Posts Tagged ‘Books’
Wednesday, June 27th, 2018
Saw this mentioned on Penny Arcade and immediately decided to order a copy. Good thing, since it was sold out by the next time they posted…
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.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Games, Penny Arcade
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2018
Here’s a book I picked up less for the contents than as an affordable way to obtain Fletcher Pratt’s signature:
Pratt, Fletcher, editor. Civil War in Pictures. Civil War in Pictures, 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.
Tags:Books, Civil War, Fantasy, Fletcher Pratt, Science Fiction, signatures
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Monday, June 25th, 2018
Two more signed Ray Bradbury Christmas broadsheets, both bought off eBay:
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.
Tags:Books, broadsheet, Christmas, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, signed
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Monday, June 18th, 2018
I won a three-book lot of signed Philip K. Dick firsts from Swann Auctions in May, and after a small shipping delay, they finally arrived.
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.
When the Dick “cancelled check limiteds” started appearing, there was widespread belief among collectors that they were extremely tacky, but damned if the things didn’t sell out almost instantly. Nowadays these typically retail in the $750-$1,250 range each. All three books bought for $880 at auction, including buyer’s fee and shipping.
Tags:Books, Dragon Press, Philip K. Dick, signed, small press publishers, Ultramarine Press
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2018
Two bought for $10, a third for roughly half price, and a fourth at the usual dealer discount, all Fine/Fine new first editions, except where noted. .
Barker, Clive. Tonight, Again. Subterranean Press, 2015. Erotic stories and poems. Bought for $10 from a Subterranean Press sale.
Egan, Greg. Phoresis. Subterranean Press, 2018.
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.
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.
Tags:Books, Bruce Sterling, Clive Barker, Fantasy, Greg Egan, Horror, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Subterranean Press, Tim Powers
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Wednesday, May 30th, 2018
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.
I’ll have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, which should go out tomorrow…
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Dragonstairs Press, Michael Swanwick, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Tuesday, May 29th, 2018
I heard about David Pringle’s ongoing Ballard/Moorcock chronology from him on Facebook, which lead me to tracking down these.
(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, including an interview with David Pringle, additions to the Goddard bibliography, pictures of Ballard’s house, maps to the Shanghai of his youth, with many pages in color, etc.
(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”), a David Pringle interview with one of Ballard’s daughters, and a remembrance of another, plus sundry critical essays and (ahem) “Why I Want To Fuck Rupert Murdoch.”
(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, including the first part of David Pringle’s extensive Moorcock/Ballard chronology (indeed, hearing about that is what first made me track these volumes down), plus lots of critical essays, including one on Ballard, Dick and Baudrillard.
(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 even more Ballard tidbits, including the second part of David Pringle’s extensive Moorcock/Ballard chronology, an English bookseller’s notes on selling Ballard, an interview conducted by Paul Di Filippo, etc.
Please note that copies of all four will be available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, which should go out this week.
Tags:Books, David Pringle, J. G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, Paul Di Filippo, reference works, Science Fiction, science fiction criticism, small press publishers
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Monday, May 28th, 2018
Here’s another book with a ridiculously small print run:
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.
Tags:Books, Don Webb, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Thursday, May 24th, 2018
Here’s a book I’ve been looking for at an affordable price for a long time.
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.
Tags:Books, Clark Ashton Smith, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
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Monday, May 21st, 2018
Had an order from NewCon Press in the UK come in.
First up: Novella Set Three: The Martian Quartet, set YY of 52 sets of four novella by four different authors, in a pictorial slipcase with a matching “YY” on it:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Other books I picked up (all signed first edition hardbacks):
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Note: I’ll have some of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in preparation.
Tags:Books, Eric Brown, Fantasy, Horror, Ian Watson, Limited Editions, Lisa Tuttle, Liz Williams, NewCon Press, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Steve Rasnic Tem, Storm Constantine
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