Posts Tagged ‘Dark Harvest’

Library Addition: Signed, Limited First of Dan Simmons’ Carrion Comfort

Tuesday, October 29th, 2024

The third (and thus far final) book from that seller of Dark Harvest books on eBay.

Simmons, Dan. Carrion Comfort. Dark Harvest, 1989. First edition hardback, #303 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket a few touches of edgewear and a trace of rubbing to front spine join in a Fine slipcase. His celebrated novel of psychic vampirism. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel. Chalker/Owings, page 121. Bought off eBay for $75.

Simmons published this, Hyperion and the underrated Phases of Gravity the same year, quite an impressive literary feat (though I’d already been following him from Song of Kali), and briefly enjoyed some “The Next Stephen King” collecting hype. But overproduction of some of Simmons work (particularly from Lord John Press) quickly proved that the market for Dan Simmons limited was not as large as the market for Stephen King limiteds. But Simmons still produces some fine work up to this day…

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Library Addition: Signed, Limited First of The Asimov Chronicles

Monday, October 28th, 2024

This is the second volume from that Dark Harvest sell-off on eBay.

Asimov, Isaac (Martin H. Greenberg, editor). The Asimov Chronicles: Fifty Years of Isaac Asimov. Dark Harvest, 1989. First edition hardback, #317 of 500 numbered copies signed by Asimov and illustrators Ron and Val Lakey Lindahn, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with touches of edgewear at points and a Fine- slipcase with with one thin 2″ scratch to rear. Career retrospective collection. Supplements a trade edition. Chalker/Owings, page 121. Bought off eBay for $75.

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Library Addition: Signed, Numbered Edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s The Nightrunners

Thursday, October 24th, 2024

Someone on eBay was selling off a bunch of Dark Harvest limiteds, and I picked up three of them for a comparative song. This is the first.

Lansdale, Joe R. The Nightrunners. Dark Harvest, 1987. First edition hardback, #60 of 300 numbered copies signed by Lansdale, introduction author Dean R. Koontz, and illustrator Gregory Manchess, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase; a pristine, mint copy. Joe’s most splatterpunk work. Supplements both the lettered slipcrate edition and the trade edition I bought and had Joe sign back when it came out, so I now have all three states. Isajanko, A009.a.ii. Person/Orbaugh/Lansdale, “Joe Lansdale: Notes Toward a Bibliography,” 10a. Chalker/Owings, page 120 (Jack was not a fan of the novel). Bought off eBay for $75.

By way of coincidence, I will have a copy of the trade edition of The Nightrunners signed by both Lansdale and Koontz in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

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Library Addition: Lettered Slipcrate Edition of David Brin’s The River of Time

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

This is the last item I bought from the UK dealer I bought two Heinlien firsts in the same order.

Brin, David. The River of Time. Dark Harvest, 1986. First edition hardback, copy “Q” of 52 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy (maybe Fine- with the spine of the gold biding showing a slight greenish tinge) in a Fine wooden “slipcrate,” sans dust jacket, as issued. Short story collection. Chalker/Owings, page 119. A lot of the Dark Harvest slipcrate editions were leather or imitation leather, but I have no idea what to call this goldish binding. This is the fourth Dark Harvest slipcrate edition I’ve bought, after George R. R. Martin’s Portraits of His Children, Joe R. Lansdale’s The Nightrunners, and Chet Williamson’s Dreamthorpe. Bought from a UK dealer for £50, which works out to less than the original $100 list price.

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Library Addition: Lettered Edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s The Nightrunners

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

Here’s a book I’ve wanted for quite a while, and finally pulled the trigger on:

Lansdale, Joe R. The Nightrunners. Dark Harvest, 1987. First edition hardback, letter X of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in white leather and a wooden slipcase (AKA “slipcrate”), sans dust jacket, as issued. (Note: The wooden slipcase has three small notches at the back, but given the uniform staining, they were there when the book left the publisher.) Lansdale’s landmark splatterpunk novel, featuring two very bad boys and The God of the Razor. Chalker/Owings, page 120 (Jack was not a fan of the novel). Bought off a fellow Biblio dealer for $315.

The scan doesn’t do justice to the silver highlighting on the lettering. It’s a very attractive book.

Note that this is the third Dark Harvest “slipcrate” edition I’ve added to my library, along with George R. R. Martin’s Portraits of His Children and Chet Williamson’s Dreamthorpe.

I would sort of like to pick up all the other Dark Harvest “slipcrate” lettered editions, but not at the prices people are currently asking for them.

Note: I’ve recently picked up a lot of Lansdale lettered editions, so watch this space…

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Library Addition: Signed/Limited Edition of Lansdale’s Dark at Heart

Wednesday, April 17th, 2019

Another addition to the Lansdale collection:

Lansdale, Joe R. and Karen, editors. Dark at Heart. Dark Harvest, 1992. First edition hardback, #120 of 400 copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a couple of touches of edgewear at top front (and a $45 price sticker on inside front flap, as per Chalker/Owings), in a Fine slipcase. Anthology of “dark suspense.” Includes some signatures I didn’t have in my collection heretofore, like Ardath Mayhar’s. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1049. Nova Express Lansdale Bibliography, 1A.2. Hankow, A Checklist of Joe R. Lansdale, AA4a. Bought for $17.26 plus shipping off eBay, less than half the publication price of $45.

Chalker/Owings noted that the move into mystery is what killed off Dark Harvest, though I suspect they did OK on this (Lansdale’s a strong seller).

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Library Additions: Five Signed Ray Garton and David J. Schow Firsts

Thursday, December 27th, 2018

I haven’t been buying Ray Garton for a while, but I found a few things in the Camelot sale worth picking up:

  • Garton, Ray. Crucifax Autumn. Dark Harvest, 1988. First edition hardback, #194 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine- slipcase with a couple of minor dings. The best of Garton’s early splatterpunk novels. Supplements a trade edition. Bought for $20, marked down from $50.

  • Garton, Ray. A Little Gray Book of Grim Tales. Borderlands Press, 2015. First edition hardback, #25 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. I rather like these little books. Bought for $20, marked down from $50.
  • Schow, David J. DJSturbia. Subterranean Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #137 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Short story collection interspersed with essays. Bought for $16 marked down from $40.
  • Schow, David J. Havoc Swims Jaded (with Water Music). Subterranean Press, 2006. First edition hardback, #60 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements a trade edition. With Water Music, a 40-page chapbook about The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Both bought for $16 marked down from $40.

  • Schow, David J. Zombie Jam. Subterranean Press, 2005. First edition hardback, #436 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Compilation of Schow’s zombie fiction. Bought for $16 marked down from $40.

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    Library Addition: Lettered “Slipcrate” State of Chet Williamson’s Dreamthorp

    Sunday, September 23rd, 2018

    Here’s a book I picked up more for the state and the publisher than the author. Dark Harvest was a very active small press from the early 1980s into the early 1990s. They published primarily horror and science fiction, and did very well with it, but managed to kill themselves off by branching out into mystery.

    One of the things they did was do lettered states of some of their books in wooden slipcases, AKA “slipcrates.” I’ve always found them rather attractive, and keep an eye out for them when I see them at an affordable price.

    Williamson, Chet. Dreamthrop. Dark Harvest, 1989. First edition hardback, Letter G of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine wooden slipcase. Horror novel. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 121. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1045. Bought off eBay for $49.

    The only other Dark Harvest “slipcrate” edition I currently have is George R. R. Martin’s Portraits of His Children (acquired in one of my two big Zelazny purchases), though I do have a nearly complete trade edition run of the Dark Harvest books up to shortly before they started doing the mysteries.

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