Posts Tagged ‘Books’
Tuesday, July 31st, 2018
Cold Tonnage Books had their annual 40% off sale, so here’s the first batch of books I picked up, all related either to H.P. Lovecraft or Arkham House.
Datlow, Ellen, editor. Lovecraft’s Monsters. Tachyon Press, 2014. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Signed by Datlow. Mostly reprints, with a couple of originals. Bought for £6 after discount.
Derleth, August. The Chronicles of Solar Pons. Mycroft & Moran, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a thin line of wear at the very bottom of the heel. Collection of Derleth’s Sherlockian Solar Pons stories from Arkham House’s sister imprint. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House, M&M15, page 183. Jaffrey, Horrors and Unpleasantries, 128. Nielsen, Arkham House Books: A Collector’s Guide, M15, page 154. Bought for £9 after discount.
Lovecraft, H.P. and Willis Conover. Lovecraft at Last. Carrollton-Clark, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Oversized volume that reprints the correspondence between Lovecraft and the then-teen-aged Conover, some in two-color facsimile. Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: An Annotated Bibliography, I-A-62. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 91, who note that Conover lost tens of thousands of dollars on the project. Bought for £24 after discount.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) S.T. Joshi. An Index to the Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft. Necronomicon Press, 1980. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Reference work. Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: An Annotated Bibliography, Supplement C-III, page 412. Bought for £12 after discount.
Wakfield, H.R. Strayers From Sheol. Arkham House, 1961. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a trace of dust soiling to the white cover (exaggerated in the scan). Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House, 60. Jaffrey, Horrors and Unpleasantries, 60. Nielsen, Arkham House Books: A Collector’s Guide, 63. Bleiler, Supernatural Horror in Literature, 1647. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 30. Bought for £30 after discount.
Tags:Arkham House, August Derleth, Books, Cthulhu, Ellen Datlow, H. P. Lovecraft, H. R. Wakefield, Horror, reference works, S. T. Joshi, Willis Conover
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Thursday, July 26th, 2018
I was only collecting trade editions of things when this came out, so I was happy to add this to my collection at a bargain price.
Lansdale, Joe. R. By Bizarre Hand. Mark V. Ziesing, 1989. First edition hardback, #347 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Supplements a trade copy. Bought from Half Price Books for $30 after the 50% off coupon.
Tags:Books, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, Mark V. Ziesing, small press publishers
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Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Received the trade edition earlier, but the limited finally came in:
Moorcock, Michael. Pegging the President. PS Publishing, 2018. First edition hardback, #71 of 100 signed, numbered copies (reportedly; production difficulties meant I got short shipped this for Lame Excuse Books, so there may be less than 100 copies existent), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, with tissue paper protector for signature page laid in. A new Jerry Cornelius novella.
Tags:Books, Limited Editions, Michael Moorcock, PS Publishing, Science Fiction, signed, small press publishers
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Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Here’s the roundup of all the books I bought for the first half of 2018. Most books here I’ve included in other Library Addition posts, but not all! Bonus: Three completely different books with “Bradbury” and “Chronicles” in the title.
All of these are Fine first edition hardbacks in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise stated.
“Archer, Sterling.” How to Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written. HarperCollins, 2011. Trade paperback reprint. A gift.
Asimov, Isaac. The Heavenly Host. Walker, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a trace of wear to boards, in a Near Fine dust jacket with a couple of 1/4″ closed tears at top edge, a few traces of dust soiling, and slight sun-yellowing around the perimeter (greatly exaggerated in the scan). Young adult novel set on another planet. Currey (1979), page 17. Bought from an online dealer for $20 plus shipping.
(Ballard, J.G.) McGrath, Rick, editor. The JG Ballard Book. The Terminal Press, 2013. First edition, first printing hardback (stated, though actually a POD book), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Oversized hardback (about the size and thickness of a high school yearbook) chock full of various Ballard tidbits.
(Ballard, J.G.) McGrath, Rick, editor. Deep Ends The JG Ballard Anthology 2014. The Terminal Press, 2014. First edition, first printing hardback (stated, though actually a POD book), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Oversized hardback chock full of various Ballard tidbits, including a previously unpublished Ballard work (“Crystal of the Sea”).
