Still cataloging books that came in from that National Book Auction. Here are four horror anthologies from already-mentioned lot purchases that I incorporated into my library for various reasons:
Campbell, Ramsey, editor. Superhorror. St. Martin’s Press, 1976 (stated; ISFDB says 1977). First U.S. edition (though stating it was printed in Great Britain, suggesting that St. Martin’s bound the W. H. Allen sheets, so it might be more technically accurate to call this “First Edition, U.S. (second) state”), hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket that appears to have had some sort of very thin laminate applied to it; the edges of the flaps have uniform yellowed strip running the entire length of the flap and feeling ever-so-slight raised; the rest of the flaps are a pristine white; very odd. Horror anthology with original stories by (among others) R. A. Lafferty and Manly Wade Wellman. However, I mainly decided to keep this because it has a story by Joe Pumilia in it, and I knew I could get him to sign it at this year’s Armadillocon (which, in fact, I did).
Elwood, Roger, editor. The Berserkers. Trident Press, 1973. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with a slight wrinkle to top rear, a 1/32″ closed tear at head, and a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel. Original anthology by the prolific (but not particularly well-regarded) Elwood, who at one point in the 1970s was purportedly responsible for one quarter of all the original anthologies in science fiction. Keeping this because it includes an R. A. Lafferty story, “And Mad Undancing Bears.”
Miller, John and Smith, Tim, editors. The Were-Wolf and Other Tales from the Dark Side of the Moon. Chronicle Books, 1995. First edition small trim sized hardback (4 3/4″ x 6 1/4″), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Reprint anthology, from mostly classical and other public domain sources (Ovid, Petronius, Bram Stoker), plus Angela Carter. Looks like an item that was aimed as an impulse buy at the register, but as such there are relatively few copies listed online. Unusual book design, consisting of white and red printing on black pages.
Parry, Michael. The Hounds of Hell. Gollancz, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Reprint anthology of weird stories about dogs, including stories by Manly Wade Wellman, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, etc.
Been a while since I featured Thrushes for the Sunday Dose of Shoegaze, so here they are with “Salt and Stone” and a video that seems to borrow more than a little from Kill Bill Volume 2.
Actually more like two-and-a-half collections with some odd additional material. All these were left over from other National Book Auction lots and, after checking them out, I decided to incorporate them into my library for, essentially, free. (There were several books from those lots I’m passing on, so each of these looked to have some point of interest.)
Bullock, Michael. Green Beginning, Black Ending: Fables. Sono Nis Press, 1971. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with slight wear to boards at head and heel, dusty page block at head, and small triangular abrasion to top front right board in a Very Good- dust jacket with spine fading, significant creasing and rubbing to top of front cover, 1/2″ semi-closed tear at top front fold, blindside tape at head and top front fold, and general wear. Inscribed by Bullock on the FFE: “With good wishes from/Michael Bullock 2.8.71.” There’s also what appears to be a stock number, a price, and “with odd vampire vignette” all in pencil, the last presumably from the vampire and werewolf collector whose collection this came from. Supposedly surreal stories by someone more famous as a translator and poet. Only two copies on Bookfinder, neither signed. Not in in Carter’s The Vampire in Literature, Bleiler’s Supernatural Fiction, Reginald, or, probably, anything else.
James, M. R. (Peter Haining, editor). The Book of Ghost Stories. Stein and Day, 1982. First American edition (this appears to be a reprint of the UK Book of the Supernatural (with the same contents) from 1979), a Fine- copy with slight wear at points in a Very Good dust jacket with significant rubbing to rear cover. A collection of some of James’ previously uncollected short stories, plus commentary on his work by various writers, Christopher Lee, etc., and even an anonymous piece, “The Vampire of Kring,” that James believed formed the basis of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Looks like an interesting miscellany in a book I probably couldn’t sell, so…
Pei, Mario A. Tales of the Natural and the Supernatural. Devin-Adar, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Short story collection by this noted Italian-American linguist and writer. Includes “The Sparrows of Paris” (see Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction, 1298), a short werewolf novel. Reginald, 11279.
This is another book I picked up in the National Book Auction. In fact, I’ve wanted a copy for quite a while, ever since I saw publisher/bookseller George Locke bring them to the 2002 World Fantasy Convention in Minneapolis. However, three things kept me from picking up a copy then:
It was a pricey book (there’s no cover price, and it’s not in the ISFDB, but I think George was selling them for somewhere in the $75—$125 range) at a time when I was buying very few books in that price range.
The chances of my running across any first edition Penny Dreadfuls here in the United States of the 21st century ranges from exceedingly slim to absolutely nil.
Worst of all, all the copies George had there seemed to have warped boards from the transatlantic flight.
So I was happy to pick up a copy through the National Book Auction as part of a lot for $30, less than cover price would have been.
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Quest for Bloods: A Study of the Victorian Penny Dreadful. Privately printed (Ferret Fantasy), 1997. First edition oversized (8 1/2″ x 12″) hardback, no limitation stated on this copy of the “regular” edition (though I get the impression that there were less than 500 printed total, and possibly considerably less than that), a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight bump and associated wrinkle near the head (and possibly some slight fading of the spine and other portions of the yellowish orange dust jacket).
Probably because I was searching for various clips following Gene Wilder’s death, this video about Marty Feldman’s life came up on YouTube. I thought I’d see a few minutes of it and actually ended up watching the whole thing.
Here in the U.S. Feldman is probably know mainly for appearing in Young Frankenstein, but in the UK he was revered as a radio and TV comic writing and performing genius who held his own working with many of the people who would later form Monty Python. Indeed, Feldman co-wrote the famous “Four Yorkshiremen” skit Python would later adopt as their own, and when Python first went on the air, Feldman was staring in his own Marty show on the BBC.
Another item from the werewolf and vampire lots at that National Book Auction.
Brennan, Joseph Payne. The Borders Just Beyond. Donald M. Grant, 1986. First edition hardback, one of 750 copies, all signed by Brennan, a Fine copy in a Fine-dust jacket with a tiny bit of wear wear at points. Chalker/Owings, 223.
More from the National Book Auctions werewolf collection offering:
Munn, H. Warner. Tales of the Werewolf Clan Volume One: The Tomb of the Bishop. Donald M. Grant, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few small nicks at extremities. Illustrated by “Jeff K. Potter” before he started initializing his first name. Chalker/Owings, 219-220.
Munn, H. Warner. Tales of the Werewolf Clan Volume Two: The Master Goes Home. Donald M. Grant, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Also illustrated by Potter. Chalker/Owings, 220.
Part of the same eight book/$60 lot as the Boucher.
