Posts Tagged ‘Pulphouse’
Tuesday, January 28th, 2025
A private seller on an Ed Bryant group on Facebook offered up a bundle of signed Ed Bryant firsts, and I was able to buy them for a pretty modest sum. Ed was a regular Armadillocon and Worldcon attendee, so I knew him and had some stuff signed by him, but the seller had items I’d never seen before. It’s an interesting mix.
Bryant, Edward. The Cutter. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition paperback chapbook edition, a Fine- copy with small spots of rubbing to rear along spine, inscribed by Bryant: “Edward Bryant/6 -20-03/For Jane,/I love the movies/don’t you?/x o X/Ed.” Issue #8 of their Short Story Paperbacks series. Supplements a copy in my complete run of Short Story Paperbacks.
Bryant, Edward. The Dreamer. Wormhole Books, 2003. First edition greeting card chapbook, #June of 500 copies signed by Bryant and other Wormhole Books staffers (Dawn Dunn, Chris Dunn, Joanna Erbach and Thomas Mark), a Fine copy in plain white envelope, presumably as issued. Wormhole Books seems to have been in business from 2001-2004 and produced a handful of chapbooks (most with small hardback runs) by Bryant, Connie Willis, etc. This seems to have been sent out as an Independence Day greeting to customers. Though probably categorized as ephemera, this appears to be an original Bryant story printed nowhere else. Does anyone know how many of these holiday card stories Wormhole published?
Bryant, Edward. Knock. No publisher listed, just “copyright (C) 2004 by Edward Bryant.” Presumed first edition thus, an 8 1/2″ x 11″ broadsheet, #28 of 50 signed copies, a Very Good+ copy with several wrinkles. No idea what this was done for, maybe a convention. Reprints a very short story originally published in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, which I also have a story in.
Bryant, Edward. Particle Theory. Pocket/Timescape, 1981. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with spine creasing and former owner’s name stamped on inside front cover, inscribed by Bryant: “For Jane,/Yes, I know you’re not the/sort of person who makes requests/like this…but what the/heck—maybe these are fictions you can repeat/in the morning./Enjoy!/Edward Bryant/ 6/23/82.” Supplements a fine (but unsigned) copy.
Bryant, Edward. A Sad Last Love at the Diner of the Damned. Wormhole Books, 2001. First edition chapbook original (simultaneous with the much smaller hardback run), one of 750 copies on which “43” has been crossed out and replaced with “proof,” a Fine copy, signed by Bryant. I heard Ed read this at Armadillocon. Originally appeared in Skipp & Spector’s The Book of the Dead. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1214 (which erroneously notes this as the original publication). Supplements a copy of the hardback edition.
Bryant, Edward. The Thermals of August. Pulphouse, 1992. First edition hardback, one of 100 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine- copy with some extremely minor nicks (greatly exaggerated in the scan), sans dust jacket, as issued. Hugo and Nebula finalists. Supplements a copy of the short story paperback version.
Bryant, Edward. While She Was Out. Wormhole Books, 2001. First edition chapbook original (simultaneous with the much smaller hardback run), #154 of 750 copies, signed by Bryant. Thriller story that was the basis of a 2008 film of the same name. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1214.
Bryant, Edward. Wyoming Sun. Jelm Mountain Press, 1980. First edition trade paperback (simultaneous with a much smaller hardback run), a Fine- copy with slight wear at points, inscribed by Bryant: “Edward Bryant/6-20-30/For Jane,/Hey, Love Min. Sit/down. Have some tea/This is home,/Enjoy,/Ed.” Short story collection from a regional small press. Supplements a copy of the hardback. I also have an inscribed copy of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Bryant, Edward and Harlan Ellison. Phoenix Without Ashes. Fawcett, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one spine crease, bookstore stamp inside front cover, and a touch of edgewear, signed by Bryant. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 108. Supplements a fine (but unsigned) copy. Now I need a copy signed by both Ed and Ellison…
Wilson, Robin Scott, editor. Clarion II. Signet, 1972. First edition paperback original, a very Good copy with spine creasing and a few other touches of wear. Anthology of stories by attendees of the Clarion Writer’s Workshop. Ed Bryant has a story in here, but this book is not signed.
