Every now and then, one of my friends will point out a Kickstarter for something in the “Isn’t this silly?” vein, I’ll look at it, and then go “I am totally backing this!” This is one of those times.
Library Addition: The Children’s Illustrated Clausewitz
November 10th, 2021Library Addition: Charnel House Limited of Tim Powers Last Call
November 8th, 2021Here’s a limited edition I’ve long wanted to pick up. Indeed, the lettered edition of this is considered one of the most extravagant and desirable modern limited editions, but that was sold out before I even heard about it, and the last time I saw one for sale it went for something like $6,500.
Powers, Tim. Last Call. Charnel House, 1992. First edition hardback (“by a whisker” says Chalker/Owings), #141 of 350 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- decorated slipcase with some rubbing to bottom and at points. His celebrated “playing poker with Tarot cards” book, and the first (and best) in a loose trilogy. Berlyne, A8b.1. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 211. Bought from a noted SF book dealer for $325. I think I now have all the Charnel House Powers limiteds (at least in numbered state).
Library Additions: Two Dark Regions Press Firsts
November 5th, 2021Dark Regions Press had a 50% off sale so I picked up a few things:
Library Additions: Swanwick and Howard Chapbooks
November 3rd, 2021Two chapbooks:
Happy Halloween!
October 31st, 2021Today 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.
Halloween Horrors: Omega Mart Commercials
October 26th, 2021Meow Wolf is a weirdo art collective underwritten by George R. R. Martin. The have an interactive art show called Omega Mart going on now in Las Vegas. Part of it is these not-quite-right supermarket commercials:
Halloween Horrors: Guy Plays Horror Video Game At Night, Alone, In Creepy Abandoned Tunnel
October 25th, 2021I’ve been watching a fair number of YouTube videos of survival horror video game play-throughs over the last few months. One reason is that there aren’t a lot of those games available for the Mac, and another is that most seem less like games than an exercise in wandering around until you trigger jump scares, and where your actions have almost no effect on the game’s outcome.
But here’s a video of a van-life guy who decided to play a horror game alone, at night, in a creepy abandoned tunnel, which really takes things to the next level.
The game he’s playing is Pacify, which involves burning evil dolls to lay the ghost of a possessed girl. (Note: If your business plan involves making your daughter a vessel for demonic possession, I’d advise going into another line of work.) I checked to see if this game was available through Amazon, but I bet it’s one of those direct steam sort of things. But would you believe there’s a coloring book for it?
Shoegazer Sunday: Slowdive’s “Slomo” (Domo Slomo)
October 24th, 2021I think I posted a live version of this song, but not this album version. And as a bonus, this version features footage from the Domo Kun stop motion animated show, of meme fame.
Halloween Horrors: Transworld 2021 Show
October 22nd, 2021Here’s this year’s edition of the Halloween trade show.
Random notes:
Library Addition: First Edition of J. G. Ballard’s Crash
October 21st, 2021Unless you count the withdrawn American edition of The Atrocity Exhibition (which is not the true first, as the Cape (which I have) precedes), the true first of J. G. Ballard’s Crash is (along with The Drowned World) among Ballard’s most expensive and difficult first editions. I’d been looking for an affordable copy of Crash for a while, and I finally found one:
Ballard, J. G. Crash. Jonathan Cape, 1973. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws, including stamps to pages and page block edges, in a dust jacket that, while intact, has been glued to the book, with a long, thin library sticker across the front, spine, back and rear flap, and a large square library affixed to rear, plus some glue wrinkling; call it a Good/Good Ex-Lib copy. Goodard and Pringle, J. G. Ballard: The First Twenty Years 101. Currey, page 23. Bought off an Australian bookseller for $68 plus shipping.
