Posts Tagged ‘reference works’
Thursday, October 9th, 2014
A variety of interesting chapbooks came in, including two books about H. P. Lovecraft’s family and a few Swanwick chapbooks I hadn’t been able to pick up before:
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Faig, Kenneth W. The Parents of Howard Philip Lovecraft. Necronomicon Press, 1990. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy, signed on the inside front cover by Faig. Non-fiction.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Squires, Richard D. Stern fathers ‘neath the mould: The Lovecraft Family in Rochester. Necronomicon Press, 1995. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Non-fiction. This and the above bought for $28.29 off eBay.
Mieville, China. The Apology Chapbook. China Mieville/World Fantasy Convention, 2013. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Issued in lieu of Mieville being able to make his scheduled Guest of Honor appearance at the 2013 World fantasy Convention in Brighton.
Purdom, Tom. Reentry and other thoughts on Science Fiction. Dragonstair Press, 2014. First edition chapbook, a Fine- copy with slight crease to left edge. Non-fiction essays on science fiction.
Swanwick, Michael. American Cigarettes. Dragonstairs Press, 2011. First edition chapbook, a slender 8 pages (including self wrappers), #85 of 100 signed, numbered copies, Fine, with advert for Dancing With Bears laid in.
Swanwick, Michael. The Nature of Mirrors. Dragonstairs Press, 2011. First edition chapbook, a slender 12 pages (including self wrappers and two blanks), #67 of 100 signed, numbered copies, Fine.
Swanwick, Michael. Song of the Lorelei. Dragonstair Press, 2011. First edition chapbook, a slender 8 pages (including self wrappers), #88 of 100 signed, numbered copies, Fine.
Tags:Books, chapbooks, China Mieville, Fantasy, First Edition, H. P. Lovecraft, Horror, Michael Swanwick, pics, reference works, Science Fiction
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Monday, August 25th, 2014
The final batch of books I bought from Lloyd Currey, all reference works.
Clareson, Thomas D. (editor). Voices for the Future Volume Two. Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in Fine dust jacket. Reference work of essays on science fiction writers, including Robert Silverberg, Philip Jose Farmer, Walter M. Miller, Jr., J. G. Ballard, John Brunner, Mack Reynolds, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Roger Zelazny. Tymn, The Science Fiction Reference Book, page 75. Bought for $10.
Clareson, Thomas D. and Thomas L. Wymer (editors). Voices for the Future Volume Three. Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1984. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in Fine dust jacket, with review slip laid in. Reference work of essays on science fiction writers, including Gene Wolfe, Damon Knight, Cordwainer Smith, Mervyn Peake, Frederik Pohl, C. S. Lewis, Samuel R. Delany and Thomas M. Disch. (No picture because the cover is identical to Volume 2 except for the editors names and saying Volume Three.) Bought for $10.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Brennan, Joseph Payne. A Select Bibliography of H. P. Lovecraft. Self-published, 1952. First edition chapbook, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of wrinkling. Joshi, Lovecraft Bibliography, III-B-8. Bought for $10.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Wetzel, George (editor). Commentaries: Volume VI The Lovecraft Collector’s Library. SSR Publications, 1955. First edition oversized side-stapled mimeographed paperback, #46 of 75 copies, a Near Fine, age-darkened copy. Joshi, Lovecraft Bibliography, III-C-27. Tymn Schlobin Currey, 295. Bought for $25.
Wells, H.G. Experiment in Autobiography (Volumes I and II). Gollancz, 1934. First edition, a Very Good copy with dust soiling to boards and crimping at head and heel, in good only dust jackets with significant chipping at extremities. Text of J. B. Priestley’s eulogy delivered at Wells’s funeral clipped from newspaper tipped in on front free endpaper of volume 1. Bought from L.W. Currey for $10 for the set.
Tags:Books, H. G. Wells, H. P. Lovecraft, reference works, Science Fiction
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Monday, July 7th, 2014
Here’s all the books I added to my professional science fiction library over the first half of the year. All these are Fine first edition hardbacks in Fine dust jackets unless otherwise noted.
Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, Very Good with multiple spine creases and spine lean. Signed and dated 5/25/01 by Allston. His Doc Savage homage. Found at a Half Price Book for half cover price a couple of months after he died.
(Anderson, Poul) Gardner Dozois and Greg Bear, editors. Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Poul Anderson tribute anthology, including stories using his characters and settings.
(Anderson, Poul) Gardner Dozois and Greg Bear, editors. Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds. Subterranean Press, 2014. One of 1,500 copies trade copies.
(Ballard, J. G.) Baxter, John. The Inner Man: The Life of J. G. Ballard. Weidenfield & Nicolson, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical biography.
(Bester, Alfred) Wendell, Carolyn. Alfred Bester: Starmont Reader Guide 6. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Wendell.