All of the above was bought for $50.
Ed was an important science fiction short story writer in the 1970s and 80s, and an important horror short story writer in the 1980s and 90s, though after that he was mostly known as a reviewer and critic. All along the way he was widely loved by the field.
I will have additional signed Ed Bryant firsts in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
I have a pretty complete Ed Bryant collection, but again, I wasn’t even aware that a couple of things here existed at all. I wonder what else might be lurking out there…
Tags:Armadillocon, Books, broadsheet, chapbooks, Ed Bryant, Fantasy, Harlan Ellison, Pulphouse, Science Fiction, signatures, small press publishers, Wormhole Books
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 19th, 2024
Another bargain purchase:
Bear, Greg. Sisters. Pulphouse, 1992. First edition hardback, #48 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. #26 in the Short Story Hardback series. Chalker/Owings (2003), page 272. Bought off eBay for $16.
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Greg Bear, Pulphouse, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Thursday, December 14th, 2023
When Pulphouse first unveiled the short story paperback, I remember thinking “That’s stupid.” For all they bragged about “buying a single story for $1.95,” you could buy an entire issue of Asimov’s (with 5-10 times as much content) for $2.50. And, indeed, they were not swift sellers. Though a few of these (the Wolfe, the Lansdales, etc.) became slightly collectable over the years. (And a few of the companion Short Story hardbacks even more so.)
But I bough these from that same collector culling his collection for $1 each.
Almost all of these are paperback originals thus (though some of these have previously shown up as the title stories in collections, like Bloch’s Yours Truly, Jack the Rapper or Zelazny’s The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth), though exceptions (like Blaylock’s Paper Dragons) are noted. Some of the early ones (“Loser’s Night,” “Xolotl”) are the first publication anywhere, but most of the stories have appeared somewhere previously. Unlike most Library Addition entries, these will be listed by series order rather than alphabetical by author.
All of these are Fine copies unless otherwise noted.
“Author, J.Q.” Issue Zero. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #0, a binding dummy for the entire run of the series, with bank pages. Would never have bought this on it’s own, but since I was buying the entire thing I got this too. This one has a tiny bit of edgewear on rear spine join.
Anderson, Poul. Loser’s Night. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #1.
Brunner, John. A Case of Painters Ear. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #2.
Sheckley, Robert. Xolotl. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #3.
Boston, Bruce. All the Clocks are Melting. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #4.
Antieau, Kim. Blossoms. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #5.
Friesner, Esther M. Ecce Hominid. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #6.
Duchamp, L. Timmel. A Case of Mistaken Activity. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #7.
Bryant, Edward. The Cutter. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #8.
Wilhelm, Kate The Girl Who Fell Into the Sky. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #9.
Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #10. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #11. Isajanko, The World Lansdalean C01.a.i. Supplements another copy and a Short Story Hardback version.
Bishop, Michael. The Quickening. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #12.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #13. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name. I needed this for my Zelazny collection.
Haldeman, Joe. More Than The Sum of His Parts. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #14.
Clemence, Bruce No Way Street. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #15. Guy had this, and a story in Synergy 3, and that was it…
Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn. The Spider Glass. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #16.
de Lint, Charles. Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #17. One of the harder titles to find.
Williams, Walter Jon. Dinosaurs. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #18.
Charnes, Suzy McKee. Listening to Brahms. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #19.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Black Air. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #20.
Etchison, Dennis. The Dark Country. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #21. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
Aldiss, Brian W. Journey to the Goat Star. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #22. Tiny bit of rubbing along spine.
Brin, David. Piecework. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #23.
Caraker, Mary. I Remember, I Remember. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #24.
Schow, David J. Sedalia. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #25.
Stableford, Brian. Slumming in Voodooland. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #26.
Yolan, Jane. The Sword and the Stone. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #27.
Fowler, Karen Joy. The War of the Roses. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #28.
Morlan, A.R. The Cat With The Tulip Face. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #29.
Shiner, Lewis. Twilight Time. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #30.
