn: Fahrenheit 451 Stories. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just the barest traces of wear, otherwise new and unread. Short stories that relate somehow to Fahrenheit 451. Long out of print from the publisher. $24.

    DW1. Cadigan, Pat. Dirty Work. Mark V. Ziesing, 1993. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Cadigan to fellow SF writer Don Webb and his first wife: “For Rosemary + Don/Sorry about/the missed email/Get Dirty!/Pat Cadigan/11/6/93/Dillo!” Cadigan’s second collection, including some swell stories like “Home By The Sea.” An interesting associational copy. Highly recommended. $25.

    LP2632. Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling, editors (Joe R. Lansdale, John Brunner, R. A. Lafferty, Richard Christian Matheson, etc.). The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight crimping at head and heel. Signed by Datlow. A really nice copy of a very attractive book. $35.

    LP2633. Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling, editors (Charles De Lint, Karl Edward Wagner, Thomas Ligotti, K.W. Jeter, Pat Cadigan, C.J. Cherryh, etc.). The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifth Annual Collection. St. Martin;s, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with some tiny wrinkles at head and the very slightest age darkening at the very top of the dust jacket; I’m being very picky here. Signed by Datlow. A very nice copy. $35.

    LP2634. Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling, editors (Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Robert Silverberg, Gene Wolfe, Harlan Ellison, John Brunner, Charles DeLint, etc.). The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s, 1993. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head and heel. Signed by Datlow. $35.

    LP2635. Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling, editors (Ursula K. Le Guin, Harlan Ellison, Dan Simmons, John Crowley, Charles DeLint, Ian McDonald, etc.). The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection. St. Martins, 1994. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head and heel. Signed by Datlow. $35.

    LP2636. De Camp, L. Sprague and Catherine Crook. Footprints on Sand. Advent, 1981. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with faint black soiling at head and heel under the Mylar dust jacket proctor, and a small abrasion at heel. “Short stories, verse and non-fiction.” $10.

    LP2637. De Lint, Charles. The Wind in His Heart. PS Publishing, 2018. First hardback edition and first limited edition, one of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Big 600+ page novel. This evidently came out as a trade paperback edition just before this, but the PS is the first (and evidently only) hardback, with a beautiful reap-around cover. $55.

    LP2638. Dick, Phillip K. The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike. Mark V. Ziesing, 1984. First edition hardback, one of 800 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkling at head and heel, and a trace of wear at points, with Rick Demarco bookplate laid in. One of Dick’s posthumously-published mainstream novels. Winter & Hyde, Precious Artifacts: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography, MS8.1. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 490. $75.

    LP2639. Dozois, Gardner. Geodesic Dreams: The Best Short Fiction of Gardner Dozois. St. Martins Press, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a pinhead-sized spot off extremely faint discoloration to page block edges (easy to miss), in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with one faint 1/2” scratch at heel, and edgewear at head and heel. Inscribed by Dozois: “For Fred/best,/Gardner Dozois.” Gardner was a frequent guest at Armadillocon, including Armadillocon 14, where Fred Duarte was co-con chair and Gardner was Editor Guest of Honor, making this an associational copy. Some great stories in here, including the award-winning “Morning Child” and “The Peacemaker,” “Down Among the Dead Men,” “Chains of the Sea,” and “A Kingdom By The Sea.” Highly recommended. $35.

    LP2640. Heinlein, Robert A. (edited by Yoji Kondo). Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein. Tor, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Includes uncollected works, including two novella (“Destination Moon” and “Tenderfoot in Space”), some non-fiction, some speeches, and tributes to Heinlein by the likes of Jack Williamson, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven. Greg Bear, etc. $15.

    LP2641. Kelly, James Patrick and John Kessel. Freedom Beach. Bluejay, 1985. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a bit of bumping at head, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight haze rubbing to black portions and slight edgewear. Inscribed by both authors: “For Fred/Half of an/autographed copy/John Kessel/30 Jan 87/Sercon 1/S.F.” “and here’s/the other half/(better)/Jim Kelly/ 2/14/87 /Boskone.” Another Fred Duarte associational copy. This is one of the few Bluejay books they did as both a trade paperback and hardback, and I’ve heard as few as 100 copies were down (which is probably way too low), but copies signed by both aren’t super common. $35.

