Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category
Thursday, December 28th, 2023
Three more purchases from that private collector that I hadn’t cataloged and shelved yet because I had run out of bookcase space. But I recently finished staining and finishing two more book cases, so now I can finish cataloging that purchase.
Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates. Mark V. Ziesing, 1989. First edition thus, part of the signed, limited edition of 500, but lacking a number and a slipcase, a Fine- copy in a Fine- Mylar-protected dust jacket with slight bend at head. Berlyne, A4h.2, who notes that Ziesing says many slipcases were destroyed in a flood. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1000, who says Ziesing had an overrun of slipcases. Supplements an inscribed PBO first, an inscribed Chatto & Windus first hardback, a slightly flawed copy of the Centipede Press limited edition, and the holograph manuscript copy included in the ultralimited edition of the Berlyne bibliography.
Powers, Tim. Declare. Morrow, 2001. First trade edition hardback (preceded by the Subterranean Press limited edition), a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Powers. Berlyne, A11b. Supplements a copy of the Subterranean Press limited.
Powers, Tim. Earthquake Weather. Legend, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy (though with the characteristic page darkening for Legend books of this era) in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Powers. Berlyne, A10a (who notes that reportedly only 800 copies were produced). Replaces an unsigned copy.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Mark V. Ziesing, Tim Powers
Posted in Clueless Dorks, Fantasy | No Comments »
Monday, December 18th, 2023
All these were bought at various Half Price Books locations, the Delany in Austin and the other three in various stores in the Dallas Metroplex.
(Bradbury, Ray) Eller, Jonathan R. Becoming Ray Bradbury. University of Illinois Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head, heel and points. Biography of Bradbury that made use of his personal notes and correspondence. Bought for $17.49.
Delany, Samuel R. (edited by Kenneth R. James). In Search of Silence: The Journals of Samuel R. Delany Volume 1, 1957-1969. Wesleyan University Press, 2017. First edition hardback (“5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Selections from Delany’s journals when he was first making his mark on the SF field. Bought for $9.95.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Houllebecq, Michel. H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life. Cernunnos, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical analysis of Lovecraft and his work by the French writer and critic. Introduction by Stephen King. Bought for $9.95.
Shatner, William (with Chris Kresski). Star Trek Memories. HarperCollins, 1993. First edition hardback, limited issue, one of 4,500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. Non-fiction memoir of his time on the original Star Trek TV series. Bought for $65, less than cover price and less than a fourth of what it lists for these days.
I have one copy of the Delany available through Lame Excuse Books.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, H. P. Lovecraft, Half Price Books, Horror, Jonathan R. Eller, Michel Houllebecq, Ray Bradbury, Samuel R. Delany, Science Fiction, Stephen King, William Shatner
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, December 14th, 2023
When Pulphouse first unveiled the short story paperback, I remember thinking “That’s stupid.” For all they bragged about “buying a single story for $1.95,” you could buy an entire issue of Asimov’s (with 5-10 times as much content) for $2.50. And, indeed, they were not swift sellers. Though a few of these (the Wolfe, the Lansdales, etc.) became slightly collectable over the years. (And a few of the companion Short Story hardbacks even more so.)
But I bough these from that same collector culling his collection for $1 each.
Almost all of these are paperback originals thus (though some of these have previously shown up as the title stories in collections, like Bloch’s Yours Truly, Jack the Rapper or Zelazny’s The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth), though exceptions (like Blaylock’s Paper Dragons) are noted. Some of the early ones (“Loser’s Night,” “Xolotl”) are the first publication anywhere, but most of the stories have appeared somewhere previously. Unlike most Library Addition entries, these will be listed by series order rather than alphabetical by author.
All of these are Fine copies unless otherwise noted.
“Author, J.Q.” Issue Zero. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #0, a binding dummy for the entire run of the series, with bank pages. Would never have bought this on it’s own, but since I was buying the entire thing I got this too. This one has a tiny bit of edgewear on rear spine join.
Anderson, Poul. Loser’s Night. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #1.
Brunner, John. A Case of Painters Ear. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #2.
Sheckley, Robert. Xolotl. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #3.
Boston, Bruce. All the Clocks are Melting. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #4.
Antieau, Kim. Blossoms. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #5.
Friesner, Esther M. Ecce Hominid. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #6.
Duchamp, L. Timmel. A Case of Mistaken Activity. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #7.
Bryant, Edward. The Cutter. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #8.
Wilhelm, Kate The Girl Who Fell Into the Sky. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #9.
Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #10. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Steel Valentine. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #11. Isajanko, The World Lansdalean C01.a.i. Supplements another copy and a Short Story Hardback version.