Wagner, Karl Edward. Where the Summer Ends. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #31.
Lee, Tanith. Into Gold. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #32.Tiny rub on spine.
Willis, Connie. Daisy, in the Sun. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #33. Tiny rub on spine.
Bell, M. Shayne. Inuit. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #34.
Wilson, F. Paul. The Shade of Lo Man Gong. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #35.
Wilson, F. Paul. Buckets. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #36.
Martin, George R. R. The Pear-Shaped Man. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #37.
Butler, Octavia. The Evening and the Morning and the Night. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #38. Holy moley, the prices on this online are crazy. The prices for the signed hardback I can at least sort of understand, since Butler died young, but the prices for unsigned copies like this are still crazy. I had no idea.
Dozois, Gardner. The Peacemaker. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #39. Supplements a copy of the Short Story Hardback edition.
Wolfe, Gene. The Hero as Werewolf. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #40. This is one I did actually need, and I still need the hardback version. Also, this is the last one from 1991. Pulphouse put out 40 of these in 1991. This is called “channel stuffing.” I wasn’t dealing books at the time, but I’m pretty sure SF/F/H dealers were not thrilled at this tsunami of small press books of dubious sales-worthiness.
Oates, Joyce Carol. The Bingo Master. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #41.
Effinger, George. Schrodinger’s Kitten. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #42. Supplements the hardback version.
Bear, Greg. Sisters. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #43.
Holder, Nancy. The Ghosts of Tivoli. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #44.
Brin, David. Dr. Pak’s Preschoool. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #45. Supplements a copy of the Cheap Street edition (which precedes).
Lansdale, Joe R. Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #46. Isajanko, The World Lansdalean C03.a.i. Supplements a copy of the Short Story hardback version.
Somtow, S. P. Fiddling for Waterbuffaloes. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #47.
Murphy, Pat. Rachel in Love. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #48.
Card, Orson Scott. Unaccompanied Sonata. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #49.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Nine Lives. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #50.
Bloch, Robert. The Skull of the Marquis de Sade. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #51.
de Lint, Charles. Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #52.
Kress, Nancy. The Price of Oranges. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #53.
Busby, F.M. If This Is Winnetka, You Must be Judy. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #54.
Cadigan, Pat. My Brother’s Keeper. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #55.
Bryant, Edward. The Thermals of August. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #56.
Blaylock, James P. Paper Dragons. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #57. A few small rubs along spine. Supplements a copy of the Axolotl Press hardback (which precedes).
Resnick, Mike. Kirinyaga. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #58. Kelleghan, Mike Resnick: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to His Work A39.
Sloca, Sue Ellen. Candles on the Pond. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #59. As far as I can tell, this is her only publication anywhere.
Wu, William F. Shaunessy Fong. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #60. Has some slight rubbing along front near spine. Last in the Short Story Paperbacks series.
Reference: Jack Chalker and Mark Owings, The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History, 2002, page 719 (numbers 1 through 10), page 721 (numbers 11-20), pages 722 (numbers 21-30). This is what Chalker had to say about the Short Story paperback line:
In January, 1991, Pulphouse continued its expansion with the Short Story Paperbacks and the selected Short Story Hardbacks, although we’re still only half- convinced that these are in any sense legitimate books. What they were, though, was what seemed to be a quick way to make money, and if people bought them, fine. They brought the whole operation as of the start of 1991 at a whopping 80+ titles a year. It should be noted that the paperbacks series was supposed to be originals and reprints, but became, after the initial ones, primarily reprints, a move that, while understandable, seemed to us to take away the one good reason why most people might buy them.
Money held by SF/F/H collectors is a finite commodity, and Pulphouse in the early 1990s seemed to treat it as a limitless resource. If you’re publishing books by Lansdale, Zelazny, Wagner, De Lint, etc., that’s a license to print a little money. But Antieau, Clemence, Caraker? Not so much. Why they thought collectors were going to shell out money for such items is a mystery.
The entire set bought for $61.
