Posts Tagged ‘Bob Pylant’
Monday, October 9th, 2023
I guess that technically one of these is a magazine, but it looks and feel just like a paperback.
Brunner, John. The Traveler in Black. Ace, 1971. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 75¢ as per Currey), a Fine- copy with slight wear at points and a drop of discoloration to bottom page block at heel, otherwise a very nice copy. Celebrated fix-up of linked stories. Currey, page 74. De Bolt, The Happening Worlds of John Brunner, page 57.
Moorcock, Michael, editor (John Brunner, Roger Zelazny, J. G. Ballard, etc.). New Worlds March 1966, Vol. 49, No. 160. Compact SF, 1966. First edition magazine in the form of a paperback original, a Near Fine copy with slight glue ridging to spine, slight wear at points, a faint, thin line of abrasion down rear cover near outer edge, and a few touches of general wear. Right in the middle of Moorcock’s acclaimed run as editor of New Worlds when it became the epicenter of the New Wave, with a murder’s row of writers in this issue. The Zelazny is the first appearance of the classic “For a Breath I Tarry” (Levack, Stories 69a), and both this and the above came from the last purchase of books from Bob Pylant’s Zelazny collection.
I have cover scans, but for some reason BlueHost isn’t letting me upload pics right now, so you’ll have to wait to see them…
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, John Brunner, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
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Monday, December 6th, 2021
These were all more books from that final Bob Pylant Zelazny purchase in 2019. I checked the Zelazny paperbacks against the ones I already had and determined that, yes, indeed, there were volumes I wanted to add to my own library. Most are PBOs and almost all are signed. All of these supplement signed hardback firsts, etc.
Zelazny, Roger. Bridge of Ashes. Signet, 1976. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with a slight bit of edgewear, and a trace of dust soiling to very bottom of back cover, signed by Zelazny. Levack, 2a. Kovacs, I3a. Currey, page 571.
Zelazny, Roger. Creatures of Light and Darkness. Avon, 1970. First paperback edition, a Near Fine+ copy with one spine crease and touched of edgewear, signed by Zelazny. Levack, 8c. Kovacs, I9d.
Zelazny, Roger. Dilvish, the Damned. Del Rey, 1981. First edition paperback original, a Fine- with a 1/16th closed tear at bottom front and slight edgewear at points, signed by Zelazny. Levack, 11a. Kovacs, I15b.
Zelazny, Roger. Four for Tomorrow. Ace, 1967. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Near Fine- copy with slight spine crease and wear, plus foxing to inside covers and slight age-darkening, inscribed by Zelazny: “For Willie/Best,/Roger Zelazny.” Levack, 17a. Kovacs, V11a. Currey, page 571.
Zelazny, Roger. Isle of the Dead. Ace, 1969. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with slight wear at head and heel, trace of foxing to inside covers, and slight age darkening to pages, signed by Zelazny. A really pristine copy. Levack, 21a. Kovacs, I25a. Currey, page 571.
Zelazny, Roger. Jack of Shadows. Signet, 1972. First paperback edition, a Near Fine copy with former owner’s name and “Parson’s Farewell” written and crossed out on blurb page, signed by Zelazny. Levack, 22c. Kovacs, I26c.
Zelazny, Roger. My Name is Legion Ballantine Books, 1976. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with a slight bit of edgewear, signed by Zelazny. Levack, 27a. Kovacs, I32a. Currey, page 572.
Zelazny, Roger and Fred Saberhagen. The Black Throne. Baen, 1990. First edition paperback original “uncorrected page proof,” a Fine- copy with a few tiny black dots on bottom pageblock edge, otherwise new and unread. Kovacs, 1a. The proof, unlike the PBO, has a printed white spine and blank white rear cover. Mass market form factor proofs are not unknown in science fiction, but they are unusual. Oddly enough, I found another copy of this proof recently, and it will be in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
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Monday, January 11th, 2021
Still more books from the Bob Pylant purchase:
Blaylock, James P. The Magic Spectacles. Morrigan Publications, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a full page inscription to SF writer Scott Cupp and his wife Sandy: “For Scott & Sandi,/This loony children’s book, starring/my sons at what now seems to/me to be an impossibly young/age. Here’s to Italian food &/trips to California. Cheers,/Jim.” Replaces an unsigned copy.
Davidson, Avram, editor. The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction Fourteenth Series. Doubleday, 1965. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with a 1/16″ chip at head, slight edgewear a heel, and some darkening/dust soiling to white rear cover. Currey, page 131.