    LP1728. King, Stephen. Under the Dome. Simon & Schuster, 2009. First edition hardback, signed/limited edition (precedes the trade), one of reportedly 1,500 copies signed by King, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap packet with limited edition trading cards included, in publisher’s mailing box (I’m assuming all this is the case, as the box is still unopened). This edition (which was sold out before the end of the day it was made available for sale) includes a belly band, better paper than the trade, and full-color maps on the endpapers. This is one freaking huge book. LAST COPY! $425.

    LP2642. Lansdale, Joe R. Cosmic Interruptions. Short Scary Tales (SST), 2018. First edition hardback, one of 550 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. New short story collection from this UK publisher, weighing in at a hefty 528 pages, and 550 copies is on the short side for a Lansdale book. $55.

    LP673. Lansdale, Joe R. Dead in the West. Kinnell (UK), 1990. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Lansdale. His cowboys and zombies novel, which is quite a bit of fun. Recommended. Back in stock. $20.

    LP2643. Lansdale, Joe R. Driving to Geronimo’s Grave and Other Stories. First edition hardback, one of 1500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, in publisher’s bag. Still in print last time I checked, but Subterranean sent out a stock notice in October that they only had 50 left. $40.

    DW2. Ligotti, Thomas. The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. Hippocampus Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a couple of tiny nicks to rear. Non-fiction book on the nature of human existence, and some have argued that it was behind the “philosophy of pessimism” expressed in the first season of HBO’s True Detective. This first edition actually seems quite hard to find these days. Formerly Don Webb’s copy. $200.

    LP2322. McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. Knopf, 2005. First trade edition (preceded, like most of McCarthy’s recent work, by a signed/limited B. E. Trice edition), a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkling at top front conor, a touch of haze-rubbing to rear, and a trace of edgewear. Basis of the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers film. Actually read this, and it’s quite gripping. Recommended. $20.

    LP2644. McDevitt, Jack. A Voice in the Night. Subterranean Press, 2018. First edition hardback, one of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in publisher’s bag. Jack’s new short story collection, and already out of print. Have you seen what copies of Cryptic, his first Subterranean Press collection, goes for these days? $49.

    LP2645. McDonald, Ian. The Broken Land. Bantam Spectra, 1992. First edition hardback thus (previously published in the UK as Hearts, hands and Voices), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by McDonald. Has a great Stephen Youll cover. Not seeing another copy of this title online signed by McDonald. $30.

    LP2567. Moorcock, Michael. Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles. BBC Books, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Moorcock. Back in stock. $35.

    LP2646. Powers, Tim. The Collected Stories of Tim Powers. Charnel House, 2018. First edition hardback, 1 of 124 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Sold out prior to publication. Large, attractive production that literally sparkles due to being “bound in Japanese ‘Snow Dust’” silk silver foiled boards. $395.

    LP2647. Silverberg, Robert. The Emperor and the Maula. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, in publisher’s bag. Far future Scheherazade novella, never published in complete form before. Only have one. $45.

    LP2648. Simmons, Dan. Hard Freeze. St. Martin’s Press, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Simmons: “To Fred/Dan Simmons.” Another Fred Duarte associational copy. The second Joe Kurtz, which are great hardboiled mystery fun. Recommended. $15.

    LP2650. Vance, Jack. Maske:Thaery. Berkley Putnam, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a slight bit of bumping at head and heel, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, edgewear at heel, and two closed tears near top back cover and along top back flap fold. Hewett, A52. Cunningham, 57a. One of the Vances I haven’t read. $8.

    LP2651. Wellman, Manly Wade. The Sleuth Patrol. Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1947. First edition hardback (presumed; the copyright page is missing, but they usually didn’t reprint Wellman’s juveniles), an Ex-Library copy in decorated boards with all the usual flaws (pocket removal, etc.), lacking the dust jacket save for the front flap pasted into the front of the book, pages yellowed, worn, with mild spotting to rear cover, a Good only reading copy. $5.