(Ballard, J.G.) McGrath, Rick, editor. Deep Ends The JG Ballard Anthology 2015. The Terminal Press, 2015. First edition, first printing hardback (stated, though actually a POD book), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Oversized hardback full of even more Ballard tidbits.
(Ballard, J.G.) McGrath, Rick, editor. Deep Ends The JG Ballard Anthology 2016. The Terminal Press, 2016. First edition, first printing hardback (stated, though actually a POD book), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Oversized hardback full of still more Ballard tidbits.
Barker, Clive. The Body Book. Dark Regions Press, 2016 (stated, though evidently a production glitch meant some copies weren’t shipped until well into 2017). First edition hardback, a PC copy of 500 signed/numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Includes two stories from The Books of Blood, “The Body Politic” and “In the Flesh,” as well as screenplays for each of them, storyboards, and interviews with Barker and others who worked on them. Bought for $29.99 off eBay. (List price is $80.)
Barker, Clive. Tonight, Again. Subterranean Press, 2015. Erotic stories and poems. Bought for $10 from a Subterranean Press sale.
Bear, Greg. War Dogs. Orbit, 2014. Bought from Half Price Books for $3.
Bradbury, Ray (text). The Art of Playboy. Alfred van der Marck Editions, 1985. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight blunting to points and slight wear along bottom boards. Signed by Bradbury. Collection of art that appeared in Playboy magazine, something of who’s who of modern magazine illustration, including all the tasteful female nudes you’d expect, and the expected Vargas, Nagel, Olivia, etc., but also Frank Frazetta, Salvador Dali, Kinuko Craft, and a multitude of others. Bought off eBay for $38.77 plus shipping.
Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings (AKA Scanning the Universe. Self-published, no date (but 1984). First edition broadsheet original, one sheet of paper, a Near Fine copy, folded for mailing. Inscribed: “Stephen! Ray Bradbury.” Yet another Bradbury poem referencing George Bernard Shaw. Credited to Ray and Marguerite Bradbury. Not sure if this has been reprinted anywhere. Bought off eBay for $35 plus shipping.
Bradbury, Ray. A Christmas Wish 1994 (AKA Go Not With Ruins In Your Mind). Self published, 1994. First edition broadsheet original, one sheet of paper, a Near Fine copy with a paper clip indention at top left. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Dear/Holly!/[line]/Happy New Year!/[line]/Ray Bradbury/ 1/3/95”. Credited to Maggie and Ray Bradbury. Bought off eBay for $34.89 plus shipping.
Bradbury, Ray (etc.). The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 7. NMB/Byron Priess, 1993. First edition hardback, #304 of 100 numbered copies signed by Bradbury and several illustrators, etc., a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Graphic novel adaptation of several Bradbury short stories. Bought off eBay for $31.50 plus shipping.
(Bradbury, Ray) Slusser, George. The Bradbury Chronicles. Borgo Press, 1977. First edition chapbook original (“First printed——-April 1977,” as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with some bunching near the spine on the rear cover and a bit of general wear. Signed by Bradbury. The Milford Writers of Today series Volume Four. Bought off eBay for $20 plus shipping. First book I bought in 2018. Currey (1979), page 49.
(Bradbury, Ray) Weller, Sam. The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury. William Morrow, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Bradbury. Biography and in-depth look at his work. Bpught off eBay for $25.
Brown, Eric. The Martian Simulacra. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. With:
Fenn, Jaine. The Martian Job. NewCon Press, 2017. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. With:
McCormack, Una. The Greatest Story Ever Told. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. With:
Williams, Liz. Phosphorus: A Winterstrike Story. NewCon Press, 2018. First edition hardback, copy YY of 52 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. As a set, all in the same slipcase.
Brown, Mack and Bill Little. One Heartbeat: A Philosophy of Teamwork, Life, and Leadership. Bright Sky Press, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight sun fading to spin and an ADVANCE READING COPY label on the front cover, as issued. Inscribed by Brown: “Harry,/Thanks for all/of your support!/Hook’Em,/Mack Brown.” Non-fiction book by the head football coach of the University of Texas Longhorns. Brown’s Longhorns would later go on to win a National Championship in 2005. Bought at auction for $5.