Effinger, George Alec. The Exile Kiss. Doubleday Foundation, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a wrinkle at heel in a Fine- dist jacket with just a trace of darkening to the very tops of the white flaps. Inscribed by Effinger: “To Ed —/With supreme best wishes/(Which I haven’t bestowed even/on Willie or Fred) —/At Armadillocon 13 —/George.” I strongly suspect this book was inscribed to Ed Graham, who was the chair of Armadillocon 12. (His wife, Casey Hamilton, chaired Armadillocon 13, and together they chaired Armadillocon 16.) Willie Siros and Fred Duarte were other Armadillocon chairs. Replaces an unsigned trade first in my library, and supplements a copy of the signed/limited state.
Ellison, Harlan. Partners in Wonder. Walker, 1971. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with a light, dime-sized black smudge along rear spine-join, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with two quarter-sized light charcoal colored stains on the spine panel, and slight edgewear at head and heel. Inscribed by Ellison: “For Mila,/Merry Christmas/1977/Harlan Ellison.” Collection of collaborative stories. Supplements a nicer copy signed by Robert Silverberg (but not Ellison). Fingerprints on the Sky, page 56. Currey, page 178.
Moorcock, Michael. Legends From The End of Time. Harper & Row, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with bumping at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight wear at head and heel, slight age darkening to white rear panel, and slight dust soiling to same. Inscribed by Moorcock: “To Bob,/With all good wishes/from Michael M.” Tanelorn Archives, page 24, a. Precedes the W. H. Allen edition (which I also have).
Morrow, James. The Continent of Lies. Holt, Reinhardt and Winston, 1984. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Morrow: “For Scott/This book of/dreams & desires…/best wishes,/James Morrow.” Pretty sure this is another former Scott Cupp copy. Edited to add: Scott has now confirmed that it was his.
Tags:Avram Davidson, Bob Pylant, Books, George Alec Effinger, Harlan Ellison, James Morrow, James P. Blaylock, Michael Moorcock, Morrigan Publications, Scott Cupp, signatures
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Friday, December 4th, 2020
A few more Zelazny books I set aside for myself from the Bob Pylant purchase:
Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. Underwood Miller, 1981. First hardback edition, #128 of 200 numbered copies signed by Zelazny and artist Thomas Canty, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Levack, 4b.
Zelazny, Roger. Damnation Alley. Faber & Faber, 1971. First UK edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of edgewear, with slip of paper signed by Zelazny laid in. Levack, 9c.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth. Pulphouse. 1991. First edition paperback original, Fine- copy with trace of rubbing along front spine join and pinpricks of soiling to front cover, signed by Zelazny. Short story paperback #13. I still need the Short Story Hardback of this…
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Pulphouse, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, Underwood/Miller
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Tuesday, October 27th, 2020
Still more from the Bob Pylant purchase, including two more Zelaznys that I thought I didn’t need, but it turns out I did.
Bass, T. J. The Godwhale. Eyre Methuen, 1974. First hardback edition (the Ballantine PBO precedes) and first UK edition, a Fine copy save some very sight age darkening to pages, in a Fine dust jacket. Sequel to Half Past Human and a Nebula Award finalist. Currey, page 25.
Moorcock, Michael. The Hollow Lands. Harper & Row, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Signed twice by Moorcock, on the half title and title pages. Second volume of the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. Tanelorn Archives, page 21. Currey, page 370.
Pohl, Frederick, Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph Olander, editors. Worlds of if: A Retrospective Anthology. Bluejay Books, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Reprint collection of stories that originally appeared in If magazine. Includes Zelazny’s “This Mortal Mountain.” A couple of points of interest: First, all the stories whose authors were still alive provided short, original “Memoirs” to their stories, including ones from Zelazny, Lafferty, Ellison, etc., and I believe the vast majority of these have never been reprinted anywhere else. Second, this book came out from Bluejay Books in September of 1986, which means it was among the very last block of books published before their implosion, along with Rob Swigart’s Vector and Vernor Vinge’s Marooned in Realtime.
Zelazny, Roger. Eye of Cat. Timescape, 1982. First edition proof, a Fine copy. Thought I had bought another Eye of Cat proof from Bob in an earlier purchase, but no. Timescape was another imprint that ceased business in the 1980s.
