Posts Tagged ‘Frederik Pohl’
Monday, February 6th, 2023
Finishing up recorded the Metroplex PBO buys. All of these came from Half-Price Books.
Pohl, Frederik, and C. M. Kornbluth. The Space Merchants. Ballantine Books, 1953. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing, and simultaneous with the hardback edition, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a touch of edgewear at points, otherwise new and unread. Pringle, SF 100 12. Currey, pages 289 and 405. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 *3-147. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction volume 5, pages 2127-2131. Supplements a hardback first inscribed to my by Pohl. Bought for $3.
Pohl, Frederik, and Jack Williamson. Starchild. Ballantine Books, 1965. First edition paperback original (“”First printing: November 1965″ and 50¢ price, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with just a trace of edgewear at head and heel and a tiny 3/16” non-breaking indention to front cover, otherwise tight, square and unread. Second book in the Starchild trilogy. Currey, pages 405 and 544. Supplements the SFBC Omnibus The Starchild Trilogy inscribed to me by Pohl and Williamson. Bought for $3.
Smith, Cordwainer. Space Lords. Pyramid, 1965. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy save a trace of foxing to inside covers. Currey, page 315. Bought for $4.00.
Smith, Cordwainer. The Underpeople. Pyramid, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one faint spine crease, bookstore stamp to blurb page, and edgewear. Part two of Nostrilia. Currey, page 315. Pringle, SF 100 46 (for Nostrilia). Bought for $1.99.
Smith, E. E. “Doc”. The Galaxy Primes. Ace Books, 1965. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 40¢ price, as per Currey), a Fine copy save for a trace of foxing to inside covers, otherwise tight, square and unread. Lucchetti, Doc: First Galactic Roamer, pages 50-51 (“Never issued in hardback.”) Currey, page 456. Bought for $3.
Vance, Jack. Showboat World. Pyramid, 1975. First edition paperback original (“March 1975” on copyright page and $1.25 cover price, as per Currey), a Near Fine+ copy with one slight spine wrinkle near heel, a few very small, very faint phantom crease on rear cover, and two very faint parallel printing lines across teaser page (looks like an artifact of the printing process). I read this last year and it’s still great fun. Hewett A47a. Cunningham 71a. Currey, page 500. Bought for $2.99.
Waldrop, Howard. Strange Monsters of the Recent Past. Ace, 1991. First edition paperback original thus, adding A Dozen Tough Jobs to the contents of All About Strange Monsters of the Recent Past, a Fine copy, now inscribed to me by Waldrop. I’ve had a lot of copies of this over the years, but since I already had All About Strange Monsters of the Recent Past and A Dozen Tough Jobs, I never added a copy to my own library until now. Bought for $3.
Tags:Books, C. M. Kornbluth, Cordwainer Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Fantasy, Frederik Pohl, Howard Waldrop, Jack Vance, Jack Williamson, PBO, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Friday, August 12th, 2022
Three more books from that private collector culling his collection.
Pohl, Frederik. Midas World. St. Martin’s, 1983. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with the barest bit of bumping at head and heel, and a trace of fixing to inside covers, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with a 3/16th” chip at head, a 1″ closed triangular tear with associated nailhead-sized chip to upper front near spine (and small piece of blindside tape reinforcement), and a few pinpricks of abrasion along the spine, signed by Pohl. Over-graded by the seller as Fine/Fine, but I only paid $12 for it, and a copy with a better jacket to marry should be cheap.
Silverberg, Robert. The Book of Skulls. Scribner’s, 1972. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Silverberg. Hugo and Nebula finalist. Replaces a slightly less Fine signed copy. Bought for $45.
Pellegrino, Charles, and George Zebrowski. The Killing Star. AvoNova, 1995. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Zebrowksi. Supplements a paperback edition inscribed to me by Zebrowski I received for Nebula consideration. Bought for $9.
Tags:Books, Frederik Pohl, George Zebrowski, Robert Silverberg, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Science Fiction, technology | No Comments »
Monday, July 12th, 2021
Here are some Armchair Fiction titles I picked up during a sale, all of which are (though POD editions) either first editions thus or first book editions of works originally published in magazines, and are mostly works that have fallen out of copyright.
