Posts Tagged ‘Book Collecting’

Library Addition: First Edition of Otto Penzler’s Mysterious Obsession

Tuesday, December 31st, 2019

Slightly out of the ordinary for what I usually collect:

Penzler, Otto. Mysterious Obsession: Memoirs of a Compulsive Collector. The Mysterious Bookshop, 2019. First edition hardback, #219 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction. The story of how Penzler assembled his famed collection of mystery first editions. This edition sold out before publication. I have precisely one copy available through Lame Excuse Books. Bought directly through Mysterious Bookshop at a slight discount off the $50 cover price.

Allen Lewis Donates His Entire Collection to The University of Iowa

Monday, August 24th, 2015

Well, how did I miss this news? Science fiction collector Allen Lewis donated his entire collection of science fiction first editions to the University of Iowa. Here’s another story on the donation, with a few more quotes and pictures of Al in front of his library. (Sadly, the pictures are not large enough to read the titles.)

I’ve sold many a book of Al over the years (and bought one or two from him). Al was famous for hauling a minivan’s worth of books to get signed at SF conventions. He would frequently get a dealer’s table, less to sell a few extras, but to have a base to store his own books from which to hit the autographing lines.

It would be nice to browse through the list of what he donated, if they ever get it online…

Book Acquisitions: July 1—December 31, 2012

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013

Time for another roundup of what additions I’ve made to my library of science fiction first editions. This is what I’ve picked up in the last six months. All are Fine/Fine hardback first editions unless otherwise noted.

  • Adams, Douglas. Mostly Harmless. Harmony Books, 1992. First U.S. edition, a Fine hardback in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of haze rubbing along the spine join. Inscribed by Adams: “To Bev + Bill/Douglas Adams.” Bought for $7.99 at Half Price Books on University in Houston.

  • Aldiss, Brian. Summer 1773. The Bellevue Press, 1976. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Anderson, Poul. Fantasy. Tor/Pinnacle, 1981. Paperback original, Near Fine+ with faint spine crease.
  • Barnes, Steven. Assassin and Other Stories. ISFiC Press, 2010. Signed by Barnes.
  • Barrett, Neal, Jr. Other Seasons. Subterranean Press, 2012.
  • Bishop, Michael. White Power Poem. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Blaylock, James P. The Shadow on the Doorstep. ISFiC Press, 2011.
  • Blaylock, James P. Zeuglodon (with Hans Clinker). Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 250 signed and numbered copies (with a signed and numbered chapbook).
  • Blaylock, James P. Zeuglodon. Subterranean Press, 2012. Trade edition.
  • Bradbury, Ray. Greentown/Tinseltown. Stanza Press, 2012. First edition hardback, Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. Miscellaneous collection of Bradbury material (stories, poems, essays, holographic material, etc.) about growing up on both a small town and (later) Los Angeles.
  • Bradbury, Ray. The Last Circus & The Electrocution. Lord John Press, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Bradbury. Two stories and an afterword, plus an introduction by William F. Nolan.

  • Carr, James and Archana Kumar. Hipster Hitler. Feral House, 2012. Advanced copy of trade paperback first edition. Cartoon collection.
  • Carroll, Jonathan. The Woman Who Married a Cloud. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 350 signed, numbered, leatherbound copies.
  • Carroll, Jonathan. The Woman Who Married a Cloud. Subterranean Press, 2012. Trade edition.
  • Chambers, Robert W. The King In Yellow. F. Tennyson Neely (as part of their Neely’s Prismatic Library series), 1895. First edition, first printing of green cloth with brown lettering, with lizard design on cover and review of In the Quarter at rear. Full details here.

  • [Coen, Joel & Ethan] Luhr, William G. The Coen Brothers’ Fargo. Cambridge University Press, 2004. First edition hardback, Near Fine with remainder mark to head, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
  • Cowper, Richard. The Story of Pepita & Corindo (with The Young Student). Cheap Street, 1982. First edition chapbooks, both Fine copy in wraps, each #15 in a signed edition of 75 slipcased copies.

  • Crowley, John. Beasts. Doubleday, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Crowley: “June 1988 4th St/To Scott/John Crowley.” Supplements a copy inscribed by Crowley to me which has a weird spine defect.
  • Dann, Jack. Borges. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Dann, Jack. Hallways. The Bellevue Press, 1974. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s, 2002.
  • Datlow, Ellen, Kelly link and Gavin Grant, editors. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Nineteenth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s, 2006.
  • Dick, Philip K. The Selected Letters of Philip K. Dick, 1980-82 (Volume Six). Underwood Books, 2005. Nonfiction.
  • Disch, Tom. The West Coast. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Dorman, Sonya. Pomegranate. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Dozois, Gardner. The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection. St. Martins, 2012.
  • Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with a 1″ closed tear along bottom rear spine join. Pulitzer Prize winner.
  • Grant, Mira. When Will You Rise: Stories to End the World. Subterranean Press, 2012.
  • Hamilton, Peter F. Manhattan in Reverse Subterranean Press, 2012. First limited edition one of 250 signed, numbered copies.
  • (Heinlein, Robert A.) William H. Patterson & Andrew Thronton. The Martian Named Smith: Critical Perspectives on Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. Nitrosyncratic Press, 2001. Trade paperback original. Picked up at the Heinlein Society party at the Chicago Worldcon for free.
  • (Howard, Robert E.) Herron, Don, editor. The Dark Barbarian: The Writings of Robert E. Howard: A Critical Anthology. Greenwood Press, 1984. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued.