Bloch, Robert. American Gothic. Simon and Schuster, 1974. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a couple of large, faint light brownish stains on front free endpaper and one much smaller one on the rear free endpaper, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bloch, who actually mentions the stain: “Clean up this page/immediately! ——->/ Robert Bloch” (with the arrow pointing toward one of the stains). Replaces an unsigned ex-library copy in my collection. Price paid: $30.00.
Borst, Ronald V. Graven Images. Grove Press, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Oversized art book reprinting science fiction, fantasy and horror movie posters, production art, etc., from Borst’s own extensive collection. Signed by Ray Bradbury, who provided the introduction to the chapter on the 1930s. Amount paid: $26.24. This is actually not hard to find signed by Bradbury, but it usually goes for about twice that.
Bradbury, Ray. Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far From the Stars. William Morrow, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of spine-join haze rubbing. Signed by Bradbury: “MARK!/Ray/Bradbury”. Collection of essays.
(Bradbury, Ray). Nolan, William F. and Martin H. Greenberg, editors. The Bradbury Chronicles: Stores in Honor of Ray Bradbury. Roc, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at head. Signed by Bradbury. Anthology.
Burroughs, William S. Interzone. Viking, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of wear and slight dust soiling along spine join. Shoaf, Collecting William S. Burroughs in Print, 60.
Card, Orson Scott. The Folk of the Fringe. Phantasia Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #140 of 400 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a trade copy. Bought for $10. (Original list price was $75.)
De Camp, L. Sprague and Fletcher Pratt. Wall of Serpents. Avalon, 1960. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with some bending at head and heel in a Very Good+ dust jacket, with crimping and rubbing at head and heel and slight dust staining to back cover. Signed by De Camp. Currey (1979), page 135. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $17.50
(Clement, Hal) Hassler, Donald M. Hal Clement: Starmont Reader Guide 11. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Hassler.
Coover, Robert. A Child Again. McSweeney’s, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket (as issued), still in shrinkwrap with cards attached. Bought at Half Price Books for $6.99.
(Delany, Samuel R.) Weedman, Jane Branham. Samuel R. Delany: Starmont Reader Guide 10. Starmont House, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Delany: “Samuel R. Delany/Madison/2006”.
Del Rey, Lester. The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture. Garland, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. A history of science fiction fandom by someone who witnessed it.
Denton, Brad. Sergeant Chip and Other Novellas. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao. Inscribed by the author: “To Lance/Oscar Wao.”
Ellison, Harlan. Flintlock. Charnel House, 2013 (actually 2014). First edition hardback, #55 of 274 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Unproduced screenplay for James Coburn’s Derek Flint character.
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Dark Heart of Time: A Tarzan Novel. Del Rey, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Evidently this is pretty hard to find…
Farmer, Philip Jose. River of Eternity. Phantasia Press, 1983. First edition hardback, #81 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread.
(Farmer, Philip Jose) Brizzi, Mary T. Philip Jose Farmer: Starmont Reader Guide 3. Starmont House, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Gaiman, Neil (illustrated by Eddie Campbell). The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. Morrow, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Illustrated story.
(Gilliam, Terry) McCabe, Bob. Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Grimm, and other cautionary tales of Hollywood. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with what appears to be “delamination” of otherwise shiny area at base of the spine, in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Book on the making of the Terry Gilliam film The Brothers Grimm.
(Haldeman, Joe) Gordon, Joan. Joe Haldeman: Starmont Reader Guide 4. Starmont House, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Haldeman (and also an unreadable signature that I take to be either Gordon’s or the cover artist).
Howard, Robert E. and Richard A. Lupoff. The Return of Skull Face Fax Collector’s Editions, 1977. Lupoff’s expansion of an unfinished Howard manuscript.
Griffith, Nicola. Hild. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2013.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Thorner, J. Lincoln. A Guide Through the Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein. Gryphon Books, 1989. First edition trade paperback chapbook original, a Fine- copy with touches of wear along the spine. 48 pages critical guide, including a small bibliography of reference works in the back.
Lafferty, R. A. The Man Who Made Models: The Collected Short Fiction Volume 1 Centipede Press, 2014. First edition hardback, one of 300 copies signed by Michael Swanwick, John Pelan, and cover artist Jacob McMurray, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Ape Man’s Brother. Subterranean Press, 2014.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Drive-In: The Bus Tour. Subterranean Press, 2005. First edition hardback, #223 of 350 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade edition.
Lansdale, Joe R. Hot in December. Dark Regions Press, 2013 (though I don’t believe it was released until 2014). First edition hardback, one of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Four Different Poems. Longhouse, 2007. First edition chapbook original, a 3″x5″ card with an accordion foldout attached and a title band signed by Le Guin wrapped around, one of only 24 signed copies, a Fine copy. An odd item with a very small limitation. Bought for $20 off the Internet.