Brunner, John. The Crutch of Memory. Barrie and Rockcliff, 1964. First edition hardback (“First published 1964,” as per Currey), a Near Fine- copy with dust soiling to page block edges, slight bumping at head and heel and extremely slight blunting of points, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and heel, some dust soiling around the edge of the white rear cover, foxing to blind side of dj spine and edges, and general wear. With Brunner’s own ownership bookplate affixed to front flap. Brunner’s first mainstream novel. Currey, 1979, page 70. De Bolt, The Happening World of John Brunner, page 205. Bought for £9.50 plus shipping off eBay.
Constantine, Storm. Splinters of Truth. NewCon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #57 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Dick, Philip K. In Milton Lumkey Territory. Dragon Press, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 50 copies bound in quarter-leather with Philip K. Dick’s signature (cut from a cancelled check) pasted to the front free endpaper, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. One of the Dick mainstream novels unpublished at the time of his death. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 132. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, MS4.1. Supplements a copy of the simultaneous trade first hardback.
Dick, Philip K. Mary and the Giant. Ultramarine Press/Arbor House, 1987. First edition hardback, one of 125 copies bound in quarter-leather with Philip K. Dick’s signature (cut from a cancelled check) pasted to the front free endpaper, a Near Fine copy with 1/4″ of what appear to be sun-fading to the leather along spine and at top, sans dust jacket, as issued. Like all Ultramarine Press books, this is just the rebound Arbor House sheets with Dick’s signature added. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 611, calls for a limitation page, but I’m not seeing one. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, MS5.1. Oddly enough, I never picked up the Arbor House first, so this supplements a UK first.
Dick, Philip K. Ubik: A Screenplay. Corroboee Press, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 50 copies bound in full leather with Dick’s signature mounted on the half title page, and signed by the introduction authors (Tim Powers and Paul Williams) and the artists (Val Lakey-Lindhan and Rob Lindhan, and Doug Rice), a Near Fine copy with apparent sun-fading to leather spine, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine patterned cardboard slipcase. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 114. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, SF34.2.
(Dick, Philip K.) Arnold, Kyle. The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick. Oxford University Press, 2016. An analysis of Dick’s 1974 “pink light” incident. Bought from Half-Price Books for $5.99.
Fielding, Henry. The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. The Franklin Library, 1980. Prestige hardback reprint, leatherbound with gilt edges, a Fine- copy with a few nicks to the gilt. A rather handsome and hefty volume. Bought from Half Price Books for $2.
Effinger, George Alec. Relatives. Harper & Row, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with one 1/4″ closed tear on bottom front and very slight dust soiling to rear. Inscribed by Effinger: “For Dan Monte—/This is pretty scarce title. I/think the Center for Disease Control/developed a vaccine against this novel/shortly after publication. Well, it/was only my second book and I/was still learning—/George Alec Effinger.” I knew George (he came to the second Turkey City Writer’s Workshop I ever threw) and he signed most of his books for me, but I don’t think I picked this one up before he died. This and the Lovegrove title below were exchanged for credit.
Egan, Greg. Phoresis. Subterranean Press, 2018.
Ellison, Harlan. Can and Can’tankerous. Edgeworks Abbey/Subterranean Press, 2015. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 324 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Short story collection. This limited edition contains four stories not in the trade edition. Bought for $100.
Ellison, Harlan. An Edge in My Voice. Donning, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 1,200 copies signed by Ellison, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine slipcase. Collection of non-fiction essays. Supplements a trade hardback and Edgeworks 1. Bought for $30 plus shipping off eBay.
Ellison, Harlan. Rumble. Pyramid Books, 1958. First edition paperback original (“Pyramid Books edition 1958” on copyright page and 35¢ price, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight wear along spine, faint crease on top front corner, slight characteristic age-darkening of pages, and a few other touches of wear, otherwise a bright, tight, square copy of a book usually found in much worse shape. Inscribed by Ellison: “Best of/luck to Perry/and to Sue, undisguised/lust and an all-expense paid/trip to anywhere with me/Harlan Ellison/22 JAN 73”. Mainstream novel of juvenile delinquency. Currey (1979), page 179. Slusser, Harlan Ellison: Unrepentant Harlequin, page 62, 1. Segaloff, A Lit Fuse, page 75. Bought for $66 off eBay.