  • (King, Stephen) Beahm, George. Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King. Centipede Press, 2009. First edition oversized hardback (slipcase is 15 3/4″ high by 11 1/2″ wide), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, in fine, illustrated slipcase.

  • Kushner, Ellen. Swordspoint. Unwin Hyman, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by the author: “To Scott/Best Wishes/Ellen Kushner.” Supplements my inscribed American first edition.
  • Lake, Jay. Escapement. Tor, 2008. Signed by Lake.
  • Lansdale, Joe R. All the Earth Thrown to the Sky. Delacorte Press, 2011. Signed by Lansdale.
  • Lansdale, Joe R. The Cases of Dana Roberts. Subterranean, 2011. First edition chapbook, Fine in wraps. Originally published to accompany the limited edition of Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2. This copy signed by and purchased from the author.
  • Lansdale, Joe R. Edge of Dark Water. Mulholland Books/Little Brown, 2012. Signed by Lansdale.
  • Lansdale, Joe R. Trapped in the Saturday Matinee. PS Publishing, 2012.
  • Lansdale, Joe R. with Karen Lansdale and Keith Lansdale. In Waders From Mars. Subterranean Press, 2012.
  • Le Guin, Ursula K. From Hsin Ch’i-chi 1140-1207. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Le Guin, Ursula K. Travelling. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Leicht, Stina. And Blue Skies From Pain. Night Shade Books, 2012. Trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Inscribed to me by the author after purchase.
  • Lichtenberg, Jacqueline. Unto Zeor, Forever. Doubleday, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel. Full page inscription by the author.

  • Lovegrove, James. Diversifications. PS Publishing, 2011.
  • Matheson, Richard. Other Kingdoms. Tor, 2011.
  • McAllister, Bruce. Humanity Prime. Ace, 1971. Paperback original, Fine- with name inside cover.
  • McDonald, Ian. The Twenty Five Mile High Club. Birmingham Science Fiction Group, 2002. First edition chapbook, #283 of 325 copies.
  • Moody, David. Trust. Infected Books, 2012. One of 500 signed, numbered hardback copies.
  • Lumley, Brian. No Sharks in the Med and Other Stories. Subterranean Press, 2012.
  • Moorcock, Michael. The Jade Man’s Eyes Unicorn Bookshop, 1973. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. An original Elric novella. An odd trim size, being wider than the standard mass market paperback. Currey (1978), p. 370.

  • Novik, Naomi. Tongues of Serpents. Del Rey, 2010.
  • Pohl, Frederik. Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2. Ballantine Books, 1953. First edition hardback, a VG copy with dust-staining along top page block edges and wear along bottom boards in a VG dust jacket with slight sun-fading to spine and dust staining to white rear cover.
  • Powers, Tim. Hide Me Among the Graves. Charnel House, 2012. First limited edition, one of 124 signed, numbered copies in mica-flecked boards, a Fine copy, sans dj, as issued. The usual oversized, elaborate Charnel House production, ordered pre-publication.

  • Reeves, Michael and John Pelan, editors. Shadows Over Baker Street. Del Rey, 2003.
  • Resnick, Mike. Stalking the Zombie. American Fantasy, 2012. One of 250 signed, numbered copies.
  • Resnick, Mike. Stalking the Zombie. American Fantasy, 2012. Trade edition.
  • Resnick, Mike, et. al. Win Some, Lose Some. ISFiC Press, 2012. First edition hardback, Fine-/Fine- with a bumped corner. Signed by Resnick and several other contributors.
  • Resnick, Mike, editor. Alternate Warriors. Tor, 1993. PBO, Fine-.
  • Resnick, Mike and Joe Siclari, editor. Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches. ISFiC Press, 2006. Non-fiction.
  • Reynolds, Alistair, and Liz Williams. Odyssey 2010 Souvenir Book. Contains original Reynolds/Williams novelette “Lune and the Red Empress”.
  • River, Uncle. Counting Tadpoles. PS Publishing, 2009. Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued.
  • Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Seven: We Are for the Dark 1987-90. Subterranean Press, 2012. Fine, sans dj, as issued.
  • Smith, Clark Ashton. The City of the Singing Flame. Timescape, 1981. Paperback original thus (though I believe all the stories appeared previously in various Arkham House collections), Near Fine+ with one 1/4″ stray brown mark to page edges.
  • Stross, Charles. The Apocalypse Codex. Ace, 2012. The fourth Laundry novel.
  • Sturgeon, Theodore. Case and the Dreamer: Volume XIII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon. North Atlantic Books, 2010.
  • Tidhar, Lavie. Osama. PS Publishing, 2011. One of 100 signed, numbered copies.
  • Tidhar, Lavie. Osama. PS Publishing, 2011. Trade edition. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume V: The Lost Road and Other Writing. Houghton Mifflin, 1987. First American edition, Fine-/Fine. See here for details for this and the following Tolkien books.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume IV: The Shaping of Middle Earth. Houghton Mifflin, 1986. First American edition, Fine-/Fine.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume VI: The Return of the Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings Part One. Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume VII: The Treason of Isengard: The History of the Lord of the Rings Part Two. Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume VIII: The War of the Ring: The History of the Lord of the Rings Part Three. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume IX: Sauron Defeated: The History of the Lord of the Rings Part Four. Houghton Mifflin, 1992.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume X: Morgoth’s Ring: The Later Simarillion Part One. Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume XI: The War of the Jewels: The Later Simarillion Part Two. Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R. (edited by Christopher Tolkien) The History of Middle Earth Volume XII: The People of Middle Earth. Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