Leiber, Fritz. Gummitch and Friends. Donald M. Grant, 1992. First edition hardback, #237 of 1000 signed, numbered copies (though not signed by Leiber, who died before the book was finished), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, new and unread. Contains both Leiber’s cat stories, as well as memorial appreciations of Leiber by Stephen King, Robert Bloch, etc. bound at the front of the volume. Also, for some reason, an unsigned limitation number plate for the Grant edition of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Black House is also laid in.
Leiber, Fritz. Our Lady of Darkness. Berkley Putnam, 1977. First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight dust staining and wear to bottom boards and small white abrasion to bottom rear boards, in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Inscribed by Leiber in purple ink: “For my Dear Friend/Doris Cornejo with/my very best/wishes. Enjoy!/Fritz Leiber/March 4, 1977”. At the bottom of the name Grace Cornejo has been written in red ink, possibly by a different hand. Supplements an unsigned copy (also, alas, with an imperfect dust jacket) in my library. Price paid: $33.74.
Ligotti, Thomas. The Spectral Link. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, #333 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Ligotti, Thomas. The Spectral Link. Subterranean Press, 2014. Trade edition.
Lovecraft, H.P. (S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, editors. O Fortunate Floridian: H.P. Lovecraft’s Letters to R. H. Barlow. University of Tampa Press, 2007. First edition hardback (stated), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Lovecraft, H. P. Envelope Addressed to Robert Barlow, with Lovecraft’s return address on the back, in Lovecraft’s own handwriting. Postmarked December 4, 1931. Bought for $328 off eBay. More details here.
MacDonald, John D. The Girl, The Gold Watch, & Everything. Robert Hale, 1974. First hardback edition, a near Fine+ copy with a ex-ownership plate inside the front cover, in a Fine dust jacket. Pringle, Modern Fantasy 100 26. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 146.
Matheson, Richard. Matheson on Matheson: A Conversation With Dennis Etchison. Bad Moon Books, 2013 (actually 2014). First edition hardback, #22 of 100 copies signed by Etchison and Richard Christian Matheson, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Matheson, Richard. 7 Steps To Midnight. Tor Forge, 1993.
Moskowitz, Sam. The Immortal Storm. The Atlanta Science Fiction Organization Press, 1954. First hardback edition, a very good+ copy with slight rubbing to spine ends, slight bump at top rear board, and slight crimping at head and heel, in very good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and top front, and slight age-darkening to white areas. His acclaimed book on the early history of science fiction fandom. This is the first hardback edition, having been preceded by a mimeographed edition. Currey (1979), page 380. Chalker/Ownings (1991), page 51. Interestingly, Currey and Chalker/Ownings disagree on the print run, with Currey citing 1000 copies printed, but Chalker/Owings saying only 500. Bought for $36 off a major SF book dealer.
(Moskowitz, Sam) The Sam Moskowitz Collection of Science Fiction b/w Comic Books and Comic Art. Southbys, 1999. First edition oversized trade paperback original, Fine. Auction catalog for the Sam Moskowitz’s science fiction collection held June 29, 1999 (plus a collection of rare comics sold the next day).
Pohl, Frederik. The Early Pohl. Doubleday, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with remainder speckling at heel in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Pohl: “To Fred—/Cordially/Fred Pohl/(No relative!)/Fred Pohl/198-” Bought for $10.
(Pohl, Frederik) Clareson, Thomas D. Frederik Pohl: Starmont Reader Guide 39. Starmont House, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Pohl.
Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates. Centipede Press, 2014. First edition hardback thus, a Fine copy save two flaws (the slipcase keyhole cutout is about 1/4″ misaligned between the two halves, and it lacks the signature page) bound in decorated red and black velvet with a lenticular image embedded in the front cover, in a Fine slipcase. The thing is ginormous, resting in a 2-half red velvet slipcase which houses the book and an accordion portfolio of the color art plates in the book, and includes an appendix of deleted scenes from the original manuscript and a fold-out map of 1810 London.
Radner, Gilda and Alan Zweibel. Roseanne Roseannadanna’s Hey, Get Back to Work! Book. Long Shadow Books, 1983. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine copy with a few small sports to page block edges. Inscribed by Radner and Zweibel: “Thanks/a lot to/Tim/Gilda Radner” and “”To Tim-/You just brought back/a million great/memories when you/handed me this book./Al”
Bought in a lot with:
(Radner, Gilda) Zweibel, Alan. Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story. Villard Books, 1994. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a clipped price. Early Saturday Night Live writer’s memoir of working with Radner. Bought for $40.49 for the pair.
Resnick, Mike. Adventures. Signet, 1985. First edition paperback original (PBO), Near Fine with interior stamps.
Reynolds, Mack. Looking Backward From the Year 2000. Elmsfield Press, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Pringle, SF 100 70. Currey (1979), page 417.