Ellison, Harlan. Top of the Volcano. Edgeworks Abbey/Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Collection of Ellison’s award-winning short stories. Bought for $125.
Ellison, Harlan. Troublemakers. Edgeworks Abbey/iBooks, 2001. First edition hardback, #20 of 500 signed, numbered copies (via a signature plate tipped in on the FFE), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Short story collection. Evidently both trade paperback and hardback were issued in October of 2001, so no precedence that I can determine, and the hardback state isn’t in the Locus database. Bought off eBay for $57.50.
Farmer, Philip Jose. Gods of Riverworld. Phantasia Press, 1983. First edition hardback, #503 of 650 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and fine slipcase. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 341. Bought off eBay for $25.
Gaiman, Neil. Doctor Who: Nothing O’Clock. Borderlands Press/Gauntlet, 2018. First edition hardback, #109 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. Bought from the publishers at the usual dealer discount.
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Other in the Mirror. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Omnibus edition of Fire and the Night, Jesus on Mars, and Night of Light, and the first hardback editions of the first two. Supplements both a trade edition and a copy of the limited edition I got very cheap. Bought for $150 (half cover price for the lettered edition).
Godwin, Parke, and Marvin Kaye. The Masters of Solitude. Doubleday, 1978. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with purple remainder speckling at heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with moderate soiling to white back cover. Inscribed by both authors: “[In Kaye’s hand]Worldcon 1986″/[In Godwin’s hand] For Fred/Parke Godwin/[In Kaye’s hand] For Fred/with best wishes/Marvin/Kaye.” I did not previously have examples of either author’s signatiure. Bought for $12. (Note: Kaye’s name comes first on the cover, but I have more of Godwin’s books so I’ll be filing it there.)
Hodgson, William Hope (Sam Moscowitz, editor). The Haunted “Pampero”. Donald M. Grant, 1991. First edition hardback, #185 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. “Uncollected Fantasies and Mysteries,” for which Moskowitz provides copious notes. This is the second book I have signed by Moscowitz, after Olaf Stapledon’s Far Future Calling. Bought off eBay for $25.
Holkins, Jerry and Mike Krahulik. Lexcalibur: Useful Poetry for Adventurers Above And Below The World. Penny Arcade, 2017 (actually 2018). First edition hardback (“First Printing. November 2017. Printed in China.”), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, with additional “Table of Malcontents” poem on bookmark laid in. Fantasy-gaming themed humorous poetry. Not actually offered for sale until May 2018.
(Howard, Robert E.) Warfield, Wayne (editor). The Ultimate Guide to Howardia 1925-1975. Hall Publications, 1976. First edition chapbook first edition (and perfect-bound, which is unusual for a chapbook of a mere 32 pages), a Fine copy. Early bibliography of Robert E. Howard, including much (then) unpublished work, but missing a few things (like the Herbert Jenkins A Gent From Bear Creek, which, to be fair, precious few Howard collectors had laid eyes on in 1975). Currey, page 254. Bought of eBay for $15.
Hunter, Stephen. Pale Horse Coming. Simon & Schuster, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Hunter. Bought for $5.
Jackson, Shirley. Let Me Tell You. Random House, 2015. Previously unpublished and uncollected stories, essays, etc.
Jeter, K.W. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Warped. Pocket Books, 1995. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Jeter: “For Karen + Fred—/See you in/San Antonio!/Best,/K. W. Jeter.” Karen Meschke was con chair for the 1997 San Antonio Worldcon. Bought for $5 after discount.
Kay, Guy Gavriel. Tigana. Roc, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Kay: “For Fred,/All best,/Guy Kay.” Bought for $15 after discount.
Lansdale, Joe R. and Jussi Piironen. Hap and Leonard: Savage Season. SST, 2017. First hardback and first limited edition, number 105 of 270 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Graphic novel adaptation of the first Hap and Leonard novel. The IDW trade paperback edition precedes.
Lee, Harper. Go Set A Watchman. HarperCollins, 2015. Bought from Half-Price Books for $3.