Anderson, Poul. Masters of Science Fiction, Volume 9: Poul Anderson: “The Star Beast” And Other Tales. Armchair Fiction, 2014. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Short story collection. “The Long Return” and “World of the Mad” haven’t been reprinted since their original magazine appearances.
Anderson, Poul with Lester Del Rey and Frederik Pohl. A Twelvemonth and a Day b/w Preferred Risk. Armchair Fiction, 2016. First edition trade paperback original for the Anderson, a Fine copy. Supplements a signed hardback first of Preferred Risk.
Campbell, John W. and Aladra Septama. When the Atoms Failed b/w The Dragons of Space. Armchair Fiction, 2016. First edition trade paperback originals, a Fine copy. Contains “When the Atoms Failed” (one print reprint) and “The Metal Horde” no print reprints) from Campbell, and the Septama had never been reprinted previously (though, according to Bleiler’s Science Fiction: The Gernsback Years, it’s really bad…).
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery Book Eight. Armchair Fiction, 2020. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Supplements volumes 1-7.
Silverberg, Robert. Masters of Science Fiction Volume 13: Robert Silverberg The Ace Years, Part Three. Armchair Fiction, 2018. First edition trade paperback originals, a Fine copy. Reprints three more Ace PBOs: Invaders From Earth, Collision Course and The Silent Invaders, plus a new forward, a book cover gallery, and “The Songs of Summer.”
Silverberg, Robert, and Randall Garrett, and Laurence Manning. The Beast With 7 Tails b/w The Wreck of the Asteroid. Armchair Fiction, 2021. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. The Silverberg/Garrett “The Beast With 7 Tails” has never been reprinted since it’s appearance in Amazing Stories in 1956, and The Wreck of the Asteroid has not been reprinted since being serialized in Wonder Stories in 1932-3. Bleiler’s Science Fiction: The Gernsback Years says that the Manning is “A competent adventure story with reasonable development.”
Except for The Ace Years, Part Three (already sold!), I will have copies of all these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in progress.
Tags:Armchair Fiction, Books, Frederik Pohl, John W. Campbell, Lester Del Rey, Poul Anderson, Print-on-Demand, Robert Silverberg, Shaver Mystery
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 1st, 2017
Here are three random library additions, the only common denominator of which was that I picked all of them up at Half Price Books.
Leckie, Ann. Ancillary Justice. Orbit, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine, new and unready copy. Hugo and Nebula Award winner. Bought for $7.99 at Half Price Books. Supplements the later Gale/Thorndike Press large print hardback edition and the Subterranean Press signed/limited edition.
Pohl, Frederik and Lester Del Rey (as Edson McCann). Preferred Risk. Simon and Schuster, 1955. First edition hardback, a Near Fine- copy with page block spotting at heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket with traces of wear at points and moderate soiling to white rear panel. Inscribed by Pohl: “To Rick—/With all good/wishes—/”Edson”/or/Fred Pohl.” Currey (1979), page 404. Bought for $8, down from $10 with a 20% off coupon. This is a case of knowing more than the bookseller, since I knew this was a Pohl/Del Rey pseudonym and what Pohl’s signature looks like. As for the book itself, evidently Galaxy magazine and Simon and Schuster ran a contest for an SF novel, didn’t like any of the submissions, and got Pohl and Del Rey to write this under a pseudonym for the contest.
Vachess, Andrew, Geoff Darrow, Michael Black and Gary Gianni. The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine No. 1. Dark Horse, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with a small scrape at heel and just a trace of wear. Signed by Vachess, Darrow and Black. Pulp fiction homage that looks like fun. Bought for $7.99.