Tags:Books, Brian Aldiss, Bruce Boston, Charles de Lint, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Connie Willis, David Brin, David J. Schow, Dennis Etchison, Ed Bryant, Ester M. Friesner, F. Paul Wilson, Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, Gene Wolfe, George Alec Effinger, George R. R. Martin, Greg Bear, Horror, James P. Blaylock, Joe Haldeman, Joe R. Lansdale, John Brunner, Joyce Carol Oates, Karen Joy Fowler, Karl Edward Wagner, Kate Wilhelm, Kim Stanley Robinson, Lewis Shiner, Michael Bishop, Mike Resnick, Nancy Kress, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, Pat Murphy, Poul Anderson, Pulphouse, Robert Bloch, Robert Sheckley, Roger Zelazny, S. P. Somtow, Science Fiction, Suzy Mckee Charnes, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin, William F. Wu
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2021
Another book for my complete Lansdale collection from that same private collector:
Lansdale, Joe. R. Tight Little Stitches In A Dead Man’s Back. Pulphouse, 1992. First edition hardback chapbook, #70 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Short story hardback issue #28. Story originally appeared in John Maclay’s Nukes anthology in 1986. This is the first separate edition. Bought from a private collector for $75 (which is considerably more than I paid for The Steel Valentine).
I may have mentioned that I avoided the Pulphouse short story hardback line when it first came out, as I had a hard time thinking of them as real books rather than gimmicks, and didn’t expect them to hold their value. Now, after I’ve collected everything else by the author, I’ve been picking them up. Most can still be had cheap, but not this one.
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Horror, Pulphouse, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021
Here are two different signed, limited edition anthologies from different publishers that, spine-out, look a whole lot like each other because they were printed using the same printing and binding technology. Chalker/Ownings called it the “Newcomer-Dikty process,” which turned out to be an early example of what became “Print On Demand” publishing, though both books below are true first editions with defined print runs.
Cahill, James, editor. Lamps on the Brow. James Cahill Publishing, 1998. First edition hardback, #70 of 274 numbered copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, in a Fine slipcase, as issued. Low print-run anthology of original stories (all save the last one by A. E. van Vogt), featuring Gene Wolfe, Mike Resnick, Andre Norton, Bruce Bethke, etc., plus an introduction by Ben Bova. I also have Ten Tales, a similar Cahill anthology. Cahill was active in the 1990s, publishing books by Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Powers, etc. I also think he did some mystery limited editions. Bought off eBay for $58, slightly more than half the original publication price of $100.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, editor. Pulphouse Winter 1990: Issue Six. Pulphouse Publishing, 1990. First edition hardback, #196 of 250 numbered copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine- copy with a tiny crease at head, sans dust jacket, in a Fine slipcase, as issued. Back in the dim mists of the late 1980s, I thought the black trade edition of Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine, with it’s faux leather, embossed covers and deckled edges, was fairly attractive. Many of the Author’s Choice Monthly volumes were also worthwhile. Then Pulphouse wildly overproduced a huge variety of material nobody wanted, almost single-handedly depressing the market for small press books in the early 1990s. This volume has work (and signatures) from Avram Davidson, George Alec Effinger, Bradley Denton, Charles De Lint, Susan Palwick, etc. “Shrunk,” the Effinger story, is actually one George brought to the second Turkey City Writer’s Workshop I ever threw, which he said he had just missed selling to Playboy. According to him, Alice Turner had said “Well, I looked at it, and looked at it, and I finally decided it just wasn’t right for us.” Said George: “Do you realize what she said? ‘You just missed $5000 by that much.’ Tell me what’s wrong with it! I’ll walk to New York on my knees and fix it!” I already have all 12 issues of the trade edition of the hardback magazine run, and pick up the signed editions when I find them cheap, and I now have four. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 715. Bought off eBay for $25, more than half off the original offering price of $60.
Tags:A. E. van Vogt, Ben Bova, Books, Bradley Denton, Bruce Bethke, Fantasy, Gene Wolfe, George Alec Effinger, James Cahill, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick, Pulphouse, Science Fiction
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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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Monday, September 28th, 2020
You may remember these two previous Zelazny purchases. Well, Bob Pylant, the same guy I bought them from, wanted to sell off the reminder of his collection, so I went over to his house and cleaned him out of virtually all his remaining books, Zelazny and otherwise. I’ll be listing some over the next few days, while I’ll be selling others in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, and still others (like his collection of Zelazny first magazine appearances) will have to wait until even later while I figure out how I want to store and display them.