  • Vance, Jack. The House on Lily Street. Underwood/Miller, 1979. First edition hardback, one of 450 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dustjacket with 1/2″ closed tear at head. Signed by Vance. Hewett A55.

  • Vance, Jack. Monsters in Orbit b/w The World Between and Other Stories. Ace Books, 1965. paperback original, Fine. Hewett A20a/A21a. Currey (1978), page 499.
  • Vance, Jack. The Seventeen Virgins & The Bagful of Dreams. Underwood/Miller, 1979. One of only 111 signed hardback copies, a Fine- copy with a tiny bump to bottom front boards in a Fine dust jacket. Hewett A58b and A59b.

  • Vinge, Joan D. There Are Songs. Science Fiction Poetry Association, 1980. First edition postcard.
  • Walton, Jo. Among Others. Tor, 2011. Signed by the author.
  • Wells, Martha. The Serpent Sea. Night Shade Books, 2012. Trade paperback original.
  • Westerfeld, Scott. Leviathan. Simon Pulse, 2009.
  • Willis, Connie. Blackout. Ballantine Books, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of crimping at the top of the dust jacket.
  • Williams, Tad. A Stark and Womry Knight. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 250 signed, numbered, leatherbound copies.
  • Williams, Tad. A Stark and Womry Knight. Subterranean Press, 2012. Trade edition.
  • Wolfe, Gene. Home Fires. PS Publishing, 2011. First limited and first UK edition, one of 300 hardback copies signed by Wolfe.
  • Wolfe, Gene. On Lyra III. Science Fiction Poetry Association, 1980. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn. Constellations. The Bellevue Press, 1977. Postcard first edition, Fine.
  • Zelazny, Roger (created by). Ever After. Baen, 1995. Paperback original, Fine.
  • A Book Collector More Obsessive Than I

    Monday, December 10th, 2012

    Poking around the Internet, I came across this description of the personal collection of American librarian Paula Peyraud, who assembled a vast and impressive collection of books, letters, and art for the Georgian period (1760–1820), including important work by Samuel Johnson, Jane Austen, and hundreds of less famous figures.

    A more complete description of her collection can be found in this PDF, and if you’re interested in books and collecting it’s well worth a read. Though not my collecting vector, the collection Peyraud was amazing not only in quality (though she favored extensively hand-annotated works by contemporary figures over pristine copies), but also in the sheer vastness of her holdings. “By the time of Peyraud’s sad death in 2008, the complete collection ran to approximately half a million printed books.” Having assembled a bit over 1% of that number, the sheer size of her library (which she kept, meticulously cataloged, in a subterranean book gallery at the big family home she inherited) is stunning. I’m also tickled by the idea of an American librarian outbidding a Viscountess for a choice item.

    In Praise of Bestine

    Monday, August 20th, 2012

    Since I buy so many books, either for myself or resale, I frequently have to remove sticker residue, marker or pen marks, etc. And what I use to do that is Bestine.

    Bestine takes pretty much all that stuff off any coated dust jacket, including magic marker blocking out the price. Bestine removes that stuff and then evaporates and leaves no residue behind.

    I just bought a set of books I’ll be listing in full in a day or two, but I just wanted to show you before and after pictures from marked-through prices. Before:

    After:

    If you regularly buy books and need to remove stickers or magic marker from their covers, I highly recommend it.

    Recent Library Acquisitions: 12 Volumes in the Stellar Publishing Science Fiction Series

    Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

    I picked up an interesting lot in a recent Heritage auction: 12 of the 18 volumes in the Stellar Publishing Corporation Science Fiction Series. SF pioneer Hugo Gernsback formed Stellar Publishing Corporation in 1929, and I’m given to understand that many volumes were available for sale for decades in the back of various science fiction magazines.

    Alas, there seems to be a dearth of information about Stellar Publishing itself out on the Internet. Fortunately, I have the very first science fiction bibliography ever published, Science Fiction Bibliography, VOL 1, NO 1 (and only), published by the “Science Fiction Syndicate” right here in Austin, Texas in 1935. Let’s see what it has to say about the series:

    The titles and authors of these eighteen booklets are too well known to enumerate.

    Well, thanks a lot, long-dead dumbasses!

    All of these (except the Manly Wade Wellman volume) can only be considered VG (at best) because the previous owner punched a set of small binding holes near the spine, presumably to store them all in one binder. Still, I only paid $38 for the entire set.

    All of these have browned pages due to the paper used, but the scanner slightly exaggerates the shading variation. List numbers are the number each volume comes in the series.