Tags:Andrew Vachess, Ann Leckie, Books, Frederik Pohl, Lester Del Rey, pulp, Science Fiction, signed
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Monday, July 18th, 2016
Here’s a omnibus “roll up” post for every book I bought during the first half of 2016. I’m a bit late getting this up, and I have a huge wave of books I bought July 10 I need to catalog…
Adams, Douglas and John Lloyd. The Deeper Meaning of Liff. Pan Books, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Aldiss, Brian. The Creten Teat. House of Stratus, 2002. First hardback edition (according to Aldiss’ site, the trade paperback version preceded), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. I have heard, second-hand, that House of Stratus went into receivership about the time this came out, and that very few hardback copies actually made it out into the world. Bought off Amazon for $9.94.
Allston, Aaron. Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand. Del Rey, 2002. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, signed and dated by Allston.
Aylett, Steve. The Inflatable Volunteer. Phoenix House, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a publicity postcard signed by Aylett laid in. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Aylett, Steve. Toxicology. Gollancz, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a postcard laid in. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Bear, Greg. Halo: Cryptum. Tor, 2010. Book One of the Forerunner Saga. Bought at Half Price Books for $3.
Bradbury, Ray. The Autumn People. Paperback original, VG with a small sticker pull on front cover, spine crease, rubbing, stamps on insider covers, and general wear. Comic adaptations of Bradbury stories. Bought for $1.99 from Half Price Books.
Bradbury, Ray. A Christmas Wish 1988 (If Only We Had Taller Been). Privately printed, 1988. First edition Christmas broadsheet, a Fine copy. Inscribed by Bradbury: “For Rev. Gerald Watt, C.R./With fond good wishes/for/1989/Ray Bradbury.” Bought for $28 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. A Christmas Wish 1989 (The Bread of Beggars, The Wine of Christ). Privately printed, 1989. First edition Christmas broadsheet, a Fine copy. Inscribed by Bradbury: “For Rev. Watt. Thanks for Asking!/Love!/Ray/Bradbury/ 5/6/90.” Bought for $29 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings 2008 (Imagine that you have been dead). Privately printed, 2008. First edition Christmas broadsheet, a Fine- copy with slight corner bumping. Signed by Bradbury. Bought for $25 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. Let’s All Kill Constance. William Morrow, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed and dated by Bradbury. Bought off eBay for $19.95, which is $4 off cover price.
Bradbury, Ray. Quicker Than The Eye. Avon, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of fading to spine. Short story collection. Bought off eBay for $17.57.
Bradbury, Ray. Yestermorrow. Joshua Odell Editions/Capra Press, 1991. First edition hardback (“First Edition” stated and numberline ending in 1), a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of dust jacket crimping at head and heel. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Matthew!/Ray Bradbury/ 4/30/94”. Bought off eBay for $20, which is 5¢ over list price.
(Bradbury, Ray) Weist, Jerry. Bradbury: An Illustrated Life. William Morrow, 2002. First edition hardback (precedes the Donald M. Grant limited edition by two years), a Fine-/Fine- copy with very slight bumping at head and heel. Inscribed by Bradbury: “To all the/Grand Tubers/Ray Bradbury.” Oversized illustrated history of Bradbury’s work. Bought for $27.10 off eBay.
Blish, James. A Dusk of Idols and Other Stories. Severn House, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday, 2003. First edition hardback (price of $24.95 on flap, “First Edition” and “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” numberline on copyright page), a near Fine copy with owner blindstamp on front free endpaper, in a Fine- dust jacket with a small crease to bottom corner of front flap. Bought for $2 from the “Nostalgia Bargain” section of a Half Price Books.
Buckell, Tobias. Xenowealth. Self published via Kickstarter, 2016. Hardback first edition, signed by the author. Short story collection. See here for more details.
Buckell, Tobias. Xenowealth. Self published via Kickstarter, 2016. Trade paperback edition, signed by the author.
Butler, Samuel. Erewhon or Over the Range. Trübner & Co., 1872. First edition hardback, a rebound copy in modern full leather (at least according to the auction description, but “modern” is a relative term; the new binding is worn enough that it appears to be at least 50 years old), original covers bound in rear of textblock, with heavy rubbing on joints and corners, hinges starting, minor scattered foxing on preliminary and terminal leaves, pages characteristically brittle, overall a Very Good rebind copy. Published anonymously, Erehwon (“nowhere” spelled backwards) is satire in the mode of Gullivers Travels, and one of the most important 19th century Utopian/Dystopian novels. Bleiler Checklist (1978), page 36. Bleiler Checklist (1948), page 68. Bleiler, SF: The Early Years, page 113. Reginald (Volume I), page 84. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4, 1-19. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature Volume Two, page 729. Bought for $75 (including buyer’s premium) from Heritage Auctions.