Lovegrove, James. Provender Gleed. Gollancz, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed and dated by Lovegrove. I should really read some of the Lovegrove I already have…
Matheson, Richard. Hunted Past Reason. Tor, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Signed by Matheson, with certificate of authenticity laid in. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $18.
Mieville, China. Railsea. Subterranean Press, 2012. First limited edition hardback (the Del Rey hardback is the true first), PC copy of 26 signed lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase (even by the standards of lettered editions, this is a very nice leather traycase with suede baffle surfaces on the inside of the front and back). Bought for $150.
Mieville, China, and Zak Smith. The Worst Breakfast. Black Sheep/Akashic Books, 2016. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards. Illustrated children’s book.
Moorcock, Michael. Pegging the President. PS Publishing, 2018. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A new Jerry Cornelius novella. This trade edition precedes the limited.
Moore, Ward with Robert Bradford. Caduceus Wild. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with spine creasing and slight yellowing of the pages.
Moore, Ward, and Geoff St. Reynard. RX Jupiter Save Us and Beware, The Usurpers! Armchair Fiction, 2011. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Moore, Ward and George O. Smith. Transient and The World-Mover. Armchair Fiction, 2013. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle. Escape From Hell. Tor, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both Niven and Pournelle. Sequel to Inferno. Supplants an unsigned copy. Bought for $10 plus buyers fee and shipping at auction.
Powers, Tim. The Drawing of the Dark. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition thus, preceded by the Del Rey paperback original and the Hypatia hardback, both of which I already have. Bought for $10 from a Subterranean Press sale.
Pratt, Fletcher, editor. Civil War in Pictures. Holt, 1955. First edition (thus? no statement of printing, and there was a Garden City Books edition in 1955 as well, but what online references I’ve found (such as this from Henry Wessells) mention this Holt edition), a Near Fine copy with slight bumping at tips, a non-authorial bookplate on inside front cover (mostly obscured by the dj flap), and very faint yellowing to pages, in a Very Good dust jacket, with very shallow loss and head and heel, a 1″ semi-closed tear at bottom rear cover, same bumping at tips, and slight foxing to blind side spine. Signed by Pratt for members of the Civil War Book Club. $10 would have been very pricey indeed for 1955 (though it’s possible that was just for show and the club members received it for a substantial discount). Pratt died in 1956. Bought for $37.50 on eBay.
Reynolds, Alastair. The Iron Tactician. Newcon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #197 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $57.60 from a fellow Biblio dealer.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery Book Five. Armchair Fiction, 2014. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery Book Six. Armchair Fiction, 2015. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery Book Seven. Armchair Fiction, 2016. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Silverberg, Robert. Beyond the Safe Zone. Donald I. Fine, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Silverberg: “For Joe—/L.A./ 10/25/86 / Robert Silverberg.” Short story collection. Bought for $10 plus buyers fee and shipping at auction.
Silverberg, Robert. Masters of Science Fiction Vol. 11: Robert Silverberg: The Ace Years, Part One (Chalice of Death AKA Earth Shall Live Again! AKA Vengeance of the Space Armadas AKA Lest We Forget Thee Earth, Starhaven and Shadow on the Stars). Armchair Fiction, 2017. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Silverberg, Robert. Masters of Science Fiction Vol. 12: Robert Silverberg: The Ace Years, Part Two (The Planet Killers, The Plot Against Earth, One of Our Asteroids is Missing). Armchair Fiction, 2017. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Smith, Clark Ashton (edited by Steve Behrands, with Donald Sydney-Fryer and Rah Hoffman). Strange Shadows: The Uncollected Fiction and Essays of Clark Ashton Smith. Greenwood Press, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Fragments, lists, variants, etc. Clute and Grant, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, page 880. Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, 1975—1991, 34170, page 909. Bought from a well-known online bookseller for $50.
Smith, E. E. “Doc”. Skylark of Valeron. Fantasy Press, 1949. First hardback edition (and first limited edition), trade state (Currey B), a Fine- copy with small bookplate pastedown remnant on RFE, in a Fine- dust jacket with just the barest trace of dust soiling to white rear cover. Inscribed by Smith: “To Rocco Mays/In appreciation of your appreciation/of my stuff —/Edward E. Smith, PhD. Currey, page 457. Chalker/Owings, page 159. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy (One), page 201. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 26. Bought from National Book Auctions for $100. (Surface wear in the scan below is on the dust jacket protector.)