My primary collecting focus has been on first editions, but Bob collected almost everything Zelazny related, from foreign editions, library market hardback reprints, got Zelazny to sign pristine book club editions, and to every anthology that reprinted a Zelazny story. (I think there are six of seven featuring “Home is the Hangman” alone). I’ll be incorporating the interesting ones into my own collection because, well, I’ve already paid for them, haven’t I?
Bob also did things that I wouldn’t have done, like adding aftermarket dust jackets to books that weren’t issued with them. And there’s one book in this batch he did something particularly odd to.
Here’s the first batch of Zelazny books, the only theme among these that they didn’t fit into any other themes.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, And Other Stories. Doubleday, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with very slight bend at head and heel and a trace of foxing to inside front gutter, in a Fine- dust jacket with touches of wear and a tiny bit of age darkening to the spine and at top rear. With signed Zelazny bookplate laid in. Kovacs, V9a. Levack, 12a. Currey, page 570. Replaces an Ex-Library copy.
Zelazny, Roger. Gone to Earth. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #40 of 50 signed, numbered copies bound in leather, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Author’s Choice Monthly #29. (Well, they say leather; I have my doubts. Also note that between volumes 18 and 19, the color of the “leather” edition went from a dark gray to a dark blue.) Supplements a signed “trade” clothbound hardcover in dust jacket. Kovacs, V13iv. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 728. I suppose that now I should look for one of the 10-copy red leather staff editions…
Zelazny, Roger. Lord of Light. Easton Press, 1994. Hardback, a Fine copy bound in decorated leather, sans dust jacket, as issued, with unused personalization bookplate sticker laid in (as issued), as well as a signed Zelazny signature plate. According to Kovacs, copies in aquamarine-colored leather like this one are reprints. Kovacs, I29m.
Zelazny, Roger. Manna From Heaven. DNA Publications/Wildside Press, 2003. Hardback, a Fine copy in non-decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. The 1-59224-199-9 ISBN matches the first edition listed at the ISFDB, but Kovacs says this is the UK Lightening Source hardback reprint. Signed by publisher Warren Lapine. Kovacs, V18b. Supplements the first printing with pictorial boards.
Zelazny, Roger. This Immortal. Garland Publishing, 1975. First (and only) edition thus, a hardback reprint for the library trade, a Fine copy in a Fine- aftermarket dust jacket Bob created from a copy of the SFBC/Ace Books reprint from 1988 with Richard Powers’ cover art, and which has some faint creasing along the folds. Signed by Zelazny. This edition is reproduced from the 1973 Ace third paperback printing, as stated on the reproduced Ace copyright page. Part of the Garland Library of Science Fiction. Kovacs, I40c.
Zelazny, Roger and Jane Lindskold. Donnerjack. Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, either a Fine or a Poor copy (depending on how you count the annotations), in a Fine dust jacket. Novel started by Zelazny and finished by Lindskold after Zelazny’s death. Zelazny was a famously lean prose stylist, and Bob felt that Lindskold was not, so he has annotated the book by crossing out in brown or blue marker every section he felt was un-Zelazny-like from page 167 on. I passed on picking this up in the first bulk buys, but took it this time around because, well, it’s not like I can sell it to anyone else, and who else would know or appreciate the story behind it? Kovacs, I16b. Supplements a Fine/Fine copy inscribed to me by Lindskold.
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Easton Press, Fantasy, Garland Press, Pulphouse, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction, Wildside Press
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Sunday, January 19th, 2020
Most of these were Half Price Books purchases:
Caro, Robert. The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power. Knopf, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head, heel and points. The fourth volume of Cato’s award-winning Johnson biography. Bought from Half Price Books for $9.99.