And here’s a picture of the original boards bound into the back:
Carr, Terry. Fandom Harvest. Laissez Faire Productions AB, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. According to Chalker/Owings (1991), page 538, only 250 hardbacks were done. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Constantine, Storm. The Monstrous Regiment. Orbit, 1989. Trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with a touch of edgewear at head and heel, signed by Constantine. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Ellison, Harlan. Edgeworks 2: Spider Kiss/Stalking the Nightmare. White Wolf, 1996. First edition hardback omnibus thus, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books. When the Edgeworks series first came out, I didn’t pick them up because I already had all the individual works they contained. But at £5 it’s worth picking up for title variant completeness…
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Other in the Mirror. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, with a signed (but unnumbered) limitation page, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Omnibus edition of three novels (Fire in the Night, Jesus on Mars, and Night of Light), the first two of which were only published as paperback originals. Original price for the signed/numbered edition was $125. This supplements my trade edition, and all editions are now out of print from the publisher. Bought off eBay for $24.95 plus shipping.
Franklin, Jay (AKA John Franklin Carter). The Rat Race. Fantasy Publishing Co. Inc., 1950. First edition hardback, one of 1,200 hardback copies (per Chalker/Owings), a Fine- copy in the second state (gray boards, red titling, per Kemp) binding, with slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine+ second state (per Kemp) dust jacket that’s slightly misaligned (about 1/4″ more on rear than front flap), slight wear at extremities, and some indentations along rear spine gutter. Chalker/Owings, The Science-Fantasy Publishers (1991), page 171. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 79. Bought for $19 (including dealer discount), plus a $5 show credit coupon, at the Austin Book and Paper Show.
Gaiman, Neil. Fragile Things. Headline Review, 2006. Short story collection. This UK edition precedes the US edition by a week.
Greenberg, Martin. Journey to Infinity. Gnome Press, 1951. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bend at head in a Fine- second state (30 titles) dust jacket with a few small traces of wear, and a few pinhead spots on the front cover, otherwise extremely bright and attractive. Chalker/Owings (1991), pages 198-199. Kemp, 204. Bought for $25 with buyer premium.
Greenberg, Martin. All About the Future. Gnome Press, 1954. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight dust soiling to page block edges and one small indention to very bottom of from board, in a near Fine- dust jacket with a 1″ closed triangular tear at bottom front along spine, a semi-closed 1/8″ tear at head, and shallow chipping at points. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 202. Kemp, 204. Note that Kemp calls for black boards with red lettering; my copy is gray boards with a reddish cloth spine with silver lettering, and Chalker/Owings doesn’t report on the binding state at all, which would theoretically make this a previously unrecorded binding variant. However, Gnome Press variant collector Steve Carper believe that this is in fact the primary binding state, and that Kemp got it wrong and the black boards/red lettering state is the variant. Bought for $20 with buyer premium.
(Hitchcock, Alfred) Paul Condon and Jim Sangster. The Complete Hitchcock. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Knight, Damon, editor (Leon Stover, Gene Wolfe, R. A. Lafferty, etc.). Orbit 9. Putnam, 1971. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a touch of edgewear at points in a Near Fine- dust jacket with slight edgewear and very slight darkening to white rear jacket. Inscribed by contributor Leon Stover: “For Robert & Virgina Heinlein/with thanks for/9 June 1984/Leon Stover.” Stover would not only later publish a critical book on Heinlein from Twayne, but was working on the official authorized biography of Heinlein before the latter’s death, a project cancelled after a falling out with Virginia Heinlein. Bought for $6.50 from Houston bookstore Kaboom Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. (Pete Von Sholly, illustrator). Christmas Monkeys. PS Publishing, 2015. First edition hardback, one of 300 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and decorated boards, with bookmark signed by the author and artist laid in (as issued). Illustrated children’s book (for certain values of “children”).