Roberts, Keith. The Passing of the Dragons. Signet, 1977. First edition paperback original (PBO), Near Fine with light yellow line at head and traces of wear. Short story collection. Currey (1979), page 419. Short story collection. Bought from Half Price Books for 49¢.
Shea, Michael. The Mines of Behemoth. Baen Books, 1997. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Signed by Shea. Price paid: $4.49.
Shepard, Lucius. The Jaguar Hunter. Kerosina, 1988. First edition hardback thus (contents differ from the Arkham House edition), #128 of 250 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed copy of the Arkham House first edition. Bought for $22.50. (Originally issued at £40.00.)
Shepard, Lucius. Life During Wartime. Bantam Books, 1987. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, of the trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with the title and author written on the spine in ballpoint pen, with a proof of the cover laid in. Signed by Shepard. I have the UK first hardback edition, but I never picked up the TPO when it came out because I had already read most of the stories that make it up in Asimov’s…
Shepard, Lucius. The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter. Mark V. Ziesing, 1988. First edition hardback, a #104 of 300 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10.
Shirley, John. Demons. Del Rey, 2002. Novel-length expansion of the earlier novella (which I also have). Bought for $7 at the Austin book show.
Silverberg, Robert. Thebes of the Hundred Gates. Axolotl Press/Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, a #78 of 300 signed numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10. Pulphouse wildly overpriced a number of titles, including this one, but $10 (down from the initial list price of $35) seems about right…
(Silverberg, Robert) Gardner Dozois and William Schafer, editors. The Book of Silverberg: Stories in Honor of Robert Silverberg. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, #165 of 250 signed, numbered copies, signed by all contributors except the late Kage Baker, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Tribute anthology.
(Silverberg, Robert) Gardner Dozois and William Schafer, editors. The Book of Silverberg: Stories in Honor of Robert Silverberg. Subterranean Press, 2014. trade edition.
(Silverberg, Robert) Clareson, Thomas D. Robert Silverberg: Starmont Reader Guide 18. Starmont House, 1983. Second Printing hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Silverberg.
Simmons, Dan. Prayers to Broken Stones. Dark Harvest, 1990. First edition hardback, #329 of 500 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $37.50. (Originally issued at $75.)
Smith, Edward E., PhD. The Skylark of Space. Buffalo Book Company, 1946. First edition hardback, a VG+ copy with slight bumping at head, heel and corners and faint dust staining at heel, in a VG- dust jacket missing a small 1/4″ triangular chip from center of dj spine, plus about 1/4″ of chipping loss at head and heel, and slight overall rubbing, otherwise intact with $3.00 price on flap. The very first of Doc Smith’s famous space operas. Currey (1979), page 457. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 78. One of two books done by the Buffalo Book Company (the other of which, John Taine’s The Time Stream, I picked up in December). Bought for $237 from Heritage Auctions.
Stephenson, Neal. In the Beginning was the Command Line. Avon Books, 1999. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Long essay on the history of computing, the Internet, and cyber culture.
Straub, Peter. Mrs. God. Donald M. Grant, 1990. First edition hardback, #179 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket (as issued) in a Fine slipcase, new and unread.
(Tiptree, Jr., James) Siegel, Mark. James Tiptree, Jr.: Starmont Reader Guide 22. Starmont House, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy- copy with slight rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Vance Jack. Araminta Station. Tor, 1988. First U.S. trade hardback, a Fine- copy with pinhole cracks to front gutter in a Fine- dust jacket with slight dust soiling to rear cover. First book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A79c.
Vance Jack. Ecce and Old Earth Tor, 1991. First trade hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with crinkling and wrinkles along extremities. Second book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A84b.
Vance Jack. Throy. Tor, 1992. First trade hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Third book in the Caldwell Chronicles. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A85b. Price for all three Caldwell volumes: $52.49.
Vance Jack. The Five Gold Bands. Underwood/Miller, 1993. First hardback edition and first edition thus, originally published in pulp paperback as The Space Pirate, a Near Fine copy with small orangeish spots to all three page block edges, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A2k. Price: $37.49.
Vane, Jack. Galactic Effectuator. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, one of 800 trade copies, a Fine- copy with slight spotting at head in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A63. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 432. Price: $26.24.
Vance, Jack, and Tony Russell Wayman. The Last Castle b/w World of the Sleeper. Ace Books, 1967. First edition paperback original (H-21 and 60¢ on cover, as per Currey and Hewett), a Very Good+ copy with long faint crease on the Russell side and slight overall wear. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A30. Currey (1979), page 499. Price: $8.99.
Vance, Jack (edited by Miguel Lugo). The Wit and Wisdom of Jack Vance. AuthorHouse, 2011. First edition trade paperback (POD) original, a Fine copy. Selection of excerpts from Vance’s works. Signed by Vance (though the signature (see below) is very shaky, as Vance was pretty much completely blind by the time this book came out). I was unaware of this before I saw the listing for it, and I can’t imagine that Vance signed terribly many. Price: $29.99.