    LP2652. Wilson, Richard. Masters of Science Fiction: Richard Wilson. Centipede Press, 2018. First edition hardback, #349 of 500 copies signed by editor John Pelan, introduction author Paul Di Filippo, and artists Jim & Ruth Keegan (who produced the striking wrap-around dust jacket artwork of a naked blue woman with golden hair riding a giant orange-and-blue space fish). Huge 700+ retrospective collection of this acclaimed writer, including his Nebula Award-winning “Mother of the World,” as well his posthumously-published novella “At the Sign of the Boar’s Head Nebula,” originally slated for appearance in The Last Dangerous Visions. Only have one. $45.

    Trade Paperbacks

    LP2653. Beagle, Peter S. The Overneath. Tachyon, 2017. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Beagle. Short story collection, and there’s no hardback edition. Only have one. $15.95.

    LP2654. Beagle, Peter S. Summerlong. Tachyon, 2016. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Beagle. Novel. And mysterious, beautiful woman enters the lives of three people, and suddenly things get…complicated. Only have one. $15.95.

    LP2655. Berthed, Berke. Bloom County: Tales Too Ticklish To Tell. Little Brown, 1988. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of wear. I pick up anthologies for comic strips I like when I find them cheap, and I accidentally picked up two copies of this somewhere along the way. Includes an introduction from “Mikhail Gorbachev.” With The Frontrunner just out, maybe there’s a market for reliving those halcyon days of 1988! $5.

    LP1197. Datlow, Ellen, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighteenth Annual Collection. St. Martins, 2005. First edition trade paperback original (simulatenous with the hardback edition), a Fine copy, new and unread. $15.

    LP533. (Dick, Philip K.) Levack, Daniel J. H. PKD: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography. Underwood Miller, 1981. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback edition), a Fine copy. Essential and highly recommended if you collect Dick, and increasingly hard to find. $45.

    LP460. Files, Meg. Meridian 144. SOHO, 1991. Uncorrected Proof of the first edition, Fine. If I remember correctly, this is a literary post-apocalyptic novel, possibly slipstream. Ed Bryant blurbs it. First novel. $5.

    LP2115. Klaw, Rick, editor (Joe R. Lansdale, Howard Waldrop, Neal Barrett, Jr., Lawrence Person, Bruce Sterling, Michael Moorcock, etc.). Rayguns Over Texas. Fandom Association of Central Texas, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread, signed by 13 of the contributors. Anthology of SF stories from Texas writers published for the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio. I have a story in here, “Novel Properties of Certain Complex Alkaloids,” that’s like a Greg Egan story by way of H. P. Lovecraft and Timothy Leary. Introduction by Bruce Sterling. This copy signed by myself, editor Rick Klaw, cover artist Rocky Kelly, Joe R. Lansdale, Don Webb, Chris Brown, Matthew Bay, Stina Leicht, Nicky Drayden, Rhonda Eudaly, Derek Austin Johnson, Marshall Maresca, Sanford Allen, and Josh Roundtree. $17.

    LP2573. Lansdale, Joe R. Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade. Tachyon, 2017. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Signed by Lansdale. Looks like a compilation of Hap and Leonard stories crafted together into a mosaic novel. $15.

    LP2658. (Lovecraft, H.P.) Ambuehl, James. Hardboiled Cthulhu (Richard Lupoid, Cody Goodfellow, C.J. Henderson, etc.). Dimensions Books/Elder Signs Press, 2006. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Just what it sounds like: an anthology of hardboiled detective Cthulhu Mythos stories. For some reason I’ve had this around since it came out but never managed to catalog it. $15.

    LP2577. Moorcock, Michael. London Bone and Other Stories. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2016. Trade paperback reprint (of an earlier Simon & Schuster UK trade paperback original), a Fine copy. Collection of Moorcock stories set in various London eras. This may have slipped under Moorcock fans’ radar. $9.

    LP2659. Simmons, Dan. Banished Dreams. Roadkill Press, 1990. First edition chapbook original, #113 of 300 numbered copies signed by Simmons, and additionally inscribed on the title page: “To Meschke & Fred-/Dan Simmons.” A Near Fine+ copy, with phantom crease along left side about an inch from the spine, as though it sat under one or more hardback books for a while. Contains dream sequences removed from Simmons’ novel Summer of night. At one point this peaked around $200, but has come down since. $30.

