Posts Tagged ‘Print-on-Demand’

Library Addition: Arkham House Ephemera Guide

Thursday, November 14th, 2024

This popped up on an Arkham House group, and I knew that I had to pick up a copy. Not because I collect Arkham House ephemera, but because I collect Arkham House reference books. I think this one is the fifth I own.

Herron, Don, and John D. Haefele. Arkham House Ephemera: The Classic Years 1937 —1973: A Pictorial History & Guide For Collectors. Cimmerian Press, 2024. First edition trade paperback original (a POD books, with “version 1.1 (November 2024)” on the copyright page and “Made in the USA/Coppell, TX/08 November 2024” on last (barcode) page), a Fine copy. Just what the title says, a pictorial history of Arkham House ephemera (catalogs, review slips, etc.) issued from the press’s founding up through 1973. The book is actually useful even if you don’t collect ephemera, as the full catalogs show when books went out of print and how much they were going for, etc.

This was published at $40. I put it in my basket where it sat for a bit until I had enough other items to make it worth an order, whereupon I found it had dropped in price to $29.33! If you want a copy, click on the Amazon link above, by which time the price will no doubt have fluctuated up or down due to their mysterious algorithm…

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Posted in Books, Horror | No Comments »

Library Addition: Avram Davidson’s Dragons in the Trees

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024

Another Avram Davidson Universe purchase:

Davidson, Avram. Dragons in the Trees: A Visit to British Honduras (Belize). Or All The Seas With Oysters Publishing, 2023 (i.e. 2024). First edition trade paperback original (this is a Print-on-Demand book fulfilled through Amazon; I ordered it the same day it was announced on the Avram Davidson Universe newsletter on April 23, and the printing code at the back states “Made in the USA/Coppell, TX/23 April 2024”), a Fine copy. Non-fiction. “This unique travel journal, born from Davidson’s travels between December 1965 and January 1966, showcases his unparalleled imagination and erudite commentary. Known primarily for his fantastical fiction, Davidson proves to be a masterful travel writer, capturing the essence of his experiences with vivid prose and introspective reflections.” Note: Despite the “First edition paperback published 2023” line on the copyright page, the people at the Avram Davidson Universe confirmed that this POD edition is indeed the true first.

The book is available through Amazon at the above link, and if you haven’t picked them up already, you may also want to get Davidson’s AD 100: Volume I and AD 100: Volume II as well.

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Posted in Austin, crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, technology | No Comments »

Library Additions: Avram Davidson’s AD 100 1 and 2

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023

I don’t generally pick up POD books, but here are two essential books only available as POD books.

Davidson, Avram. AD 100: Volume I and AD 100: Volume II. Or All the
Sea With Oysters Publishing, 2023. First edition trade paperback
originals (print on demand), as new. The Avram Davidson Society has set these up as Amazon print on demand originals. Together they include 100
unpublished or uncollected Avram Davidson stories. If you’re interested in picking them up, click the links above.

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Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Library Addition: Several Armchair Fiction Titles

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.

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    Posted in Books, Science Fiction | No Comments »

    Is Webster’s Digital Services The New Hephaestus Books?

    Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

    You may remember my piece on Hephaestus Books, the “publisher” who automatically packages up free digital content (like Wikipedia articles) and slaps them together as a Print on Demand book with a deceptive title available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

    Well it appears that a company called Webster’s Digital Service is doing the same thing. Here’s a volume on Octavia Butler that appears to be put together the same way, though the title doesn’t look quite as misleading as those Hephaestus Books used. The first line of the description reads “Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.”

    The “author,” one “Elizabeth Dummel,” appears to be quite the busy bee, being listed as the author of no less than 907 books on Amazon, including this one on Jo Walton. I wonder if she know about it. I suspect not. I’ll send her email after I post this.

    I wonder just how many other content scrapers are assembling such books?

    Like Hephaestus Books, these books are complete ripoffs, but not technically illegal. As always, let the buyer beware.

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    Posted in Books | 6 Comments »

    Hephaestus Books: A Different Kind of Ripoff

    Friday, November 4th, 2011

    Jerry Pournelle and C. J. Cherryh have been among the first to report on the nefarious activities of Hephaestus Books, which seems to be publishing omnibus editions of hundreds or thousands of books which they haven’t bothered to obtain the rights for. I say “seems,” because a closer look shows that Hephaestus Books does seen to be ripping people off, but it’s the readers and buyers rather than the authors.

    Since Jerry helped sound the alarm, let’s take this collection, titled Novels By Jerry Pournelle, including: The Legacy Of Heorot, The Mote In God’s Eye, The Gripping Hand, Footfall, Inferno (novel), Fallen Angels … Starswarm, Higher Education over at Amazon as an example. The text description reads:

    Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book is a collaboration focused on Novels by Jerry Pournelle.

    The fact that the book length is a mere 82 pages should confirm that all the novels listed in the title are not in fact present.

    So: They’re content scrapers, grabbing anything they can grab off the Internet (it looks like most of their content is scrapped off Wikipedia) and slapping it between two covers as a print-on-demand (POD) book. This is bad and dubiously legal practice, but their primary sin seems to be false advertising, since their “book” titles deceptively suggest that you’re buying an omnibus edition of fiction rather than a collection of stuff you can read for free on the Internet.

    Personally, if I were in charge of Amazon or Barnes & Noble, I’d pull all the Hephaestus Books titles due to their dishonest tactics and customer dissatisfaction anyway. (I don’t think even my insane Jack Vance collector friends will be picking up this.) But from my cursory glance, it’s readers, not authors, who are the ones being ripped off.

    (Hat tip: Instapundit.)

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    Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 34 Comments »