Vance, Jack. Minding the Stars: The Early Jack Vance Volume Four. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Vance, Jack. Son of the Tree. Underwood/Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, #183 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a tiny bit of wrinkling at head and heel. Hewett, A13g.
Vance Jack. Vandals of the Void. John C. Winston, 1953. First edition hardback, Very Good- with a two inch split to outer back spine join and dust soiling to page edges, lacking the dust jacket. Signed by Vance. Hewett, A3. Currey (1979), page 501. Price: $29.99.
(Wolfe, Gene) Borski, Robert. Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe’s BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. iUniverse, 2004. First edition hardback (no additional printings listed, though I believe iUniverse is a POD outfit), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical guide to Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Supplements a trade paperback edition in my library. Bought for $20 off an Internet bookseller.
Wolheim, Elizabeth (Betsy), and Sheila Gilbert, editors. DAW 30th Anniversary Box Set (including 30th Anniversary DAW Science Fiction and 30th Anniversary DAW Fantasy). DAW, 2002. First edition hardbacks, Fine leatherbound copies with gilt endpapers, #312 of 350 sets so produced, in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jackets, as issued. (I have not been able to determine if the leather binding state is simultaneous with the trade editions or not.) Signed by editor Sheila E. Gilbert and contributors Michael Shea, Tad Williams, C.S. Friedman, Melanie Rawn, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Kate Elliott, and Irene Radford. This set was originally offered at $125 (though copies can now be found on Amazon for considerably less). The sets were not, as far as I can tell, offered in a signed state; these were signed independently by the contributors. Price paid: $59.99.
Zelazny, Roger. A Rose for Ecclesiastes. Rupert Hart-Davis, 1969. First edition thus and first hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with very slight spine fading. First hardback edition of Four For Tomorrow. Levack, 17b. Kovacs, V11c/V20. Zelazny’s first short story collection.
Tags:Books, Centipede Press, Fantasy, First Edition, Frederik Pohl, Fritz Leiber, Gardner Dozois, Garland Press, Gene Wolfe, Greg Bear, Horror, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucius Shepard, Neil Gaiman, Phantasia Press, Philip Jose Farmer, Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Richard Matheson, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, Sam Moskowitz, Science Fiction, signed, Subterranean Press, Ursula K. Le Guin
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Monday, June 23rd, 2014
Been meaning to pick this up for several years now, and finally found a decent copy at the right price:
Moskowitz, Sam. The Immortal Storm. The Atlanta Science Fiction Organization Press, 1954. First hardback edition, a very good+ copy with slight rubbing to spine ends, slight bump at top rear board, and slight crimping at head and heel, in very good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and top front, and slight age-darkening to white areas. His acclaimed book on the early history of science fiction fandom. This is the first hardback edition, having been preceded by a mimeographed edition. Currey (1978), page 380. Chalker/Ownings (1991), page 51. Interestingly, Currey and Chalker/Ownings disagree on the print run, with Currey citing 1000 copies printed, but Chalker/Owings saying only 500. Bought for $36 off a major SF book dealer.
Tags:Books, fandom, reference works, Sam Moskowitz, Science Fiction
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Friday, June 13th, 2014
Additions to my non-fiction reference library continues apace. Here are three science fiction reference works I picked up recently:
Del Rey, Lester. The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture. Garland, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. A history of science fiction fandom by someone who witnessed it.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Thorner, J. Lincoln. A Guide Through the Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein. Gryphon Books, 1989. First edition trade paperback chapbook original, a Fine- copy with touches of wear along the spine. 48 pages critical guide, including a small bibliography of reference works in the back.
(Wolfe, Gene) Borski, Robert. Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe’s BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. iUniverse, 2004. First edition hardback (no additional printings listed, though I believe iUniverse is a POD outfit), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical guide to Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Supplements a trade paperback edition in my library. Bought for $20 off an Internet bookseller.
Tags:Books, First Edition, Gene Wolfe, Lester Del Rey, reference works, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction
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Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
I also pick up science fiction-related reference works, especially when I see them cheap.
(Ballard, J. G.) Baxter, John. The Inner Man: the life of J. G. Ballard. Weidenfield & Nicolson, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical biography.
(Gilliam, Terry) McCabe, Bob. Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Grimm, and other cautionary tales of Hollywood. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with what appears to be “delamination” of otherwise shiny area at base of the spine, in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Book on the making of the Terry Gilliam film The Brothers Grimm.
Lovecraft, H.P. (S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, editors. O Fortunate Floridian: H.P. Lovecraft’s Letters to R. H. Barlow. University of Tampa Press, 2007. First edition hardback (stated), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread.
Barlow was an interesting fellow in his own right. He was studying ancient Mexican writings at Mexico City College (at the same time William S. Burroughs was there) when he committed suicide in January of 1951.