Sterling, Bruce. Gothic High-Tech. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, #34 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements the trade edition, which I already have.
Swanwick, Michael. Blue Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2018. First edition chapbook original, #18 of 69 printed copies, a Fine copy (there’s some slight phantom creasing to the cover, because the chapbook was mailed in a flat envelope, which meant the sewn bead on the outside pressed against the book in transit, and all copies seen so affected), new and unread. Bought for $10 direct from the publisher. “Five ‘flash’ stories, all with a lunar setting. Published in an edition of 69, released for sale on the second “blue moon” of 2018. 67 copies available for sale (publisher’s and author’s copies withheld) on March 31, 2018, for 24 hours only. All copies not sold by midnight, March 31, 2018 will be burned.” In fact, all copies sold out in a matter of hours, so none were burned.
Swanwick, Michael. The Proceedings of the American Martini Institute: Report of the American Martini Laboratory: The Evolution of the Martini. Dragonstairs Press, 2018. First edition chapbook original, one of 60 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy, new and unread. Like a title says: A history of the development of the Martini cocktail.
Tem, Steve Rasnic. Twember. NewCon Press, 2013. First edition hardback, #89 of 125 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
(Tenn, William) Klass, Philip. The Evolution of William Tenn, or Myself When Young. The Pretentious Press, 1995. First edition chapbook original (at 11″ x 6″, and unusualy tall chapbook), one of 85 copies, a Fine copy, signed by Klass, with a photo of the author tipped in on the back of the title page. Includes several short pieces published by the The Apprentice, published by NYU when Klass was a 19-year old student in 1939.
Tenn, William (writing name for Philip J. Klass). Immodest Proposals. NESFA Press, 2001. First edition hardback, a Very Good- copy with a large coffee-colored stain at head (and a smaller one at heel) in a Very Good+ dust jacket, with wrinkling to spine and front cover and spots of staining to blind side of the dust jacket. Signed by Tenn: “P. Klass/W Tenn”. Not a great copy, but bought for $5.99 at Half Price Books. Supplements a Fine/Fine (but unsigned) copy.
Tuttle, Lisa. Twember. NewCon Press, 2012. First edition hardback, #104 of 125 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Vance, Jack. Desperate Days. Subterranean Press, 2012. First edition hardback, a PC copy of the 26 copy lettered edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket and a Fine- traycase (there’s a small flaw to the cork-lined interior front lid), signed by Vance. Contains “The Genessee Slough Murders: Outline for a Novel” not in the trade edition (though reprinted from Jerry Hewett’s bibliography). Contains three Vance mysteries: The Fox Valley Murders, The Pleasant Grove Murders and The Dark Ocean. Note that there was no regular numbered edition of this, so the lettered edition was the only one signed by Vance. Bought from the Subterranean PC sale for $250 plus shipping. Supplements a trade edition.
Vance, Jack. The Houses of Izam. Underwood-Miller, 1983. First edition hardback, #104 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Hewett, A12h. Chalker/Owings, page 435. Supplements a trade edition. Bought from National Book Auctions for $55.
Watson, Ian. The 1000 Year Reich. NewCon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #22 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Webb, Don. Deep Dendo and Other Poems. Dunham’s Manor Press, 2018. First edition hardback, one of only 25 hardback copies, a Fine copy, new and unread. Don’s latest poetry collection.
Weiner, Ellis. National Lampoon’s Doon. Pocket Books, 1984. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing and touches of wear. Parody of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Rebel Songster: Songs the Confederates Sang. Heritage House, 1959. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight wear at points and slightly uneven glue binding along front cover joint, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with age darkening 2 1/2″ along front bottom and 1″ near spine, and small touches of dust soiling everywhere. A book of songs Confederate soldiers sung during the Civil War, with music, some familiar (“The Yellow Rose of Texas”), but most not. Bought for $35 on eBay, a good deal since I intermittently searched for this for several years when there were no copies to be found online at all.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Story of Moore County. Moore County Historical Society, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight wear at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with one 1/8″ closed tear at head (now under Mylar), slight wrinkling to top front jacket, and a few touches of general wear; a very nice copy. Non-fiction history of the North Carolina County. Bought off eBay for $10.