Zelazny, Roger. Unicorn Variations. Timescape, 1983. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with the Simon & Schuster “walking man” remainder mark at heel in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of soiling to the white jacket. I thought I had a signed first, but not, I have a signed book club, and a Fine unsigned first, but not a signed first.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
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Monday, October 12th, 2020
Non-Zelazny (mostly) hardbacks from my most recent Bob Pylant purchase.
de Camp, L. Sprague. Warlocks and Warriors. Putnam, 1970. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with five tiny ink “x”s next to stories on the copyright page and a trace of bend at head and heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of edgewear along flap folds. Signed by de Camp. Includes Zelazny’s “The Bells of Shoredan.” The Zelazny and others include maps for their stories that I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else.
Greenberg, Martin H. Dragons: The Greatest Stories. MJF Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Anthology. A few mysteries about this copy: Has a numberline ending in one (which would typically indicate a first edition rather than a book club edition), but no price on the dust jacket (which would typically indicate the opposite), and has a red binding along the spine. The ISFDB lists two editions, one at a price of $19.95, and the other at a price of $7.98, the latter of which it indicates is taken from the Locus database, which also lists only one edition of the book and that as an instant remainder (which would explain the lack of a price). The Don Maitz cover appears to be a cropped example of the fuller dust jacket illustration that originally appeared on Kathleen Sky’s Witchdame in 1985; copies of this anthology with green spine and the fuller illustration (still with no price on the dust jacket) appear to be second printings. Still another mystery is the not-quite-right Zelazny signatures on the title page and at his story “The George Business,” which would be a neat trick since Zelazny died in 1995. No idea if Bob or someone else created the spurious signatures. It would seem that this instant remainder edition was done first and the pricier retail edition (if it even exists) may have been done later.
Ipcar, Dahlov. A Dark Horn Blowing. Viking Press, 1978. First edition hardback, a near Fine copy with slight bend at head and heel, a short, thin line of rust-colored staining at very bottom of front free endpaper, and a trace of age-darkening to pages, in a Near Fine dust jacket with a vertical crease running along the edge of the rear flap. Fantasy novel of a woman kidnapped to elfland to nurse a newborn elf prince. Never heard of it, but Bob said it was a good novel. In the Encyclopedia of fantasy, John Clute calls her work “atmospheric and densely conceived.”
Lee, Tanith. Sometimes, After Sunset. Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, 1980. First edition hardback, an omnibus edition of Sabella, or The Blood Stone and Kill the Dead (neither of which had any other hardback editions), a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight wear at points, a thin 1/2″ scratch at top front spine join, a trace of rubbing along front flap join bend edge, and slight age darkening to white flaps. Nice early Maitz cover.
Le Guin, Ursula K., editor. Nebula Award Stories 11. Gollancz, 1976. First edition hardback (precedes the U.S. edition by a year), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel, traces of foxing to front free endpaper, and slight dust soiling at head, in a Near Fine copy with spine fading and a trace of edgewear at points. Includes the Nebula-winning Zelazny novella “Home is the Hangman.”
Meacham, Beth. Terry’s Universe. Tor, 1988. Uncorrected bound proof (trade paperback format) of the hardback first edition, a Fine copy. Tribute anthology to the late Terry Carr. Includes Zelazny’s “Deadstone Donner and the Flintstone Cup.”
Schiff, Stuart David, editor. The Best of Whispers. Borderlands Press, 1994. First edition hardback, #375 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Signed by all the then-living contributors (Fritz Leiber died in 1992), including Zelazny, Ray Bradbury, Karl Edward Wagner, Russell Kirk, Hugh B. Cave, Lucius Shepard, Jerry Sohl and Alan Ryan. Includes Zelazny’s “The Horses of Lir.”
Tags:Bob Pylant, dragons, Fantasy, Horror, L. Sprague de Camp, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, SFBC, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin
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Wednesday, October 7th, 2020
Part 6 of my third purchase of Zelazny books from Bob Pylant. I previously listed signed Amber book club editions, today is signed (all but one) non-Amber book club editions.
Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. Del Rey/SFBC, 1981. Book club hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to white flaps, signed by Zelazny. Supplements signed copies of the PBO and the Underwood-Miller signed/limited hardback. Kovacs, I.6.d. Levack, 4c.
Zelazny, Roger. Dilvish, The Damned. Del Rey/SFBC, 1981. Book club hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to white flaps, with signed letter from Zelazny laid in. Supplements signed copies of the PBO and the Underwood-Miller signed/limited hardback. Kovacs, I.15.d.
Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. SFBC, 2004. Book club hardback, a Fine- copy with uniformly age-darkened pages in a Fine dust jacket. SFBC 50th Anniversary edition book. Kovacs, I.18.n.