Now I have the perfect thing to lay the envelope from Lovecraft to Barlow into.
(Moskowitz, Sam) The Sam Moskowitz Collection of Science Fiction b/w Comic Books and Comic Art. Southbys, 1999. First edition oversized trade paperback original, Fine. Auction catalog for the Sam Moskowitz’s science fiction collection held June 29, 1999 (plus a collection of rare comics sold the next day).
Stephenson, Neal. In the Beginning was the Command Line. Avon Books, 1999. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Long essay on the history of computing the Internet, and cyber culture.
Tags:Books, H. P. Lovecraft, J. G. Ballard, John Baxter, Movies, Neal Stephenson, R. H. Barlow, reference works, S. T. Joshi, Sam Moskowitz, Terry Gilliam
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Movies, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Sunday, September 30th, 2012
Back when I edited Nova Express, I tried to pick up all the important SF reference works I could afford that I could lay my hands on. Among those were two extensive Magill’s references sets: Survey of Science Fiction Literature and Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature. Each covers hundreds of key works, alphabetized by title, providing title, author, year of publication, type (novel, etc.), time, setting, key characters, a summary of the book that touches in some measure on its major themes, and a short secondary bibliography. Several notable science fiction writers, editors and critics contributed entries, including Brian Aldiss, John Clute, David Pringle, Brian Stableford and Jack Williamson.
In some ways, the material in these books have been superseded by the aggregate knowledge contained in the Internet. But it’s still a useful reference source. If i want to know, say, what Harry E. Martinson’s Aniara is about, I can read the short entry here rather than the entire book-length poem and be reasonably sure that it’s accurate.
I kept my eyes out for those sets, and picked them up off eBay when affordable copies appeared. I also picked up two more Magill’s sets at a library sale dirt cheap (I think $10 for each set) and those are on the same top shelf.
Magill, Frank N., Editor (series editor). Survey of Science Fiction Literature. Salem Press, 1979. First edition hardbacks, five volume set, Ex-Library copies, otherwise VG with interior library markings, etc.
Magill, Frank N., Editor (with bibliographies compiled by Marshall b. Tymn). Survey of Science Fiction Literature Bibliographic Supplement. Salem Press, 1979. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear. Additional secondary bibliographic material for 295 of the entries in the five volume work. Purchased separately.
Magill, Frank N., Editor (series editor). Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature. Salem Press, 1983. First edition hardbacks, five volume set, Ex-Library copies, otherwise VG with library markings, etc.
Magill, Frank N., Editor (with Stephen L. Hanson and Patricia King Hanson, Associate Editors). Magill’s Bibliography of Literary Criticism. Salem Press, 1979. First edition hardbacks, four volume set, Ex-Library copies, otherwise VG with library markings, etc. Covers some 2,500 works, listed alphabetically by author. Very little genre coverage.
Magill, Frank N., Editor. Materplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction Series. Salem Press, 1991. First edition hardbacks, four volume set, Ex-Library copies, otherwise VG with library markings, etc. Listed alphabetically by title. Includes some genre coverage, even of books I wouldn’t associate with YA (such as Babel-17, Dreamsnake, Dune, etc.).
On the end of the row in the picture is an Ex-Library copy of the first edition of Neil Barron’s Anatomy of Wonder.
There are two other Magill SF/F reference sets I don’t own: Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature from 1996, which culls and condenses the two five volume sets down to a single four volume set, and Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature from 2002, which condenses them down still further into a two volume set with still more additional material, including my own entry on Patrick O’Leary’s Door Number Three. I believe that Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature is the only thing I’m in for which I lack a contributor’s copy.
In Anatomy of Wonder 4, Neil Barron calls Survey of Science Fiction Literature “an essential tool, although its price will limit it to larger libraries.” Well, I guess mine qualifies…
Related Posts
Lawrence Person’s Library of Science Fiction First Editions
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 1: Key Reference Works
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 2: Oversized Books
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 3: Contributor Copies
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 4: H. P. Lovecraft
Tags:Books, Fantasy, reference works, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, pics, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Don Webb once said that “If you are obsessed with a writer, you own more in print about him than the total number of words in print by him.” In which case I guess I’m obsessed by H. P. Lovecraft (who is also who Don was talking about). However, while I do like Lovecraft, it’s really only because I’m obsessed about books in general, part of which is obtaining reference books about authors I like. Is it my fault there are just so many books on Lovecraft out there? I don’t have all of them, but I do have a goodly number.
For In-print items, I’ve provided links to either the Lame Excuse Books page for things I have in stock, or Amazon links for those I don’t.
Here’s a long view of everything that would fit laid out on a single tabletop:
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Bell, Joseph. Les Bibliotheques Volumes 1-8. Soft Books, 1984-1987. Eight side-stapled A4-sized chapbooks, featuring a miscellaneous selection of Lovecraft material (including fiction, poems, letters, etc. from Lovecraft), the bulk of which is taken up by a chronology of his publications.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Migliore, Andrew, and John Strysik. The Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H.P. Lovecraft. Night Shade Press, 2010. First printing trade paperback original of this enlarged and updated edition. Normally sits among my film reference works.
