Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Library Additions: Three Signed Joyce Carol Oates Firsts

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024

Another Half Price Books haul, with three signed copies of literary writer who dabbles in genre work. I spot-check the literary firsts, and my eyes were drawn to the Mylar dust jacket protectors on these, which made me check to see if they were signed. They were.

  • Oates, Joyce Carol. American Appetites. Dutton, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket with a 1/16″ chip at front heel join and a trace of wear at points, signed by Oates. Bought for $7.19.
  • Oates, Joyce Carol. Man Crazy. Virago Press (UK), 1998. First UK hardback edition (the Dutton precedes), a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed and dated (“3 Sept. 1998”) by Oates. Though the Dutton precedes, signed copies of this UK edition comps out slightly higher, and one signed copy online has the same “3 Sept. 1998” signed date. Maybe she did a UK signing that day. Bought for $13.50.
  • Oates, Joyce Carol. You Must Remember This. Dutton, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with dust print to outer page block, in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, inscribed by Oates: “for Nash and Marrion/Joyce Carol/Oates/11/8/87.” Bought for $6.74.

  • Honestly, I was a bit ambivalent about picking these up. I’ve liked some of Oates short stories when they appeared in various Ellen Datlow anthologies, but I wasn’t wild about Zombie, the only Oates novel I’ve read, as she failed to convince me she had gotten into the mindspace of a Jeffrey Dahmer-esque serial killer. Also, while I got these for a bit less than they list for online, she’s something of a pill on the market. There’s a ton of signed Oates firsts online, at or below cover price.

    But before I had no signed Oates firsts, and now I have three.

    Library Addition: H. P. Lovecraft’s A Little Silver Book of Supernatural Stories

    Friday, March 29th, 2024

    Another classic writer series Little Book.

    Lovecraft, H. P. (S.T. Joshi, editor) A Little Silver Book of Supernatural Stories. Borderlands Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #463 of 500 copies signed by Joshi, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Sampler of Lovecraft stories, including “Dagon,” “Nyarlathotep,” and “The Call of Cthulhu.”

    I will have copies of this in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: SST Signed, Limited of Joe R. Lansdale’s Cold In July

    Tuesday, March 26th, 2024

    SST did a signed, limited edition of Lansdale’s first mystery novel.

    Lansdale, Joe R. Cold In July. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2023. First edition hardback thus, #101 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with tissue closure sticker and shipping card laid in. Lansdale’s first mystery novel, and basis of the 2014 film.

    This is the point where I’d usually say I’ll have copies available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, but not this time. Because Ziesing had already done a limited of Cold In July (sold in a slipcased set with Savage Season), I only ordered a few copies, and all sold the week it came in…

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s Nevermore

    Monday, March 25th, 2024

    Another Swanwick Dragonstairs chapbook:

    Swanwick, Michael. Nevermore: an Interview with the Raven. Dragonstairs Press, 2024. First edition chapbook original, #4 of 40 copies, a Fine copy. What the title says. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.

    I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Additions: Three Subterranean Firsts (McDevitt, Powers, Reamy)

    Thursday, March 21st, 2024

    Three more Subterranean firsts.

  • McDevitt, Jack. McDevitt, Jack. Doorway to the Stars. Subterranean Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #444 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novella about a stargate set in the same universe as Thunderbird. Bought at the usual dealer discount. I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

  • Powers, Tim. After Many a Summer. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novella. Bought for $20 (half price).
  • Reamy, Tom. Under the Hollywood Sign. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition hardback, #395 of 750 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. This is billed as “The Collected Stories of Tom Reamy,” and includes three works (“Dinosaurs,” “Sting!” and “Potiphee, Petey, and Me”) not in San Diego Lightfoot Sue, but doesn’t contain “Jenny’s Friends” or “The Wondrous Adventures of Grady Goodmonster or My Vacation,” two still uncollected Reamy stories. Bought for $22.50 (half price).
  • Library Additions: Four Subterranean Firsts (Blumlein, Carriger, Gallagher)

    Wednesday, March 20th, 2024

    The first of two posts on recent Subterranean Press books that have come in.

  • Blumlein, Michael. Long: The Collected Novellas of Michael Blumlein. Subterranean Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #74 of 750 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
  • Blumlein, Michael. Short: The Collected Short Fiction of Michael Blumlein. Subterranean Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #74 of 750 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Both bought from the publisher at the usual discount. I will have precisely one set of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
  • Carriger, Gail. Delightfully Deadly. Subterranean Press, 2022. First edition hardback, #971 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought for $32.50 (half price). Omnibus of three book previously published as trade paperback originals.
  • Gallagher, Stephen. Comparative Anatomy: The Best of Stephen Gallagher. Subterranean Press, 2022. First edition hardback, #198 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $22.50 (half price).
  • Library Addition: The Dagon Collection

    Friday, March 15th, 2024

    Here’s another Lovecraft-themed anthology from PS in the mold of Pedersen’s earlier The Starry Wisdom Library.

    Pedersen, Nate, editor. The Dagon Collection: An Auction Catalogue of Items Recovered in the Federal Raid on Innsmouth, Mass. PS Publishing, 2024. First edition hardback in decorated boards, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Anthology in the form of a mock auction catalog of Cthulhu Mythos related items from the Esoteric Order of Dagon, with contributions from F. Paul Wilson, Ramsey Campbell, etc.

    I will have a small number of copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: Robert E. Howard’s A Little Bronze Book of Weird Tales

    Tuesday, March 12th, 2024

    Another in Borderland Press’ series of classic writer volumes.

    Howard, Robert E. (Edited by P. Gardner Goldsmith) A Little Bronze Book of Weird Tales. Borderlands Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #463 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued.

    I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Additions: Two Thomas Disch Firsts

    Monday, March 4th, 2024

    These were part of an auction lot:

  • Disch, Thomas M. The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars. Doubleday, 1988. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with previous owner’s name on front free endpaper, in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Sequel to The Brave Little Toaster (which I have an inscribed copy of).

  • Disch, Thomas M. The Silver Pillow: A Tale of Witchcraft. Mark V. Ziesing, 1987. First edition hardback, #37 of 250 numbered copies signed by Disch and artist Harry O. Morris, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Chalker/Owings, page 490. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy.

  • Library Addition: First of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book

    Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

    This is a case of replacing a just slightly less attractive first with a pristine copy.

    Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. HarperCollins, 2008. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Newbery and Carnegie Medal winner. Replaces a Fine/Fine- copy. Bought for $8.09 from Half Price Books.