The only theme here is that all these books were at the same Half Price Books I previously found notable Chad Oliver and Frederik Pohl first editions at, and that I bought all the books below for less than $10:
Library Additions: Random Interesting SF First Editions
November 6th, 2017Trailer for Pixar’s Coco
November 1st, 2017Story about a Mexican boy? Meh.
He wants to be a singer? Double meh.
Set in a Day of the Dead afterlife populated by talking calaveras skeletons?
OK, now you have my attention.
Anyway, it comes out in a few weeks, and seemed like a good link for the Day of the Dead.
The Annual Fark Scary Story Thread: 2017 Edition
October 30th, 2017Tomorrow is Halloween, which means it’s time for the annual Fark Scary Story Thread!
Here are the links to threads from previous years:
While you’re here, feel free to check out some of my other freaky/creepy/scary/silly Halloween posts.
Shoegazer Sunday: Sleep Party People’s “I’m Not Human At All”
October 29th, 2017Getting harder to find any Halloween or horror-themed Shoegaze, and anytime I find a Darkgaze or Blackgaze song I think I like, the Cookie Monster Metal vocals come in to ruin it.
So here’s Sleep Party People, who seem to be at the intersection of post-rock, chillout, prog rock and Shoegaze, and the bunny masks on display here in “I’m Not Human at All” make it just odd enough to use for the Halloween offering.
Halloween Horrors: “Remains of the Day”
October 28th, 2017I always thought this musical number from Corpse Bride was pretty cool, and I still do. It also has more than enough dancing skeletons for Halloween:
Halloween Horrors: Gateways to Hell
October 27th, 2017In lieu of some real Halloween links, here’s a quickie: Places on earth that are supposedly gateways to Hell.
And here’s another video on the same subject:
Another Year, Another Halloween Prop Show
October 26th, 2017A new job and a new dog have been eating up a lot of my time, so I’ve fallen down on my regular Halloween posts.
But here’s a nice video of the latest Halloween scare props. All these seem to be from the same company. Sadly, I doubt I can afford any of them…
Library Addition: Henry Kuttner First Signed to Robert Bloch
October 23rd, 2017I try to collect at least one signature for every writer I seriously collect. I have signatures for H. G. Wells, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Tom Reamy, to name a few.
I also have a few books signed by C. L. Moore, but not (until this item) any by her husband, Henry Kuttner, who were both behind the Lewis Padgett pseudonym. Kuttner, a first rate writer, died in 1958, and works signed by him seldom come on the market. However, I found the following first edition online, and not only is it signed, it’s an inscribed association copy.
Padgett, Lewis (Henry Kuttner and possibly C.L. Moore). The Brass Ring. Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1946. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy, with uneven fading to the spine (looks to be lightening in relation to the dust jacket) and age darkening to pages, in a Good+ dust jacket with a 1″ chip to bottom front and 1/4″ chipping at head and heel. Not a great copy, but it does have a great inscription on the front free endpaper: “For Bob —/In memory of a happy childhood at the old Basutoland reformatory,/now dust./Hank/(“Lewis Padgett”)”. It also has Bloch’s signature at the top of the page. Currey, page 291 (which says this was in collaboration with C. L. Moore). Hubin, Crime Fiction: 1749—1980, page 309 (which credits this to Kuttner alone). Bloch and Kuttner were friends and collaborators, making this a very important association copy from one SF giant to another. Bought, after much haggling, for $500 from a dealer online.
Library Addition: Signed First of Harlan Ellison’s Chocolate Alphabet
October 18th, 2017Here’s an unusual Harlan Ellison indie comic:
Ellison, Harlan (art by Larry Todd). Harlan Ellison’s Chocolate Alphabet. Last Gasp Eco Funnies, 1978. First edition comic book original, a Fine copy (or “Mint” in comic parlance) save slight age darkening to pages, signed by Ellison. Graphic novel version of a short story that appeared a few years earlier in F&SF. Bought off eBay for $18.96.
Library Additions: Four Tachyon Books
October 11th, 2017Picked these up direct from Tachyon, along with some copies for the Lame Excuse Books catalog.