Bishop, Michael. The Quickening. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #12.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #13. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name. I needed this for my Zelazny collection.
Haldeman, Joe. More Than The Sum of His Parts. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #14.
Clemence, Bruce No Way Street. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #15. Guy had this, and a story in Synergy 3, and that was it…
Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn. The Spider Glass. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #16.
de Lint, Charles. Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #17. One of the harder titles to find.
Williams, Walter Jon. Dinosaurs. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #18.
Charnes, Suzy McKee. Listening to Brahms. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #19.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Black Air. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #20.
Etchison, Dennis. The Dark Country. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #21. Not to be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
Aldiss, Brian W. Journey to the Goat Star. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #22. Tiny bit of rubbing along spine.
Brin, David. Piecework. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #23.
Caraker, Mary. I Remember, I Remember. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #24.
Schow, David J. Sedalia. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #25.
Stableford, Brian. Slumming in Voodooland. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #26.
Yolan, Jane. The Sword and the Stone. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #27.
Fowler, Karen Joy. The War of the Roses. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #28.
Morlan, A.R. The Cat With The Tulip Face. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #29.
Shiner, Lewis. Twilight Time. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #30.
Wagner, Karl Edward. Where the Summer Ends. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #31.
Lee, Tanith. Into Gold. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #32.Tiny rub on spine.
Willis, Connie. Daisy, in the Sun. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #33. Tiny rub on spine.
Bell, M. Shayne. Inuit. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #34.
Wilson, F. Paul. The Shade of Lo Man Gong. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #35.
Wilson, F. Paul. Buckets. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #36.
Martin, George R. R. The Pear-Shaped Man. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #37.
Butler, Octavia. The Evening and the Morning and the Night. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #38. Holy moley, the prices on this online are crazy. The prices for the signed hardback I can at least sort of understand, since Butler died young, but the prices for unsigned copies like this are still crazy. I had no idea.
Dozois, Gardner. The Peacemaker. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #39. Supplements a copy of the Short Story Hardback edition.
Wolfe, Gene. The Hero as Werewolf. Pulphouse, 1991. Issue #40. This is one I did actually need, and I still need the hardback version. Also, this is the last one from 1991. Pulphouse put out 40 of these in 1991. This is called “channel stuffing.” I wasn’t dealing books at the time, but I’m pretty sure SF/F/H dealers were not thrilled at this tsunami of small press books of dubious sales-worthiness.
Oates, Joyce Carol. The Bingo Master. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #41.
Effinger, George. Schrodinger’s Kitten. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #42. Supplements the hardback version.
Bear, Greg. Sisters. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #43.
Holder, Nancy. The Ghosts of Tivoli. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #44.
Brin, David. Dr. Pak’s Preschoool. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #45. Supplements a copy of the Cheap Street edition (which precedes).
Lansdale, Joe R. Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #46. Isajanko, The World Lansdalean C03.a.i. Supplements a copy of the Short Story hardback version.
Somtow, S. P. Fiddling for Waterbuffaloes. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #47.
Murphy, Pat. Rachel in Love. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #48.
Card, Orson Scott. Unaccompanied Sonata. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #49.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Nine Lives. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #50.
Bloch, Robert. The Skull of the Marquis de Sade. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #51.
de Lint, Charles. Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #52.
Kress, Nancy. The Price of Oranges. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #53.
Busby, F.M. If This Is Winnetka, You Must be Judy. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #54.
Cadigan, Pat. My Brother’s Keeper. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #55.
Bryant, Edward. The Thermals of August. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #56.
Blaylock, James P. Paper Dragons. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #57. A few small rubs along spine. Supplements a copy of the Axolotl Press hardback (which precedes).
Resnick, Mike. Kirinyaga. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #58. Kelleghan, Mike Resnick: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to His Work A39.
Sloca, Sue Ellen. Candles on the Pond. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #59. As far as I can tell, this is her only publication anywhere.
Wu, William F. Shaunessy Fong. Pulphouse, 1992. Issue #60. Has some slight rubbing along front near spine. Last in the Short Story Paperbacks series.
Reference: Jack Chalker and Mark Owings, The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History, 2002, page 719 (numbers 1 through 10), page 721 (numbers 11-20), pages 722 (numbers 21-30). This is what Chalker had to say about the Short Story paperback line:
In January, 1991, Pulphouse continued its expansion with the Short Story Paperbacks and the selected Short Story Hardbacks, although we’re still only half- convinced that these are in any sense legitimate books. What they were, though, was what seemed to be a quick way to make money, and if people bought them, fine. They brought the whole operation as of the start of 1991 at a whopping 80+ titles a year. It should be noted that the paperbacks series was supposed to be originals and reprints, but became, after the initial ones, primarily reprints, a move that, while understandable, seemed to us to take away the one good reason why most people might buy them.