Haber, Karen, and Leigh Brackett. Thieves Carnival/The Jewel of Bas. Tor, 1990. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Sort of assembling a complete Leigh Brackett collection as targets of opportunity present themselves. Bought at Half Price Books for $1.99.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Joshi, S. T. The Madness of Cthulhu. Titan Books, 2014. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a edgewear at head and heel. Joshi 200, IX.11.a. Bought for $3 at Half Price Books.
Piercy, Marge. Woman on the Edge of Time. Knopf, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight crease to top front flap. Pringle, SF 100 81. Bought from Half Price Books for $6 in a coupon sale.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn. The Gallery of His Dreams. Axolotl/Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #297 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Additional inscribed by Rusch to Texas science fiction writer carrier Richerson: “For Carrie —/A very good/writer — Send me stories!/Kristine Kathryn Rusch/ 6/22/91.” In fact, Rusch did publish some of Richerson’s work in both Pulphouse and in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, making this something of an associational copy. Bought for, IIRC, $6.39 (20% off $7.99).
Silverberg, Robert. Moonferns & Starsongs. Ballantine Books, 1971. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a couple of touches of edgewear, otherwise apparently new and unread. Short story collection. Bought from a Half Price Books in Houston for $2.40.
Sturgeon, Theodore (with Dough Moench and Alex Nino). Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human: The Graphic Story Version. Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 1978. First edition hardback, a Near Fine- copy with bump to bottom points, slight bumping at head and heel, and one scratch and edgewear to front cover pasted-on color illustration, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Sturgeon. Graphic novel adaptation of Sturgeon’s fix-up novel. I have been unable to find a limitation on the signed/limited edition of this book. Bought off eBay for $29.99.
VanderMeer, Jeff. Borne. MCD/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with bookmark for the Southern Reach trilogy laid in. Bought from Half Price Books for $9.99.
Wagner, Karl Edward. The Year’s Best Horror Stories XVI. DAW, 1988. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with sight edgewear. Includes “Neighborhood Watch,” an early, rarely reprinted Greg Egan story. Bought from Half Price Books for $1.99.
Tags:Cthulhu, Greg Egan, H. P. Lovecraft, Half Price Books, Jeff VanderMeer, Karl Edward Wagner, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Leigh Brackett, Pulphouse, S. T. Joshi, small press publishers
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Wednesday, March 20th, 2019
I have a complete run of the trade edition of Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine I picked up as they were coming out. Recently I saw a couple of issues of the signed edition of same cheap, so I picked them up at prices that were actually less than what the trade edition retailed for.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, editor. Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue Three: Fantasy. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #170 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by contributors Avram Davidson, Harlan Ellison, Jack Williamson, Charles De Lint, Michael Bishop, Don Webb, etc. Bought off eBay for $22.99.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, editor. Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue Five: Horror. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #36 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by contributors George Alec Effinger, Ed Bryant, Elizabeth Hand, etc. Bought off eBay for $19.99.
Pulphouse wildly overproduced and over-saturated the market in the early 1990s, but I always thought the hardback magazine itself featured solid stories.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Horror, Limited Editions, Pulphouse, small press publishers
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Friday, February 15th, 2019
Three more Lansdale first editions:
Lansdale, Joe R. Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers. Subterranean Press, 2017. First edition hardback, letter G of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine traycase. Prequel to Bubba Ho-tep. The traycase is a vaguely coppery color and feels vaguely suede-like. Supplements a signed trade edition. Bought off eBay for $185, $65 less than the original $250 publication price. I wouldn’t mind picking up all the Lansdale traycase editions, since I already have four of those, and have virtually everything else of Joe’s…
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #36 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in imitation leather boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Pulphouse Short Story Hardback #7, reprinted from By Bizarre Hands. I avoided the short story hardback line when it first came out, as I had a hard time thinking of them as real books rather than gimmicks, and didn’t expect them to hold their value. Now, after I’ve collected everything else by the author, I’ve been picking them up, and my original judgment about their collectability (or lack thereof) was largely accurate. I picked this and the following up for $29, which is all of $7 over the combined price of both when published…
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback), a Fine copy, signed by Lansdale.
Tags:Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, Pulphouse, Subterranean Press
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