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories of Ursula K. Leguin: Volume Two: Outer Space, Inner Lands. Small Beer Press, 2012.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Eddy, Muriel, and C.M. Eddy, Jr. The Gentlemen from Angell Street: Memories of H. P. Lovecraft. First edition trade paperback original thus, containing additional material not in the 1961 edition, a Fine copy. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole. Bantam, 1990. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy.
Martin, George R. R. and Melinda Snodgrass, editors. Lowball: A Wild Cards Novel. Tor, 2014.
McCarthy, Cormac. The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form. Dramatists Play Service, 2006. Play chapbook original, possibly a first printing (I’m not sure how you tell printings for Dramatists Play Service), a Near Fine+ copy with a bit of curl.
(Moore, Alan) Parkin, Lance. Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore. Aurum, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards with a purple band across the front cover, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction biography.
Newman, Kim. Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles. Titan Books, 2011. Fine, signed by Newman. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Niven, Larry. Protector. Ballantine Books, 1973. First edition (“First printing: September 1973,” as per Currey) paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with small number stamp at heel, one slight spine crease, and a tiny bit of spine lean.
Novik, Naomi. The Blood of Tyrants. Del Rey, 2013.
Pohl, Frederik. The Far Shore of Time. Tor, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Pohl. Bought for $10 off Ebay.
Pohl, Frederik and C.M. Kornbluth. Wolfsbane. Ballantine Books, 1959. PBO first edition (as per Currey), Fine- with a touch of wear and 1/16″ tear at heel front cover join.
Pohl, Frederik and Jack Williamson. The Singers of Time. Doubleday Foundation, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with small wrinkle to top inner flap tip. Signed by Pohl. Bought off eBay for $4.00 plus shipping.
Rajaniemi, Hannu. Collected Fiction. Tachyon, 2015.
Simmons, Dan. The Fifth Heart. Subterranean Press, 2015 (actually 2016). First signed limited edition, #189 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Remember when Simmons’ Carrion Comfort was notably taller than just about every book published that year? This is slightly taller, which seems to increasingly be the form factor of choice for limited editions.
Swanwick, Michael, with Marianne Porter. Fallen Leaves. Dragonstairs Press, 2016. First edition hardback, number 17 of 20 signed, numbered copies (the only edition), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, with spine label affixed.
Swanwick, Michael. 5 Seasons. Dragonstairs Press, 2016. First edition chapbook original, #69 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Five one page stories about the seasons.
Tymn, Marshall B. American Fantasy and Science Fiction: Toward a Bibliography of Works Published in the United States, 1949—1973. Fax Collector’s Editions, 1979. Paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with spine creasing and wear along the spine. Though Tymn authored or co-authored a number of important reference works, this, an attempt to update Bleiler’s Checklist with modern works, limited only to those published in hardback, is generally not numbered among them, as it was largely superseded by Currey and Reginald the same year of publication. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 178, are not kind: “Alas, it’s useless, one of the most worthless pieces of bibliography in the past 20 years or so.” There was a hardback, but Chalker/Ownings says it was just attaching a premade casing to the paperback. Not in Keith L. Justice’s Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Reference. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Vance, Jack. Cugal’s Saga. Timescape, 1983. First edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Third book in the Dying Earth series (or fourth, if you count Michael Shea’s A Quest for Simbilis). Hewett, A71. Preceded the Underwood/Miller limited edition by six months.
Vance, Jack. The Houses of Iszm Underwood/Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, one of 482 trade copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Hewett, A12h.
Wake, Paul, Steve Andrews and Ariel (yes, just “Ariel,” no last name; I can only assume it’s edited by the mermaid from that Disney movie). Waterstone’s Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Waterstone Guides, 1998. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. There are some good contributors in here (like John Clute), but the author entries are distributed somewhat randomly. Waterstone’s is a UK bookstore chain, and I imagine these are pretty common on the other side of the pond. Here? Not so much. Bought for £5 from Cold Tonnage Books.