Next comes a few Arkham House-related books I’m including here. (I already covered S. T. Joshi’s Sixty Years of Arkham House during my first reference book roundup.)
Jaffery, Sheldon. Horrors and Unpleasantries: A Bibliographical History and Collectors Price Guide to Arkham House. Popular Press, 1982. First edition hardback. Largely superseded by Joshi’s Sixty Years, it still has information not replicated there, including how the secret reprint edition of August Derleth’s own Someone in the Dark came to pass.
Nielsen, Leon. Arkham House Books: A Collector’s Guide. McFarland & Company, 2004. Trade paperback original. Goes a little farther than Joshi. Mostly superfluous if you have Joshi and Jaffrey, but useful if you don’t.
Derleth, August. Thirty Years of Arkham House: 1939-1969. Arkham House, 1970. First edition hardback. The official history up to that date. (I do not own a copy of Derleth’s Arkham House: The First 20 Years; it’s pretty pricey for a superseded paperback reference work, and insanely pricey for one of the 80 hardback copies…)
Finally, we get to the actual Lovecraft section, which starts off with several titles by HPL himself:
Lovecraft, H. P. Supernatural Horror in Literature. Ben Abramson, 1945. First separate edition, hardback (Currey A), sans dust jacket, as issued. His famous essay.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz) Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters. Ohio University Press, 2000. Hardback first edition. What the title says: chronological autobiographical information culled from Lovecraft’s voluminous correspondence.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi) Collected Essay Volume 1: Amateur Journalism. Hippocampus Press, 2004. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi) Collected Essay Volume 2: Literary Criticism. Hippocampus Press, 2004. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi) Collected Essay Volume 3: Science. Hippocampus Press, 2005. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi) Collected Essay Volume 4: Travel. Hippocampus Press, 2005. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi) Collected Essay Volume 5: Philosophy, Autobiography & Miscellany. Hippocampus Press, 2006. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei) Selected Letters I. Arkham House, 1965. Hardback first edition. Many later Lovecratt scholars have criticized the way the letters in these and subsequent volumes have been edited.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei) Selected Letters II. Arkham House, 1968. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei) Selected Letters IIII. Arkham House, 1971. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by August Derleth and James Turner) Selected Letters IV. Arkham House, 1976. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by August Derleth and James Turner) Selected Letters V. Arkham House, 1976. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. and Donald Wandrei (edited by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz) Mysteries of Time and Spirit: The Letters of H. P. Lovecraft and Donald Wandrei. Night Shade Books, 2002. Hardback first edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz) Letters from New York. Night Shade Books, 2005. Hardback first edition.
Howard, Robert E. and H. P. Lovecraft. A Means to Freedom: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Hippocampus Press, 2009. First edition hardbacks, two volumes. Shelved in my Robert E. Howard section.
Lovecraft, H. P. (edited by L. Sprague de Camp) To Quebec and the Stars. Donald M. Grant, 1976. Hardback first edition. (Out of order in the pictures because it’s oversized and shelved one shelf down from where it should be.)
Next comes books about Lovecraft by other authors.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. H. P. Lovecraft and Lovecraft Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography. Kent State University Press, 1981. Hardback first edition, sans dust jacket, as issued. If you haven’t figured out already by the number of times his name has already appeared on this list, Joshi is the Lovecraft obsessive that puts all the other Lovecraft obsessives in the shade. I have several criticisms of his Sixty Years of Arkham House, and disagree with significant bits and pieces of his critical approach to Lovecraft’s. But when comes to excessive knowledge of Lovecraft’s life and work, he has no equal, and this bibliography is ridiculously comprehensive up through the period covered. There were 14 Lovecraft books (including some chapbooks, pamphlets, etc.) printed before The Outsider and Others, each of which is either insanely expensive or simply not available anywhere at any price.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. I Am Providence: the Life and Times of H P Lovecraft. Hippocampus Press, 2010. First edition hardback, two volumes. Back in 1996, Necronomicon Press published Joshi’s H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, a definitive biography which was about 700 pages long, with very small margins, in a hardback edition of 250 copies which went out of print before just about anyone knew about it. (You can still get the trade paperback edition.) Well, guess what? Joshi had to leave out about 150,000 words of material for space constraints. That, plus everything he’s learned since 1996, is packed into these two volumse. (I see some people online are asking $550 for this set. I have sets available for $95, which is half-off cover price. [Sorry, sold out. – LP])