    LP1369. Skipp, John & Craig Spector, editors (Dan Simmons, Poppy Z. Brite, Nancy Collins, K. W. Jeter, etc.). Still Dead: Book of the Dead II. Bantam, 1992. Uncorrected proof of the Bantam Paperback edition, a Fine- copy with spine fading, otherwise unread. Can’t imagine there were terribly many of these produced. $49.

    LP13050. Sterling, Bruce. Visionary in Residence. Thunders Mouth Press, 2006. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, of the trade paperback first edition, a Fine- copy with a moderate crease to rear outer corner (there is also a black marker mark on the spine that appears to have crossed out the name of another press; all copies seen so marked), with review materials laid in. Signed by Sterling. Short story collection. $20.

    LP1564. Vinge, Vernor. A Deepness in the Sky. Tor, 1998 (date is correct). Advanced Uncorrected Bound Manuscript of the first edition hardback (which did not come out until 1999) bound by Tor in red covers (just like a proof), a Fine- copy with slight wear at the corners and a couple of pinhead spots of abrasion, but otherwise obviously unread. A huge 990 page long monster, copied directly from Vinge’s original manuscript, including his e-mail address, page count, and word count (266,000!) crossed out on title page of manuscript. Amazing shape considering how large this is. His Hugo-winning prequel to the (also Hugo-winning) A Fire Upon the Deep, and a great book in it’s own right. Highly recommended. $95.

    LP2662. Walton, Jo. Tachyon, 2018. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. The first short-story collection by this award-winning UK author. Only have one. $15.95.

    LP2663. Watts, Peter. The Freeze-Frame Revolution. Tachyon, 2018. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. New novel. “How do you stage a mutiny when you’re only awake one day in a million? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what best for you?” Looks interesting. Only have one. $15.95.

    LP1993. Westerfeld, Scott. Evolution’s Darling. Four Walls Eight Windows, 1999. First edition trade paperback original (TPO), a Fine copy, apparently new and unread. Tale of a sentient ship seeking out a dead artist who may not be dead after all. Also has a healthy dusting of sex. Really hard to find now that he’s a big YA author. Can’t find another collectable first online at all. $55.

    DB4. Wood, Edward D., Jr. Killer in Drag. Angora Press, no date (but evidently 1989). Trade paperback reprint of a pulp sleaze novel that come out in 1965 and now brings ridiculously big bucks, a Near Fine copy with a few touches of wear. Pulp novel about a transvestite hitman for the mob. Formerly Don Webb’s copy. $10.

    LP1080. Zelazny, Roger (Gaughan, Jack). Poems. Discon II, 1974. First edition chapbook, #50 of 1000 copies (and not all copies were numbered), a Fine- copy with one pinhole to rear cover and trace of a phantom crease to bottom rear corner. A chapbook of Zelazny’s poetry produced for the 32nd Worldcon. Illustrated by Jack Gaughan. Levack, Amber Dreams, 29. Had this too high and have marked it down by MORE than half. $40.

    LP1928. Zivkovic, Zoran. Steps Through the Mist. Polaris, 2003. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Either linke short stories or an episodic novel. Like the other Polaris books, this is an odd trim size: thicker than a chapbook and slightly taller and wider than a mass market paperback. This Belgrade edition precedes the U.S. edition by three years. $15.

    Mass Market Paperbacks

    LP2355. Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Very Good copy with spine creasing and lean. Signed and dated 5/25/01 by Aaron Allston. Aaron’s well-regarded Doc Savage pastiche. Aaron died in 2014 at the untimely age of 54. $10.

    LP2664. Allston, Aaron. Sidhe Devil. Baen, 2001. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with the barest trace of edgewear at head and heel, a touch to top front spine join, and usual foxing to inside front cover, otherwise new and unread. Signed and dated (5/25/2001) by Allston, who died in 2014 at the untimely age of 54. Sequel to Doc Sidhe, his Doc Savage homage. Not seeing any signed copies online, much less one as near to perfect as this one. $10.