Wellman, Manly Wade. West Point 3000 A.D and The Invading Asteroid. Fiction House, 2012. Trade paperback original thus (a POD edition), a Fine copy, new and unread. The ISFDB says this was the first book publication of West Point 3000 A.D..
Wellman, Manly Wade, and Stanton Coblentz. Warrior of Two Worlds and Enchantress of Lemuria. Armchair Fiction, 2017. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Wellman, Manly Wade, and Ralph Milne Farley and Al P. Nelson. West Point 3000 A.D. and Holy City of Mars. Armchair Fiction, 2016. First edition trade paperback original (a POD production, like all Armchair Fiction books), a Fine copy, new and unread.
Williams, Liz and Trevor Jones. Diary of a Witchcraft Shop 2. NewCon Press, 2012. First edition hardback, #79 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, new and unread. Non-fiction.
Zelazny, Roger, editor. The Williamson Effect. Tor, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and a few pinprick spots of foxing to FFE (maybe something with acidic paper was laid in there) in a Fine dust jacket. Tribute anthology for Jack Williamson, published after Zelazny’s. Signed by Williamson and contributors Ben Bova, Mike Resnick and David Weber. Won off eBay for $24.07. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Note that some of the new books above are available through Lame Excuse Books.
Tags:Archer, Books, Clive Barker, Fantasy, Greg Bear, Greg Egan, Harlan Ellison, Jack Vance, Manly Wade Wellman, Michael Moorcock, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Robert Silverberg, Science Fiction, signatures, signed, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »
Friday, July 20th, 2018
If that headline seems like a repeat, it’s because there are an awful lot of books with Bradbury and Chronicles in their titles, and I have several…
(Bradbury, Ray) Weller, Sam. The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury. William Morrow, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Bradbury. Biography and in-depth look at his work. Bpught off eBay for $25.
And that marks the last thing that came in during the first half of the year. Expect another big library additions roundup post sometime next week…
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Horror, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Science Fiction, signed
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Monday, July 16th, 2018
More of the Fred Duarte/Karen Meschke book collection showed up at the Austin Public Library’s Recycled Reads Bookstore. Two of the books here were 50% off their marked price, and the other two were pretty cheap. All these are in dust jacket protectors.
Godwin, Parke, and Marvin Kaye. The Masters of Solitude. Doubleday, 1978. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with purple remainder speckling at heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with moderate soiling to white back cover. Inscribed by both authors: “[In Kaye’s hand]Worldcon 1986″/[In Godwin’s hand] For Fred/Parke Godwin/[In Kaye’s hand] For Fred/with best wishes/Marvin/Kaye.” I did not previously have examples of either author’s signatiure. Bought for $12. (Note: Kaye’s name comes first on the cover, but I have more of Godwin’s books so I’ll be filing it there.)
Hunter, Stephen. Pale Horse Coming. Simon & Schuster, 2001. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Hunter. Bought for $5. Dwight tells me that this is one of his best.
Jeter, K.W. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Warped. Pocket Books, 1995. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Jeter: “For Karen + Fred—/See you in/San Antonio!/Best,/K. W. Jeter.” Meschke was con chair for the 1997 San Antonio Worldcon. Bought for $5 after discount.
Kay, Guy Gavriel. Tigana. Roc, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Kay: “For Fred,/All best,/Guy Kay.” Bought for $15 after discount.
Other books I found there will show up in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
For more on Fred Duarte, see here, or click the Fred Duarte tag to see other books I acquired from his estate. (For more items from Meschke’s collection, watch this space…)
Tags:Books, Fantasy, First Edition, Fred Duarte, Guy Gavriel Kay, K. W. Jeter, Karen Meschke, Marvin Kaye, Parke Godwin, Recycled Reads, Science Fiction, signed, Thriller
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Monday, July 9th, 2018
Three signed first edition hardbacks picked up from two different sources. The Effinger and the Lovegrove were picked up from a Lame Excuse Books customer for trade credit, and the Zelazny was from eBay.