    1. Michelmore, Reg. An Adventure in Venus. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    2. Stone, Leslie F. When the Sun Went Out. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    3. Lorraine, Lilith. The Brain of the Planet. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG-, with punch holes and usual page browning, and a few stray black marks to cover.

    4. Colladay, Morrison. When the Moon Fell. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    5. Bourne, Frank/Long, Amelia Reynolds. The Thought Stealer (Bourne) and The Mechanical Man (Long). Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    6. Bradley, Jack. The Torch of Ra. Stellar Publishing Corporation, no date (1930). First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    7. Eberle, Merab/Mitchell, Milton. The Thought Translator (Eberle) and The Creation (Mitchell). Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    8. Higginson, H. W. The Elixir. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    9. Black, Pansy E. The Valley of the Great Ray. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.

    10. Farrar, Clyde/Sharp, D.D. The Life Vapor (Farrar) and Thirty Miles Down. Stellar Publishing Corporation, no date (1930). First edition chapbook original, VG-, with punch holes and usual page browning, slight staining to top back corner near spine, and initials to very bottom of cover.

    1. Wellman, Manly Wade. The Invading Asteroid. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1932. First edition chapbook original, a Near Fine copy with usual page browning (and unlike the above, no side hole punching).

    Generally, the Wellman is (along with Clark Ashton Smith’s The Immortals of Mercury and Jack Williamson and Dr. Miles J. Breuer’s The Girl From Mars, neither of which I’ve picked up yet) considered among the more desirable titles in the series. But the Lorraine and Bourne/Long titles are also getting somewhat hard to find as well.

    Library Additions: August 8—December 31, 2011

    Sunday, January 8th, 2012

    Despite this big-ass list, I think my book buying is actually slowing down a little. It’s getting harder to find things that I want (and don’t already have) at Half Price Books or eBay. Despite that, I always seem to have a surprisingly large number of books every time I do one of these roundups, mainly due to new small press offerings. (And speaking of small presses, many of the books listed below from Subterranean, Golden Gryphon, Haffner, etc. will be on sale through Lame Excuse Books, so drop me a line if you want to be on the mailing list.)

  • Allston, Aaron. Doc Sidhe. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original.
  • Anderson, Poul. Fire Time. Doubleday, 1974. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket, inscribed to Locus editor Charles N. Brown.
  • Anonymous. Man Abroad. Gregg Press, 1978. First hardback edition, a reprint of the 1887 paperback, one of only 257 copies printed, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. From the Jerry Weist collection.
  • Bailey, Dale and Jack Slay. Sleeping Policemen. Golden Gryphon, 2006.
  • Beagle, Peter S. Strange Roads. Dreamhaven, 2008. First edition chapbook original, signed by Beagle and artist Lisa Snellings.
  • Bennett, Robert Jackson. The Company Man. Orbit, 2011. Trade paperback original.
  • Bester, Alfred. Virtual Unrealities. Vintage, 1997. Trade paperback original, NF- with 1/4 sticker pull at bottom of front cover.
  • Bester, Alfred, and Roger Zelazny. Psychoshop. Vintage, 1998. Trade paperback original (TPO) first edition, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear.
  • Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper. Subterranean Press, 2011. Expanded from the Belmont paperback edition.
  • Bowes, Richard. From the Files of the Time Rangers. Golden Gryphon, 2005.
  • Brackett, Leigh. Shannach: The Last Farewell to Mars. Haffner Press, 2011.
  • Brown, Eric. Threshold Shift. Golden Gryphon, 2006.
  • Campbell, Ramsey. The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants. Arkham House, 1964. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight darkening to spine, and slight edgewear at heel and fold points.
  • Carroll, Jonathan. The Ghost in Love. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008.
  • Chayefsky, Paddy. Altered States. Harper & Row, 1978. A Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few touches of wear.
  • Datlow, Ellen, and Terri Windling. The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection. St. Martins Griffin, 2002. Inscribed to me by Datlow.
  • Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Riverhead Books, 2007.
  • Dick, Philip K. The Early Work of Philip K. Dick Volume One: The Variable Man and Other Stories. Prime Books, 2009.
  • Dick, Philip K. (edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem) The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Non-fiction.
  • Dozois, Gardner. When the Great Days Come. Prime Books, 2011.
  • Donaldson, Stephen R. The Best of Stephen R. Donaldson. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 250 numbered, leatherbound copies signed by the author.
  • Donaldson, Stephen R. The Best of Stephen R. Donaldson. Subterranean Press, 2011. Trade edition.
  • Farmer, Philip Jose. The Keeper of the Secrets. Severn House, 1985. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of haze rubbing to the rear cover. First hardback edition of The Mad Goblin.
  • Farmer, Philip Jose. Love Song. Brandon House, 1970. Paperback original. Full details here.

  • Gaiman, Neil. Melinda. Hill House, 2004. Full details here.


  • Graham, H. E. The Battle of Dora William Clowes & Sons, Ltd. 1931. First edition hardback, a Very Good copy in a Good+ dust jacket with three 1/4″ chips at edges. Future war book set in an imaginary European country concerned with primarily with the evolving tactics of mechanized warfare. With fold-out maps!