Wandrei, Donald. Don’t Dream: The Collected Horror and Fantasy Fiction of Donald Wandrei. Fedogan & Breamer, 1997. Bought for $12.50 at Half Price Books with a 50% off coupon (cover price is $29).
Tags:Aaron Allston, Alan Moore, Books, Brian Aldiss, C. M. Kornbluth, Cormac McCarthy, Dan Simmons, Frederik Pohl, George R. R. Martin, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Marshall Tymn, Michael Swanwick, Naomi Novik, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Science Fiction, science fiction bibliography, Steve Aylett, Tobias Buckell
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Kickstarter, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 15th, 2016
Picked up another signed first by two Sf giants:
Pohl, Frederik and Jack Williamson. The Singers of Time. Doubleday Foundation, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with small wrinkle to top inner flap tip. Signed by Pohl. Bought off eBay for $4.00 plus shipping.
Tags:Books, Frederik Pohl, Jack Williamson, signatures
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Wednesday, September 17th, 2014
There is no theme, only Zuul interesting stuff that’s come in after I got back from Worldcon.
Asprin, Robert and Jody Lynn Nye. Myth-Told Tales. Meisha Merlin, 2003. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed to a Jennifer by both authors on August 31, 2003 (when I believe they attended Dragoncon). I haven’t read Asprin’s work in quite a while, but this was only $3 at Half Price Books.
Haldeman, Joe, editor. Study War No More. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with crease to FFE and a BB-sized outward bump (probably a binding flaw) near top of spine, in a Near Fine+ slightly spine-faded dust jacket. Signed by Haldeman and contributors Harlan Ellison, Poul Anderson and George Alec Effinger. Anthology. Bought off eBay for $24.99.
Pohl, Frederik, and Jack Williamson. Land’s End. Tor, 1988. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with slight crease to spine, slight bend at head and heel, and a trace of lean, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with 1″ x 1/8″ crease at top dj rear and wear at extremity points. Inscribed by both authors: [In Williamson’s hand] “For/Debbie/with the very best/Jack Williamson/[in Pohl’s hand] and/Fred Pohl.” Bought for $20 off eBay.
Smith, Clark Ashton. The Immortals of Mercury. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1932. First edition chapbook original, Very Good only, more browned than usual. Probably the most expensive of all the Stellar series, as it frequently lists for over $100. Bought for $29.99 off eBay. For more on the Stellar series, see here.
Tuttle, Lisa. A Spaceship Built of Stone and Other Stories. The Women’s Press, 1987. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Inscribed to me by the author: “For Lawrence/A spaceship built of stone/should not fall apart. I/hope this one lasts/All the best/Lisa Tuttle/20 Aug 2014”. (An additional personal postcard to me is laid in as well.) Sent to me by the author. The story is that I found a less perfect copy of this book at an Oxfam shop for £1.50, and bought it with the intention of having Lisa sign it at Worldcon. However, when I did so, the first leaf of the book fell out! At which point Lisa said she’d mail me a copy…
Tags:Books, Clark Ashton Smith, Fantasy, First Edition, Frederik Pohl, Jack Williamson, Joe Haldeman, Lisa Tuttle, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, pics, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, July 10th, 2014
Joe Pumelia asked me to put together a quick necrology of notable science fiction figures who have died over the last 18 months for his forthcoming fanzine, a roll-call which is depressingly extensive and filled with world-class talent. Here’s a quick and dirty list that just hits the highlights of writers (and one artist) who have died in that time, along with select top works for those unfamiliar with their output to pursue.
Aaron Allston (December 8, 1960 – February 27, 2014): Texas writer best known for his gaming and media tie-in work. See: Doc Sidhe (a Doc Savage homage).
Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013): Notable Scottish writer who penned both celebrated mainstream novels and (as Iain M. Banks) swell science fiction. Died entirely too young from cancer. See: The Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Player of Games.
Neal Barrett, Jr (November 3, 1929 – January 12, 2014): The dean of weird Texas science fiction writers. See: The Hereafter Gang and the stories in Perpetuity Blues.
Tom Clancy (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013): Bestselling technothriller writer, some of whose work qualified as near-future SF. See: The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising.