Effinger, George Alec. Relatives. Harper & Row, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with one 1/4″ closed tear on bottom front and very slight dust soiling to rear. Inscribed by Effinger: “For Dan Monte—/This is pretty scarce title. I/think the Center for Disease Control/developed a vaccine against this novel/shortly after publication. Well, it/was only my second book and I/was still learning—/George Alec Effinger.” I knew George (he came to the second Turkey City Writer’s Workshop I ever threw) and he signed most of his books for me, but I don’t think I picked this one up before he died. This and the Lovegrove were exchanged for credit.
Lovegrove, James. Provender Gleed. Gollancz, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed and dated by Lovegrove. I should really read some of the Lovegrove I already have…
Zelazny, Roger, editor. The Williamson Effect. Tor, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and a few pinprick spots of foxing to FFE (maybe something with acidic paper was laid in there) in a Fine dust jacket. Tribute anthology for Jack Williamson, published after Zelazny’s death. Signed by Williamson and contributors Ben Bova, Mike Resnick and David Weber. Won off eBay for $24.07. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Tags:Books, George Alec Effinger, Jack Williamson, James Lovegrove, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, signatures, signed
Posted in Books, Science Fiction, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, July 2nd, 2018
I doubt there’s anyone alive who’s read everything Isaac Asimov wrote (there’sw simply too much of it), but a goodly number SF fans probably think they read all of Asimov’s science fiction, or at least up through about Foundation’s Edge and Robots of Dawn, at which point it became obvious that the good doctor’s novel-writing career was running on fumes. But I suspect that many are unaware of this YA science fiction novel (really more like an illustrated novelette) that came out in 1975.
Asimov, Isaac. The Heavenly Host. Walker, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a trace of wear to boards, in a Near Fine dust jacket with a couple of 1/4″ closed tears at top edge, a few traces of dust soiling, and slight sun-yellowing around the perimeter (greatly exaggerated in the scan). Young adult novel set on another planet. Currey (1979), page 17. Bought from an online dealer for $20 plus shipping.
Tags:Books, Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction
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Friday, June 29th, 2018
I had already purchased this and was about to cue it up here when news of Ellison’s death reached me. This is the most I’ve ever paid for a mass-market paperback, but signed copies usually go for about thrice what I paid for this.
Ellison, Harlan. Rumble. Pyramid Books, 1958. First edition paperback original (“Pyramid Books edition 1958” on copyright page and 35¢ price, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight wear along spine, faint crease on top front corner, slight characteristic age-darkening of pages, and a few other touches of wear, otherwise a bright, tight, square copy of a book usually found in much worse shape. Inscribed by Ellison: “Best of/luck to Perry/and to Sue, undisguised/lust and an all-expense paid/trip to anywhere with me/Harlan Ellison/22 JAN 73”. Mainstream novel of juvenile delinquency. Currey (1979), page 179. Slusser, Harlan Ellison: Unrepentant Harlequin, page 62, 1. Segaloff, A Lit Fuse, page 75. Bought for $66 off eBay.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Harlan Ellison, PBO, Science Fiction
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Thursday, June 28th, 2018
John Brunner is something of an odd author for me. I have nice firsts of Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up, and pick up his signed first editions when I see them cheap, but I’m not actively trying collect everything he wrote.
But I saw this on sale on eBay from a major UK dealer who has tons of nice stuff that’s usually at prices in excess of what I want to spend, and thought it was worth picking up.
Brunner, John. The Crutch of Memory. Barrie and Rockcliff, 1964. First edition hardback (“First published 1964,” as per Currey), a Near Fine- copy with dust soiling to page block edges, slight bumping at head and heel and extremely slight blunting of points, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and heel, some dust soiling around the edge of the white rear cover, foxing to blind side of dj spine and edges, and general wear. With Brunner’s own ownership bookplate affixed to front flap. Brunner’s first mainstream novel. Currey, 1979, page 70. de Bolt, The Happening World of John Brunner, page 205. Bought £9.50 plus shipping.
Tags:bookplate, Books, John Brunner, Science Fiction
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