    LP1995. Anthony, Mark. Ravenloft: Tower of Doom. TSR, 1994. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with a hint of a non-breaking spine crease and wear at points, otherwise nice and square. Looks Quasimodorific. $3.

    LP2666. LP2665. Barrett, Neal, Jr. Dawn’s Uncertain Light. Signet, 1989. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with traces of edgewear and slight foxing to inside covers, otherwise new and unread. Sequel to Barrett’s dark, twisted post-apocalyptic Through Darkest America. $10.

    LP2667. Barrett, Neal, Jr. The Prophecy Machine. Bantam Spectra, 2000. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with one invisible spine crease and traces of edgewear, otherwise a nice, square copy with “Signed by Author at BookPeople” sticker on the front cover . Odd steampunkish fantasy. Not seeing any other signed copies online. $10.

    LP2668. Barrett, Jr., Neal and Barry Malzberg (as K. M. O’Donnell). The Gates of Time. Ace Double (27400), 1970. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with wear along spine edges, wear at points, slight foxing to inside covers, and slight age-darkening to pages. Currey, page 348. $6.

    LP1711. Beagle, Peter S. A Fine and Private Place. Del Rey, 1982. Paperback reprint, NF- with spine creasing and edgewear. Celebrated love story set in a cemetery, with characters both living and dead. $3.

    LP2669. Blaylock, James P. Homunculus. Ace, 1986. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with edgewear and wear long spine, and to edge very slightly dust stained, but otherwise square and unread. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award. One of his most acclaimed steampunk works, and the true first edition of this first Langdon St. Ives novel. Not as easy to find as it used to be. $15

    LP2670. Boyett, Steven R. The Architect of Sleep. First edition paperback original (PBO), Near Fine+ with mostly invisible crease to spine and touches of edgewear, otherwise seemingly unread. Celebrated novel of a man transported to an alternate Earth where raccoons evolved as the planet’s sapient species. Named by Orson Scott Card as one of the best SF novels of the 1980s. The projected second book, The Geography of Dreams, has yet to appear. Recommended. $5.

    LP2671. Carroll, Jonathan. The Land of Laughs. Ace, 1983. First paperback edition, a reprint of the Viking first edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. The hardback first has a really meh cover, so the weird cover of the paperback reprint is the first time a lot of people noticed Carroll, they looked at it and went “What the hell?” His acclaimed debut novel, a modern fantasy/slipstream masterpiece. Sterling Slipstream list. Recommended. $5.

    LP818. Chandler, A. Bertram. The Anarch Lords. DAW, 1981. First edition paperback original (PBO), Fine- with just a trace of fading and wear to the spine, a touch of dust soiling to page edges, and one thin line at head, otherwise quite attractive. A John Grimes/Rim World novel. $2.

    LP1310. Chandler, A. Bertram. The Big Black Mark. DAW, 1975. First edition paperback original (PBO) (numberline starting with 1, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a very faint crease along the front spine join, otherwise tight, square, and apparently unread. $3

    LP2050. Chandler, A. Bertram. The Way Back. DAW, 1978. First paperback and first U.S. edition, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of wear at extremities. John Grimes/Rimworld novel. $3.

    LP543. Cherryh, C. J. The Dreamstone. DAW, 1983. First paperback edition, first mass market edition, and first appearance under this title, previously published in hardback as Ealdwood by Donald M. Grant. NF+, with slight crease to front top corner. Appears unread. $2.

    LP1575. Cherryh, C. J. Port Eternity . DAW, 1982. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear. $3.

    LP751. Cherry, C. J. Sunfall. DAW, 1981. First edition paperback original (PBO), NF- with stamps at head and heel,, some edgewear, and a few faint moisture spots on front cover., otherwise a tight copy. Still includes SFBC insert. $3.

    LP778. Cherryh, C. J. Wave Without a Shore. DAW, 1981. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine copy. A very attractive first of one of Cherryh’s better regarded PBOs. $3.

    LP2672. Costello, Matthew. Doom3: Worlds on Fire. Pocket Star Books, 2008. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with one faint spine crease and a touch of wear. Based on the id first person shooter video game. First printings of all the Doom book seem a lot less common than you would think. $8.