  • Haldeman, Joe. A Tool of the Trade. Morrow, 1987.
  • Haldeman, Joe. World’s Apart. Viking, 1983. With review slips laid in.
  • Heinlein, Robert A. Podkayne of Mars. Putnam, 1963. Full details here.

  • Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan. Gnome Press, 1953. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bends at head and heel and slight foxing to strip along front and back gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight dust staining to white rear cover and a few touches of rubbing to spine panel (but no spine fading). This completes my Robert E. Howard Gnome Press Conan collection. (At some point I suppose I’ll pick up the De Camp volumes but, eh. what’s the rush?)

  • Howard, Robert E. Marchers of Valhalla. Donald M. Grant, 1971. Bought from a notable SF book dealer for $8.
  • Hubbard, L. Ron. Final Blackout. Hadley Publishing, 1948. Full details here.

  • Leyner, Mark. My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist. Harmony Books, 1990. First edition trade paperback original, Near Fine+ with a crease to bottom front corner.
  • (Lovecraft, H. P.) Lockhart, Ross E. The Book of Cthulhu. Night Shade Boooks, 2011. First edition trade paperback original.
  • Lynch, Scott. The Lies of Locke Lamora. Gollancz, 2006. A Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket, signed by the author.
  • Martin, George R. R. GRRM: A RRetrospective. Subterranean Press, 2003. First edition hardback, Letter B of 52 signed, lettered, leatherbound copies, housed in a handcrafted traycase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket; however, the traycase housing the book has a cracked bottom outer hinge, as well as a tiny bit of bend at the top front traycase tip.

  • Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards: Marked Cards. Baen, 1994. First edition paperback original. Second book in the Baen Wild Cards series, and the Fourteenth overall.
  • Matheson, Richard. Born of Man and Woman. Chamberlain Press, 1954. Details here.

  • Matheson, Richard. The Shrinking Man. David Bruce & Watson, 1973. First hardback edition. Details here.

  • McCammon, Robert. The Hunter from The Woods. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 1,000 signed, numbered copies.
  • Miller, Warren. Looking for the General. McGraw-Hill, 1964. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer. Howard Waldrop recommended this.
  • Miyabe, Miyuki. Brave Story. Viz, 2007. First English-language edition.
  • Moon, Elizabeth. Lunar Activity. First edition paperback original (PBO), a near Fine+ copy with invisible spine creasing and slight edgewear. Signed by Moon.
  • Moorcock, Michael. Dr. Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles. BBC Books, 2010. Signed by Moorcock.
  • Moorcock, Michael. The Runestaff. White Lion, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with just a tiny bit of wear in a Fine dust jacket. First hardback edition.
  • Moorcock, Michael. The Sleeping Sorceress. New English Library, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with color loss along inner flaps edges (possibly a printing flaw). First hardback edition of The Vanishing Tower.
  • Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler’s Wife. McAdam Cage, 2003. First edition hardback, a near Fine copy with slight lean in a Near Fine- first state (no logo) dust jacket with several long creases.
  • Niven, Larry. Strange Light. Dreamhaven, 2010. First edition chapbook original.
  • Niven, Larry. A World Out of Time. Holt Reinhart Winston, 1976. Bought from a notable Sf book dealer for 48. Review slip laid in.
  • Niven, Larry, and Steve Barnes. Dream Park. Phantasia Press, 1981. One of 600 signed, numbered copies in slipcase. From the Jerry Weist collection.
  • Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles. Del Rey, 2008. Fifth Temeraire book.
  • Oliver, Chad. Another Kind. Ballantine Books, no date (1955). First edition hardback (an unrecorded variant binding of green boards with red lettering), a Near Fine copy with slight age-darkening to page (most noticeable in one signature) and slight bending at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight age darkening and touches of wear at extremities. Actually quite nice. All of the Ballantine SF hardbacks if this era are hard to find.

  • Paltock, Robert. The Life & Adventures of Peter Wilkins. Hyperion Press, 1974. Reprint of the 1928 edition, which in turn reprints a novel first published in 1750 or 1751 (sources differ; Bleiler’s Checklist (1978 edition) says 1753, which I believe is the publication year for the second volume). Fine- copy, with trace of wear along bottom board, sans dust jacket, as issued.
  • Pohl, Frederik, and C. M. Kornbluth. The Space Merchants. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martins, 2011. “Revised 21st Century Edition,” trade paperback original thus.
  • Powers, Tim. The Bible Repairman and Other Stories. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 500 signed, numbered copies.
  • Resnick, Mike. Blasphemy. Golden Gryphon, 2010.
  • Rickert, M. Holiday. Golden Gryphon, 2010.
  • Rochelle, Warren. The Called. Golden Gryphon, 2010.
  • Rochelle, Warren. A Harvest of Changelings. Golden Gryphon, 2007.
  • Rusch, Kristine Kathryn. Recovering Apollo 8. Golden Gryphon, 2010.
  • Sargent, Pamela. Thumbprints. Golden Gryphon, 2004. Signed by Sargent.
  • Scalzi, John. Fuzzy Nation. Tor, 2011.
  • Serviss, Garrett P. Edison’s Conquest of Mars. Carcosa House, 1947. Full details here.

