Another signed first from a giant of the Golden Age:
Sturgeon, Theodore. Sturgeon Is Alive And Well…. Putnam, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bend at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight edgewear at head and heel, a bit of dust soiling to white rear panel, and slight age darkening to top of white rear panel and edges of white flaps. Signed by Sturgeon. Short story collection, one I greatly enjoyed reading in my youth. I particularly remember “It Was Nothing—Really!,” about man who figures out that perforations make things stronger, and eventually invents invisible wall of impenetrable nothingness, and “Suicide,” about a man who jumps off a cliff to kill himself, and awakens still alive, hurt, down the cliff, and struggles to climb back up. Bought off eBay for $39.99. Currey, page 472.
de la Ree, Gerry. Fantasy Collector’s Annual – 1975. Gerry de la Ree, 1974. First edition hardback, #50 of 80 bound hardback copies a Fine- copy with top rear spine hinge gutter paste-down starting to tear, otherwise a nice, square copy. Miscellany of fantasy-related items, including Virgal Finley art, facsimiles of letters from Seabury Quinn to Finley, J.J. Weguelin’s art of H. Rider Haggard’s Montezuma’s Daughter, a note on the secret reprint edition of August Derleth’s Someone in the Dark, facsimile examples of inscriptions by several fantasy notables including, Ray Cummuings, A. A. Merrit, and Wernher von Braun, and a reprint of a The Mars Gazette, a chemical company advertising pamphlet in science fictional form extolling the virtues of “liquid peptonoids.” Chalker/Owings, page 128. Bought from an online dealer for $60.
In which I pick up a signed, limited edition of a book for less than I paid for the trade eition.
Shepard, Lucius. The Golden. Mark V. Ziesing, 1993. First edition hardback, #243 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with one 1/16″ closed tear at heel in a Fine- slipcase with a tiny rub at top. Supplements a trade edition signed by Shepard. I saw this on eBay for $24, and the book pricing part of my brain went “That’s a good price…but I bet I can do a little better.” Bought off eBay for a $20 buy it now offer. List publication price was $65. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1003. Part of my plan to pick up every Ziesing book in every state, since I already had most of the trade editions anyway…
Kuttner, Henry and C.L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett). The Day He Died. Duell, Sloan and Pierce, 1947. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a little bit of bend at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with small chip at heel and associated 1/2″ closed tear, plus a trace of wear at points. Mystery. I saw a less attractive copy in an online auction go for considerably more than I was willing to spend, so I bought this (the nicest copy online) from a notable SF dealer for $220.
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…
Science Fiction writer Ben Bova has died at age 88. He was an important writer and editor, with a stint at Analog before becoming the first fiction editor of Omni.
Bova had been writing science fiction for longer than I’ve been alive. I read a fair amount of his work in my youth, with Millennium, City of Darkness and The Dueling Machine being particular favorites, Indeed, I remember checking out City in Darkness from the middle school library before first period, and read the whole thing by the end of the school day.
Ben was a friendly acquaintance, and we chatted at various conventions and signings over the years. This photo is from the 2014 London Worldcon.
A combination of new books that came in and filling in some collection gaps.
Lansdale, Joe R. Deadman’s Road. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, #18 of 200 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off an Internet book dealer for $50.40.
Lansdale, Joe R. For A Few Stories More. Subterranean Press, 2002. First edition hardback, #550 of 1,000 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements the Lettered edition, but weirdly I never picked up this trade edition until now. Bought from Kasey Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Magic Wagon. BookVoice Publishing, 2018. First edition thus, #408 of 500 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. This edition includes a rare western story by Joe, “Man With two Lives,” not in any other edition, a new introduction by Joe, and a new afterword by Keith Lansdale. Supplements a signed copy of the Doubleday first edition. Bought from Kasey Lansdale. Now I need to pick up that Crossroad Press limited edition.
Lansdale, Joe R. Waltz of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Although the limitation calls for a 1/1000 signature page, it’s not in this copy, though it still has the FIRST EDITION/SEPTEMBER 1999 statement, making this a previously unrecorded variant (not in the 2002 Chalker/Owings CD). Bought from Kasey Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. and Keith Lansdale. Big Lizard. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2020. First edition hardback, #101 of 1,500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A botched supernatural ceremony gives the protagonist ” the power to transform into a big lizard who can run fast, has incredible strength, and a large tail.” Looks like fun. Full color illustrated endpapers and signature page.
Lansdale, Joe R. Joe R. Lansdale’s Christmas With The Dead. Write-On Movies, 2012. Presumed first edition (?) DVD, a new copy, inscribed to me by Joe R. Lansdale and signed by Kasey Lansdale. I don’t usually record DVDs I buy here, but they’re not usually signed. Bought from Kasey Lansdale.
I will have copies of Big Lizard, The Magic Wagon and Waltz of Shadows in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in progress. Drop me a line if you want to receive a copy in email.
Three books bought from Subterranean Press at the usual discount:
Bennett, Robert Jackson. In the Shadows of Men. Subterranean, 2020. First edition hardback, #134 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novella by the author of Mr. Shivers and Company Man.
Egan, Greg. Dispersion. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #173 of 1000 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. “In a world not quite our own, every living thing is born into one of six discrete “fractions” that are incompatible with—and often invisible to—each other. These fractions have coexisted peacefully for centuries, but now a disease has appeared that seems to drag the infected parts of the body into a different fraction. The effects are devastating. Individual victims suffer painful, protracted deaths. Entire communities turn against one another, and a state approaching perpetual war takes hold.”
Powers, Tim. The Properties of Rooftop Air. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #277 of 474 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. An Anubis Gates story.
I will have copies of all three of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in progress.
