Two PS Publishing signed, limited hardback editions that came in from the publisher.
Blaylock, James p. The Invisible Woman. PS Publishing, 2024. First edition hardback, #76 of 200 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Set in the same universe as Pennies From Heaven.
Campbell, Ramsey. The Inhabitant of the Lake & Other Unwelcome Tenants (60th Anniversary Edition). PS Publishing, 2024 (stated, actually 2025). First edition hardback thus, a considerably expanded version of the 1964 Arkham House first edition, #47 of 100 signed, traycased copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket in a Fine traycase. A massively expanded version of Campbell’s first book, a collection of Cthulhu Mythos stories that August Derleth helped him edit and polish before publishing for Arkham House. In addition to being a much more attractive package than both the original and the 2011 PS edition, the book includes 12 additional works (stories and essays) not in the original. Sold out upon publication.
I will have a small number of copies for both of these in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, and I still have signed hardback firsts of Pennies From heaven available.
I finally got in a long-delayed order from Hippocampus Press.
Lovecraft, H.P. (S.T. Joshi, editor) Collected Fiction: A Variorum Edition Volume 4 (Revisions and Collaborations). Hippocampus Press, 2024. First hardback edition (the 2017 trade paperback precedes), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrinkwrap. I don’t know why Hippocampus originally put out the fourth book as a TPO after putting out the first three as hardbacks, but this finally rectifies the error to properly complete the set. Supplements the TPO, which now moves to my trade paperback section.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Joshi, S.T. and David E. Schultz. Lovecraft’s Library: A Catalogue: Fifth Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Hippocampus Press, 2024. Trade paperback original thus of this newly revised and enlarged edition, a Fine copy. Non fiction book detailing Lovecraft’s own personal library. “This fifth revised edition provides comprehensive information on 1129 books owned by Lovecraft…In this new 2024 edition, fourty-four new titles have been added to the list of books owned by Lovecraft, and additional information has been supplied on all titles listed.”
Gray lines in purple at top are a scanner artifact.
Shea, Michael. Momma Durtt. Hippocampus Press, 2024. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Previously unpublished Cthulhu Mythos novel.
Three used books, two of which were bought extremely cheaply.
Asimov, Isaac. Foundation’s Edge. Doubleday, 1982. First edition hardback (“First Edition” stated and gutter code of M36 on page 365), a Very Good copy with bumping at head and heel, slight creasing to spine, a few tiny nicks to bottom boards, in a Very Good dust jacket with several tackhead-sized abrasion spots to bottom front panel, bumping at head and heel, and shallow loss of points. Hugo Award winner. Replaces a Book Club edition bought and read before I started collecting first editions, and supplements a copy of the Whispers Press signed/limited edition. Usually this would not qualify as a sufficiently attractive to pick up, but it was literally $1 at a garage sale from a storage unit.
King, Stephen. Storm of the Century. Book-of-the-Month Club, 1999. First hardback edition, being a trade paperback original, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and just a trace of wear at dj points. The BOMC is the first hardback, but I’m not sure there are any points to determine first vs. later printings. Collings, Horror Plum’d: An International Stephen King Bibliography and Guide, A64.b. Bought for $1.
Ruff, Matt. Lovecraft Country. Harper, 2016. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with bump at heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. Basis of the HBO TV series. Bought for $13.49 from Half Price Books.
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.”
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.
Baxter, Stephen. Xeelee: Endurance. PS Publishing, 2017. First edition hardback, letter D of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket and a Fine decorated slipcase. I collected Baxter for a while until he become too prolific for me to keep up with, but I did like the Xeelee books. Bought from Camelot Books for $50.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Joshi, S. T. Black Wings VII: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2023. First edition hardback, one of 200 copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Original anthology, including stories from John Shirley, Ramsey Campbell and Steve Rasnick Tem. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Silverberg, Robert. Monsters and Things. PS Publishing, 2023. First edition hardback, #100 of 100 signed, numbered copies in decorated boards signed by Silverberg, editor Stephen Jones, and illustrator Randy Brocker, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase, with erratum sheet laid in noting that one of these stories (many of them written under pseudonyms) actually was from Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark. Oops! Already sold out from the publisher. I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lovecraft, H. P. The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath. Shroud: Publishers, 1955. First edition trade paperback original (Currey A, orange wrapper bound with brown tape) simultaneous with a small hardback run, #1341 of 1,500 copies, a Near Fine copy with former owner’s name on front free endpaper and some evenly-spaced diagonal wrinkles to spine (possibly as issued by Shroud), in a Very Good first state (publisher’s address of 819 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo 3, New York, as per Currey) dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and heel and staining along spine and at top front near edgefold. First edition of this Dunsanean Dreamlands novella, which ties into Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos but is also distinct from it. Shroud was an odd press, and this book displays Shroud’s “amateurish” (to quote Chalker/Ownings) quality. Currey, page 322. Chalker & Owings, The Science Fantasy Publishers, pages 403-404. Joshi, H.P. Lovecraft: A Comprehensive Bibliography I.31. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1048 (“repetitious, alternately aiming for childishness and horror, maundering and wandering, it has little to offer except a rather pointless integration of the earlier Dunsanean stories”). Magill, Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature, pages 431-435. Bought from a Potter & Potter auction for $187.50.
Ordered this back in 2021, and the trade state came in this year. (Still waiting on the limited.)
Sammons, Brian M. Tales From Arkham Sanitarium. Dark Regions Press, 2022. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in decorated boards with one tiny bump near bottom front corner, sans dust jacket, as issued. Cthulhu Mythos anthology, featuring a few familiar names (Don Webb, W. H. Pugmire, etc.). I’m not thrilled that Dark Regions had fulfillment through Amazon, hence the bump. I will gave precisely one mint copy available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