Basil Copper (February 5, 1924 – April 3, 2013): English horror writer who had four books published by Arkham House.
H.R. Giger (February 5, 1940 – May 12, 2014): Brilliant and darkly disturbing Swiss artist. Responsible for the Xenomorph creature design in the movie Alien.
Rick Hautala (February 3, 1949 – March 21, 2013): Prolific horror writer who had many books published by Zebra, and was a recipient of the Horror Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award.
James Herbert (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013): British horror writer. His novel The Fog was made into the John Carpenter movie.
Daniel Keyes (August 9, 1927 – June 15, 2014): Writer famous for only one work, but it was a doozy: “Flowers for Algernon”.
Jay Lake (June 6, 1964 – June 1, 2014): A young writer who exploded in a supernova of productivity, only to be struck down in his prime by the recurring cancer whose fight he documented in his blog. See: Mainspring and the stories in The Sky That Wraps.
Doris Lessing (October 22, 1919 – November 17, 2013): Nobel Prize-winning writer, some of whose books used genre settings or tropes.
Richard Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013): A writer with a long and illustrious career in science fiction and horror, most famous for works adapted for TV or movies, including numerous scripts for the original Twilight Zone. See: I Am Legend (filmed three times, and they still haven’t gotten it right), The Shrinking Man, The Night Stalker, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Little Girl Lost,” “Duel,” and “He Who Kills” (the Zuni fetish doll segment of Trilogy of Terror).
Andrew J. Offutt (or andrew j. offutt, as he preferred to spell it) (August 16, 1934 – April 30, 2013): Prolific SF/F writer, including work in the Thieves World shared-universe.
Frederik Pohl (November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013): A giant from the golden age who had a career revival in the 1970s. Wrote collaborations with C.M. Kornbluth and Jack Williamson, and was a noted editor. See: Gateway, Man Plus, The Space Merchants (with Kornbluth), and “Tunnel Under the World.”
Nick Pollotta (August 26, 1954 – April 13, 2013): Writer who did humorous SF and fantasy under his own name, and series men’s adventure novels under house pseudonyms.
Frank M. Robinson (August 9, 1926 – June 30, 2014): Writer who compiled an illustrated history of science fiction, as well as collaborating on the novel that was made into the movie The Towering Inferno.
Alan Rodgers (August 11, 1959 – March 8, 2014): Horror writer and former editor of Night Cry magazine. See: “The Boy Who Came Back From the Dead.”
Michael Shea (July 3, 1946 – February 16, 2014): The finest dark fantasy prose stylist of his generation. See: Nifft the Lean, the stories in Polyphemus.
Lucius Shepard (August 21, 1943 – March 18, 2014): One of most important science fiction writers of the 1980s, winning Hugo and Nebula Awards for his short fiction. See: The stories in The Jaguar Hunter.
Steven Utley (November 10, 1948—January 12, 2013): Texas science fiction writer, known for his time travel tales and his stories in collaboration with Howard Waldrop. Died of an aggressive cancer less than a month after first diagnosis. See: “Custer’s Last Jump” and “Black as the Pit, From Pole to Pole” (both with Waldrop).
Jack Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013): One of the all-time great science fiction writers, and arguably the finest prose stylist the field has ever produced. See “The Dragon Masters,” the stories in The Dying Earth, and the four Planet of Adventure books.
Colin Wilson (June 26, 1931 – December 5, 2013): British writer who wrote science fiction and horror. His novel The Space Vampires was turned into the movie Lifeforce.
Tags:Aaron Allston, Alan Rodgers, andrew j. offutt, Basil Copper, Books, cancer, Colin Wilson, Daniel Keyes, Doris Lessing, Fantasy, Frank M. Robinson, Frederik Pohl, H.R. Giger, Horror, Iain M. Banks, Jack Vance, James Herbert, Jay Lake, Joe Pumilia, Lucius Shepard, Michael Shea, Neal Barrett Jr., Nick Pollotta, Obituary, Richard Matheson, Rick Hautala, Science Fiction, Steven Utley, Tom Clancy
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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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