  • Shute, Nevil. On the Beach. Heinemann, 1957. First edition hardback, a near Fine plus copy with dust staining to top page blocks and touches of wear to boards at heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket, with slight edgewear at head and heel and a few very short, closed tears.
  • Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Six: Multiples 1983-87. Fine, sans dj, as issued.
  • Skillingstead, jack. Are You There. Golden Gryphon, 2009.
  • Skipp, John and Cody Goodfellow. Spore. Morning Star Press, 2011. Signed PC copy; the regular edition was 150 signed, numbered copies.
  • Smith, Clark Ashton. The Collected Fantasies Volume 5: The Last Hieroglyph. Night Shade Press, 2010.
  • Stross, Charles. Palimpsest. Subterranean Press, 2011.
  • Twain, Mark (edited by Harriet Elinor Smith). The Autobiography of Mark Twain: Volume 1. University of California Press, 2010. Non-fiction, and large enough to stun an ox.
  • (Vance, Jack) Andre-Driussi, Michael. Vance Space. Sirius Fiction, 1997. First edition chapbook, a Fine copy in self-wraps. Signed by Vance. Non-fiction.

  • Willis, Connie. All Clear. Ballantine Books, 2010. Signed.
  • Williamson, Jack. At the Human Limit: The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson, Volume Eight. Haffner Press, 2011.
  • Wilson, Robert. Julian Comstock. Tor, 2009.
  • Wolfe, Gene. The Sorcerer’s House. Tor, 2010. Read this in ARC, and sort-of reviewed it here.
  • Zelazny, Roger. Unicorn Variations Timescape, 1983. Supplements an inscribed book club edition.
  • Related Topics

    Other science fiction book collecting topics you might find of interest:

  • A description of my own library of science fiction first editions (a couple of years out of date; I need to update this)
  • My Books Wanted List
  • Lame Excuse Books, my own side SF/F/H book business, where a discerning collector may find several first editions of potential interest.
  • Other book related posts
  • Recent Acquisitions: Orson Scott Card’s Doorways

    Sunday, November 13th, 2011

    I’m not a huge Orson Scott Card fan. I thought Ender’s Game was an effective Heinlein juvenile homage, but little more. (I also thought Speaker for the Dead was actually a better, more ambitious novel.) I also thought that Seventh Son and Red Prophet were good alternate history fantasies, and “Hatrack River” (which forms the beginning of Seventh Son) was probably the best thing Card ever wrote. However, after reading Xenocide (awful) and Prentice Alvin (disappointing), I decided to stop picking up Card’s new books (the occasional Subterranean novella excepted), and haven’t regretted the decision. (Someday I may read Hart’s Hope, which some people have told me is his best.)

    But after I stumbled across this at the nearest Half Price Books, I thought it was odd enough to be worth picking up, especially at 50% off $35 (marked down from $60) during the usual coupon sale.

    Card, Orson Scott. Doorways. No publisher listed (though I’m assuming this is Card’s own Hatrack River imprint), 2002. (Presumed) First Edition trade paperback original, perfect bound on white cardstock covers, a Fine copy, inscribed by Card: “to Sam—/Merrily…/Orson Scott Card”.

    Not in the Locus database. Not in the ISFDB. Not even in Card’s own online bibliography. (Oddly enough, it’s referred to in a bibliographic PDF on his site, but there’s not a listing for the book itself.)

    This is 98 pages long and contains two previously published novelettes along with several unpublished poems. If I had to guess, this looks like it might have been given away as some sort of promotional freebie on Card’s website.

    Given how obscure this particular Card book is, here’s the complete list of contents:

  • “Oh Hurried Guest” (Dedication) (poem): Page 5
  • “Short-Lived Creatures” (poem): Page 6
  • “On Another Road” (poem): Page 8
  • “Doorways” (foreword): Page 9
  • “Fires” (poem): Page 12
  • “Angels” (novelette): Page 13
  • “Echo” (poem): Page 44
  • “Walking on Water” (poem): Page 45
  • “This Is the Poem I Made Then” (poem): Page 46
  • “Dust” (novelette): Page 47
  • “Public Father” (poem): Page 95
  • “Don’t You Remember the End of the World?” (poem): Page 96
  • “A Poem For Erin’s First Christmas” (poem): Page 98
  • New Book Acquisitions: Two Richard Matheson First Editions

    Sunday, September 25th, 2011

    I managed to pick up two notable Richard Matheson first editions in the last month or so:

  • Matheson, Richard. Born of Man and Woman. Chamberlain Press, 1954. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with rubbing to front and rear, but less than the usual fading. Matheson’s first hardback book and first SF book (preceded by two mystery paperback originals). Some science fiction small presses have had trouble with floods, and others with fires, but Chamberlain Press may be the only one that suffered from both; a flood destroyed most of the remaining bound copies of this book (the only one they published), and a fire destroyed the remaining unbound sheets. About 650 copies are believed to have distributed, thus escaping both catastrophes. (See Jack Chalker & Mark Ownings, The Science Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History (Third Revised and Enlarged Edition), Mirage Press, 1991, pages 97-98 for more details.) L.W. Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction, G.W. Hall, 1978, page 358.