Money held by SF/F/H collectors is a finite commodity, and Pulphouse in the early 1990s seemed to treat it as a limitless resource. If you’re publishing books by Lansdale, Zelazny, Wagner, De Lint, etc., that’s a license to print a little money. But Antieau, Clemence, Caraker? Not so much. Why they thought collectors were going to shell out money for such items is a mystery.
The entire set bought for $61.
Tags:Books, Brian Aldiss, Bruce Boston, Charles de Lint, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Connie Willis, David Brin, David J. Schow, Dennis Etchison, Ed Bryant, Ester M. Friesner, F. Paul Wilson, Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, Gene Wolfe, George Alec Effinger, George R. R. Martin, Greg Bear, Horror, James P. Blaylock, Joe Haldeman, Joe R. Lansdale, John Brunner, Joyce Carol Oates, Karen Joy Fowler, Karl Edward Wagner, Kate Wilhelm, Kim Stanley Robinson, Lewis Shiner, Michael Bishop, Mike Resnick, Nancy Kress, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, Pat Murphy, Poul Anderson, Pulphouse, Robert Bloch, Robert Sheckley, Roger Zelazny, S. P. Somtow, Science Fiction, Suzy Mckee Charnes, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin, William F. Wu
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, October 24th, 2023
Stephen R. Donaldson was someone I read back before I collected first editions, and the Thomas Covenant books were ones I read despite disliking the central character.
But I had a chance to grab signed firsts of the second Thomas Covenant trilogy from the same collector culling his collection as the previous Vance, Blaylock, etc. entries. All of these replaced unsigned book club copies.
Donaldson, Stephen R. The Wounded Land. Del Rey, 1980. First edition hardback (“First Edition: June 1980/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10”), a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with faint crease down spine, small closed tear at top frotn, and wear at heel and points, signed and dated (“4/15/82”) by Donaldson, with bookmark for the trilogy laid in.
Donaldson, Stephen R. The One Tree. Del Rey, 1982. First edition hardback (“First Edition: April 1982”), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed and dated (“4/15/82”) by Donaldson, with bookmark for the trilogy laid in. Note: While the other two first editions in the trilogy feature numberlines, this one does not. I know that this is not the book club edition (which I also have in hand), there are no pictures of a copyright page with a numberline for this title I can locate, and consensus is that they apparently just left it off.
Donaldson, Stephen R. White Gold Wielder. Del Rey, 1983. First edition hardback (“First Edition: April 1983/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10”), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed and dated (“5/6/89”) by Donaldson, with bookmark for the trilogy laid in.
The story I’ve heard from a couple of places is that Lester Del Rey’s boss at Del Rey/Ballantine (I’m assuming Ian Ballantine) walked by Lester’s office and asked “Shouldn’t we be getting in the new Donald Covenant manuscript soon?”
Del Rey: “Oh, I rejected it.”
Long pause. “You what?” Keep in mind that at this point, Donaldson was the biggest selling author in all of Ballantine Books.
Del Rey: “Yeah, it was told from a woman’s viewpoint. Books told from a woman’s viewpoint don’t sell to fantasy readers.”
The publisher stood there for a few seconds, then walked out without another word and called Donaldson from his office.
“Stephen, what are you doing right now?”
“I’m looking at the rejection letter Lester sent me.”
“OK, from now on, I’m your editor. Send me the manuscript.”
Many years of profitable publishing then ensued…
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Lester Del Rey, signatures, Stephen R. Donaldson
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Tuesday, October 17th, 2023
Two more books from that private collection purchase, both of which are 1-to-1 swaps of Fine/Fine signed copies for Fine/Fine unsigned copies.
Blaylock, James P. Lord Kelvin’s Machine. Arkham House, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Blaylock. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House 179. Nielsen, Arkham House Books 185. Replaces an unsigned copy.
Blaylock, James P. Winter Tides. Ace, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket, inscribed by Blaylock to the previous owner. Replaces an unsigned copy.
I was surprised that my existing Lord Kelvin’s Machine wasn’t signed, since Blaylock was a semi-regular Armadillocon attendee in the 1990s. i will have a number of Blaylock firsts (some signed) in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Arkham House, Fantasy, James P. Blaylock, Steampunk
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Monday, October 9th, 2023
I guess that technically one of these is a magazine, but it looks and feel just like a paperback.