    LP547. Davidson, Avram. Ursus of Ultima Thule. Avon, 1973. A paperback original (PBO) first edition, VG with spine creasing and lean, interior writing, and faint lines stamped at head and heel. Sort of Clan of the Cave Bear looking, except for the fact that Davidson got there first. $2.

    LP2673. Farmer, Philip Jose. The Dark Heart of Time: A Tarzan Novel. Del Rey, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear. A surprisingly uncommon PBO, given the author and subject matter. $35.

    LP2674. Heinlein, Robert A. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Signet, 1963. Paperback reprint, a very Good+ copy with slight spine lean, since creasing and general wear. Four Heinlein stories: “Let There Be Light,” “The Roads Must Roll,” “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” and “Requiem.” Reading copy. $3.

    LP2675. Heinlein, Robert A. Waldo & Magic, Inc. Pyramid Books, 1963. First Pyramid Books edition (and second paperback edition), a reprint of the Doubleday first, a Very Good copy with a shallow chip at head, slight discoloration along spine, and general wear. reading copy of these two novellas. Recommended. $3.

    LP2676. Howard, Robert E. (and David Drake). Cormac Mac Art. Bean, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a non-breaking phantom crease to rear cover and foxing to inside covers, otherwise tight and square. Short story collection of Howard’s tales about this legendary Celtic king, as well as the first appearance of David Drake’s Cormac Mac Art story “The Land Toward Sunset.” First in the Baen collected Robert E. Howard series. $8.

    LP2677. Howard, Robert E. (David Drake, editor). Kull. Bean, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with spine lean, spine creasing, stamps to inside cover and blurb page, and general wear. “First Complete Edition.” Short story collection of Howard’s tales about this Atlantean warrior. Second in the Baen collected Robert E. Howard series. $5.

    LP1828. Huff, Tanya. Ravenloft: Scholar of Decay. TSR, 1995. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with just the tiniest bit of edgewear, otherwise new and unread. One of the less common Ravenloft books. $3.

    LP2678. Lafferty, R. A. The Reefs of Earth. Berkley, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Very Good- copy with a 1/2” sticker lift at top, stray stains, faint black stray pen marks, faded spine, yellowed pages, etc. Solid reading copy of this early Lafferty novel. Currey, page 296. $3.

    LP828. Lee, Tanith. Anackire. DAW, 1983. First edition paperback original (PBO), Fine- with faint edgewear and an invisible spine crease. Fantasy novel set in Vis. A nice copy. $3.

    LP1493. Lee, Tanith. Day By Night. DAW, 1980. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with touches of edgewear and slight foxing to inner cover edges, otherwise apparently new and unread. $3.

    LP2364. Lee, Tanith. Electric Forest. DAW, 1979. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Very Good+ copy with sticker pull affecting part of the “EE” in LEE on the front cover, written letter “B” at head, and a trace of edgewear, otherwise nice. Science fiction novel. Nice Don Maitz cover. $2.

    LP2444. Lee, Tanith. Night’s Master. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Very Good copy with spine crease, top front corner crease, and rubbing to front and back covers. $2.

    LP1223. Lee, Tanith. Sung in Shadow. DAW, 1983. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with exceptionally slight spine fading (really only noticeable when you look at it next to another “red letters on yellow background” DAW book spine) and just a bare trace of edgewear, otherwise new and unread, still with SFBC insert. A very collectable copy of this alternate Italian Renaissance fantasy. $3.

    LP829. Lumley, Brian. Psychosphere. Tor, 1992. First U.S. edition, paperback original, Fine- with a trace of wear and an almost invisible crease. Despite that, it doesn’t actually seem to have been read. Second in the Psychomech series. $2.

    LP2679. Martin, George R. R., editor (Lewis Shiner, Edward Bryant, etc.). Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild. Bantam Spectra, 1987. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear, but otherwise new and unread. Third book in the shared-universe superhero anthology. $6.

    LP2680. Martin, George R. R. and Jon J. Miller. Wild Cards VII: Dead Man’s Hand. Bantam Spectra, 1990. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear, a couple of pinprick abrasions to rear cover, and slight age darkening to pages, but otherwise new and unread. Seventh book in the shared-universe superhero series, this one a collaborative novel between Martin and Miller. $7.