  • Matheson, Richard. The Shrinking Man. David Bruce & Watson, 1973. First hardback edition, an Ex-Library copy with the usual marking, and a clipped price, otherwise a VG copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket (would be fine if not for the corner-clip). Currey, Page 358. Obtained from the auction of the Jerry Weist collection. See here for details.

  • After Action Report on Heritage Auction’s Sale of the Jerry Weist Collection

    Monday, September 19th, 2011

    Every year or two, Heritage Auctions in Dallas conducts a big auction of a major science fiction book collection. In 2007, it was the Ventura Collection.

    The Ventura Collection auction was very successful, and since it occurred right before the advent of The Great Recession, many of the prices achieved in that auction have not since been equaled. (It may also be the first auction catalog Heritage mass-mailed to prospective SF collectors; I had not received any before then.)

    In 2008, it was The Robert and Diane Yaspan collection, which included a vast array of SF firsts as well as several SF manuscripts and a few select non-SF firsts, such as many firsts by mystery writer Earle Stanley Gardener.

    Later in 2008 was the auction of The Frank Collection, which was mainly SF art, but included a number of notable SF first editions as well.

    The just completed auction of the Jerry Weist collection was of the same caliber. There was some original art and pulp magazines in the collection, but the bulk of it was collectible SF/F/H first editions. The auction realized more than $1 million (though a significant fraction of that was for the artworks).

    I’m going to talk about some of the more interesting items sold, and how the prices realized compared to comparable copies of the same firsts in previous years. I’ll also mention when I have a copy of the first edition discussed in my own library.

    A few general observations:

  • Unlike previous Heritage SF Auctions, there were very few multi-volume lots of less desirable titles. I think Heritage will be selling those books individually on their weekly Internet book auctions.
  • Weist, like myself, settled for less than perfect copies of many difficult titles, including some worn, corner-clipped, or ex-library copies. (By contrast, the vast majority of the Ventura collection were pristine copies.)
  • The Weist collection was very strong in Golden Age and pre-Golden Age authors, but very weak in Hypermodern SF.
  • It was strong in Ray Cummings and Edgar Rice Burroughs (neither of which I collect), Isaac Asimov, John W. Campbell, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, William Hope Hodgson (many if not all of the firsts published in his lifetime), Robert E. Howard, Curt Siodmak (more about which anon), Clark Ashton Smith, and Olaf Stapledon.

  • Conversely, assuming the volumes presented in the auction do constitute the cream of the crop and nothing has been held back, it was weak in Jack Vance, Stephen King, Avram Davidson, R. A. Lafferty, Gene Wolfe and (save the two Fahrenheit 451s) Ray Bradbury.
  • I’ve tried to do some trending for various titles here, but there’s a lot of volatility at the high of the market. A book that normally goes for $100-200 might hit $2,000 for a signed copy at auction If two deep-pocketed collectors each need it to complete their collection.
  • Holy Grails

    To me, far and away the most interesting and desirable item was one of only five copies of Stanley G. Weinbaum’s Dawn of Flame to have the unsigned introduction by Amazing editor Ray Palmer. Weinbaum’s widow evidently objected to the introduction, which is why only five copies were so produced. Even the 245 copy Currey B state (with Lawrence Keating’s introduction replacing Palmer’s) is rare enough, and the book is widely considered the first true SF small press book. I don’t believe I’d seen a copy of the Palmer state for sale before, but I think one was sold when the Sam Moskowitz collection was auctioned off (they didn’t send me a catalog). Moreover, this particular copy once belonged to legendary collector and fan Forrest J. Ackerman, and was inscribed by him to Weist. Counting the buyer’s premium (a little shy of 20%, and which I’m going to include for all the other prices listed here), it went for $9,560.00; it wouldn’t have surprised me to see it go for twice that much.

    There were some other SF collecting “holy grails” sold there:

  • One of 50 copies of the signed, presentation hardback state of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which went for $8,365.00. This represents an increase over the $5,377 a copy fetched in the Yaspan auction.
  • One of 200 asbestos bound copies of Fahrenheit 451 graded Very Good, went for $5,975.00. This represents something of a decline; a Fine copy went $15,535 in the Ventura Collection auction, a Very Good copy in the Yaspan collection went for $8,962, and a Near Fine copy in the Frank auction went for $9,560.
  • To me one of the most surprising outcomes was seeing a signed copy of Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist go for $5,078.75, since there’s at least one signed copy from the 90 copies originally signed by Dick available online for $1,500. (And I think there were two copies for well under $5,000 when the auction commenced…) I have one of the unsigned firsts, which goes for considerably less.
  • Speaking of Dick, a copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? went for $6,572.50, despite tape stains on the jacket folds. I thought the $9,560 fetched by a Near Fine copy in the Ventura auction was outrageous at the time, but the value seems to have held up. (I have an ex-library copy myself, and even Ex-Lib copies list online for two to four grand.)
  • One of only 75 sets of E. E. “Doc” Smith’s History of Civilization, the six volume signed, leatherbound Fantasy Press set (in box, but without lid) went for $5,377.50. A set with the lid went for $5,676.25 in the Yaspan auction.
  • Other Notable Books

    From Holy Grails we move on to books that are merely Really Freaking Expensive. There are usually a few copies of these bumping around on Bookfinder.com, albeit with a comma in the price.