Brunner, John. The Traveler in Black. Ace, 1971. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 75¢ as per Currey), a Fine- copy with slight wear at points and a drop of discoloration to bottom page block at heel, otherwise a very nice copy. Celebrated fix-up of linked stories. Currey, page 74. De Bolt, The Happening Worlds of John Brunner, page 57.
Moorcock, Michael, editor (John Brunner, Roger Zelazny, J. G. Ballard, etc.). New Worlds March 1966, Vol. 49, No. 160. Compact SF, 1966. First edition magazine in the form of a paperback original, a Near Fine copy with slight glue ridging to spine, slight wear at points, a faint, thin line of abrasion down rear cover near outer edge, and a few touches of general wear. Right in the middle of Moorcock’s acclaimed run as editor of New Worlds when it became the epicenter of the New Wave, with a murder’s row of writers in this issue. The Zelazny is the first appearance of the classic “For a Breath I Tarry” (Levack, Stories 69a), and both this and the above came from the last purchase of books from Bob Pylant’s Zelazny collection.
I have cover scans, but for some reason BlueHost isn’t letting me upload pics right now, so you’ll have to wait to see them…
Tags:Bob Pylant, Books, Fantasy, John Brunner, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds, Roger Zelazny, Science Fiction
Posted in Basketball, Fantasy, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, October 5th, 2023
I have a signed first of Sorceror’s Son, so it made sense to add this.
Eisenstein, Phyllis. The Crystal Palace. Grafton Books, 1991. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Eisenstein. Sequel to Sorceror’s Son. The U.S. paperback precedes, but this was the first hardback. This was part of the last big Zelazny purchase in 2020 and I’ve just now gotten around to cataloging it. As I’ve said before, there are few price points more attractive than “you’ve already paid for it.”
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Phyllis Eisenstein
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Thursday, September 21st, 2023
Three Subterranean Press books that came in recently:
MacLeod, Ian R. Ragged Maps. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition hardback, #171 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and publisher’s plastic bag. Short story collection.
Swanwick, Michael. The Best of Michael Swanwick Volume Two. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition hardback, #204 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and publisher’s plastic bag, with a Subterranean bookmark laid in. Supplements the first volume Subterranean did back in 2008.
Wolfe, Gene. The Dead Man and Other Horror Stories. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition hardback, #870 of 1,000 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and publisher’s plastic bag. Now out of print from the publisher.
I will have copies of all of these in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Horror, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Swanwick, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
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Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
Two signed Swanwick Dragonstairs chapbooks that came in separately:
Swanwick, Michael. The Vinter’s Guide to Remarkable Wines. Dragonstairs Press, 2023. First edition chapbook original, #36 of 55 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Collection of vignettes around wine themes.
Swanwick, Michael. Red Fox, Blue Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2023. First edition chapbook original, #64 of 69 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Vignettes about a fox, inspired by a fox that visited Swanwick’s backyard. “This is the story of how she saved the world. Well, her world.”
Both of these sold out the same day they were offered for sale, and I will have copies of each available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:chapbooks, Dragonstairs Press, Fantasy, Michael Swanwick, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Monday, September 11th, 2023
Only theme here is that I bought all of these on a day trip to San Antonio:
Bradbury, Ray (Jonathan R. Eller, editor). The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition: Volume 2: 1943-1944. Kent State University Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a tiny bit of wrinkling at heel. Bought from Half Price Books for $37.49, considerably more than the $15 I paid for the first volume, but this one doesn’t seem to have been nearly as widely remaindered.
Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: Hard Merchandise. Bantam Spectra, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a trace of wear at points. The third book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, and evidently the hardest one to find. Supplements a signed first of the SFBC Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy I bought from the Fred Duarte estate sale. I supposed now I need to find a PBO first of Slave Ship, the second in the trilogy, but it seems the easiest to find of the three. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.49.
Mundy, Talbot. Full Moon. D. Appleton-Century, 1935. First edition hardback (“(1)” on page 312), a Very Good copy with slight spotting to top and bottom page block edges (and possibly side, but it’s hard to tell with deckled edges), slight concavity at top of spine, slight bend at head and heel, light foxing to inside covers, and a few penciled notes front and back, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and points, spine faded, top rear flap corner clipped (but front panel and price intact), wear along front fold edge, slight dust staining to white rear panel, one 1/2″ closed tear to top front and one 1/4″ closed tear to rear bottom, and slight foxing to flaps; not pristine, but nice for the age. Oriental adventure with magic set in India. Grant, Talbot Mundy: Messanger of Deastiny, page 184. Day, Talbot Mundy Biblio, page 5. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 145. Bought for $40 at Antiquarian Book Mart in San Antonio.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Half Price Books, K. W. Jeter, PBO, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Talbot Mundy
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
