These are both parts of Year’s Best Series that I pick up as targets of opportunity. Both of these were bought as part of a small paperback lot from a friend who was culling his collection.
Library Additions: Two DAW Year’s Best PBOs
June 19th, 2023Library Addition: Two PS Publishing Firsts
June 14th, 2023Two PS Publishing titles, both bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
I have both of these available through Lame Excuse Books.
Library Additions: Firsts by Calvino, Gibson, Heinlein
June 12th, 2023Here are three first edition hardbacks, all bought at Half Price Books.
Shoegazer Sunday: hyperlilly’s “springs (the oracle)”
June 11th, 2023Hyperlilly evidently hale from Cologne, Germany. Not a fan of the video (static band shots + mild psych color filters), but the song reminds me of Auburn Lull crossed with a bit of M83.
George Winston, RIP
June 8th, 2023Pianist George Winston died at age 74. December is a great Christmas album for people that hate Christmas albums. Here’s “The Holly and the Ivy.”
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Library Additions: Two Signed Joe R. Lansdale Firsts
June 7th, 2023One a signed, limited edition, the other inscribed to me in person.
Library Addition: Jack Vance in Pulps 1945-1975
June 6th, 2023Another addition to the reference work library:
(Vance, Jack) Jean Luc Esteban. Jack Vance: Works published in PULPS magazines 1945-1975. LuLu, 2023. First edition (POD) hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. An odd reference work, showing the full-color cover illustrations, title pages, first few story pages, and interior black and white illustrations, for every story Jack Vance published in pulp magazines for the covered period. (Never mind that by the 1970s, the magazines publishing Jack Vance weren’t pulps and hadn’t been for some time.) Sort of an strange work, with high production values (all the page are slick stock, not just the ones for the color illustrations) and odd editorial choices (the Table of Contents is at the rear, and there are a lot of pages left unnecessarily blank). Also, there is no magazine or illustrator index. But buying this is a whole lot less expensive than tracking down every single issue covered. If this is the sort of reference work you think you need, then you need it, and if you don’t, you don’t. Note also that there are four slightly variant titles this could be known under: the spine says Jack Vance in Pulps 1945-1975, the front cover says Jack Vance in Pulps First issues 1945-1975, the half-title page says Jack Vance Pulps Editions 1945-1975, and the title page says Jack Vance: Works published in PULPS magazines 1945-1975. Yeah, the book could have used an editor…
Library Addition: Signed Robert Bloch Bibliography
June 5th, 2023Another addition to the reference library:
(Bloch, Robert) Larson, Russell D. The Complete Robert Bloch: An Illustrated Comprehensive Bibliography. Fandom Unlimited Enterprises, 1986. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with trace of wear at tips, signed by Bloch. Just what it says, an illustrated bibliography of Bloch’s work. Looks useful, though the type is a bit small for my aging eyes. Justice, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Reference 185. Bought of eBay for $35 plus shipping.
Shoegazer Sunday: Kinoko Teikoku’s Musician
June 4th, 2023Been a while since we did some Japanese Shoegaze, so here’s Kinoko Teikoku’s “Musician”:
It sounds a bit like Asobi Seksu crossed with Lemon’s Chair. It takes about 30 seconds to get beyond the initial noisy buzz.
Kinoko Teikoku evidently means “Mushroom Empire,” and they “suspended activity” in 2019.
Library Addition: Jeremias Gotthelf’s The Black Spider
May 29th, 2023Way down on the list of my collecting vectors is books about giant spiders, so when I saw in a Heritage Auctions lot I decided to track down a copy.
Gotthelf, Jeremias (pseudonym for Albert Bitzius). The Black Spider. John Calder (Publishers) Ltd., 1958. First English language edition, a Near Fine+ copy with slight spine lean and former owners name inside front cover under flap, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with 1/4″ chip at head, two pinhead-sized abrasions at heel front join, wear at points, and moderate age darkening to white portion of spine. Nineteenth century allegorical horror story about evil made manifest as a giant black spider. Introduced and translated from the original German by H. M. Waidson. Barron, Horror Literature 2-35. Not in Bleiler’s Guide to Supernatural Fiction. Bought off a fellow Biblio dealer for $21.25.