  • A signed copy of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Empire ($1,912) went for more than a signed (via bookplate) I, Robot ($1,553.50), probably due to some mild water damage to the latter. A Fine but price-clipped copy of I, Robot went for $2,270 in the Ventura auction, while another imperfect copy went for $1,434 in the Yaspan auction. I, Robot has become by far the hardest to find among the Gnome Press Asimovs.
  • A signed, Near Fine copy of Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man went for $872.35. I have a Fine copy, but not signed.
  • A merely Very Good copy of Bester’s Tiger! Tiger! (the hardback first of The Stars My Destination) went for $1,015.75, which is probably about market. A Fine copy in the Ventura auction went for $1,792.
  • The late Jack Chalker’s inscribed copy of Hal Clement’s Cycle of Fire went for $1,015.75. The title is harder to find than most of Ballantine Books SF hardbacks of the fifties.
  • Bob Weinberg’s inscribed ex-library copy of Philip Jose Farmer’s Green Odyssey went for a relatively modest $334.60. Like Cycle of Fire, this is one of the most difficult Ballantine Books hardbacks to find, especially for non-ex-library copies. Despite that, a Very Good signed copy failed to sell in the Yaspan auction, while a restored ExLib copy went for $448.13 in the Ventura auction.
  • A Fine, signed copy of the Gollancz (first hardback) edition of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, probably the essential novel of Hypermodern Science Fiction, went for $1,553.50. This is one of the few items for which you can see a clear, unambiguous decline across auctions, as a similarly Fine, signed copy went for $2,695 in the Ventura auction, while a similarly Fine, signed copy went for $2,151 in the Yaspan auction. I have a signed Fine- copy.
  • A copy of Robert A. Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars went for $985.88. I don’t think it’s quite as good as the copy I just picked up last month for $235.
  • A Very Good+ copy of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers went for $2,270.50. A Fine copy fetched $4,780 in the Ventura auction. I have a very nice Ex-Library copy.
  • A Near Fine copy of Frank Herbert’s Dune went for $4,780. A Fine- copy (a rating I thought was a bit generous, given the rubbing along the dj spine) in the Ventura auction went for $10,755. I have a very worn Ex-Library copy.
  • An inscribed, Near Fine copy of Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon went for $2,390. A similar copy (though with a tipped-in signature rather than an inscription) went for $1,434. My copy is a bit less fine, and unsigned.
  • A copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others (the first Arkham House book and a cornerstone for both SF and horror collections) went for a healthy $3,883.75.
  • Another rare Lovecraft item, an exceptionally nice copy of the Visionary Publishing edition of The Shadow Over Innsmouth, went for a hefty $7,170.00. That’s toward the high end for an unsigned copy (since it was published in Lovecraft’s lifetime, signed copies do exist, and can be had for less than the price of a new Lexus), but there’s a dizzying number of variant states, and I’m not sure which are considered the more desirable among high-end Lovecraft collectors.
  • A Very Good+ copy of Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz went for $2,031.50, mainly because it has the rare orange promotional band. I have an Ex-Library copy.
  • An inscribed, conservatively graded Very Good copy of the Gollancz (first hardback) edition of Larry Niven’s Ringworld went for $2,390.00. In the Ventura auction, a Fine signed copy went for $5,206.25, while in the Yaspan auction, the better of two copies (not signed) went for $1,792. I have an unusually clean Ex-Lib Gollancz Ringworld, which might pass for Fine save an excised front free endpaper. (Did you know there was an unused dust jacket state for the Gollancz Ringworld? Lord knows how this guy (who I believe also owns this amazing Jack Vance collection) got a copy of it…)
  • A price-clipped copy of Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book went for $507.88. One of the more interesting outliers at the Ventura collection was a Fine signed copy going for an eye-popping $1,912. I have a Fine copy Connie inscribed to me after she attended Turkey City I picked up when it came out at cover price.
  • One of the most puzzling results of the auction was a signed first of Curt Siomdak’s Skyport was initially reported going for a stunning $8,611.17. That’s only about $8,500 more than it’s worth. But now when you go to the auction page for the item itself, it shows a far saner $101.58. I’m assuming there was some sort of glitch.

    Slightly less puzzling was a signed, Near Fine copy of L. Sprague de Camp’s The Wheels of If (which has one of Hannes Bok’s most famous dust jacket illustrations) went for $717, which is a good bit more than it usually goes for; Lloyd Currey has a comparable-to-better signed copy online right now for $150. Before this I had the impression de Camp was out of fashion among collectors (and thus I have been able to pick up a number of signed copies of his work pretty cheap). I suspect this is an outlier.

    Although I bid on several items, I only won one: an Ex-Library first of the UK David Bruce & Watson (first hardback) edition of Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man for $95.60. Fine copies go for over a grand.

    Related Topics

    Other science fiction book collecting topics (and glimpses into my own bibliomania) you might find of interest:

  • A description of my own library of science fiction first editions
  • My Books Wanted List
  • Lame Excuse Books, my own side SF/F/H book business, where a discerning collector may find several books of potential interest.
  • Other book related posts (including new acquisitions to my library)