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. and David E. Schultz. An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press, 2001. Hardback first edition, in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Includes things both in Lovecraft’s fiction and his life.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) de Camp, L. Sprague Lovecraft: A Life. Doubleday, 1975. Hardback first edition, inscribed by de Camp, remainder speckling at heel, otherwise Fine in a Fine dust jacket. Considered the standard biography before Joshi went to work; not so much anymore.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Long, Frank Belknap. Howard Philips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Night Side Arkham House, 1975. Hardback first edition. Biography of Lovecraft by a close friend and fellow writer.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Cannon, Peter, editor. Lovecraft Remembered. Arkham House, 1998. Hardback first edition with review slip laid in. Collection of remembrances of both Lovecraft and his writing by numerous contemporaries, much of it original published in very obscure journals or small-run pamphlets.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Carter, Lin. Lovecraft: A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos. Starmont House/Borgo Press, [1992]. First hardback edition, Fine in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Cannon, Peter. H. P. Lovecraft. Twayne, 1989. Hardback first edition (a reasonably clean ex-library copy). Part of the Twayn’s United States Authors Series.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. H. P. Lovecraft: Four Decades of Criticism. Ohio University Press, 1980. Hardback first edition. Variety of essays on Lovecraft’s work.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Mark Owings and Irving Binkin, catalogers. A Catalog of Lovecraftiana: The Grill Binkin Collection. Mirage Press, 1975. Hardback first edition, Fine sans dust jacket, as issued. Catalog of perhaps the most extensive Lovecraft collection ever in existence.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) St. Armand, Barton Levi. The Roots of Horror in the Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. Dragon Press, 1977. Hardback first edition, Fine sans dust jacket, as issued. Critical work.
And a few works on the Cthulhu Mythos more generally:
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Jarocha-Ernst, Chris. A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography and Concordance. Armitage House, 1999. First edition trade paperback original.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Harms, Daniel. Encyclopedia Cthulhuiana. Chaosium, 1994. Trade paperback original.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Harms, Daniel. The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia. Elder Signs Press, 2008. First edition hardback, one of 200 signed, numbered copies. “Updated and Expanded Third Edition,” and the first hardback edition.
And here are some chapbook that you can’t tell what they are from the spine. I pick up those Necronomicon Press chapbooks when I find them cheap, but usually not otherwise.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) St. Armand, Barton Levi. H. P. Lovecraft: New England Decadent. Silver Scarab Press, 1979. Perfect-bound chapbook.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Barlow, R. H. On Lovecraft and Life. Necronomicon Press, 1992. First edition chapbook.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Cook, W. Paul. In Memoriam: Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Necronomicon Press, 1991. Chapbook, second edition.
Lovecraft, H. P. A History of the Necronomicon. Necronomicon Press, 1992. Chapbook, sixth printing.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Barrass, Glynn. A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography & Checklist: Second Edition. Blackgoat Books, 1996. An extremely barebones checklist (title, publisher, and whether it was issued in hardback). Probably the last thing you would reach for, but it does have a few obscure listings.
Lovecraft, H. P. and Anthony Raven. The Occult Lovecraft. Gerry de la Ree, 1975. First edition chapbook.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) H. P. Lovecraft: A Symposium. The Los Angeles Science Fiction Society/The Riverside Quarterly, [1964]. First edition chapbook, with Errata sheet laid in.
Related Posts
Lawrence Person’s Library of Science Fiction First Editions
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 1
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 2
Lawrence Person’s Reference Books Part 3
Tags:Arkham House, August Derleth, Books, Cthulhu, David E. Schultz, Donald Wandrei, First Edition, H. P. Lovecraft, Hippocampus Press, James Turner, L. Sprague de Camp, Peter Cannon, Professional Library, reference works, S. T. Joshi
Posted in Books, Horror, pics, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Here are some pics from the section of my reference library where I keep contributor copies of publications my work has appeared in. Before the contributor copies, there are several book auction catalogs (including from the auctions I covered here), as well as some old S. M. Mossberg and L. W. Currey book catalogs of interest. After that the actual contributor copies start. You should be able to figure out what these are from my bibliography. The exception is the black tape-bound volume on the first shelf, which is a compilation of materials handed out for a Danish class on science fiction which includes my review of Donnie Darko. I have so many copies of Jim Baen’s Universe because FACT had boxes to give away at the 2008 Nebula Awards here in Austin and I snagged some leftovers.
As usual, click to embiggen.
I have a few of these available for sale through Lame Excuse Books as well.
Previous entries on my reference library can be found here and here.
Tags:auction, book auction, Books, Fantasy, First Edition, Heritage Auctions, Horror, Library, pics, Professional Library, reference works, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, pics, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Underwritten by Gollancz. I assumed something of the sort was in the works, since I’ve heard the likes of John Clute and David Langford muttering about updated material from time to time, but it’s good to know that the rough beast now has a schedule for its slouching. As mentioned before, the second edition is pretty much essential for anyone with an interest in the field, and I expect the third to be no less essential.
Tags:Books, John Clute, reference works, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