Zelazny, Roger. The Last Defender of Camelot. Pocket Books/SFBC, 1980. Book club and first hardback edition (gutter code L10 on page 278, as per Kovacs), a Fine- copy with slight age darkening to pages in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Zelazny: “To Liz,/All sorts of good wishes -/ — Roger Zelazny.” Supplements the Underwood-Miller limited edition, and another copy of this edition inscribed to me in a more worn dust jacket. Kovacs, V.15.c. Levack, 24b.
Zelazny, Roger. Madwand. Ace/SFBC, 1981. Book club edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white jacket. Kovacs, I.30.d. Levack, 26c.
This ends the Zelazny hardback portion of the purchase, which I needed to finish so I could move the Zelazny section down as part of putting in a new bookcase. I will get to the non-Zelazny hardbacks (including some anthologies with Zelazny stories), signed Zelazny paperbacks, and magazines featuring the first appearances of Zelazny stories, in due course.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, SFBC
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Friday, October 2nd, 2020
Part 5 of my third purchase of Zelazny books from Bob Pylant. Book Club editions are something I don’t generally collect (except when they’re the first hardback edition), but I thought these pristine signed hardbacks of the second (or Merlin) Amber trilogy were worth adding. All of these supplement signed first edition hardbacks of the same titles. These are listed in series rather than alphabetical order.
Zelazny, Roger. Trumps of Doom. Arbor House/SFBC, 1985. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.43.d.
Zelazny, Roger. Blood of Amber. Arbor House/SFBC, 1986. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.2.d.
Zelazny, Roger. Sign of Chaos. Arbor House/SFBC, 1987. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.38.c.
Zelazny, Roger. Knight of Shadows. Morrow/SFBC, 1989. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the very top white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.27.c.
Zelazny, Roger. Prince of Chaos. Morrow/SFBC, 1991. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.35.d.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Roger Zelazny
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Thursday, October 1st, 2020
Part 4 of my third purchase of Zelazny books from Bob Pylant. I probably would have collected these eventually, as part of my half-ass intention to collect every Gregg Press SF hardback, but it was nice to get all the ones I didn’t already have in one fell swoop.
Zelazny, Roger. Damnation Alley. Gregg Press, 1979. First hardback edition thus, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Adds 24 pages of photos from the movie of the same name. Supplements a signed copy of the first Putnam edition, an unsigned copy of same, and a signed copy of the paperback movie tie-in edition. Kovacs, I.10.k. Levack, 9r.
Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. Gregg Press, 1976. First U.S. hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine aftermarket dust jacket Bob made from blowing up a copy of the Frank Kelly Freas PBO cover, with a title page removed from an Ace paperback edition laid in. This and the Gregg Press editions of Lord of Light, Nine Princes in Amber and Bridge of Ashes (which I already had) all share the same Freff cover art featuring characters from all those novels. Supplements a signed first of the Rupert Hart-Davis hardback, a signed first of the Ace PBO, and an unsigned copy of same. Kovacs, I.18.e. Levack, 14i.
Zelazny, Roger. Lord of Light. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a letter from Betsy Groban of G. K. Hall laid in talking about how they had gotten Freff to do the artwork. Hugo and Nebula Award winner for Best Novel. Kovacs, I.29.1. Levack, 25s.
Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in Amber. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a signed title page from a paperback laid in. Kovacs, I.34.g. Levack, 28n.
Zelazny, Roger. Today We Choose Faces. Gregg Press, 1978. First U.S. hardback edition, a Fine copy with a Fine aftermarket dust jacket Bob created from a Signet reprint featuring Dean Ellis art. Signed by Zelazny. Supplements a signed Millington hardback first and a signed PBO first. Kovacs, I.42.d. Levack, 37h.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, Gregg Press, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2020
Part 3 of my third purchase of Zelazny books from Bob Pylant. I usually collect only the first hardback edition, and I already have the true firsts of all these. But again, since I’ve already paid for them…
Zelazny, Roger. Roadmarks. Macdonald Futura, 1981. First UK edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping/wrinkling at head and heel. Kovacs, I37d. Supplements a signed first.
Zelazny, Roger. To Die In Italbar. Faber & Faber, 1975. First UK edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket with a small Zelazny signature plate pasted to the front free endpaper. Kovacs, I41d. Supplements a signed first.
Zelazny, Roger, editor. Nebula Award Stories 3. Gollancz, 1968. First UK edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Kovacs, IX2b. Supplements a signed first of Nebula Award Stories III.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
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