    LP2681. Martin, George R. R., editor (Lewis Shner, Victor Milan, etc.). Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle. Bantam Spectra, 1991. First edition paperback original, a near Fine copy with thin rubbing line of white along rear join, tiny crease at top front corner, edgewear, and the beginning of an invisible spine crease, but otherwise a nice, square copy. The latter Wild Card PBOs have gotten quite hard to find in just about any condition, much less as nice as this one. $25

    LP2682. McCaffrey, Anne. To Ride Pegasus. Ballantine Books, 1973. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with a spine crease, rubbing along spine edges, edgewear, slight spine lean, and previous owner’s name on blurb page. Science fiction novel, first in the Wild Talents series. Currey, page 340.

    LP2683. Moore, Ward with Robert Bradford. Caduceus Wild. Futorian/Pinnacle, 1978. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing and lean, 1″ crease along bottom rear corner, and small dot of black ink remaining over price on front cover. Novel in which the medical profession has taken over the world and rules over “Patients” with an iron fist. Not as common as you might think. $5.

    LP2684. Powers, Tim. The Skies Discrowned. Laser Books, 1976. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with a price sticker (usually I remove these, but the Bestine did nothing!) on rear cover (not affecting any text or anything interesting in the art), abrasions up and down the spine, and general wear, and slight foxing to inside covers, otherwise square and apparently unread. Berlyne, A1a. Solid reading copy of Powers’ first novel. $5.

    LP2685. Russell, Eric Frank. Wasp. Bantam Books, 1971. Paperback reprint, a Very Good copy with a spine crease and lean, and a short split at bottom front join. His celebrated novel of a man sent to an alien planet to destabilize the government all by himself. A fun, swift-moving book. Recommended. $3.

    LP2686. Wellman, Manly Wade and Wade Wellman. Sherlock Holmes’s War of the Worlds. Warner Books, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with some sort of translucent red mark to middle of the spine, stamps at head and on blurb page, back cover dust stained, and general wear. Currey, page 514. $4.

    Library Additions: Nine PS Publishing Books

    Saturday, January 5th, 2019

    So it wasn’t enough that Camelot Books had a sale. Right before that, PS publishing had a sale on their website, so after the Camelot order came in, I received three more big boxes of books to catalog:

  • Crowther, Pete and Nick Gevers. Postscripts 30/31: Memoryville Blues. PS Publishing, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards in a Fine dust jacket. Trade edition. Supplements a signed, limited, traycased edition.
  • Gevers, Nick. Postscripts 32/33: Far Voyager. PS Publishing, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards in a Fine dust jacket. Trade edition.
  • Gevers, Nick. Postscripts 36/37: The Dragons of the Night. PS Publishing, 2016. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards in a Fine dust jacket. Trade edition. All three Postscripts bought for £12.99, plus shipping.
  • Hill, Joe. The Fireman. PS Publishing, 2016. Signed, limited edition hardback, #472 of 900 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, with tissue paper laid in at signature page. An attractive edition, though it was preceded by no less than three U.S. signed/limited editions, specific to different bookstore chains. The scan is the front of the decorated slipcase. Bought for £19, marked down from £70.

  • (Lovecraft, H.P.) Joshi, S.T., editor. Black Wings IV: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2015. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Bought for £9.33 as part of a bundle.
  • (Lovecraft, H.P.) Joshi, S.T., editor. Black Wings V: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2016. First edition hardback, #94 of 300 copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket, in a Near Fine slipcase with 1 1/4″ x 2″ abraded spot at back cover bottom, with tissue paper laid in at signature page. Bought for $12.99, marked down from £50.
  • (Lovecraft, H.P.) Joshi, S.T., editor. Black Wings VI: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2015. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Bought for £9.33 as part of a bundle.
  • MacLeod, Ian R. Red Snow. PS Publishing, 2017. First edition hardback, #86 of 100 signed, numbered copies a Fine copy in decorated boards in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, with tissue paper laid in at signature page. Bought for £12.99, marked down from £50.
  • Watson, Ian. The Uncollected Ian Watson. PS Publishing, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Bought for £5, marked down from £25.