I’m in the process of putting together a new Lame Excuse Books catalog I hope to be able to send out via email next week. if you’re not already on my mailing list and want to receive a copy, drop me a line.
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 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 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.
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:
Now that I’ve recovered a bit, here’s another set of Worldcon photos.
You may have seen the previous photo sets, and asked “Lawrence, do you think you have enough pictures of Gail Carriger?” And the answer, of course is: No, I don’t. So here’s her Hugo-night outfit. Indeed, I was only able to capture three of the six outfits she wore there. One man can only do so much…
Steven Gould, tipping his jaunty straw boater.
This picture of the Klingon Party Room is one the flash just ruined, as it was actually dark with red and orange flame lighting, but at least it gives you a hint of the work that went into it.
Scott Bobo carrying Brad Foster’s Hugo.
A congoer dressed in a traditional Mexican vaquero outfit.
Karen Anderson.
Deanna Hoak and Gail Carriger flank some lucky bastard that isn’t me.
I should have one more post of Worldcon photos, after which it will probably be time for Armadillocon photos…
I have solved my camera battery problem. It seems my MacBook does not have enough juice to recharge the camera, even when plugged in. So it’s a good thing I brought the wall to USB charger adapter for it. Packing Heavy for the win!
Since I had gotten the lovely Gail Carriger in red before, you know I had to get her in green. “I’m a one-woman Christmas!”
Steve Jackson, God-Emperor of Steve Jackson Games, my old Nova Express proofreader, one of the people that helped me move endless boxes of books into my house, and an all-around cromulant guy.
Harry Turtledove. “So Harry, how many books did you write this year?” “Just part of one.” “Just one? You? That’s unpossible! Did all your daughters graduate from college?” “Yes.”
His Majesty’s Subject Cory Doctorow, throwing up sum mad n3rdc0rz gangster signs, yo.
Adam-Troy Castro. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to snap his pic during that proctology exam.
John W. Campbell Award winning author Lev Grossman.
Joan D. Vinge. With the light behind her, this actually came out much better than expected.
John Picacio, who was robbed AGAIN!
Guest of Honor Tim Powers, who was not only Steampunk before Steampunk was cool, but was Steampunk before it was even Steampunk.
Michael Swanwick and Gordon Van Gelder.
Lois McMaster Bujold.
Yvonne Daily, an old friend back from the halcyon days of the Austin BBS community, where we all hung 300 baud modems from our belt, because that was the style at the time.
Phil Brogden, ditto. This isn’t perspective, his hand really is eight time larger than a normal human’s.
Phil & Yvonne going for the full Irish experience.
One of my favorite authors is Gene Wolfe (which you might have noticed before), so naturally I’ve tried to collect all his books. This includes all his chapbooks, some of which can be quite difficult to find.
Among his hardest to find are the ones he did for Cheap Street. Over the years I have picked up four of the five pure chapbooks done by them (as well as the two hardback books, Empires of Flowers and Foliage and Bibliomen), but frequently I would have trouble remembering which of them I have, a difficulty not aided by rather bland exteriors of the chapbooks themselves and the fact that all came in a standard Cheap Street envelope when I bought them, none of which revealed what was inside.
So, for both the sake of Gene Wolfe collectors, and to jog my own memory, I’ve scanned the title pages of each of the ones I have (click to embiggen):
Or, to list them in order of publication:
Wolfe, Gene. At the Point of Capricorn. Cheap Street, 1983.
Wolfe, Gene. The Boy Who Hooked the Sun. Cheap Street, 1985.
Wolfe, Gene. The Arimaspian Legacy. Cheap Street, 1988.
Wolfe, Gene. Slow Children at Play. Cheap Street, 1989.
I think I paid in the $35-$40 range for each of those.
Chalker and Owings says that seven copies of each of the above were done as leather-bound hardbacks. Not only do I not have those, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them offered for sale.
As far as I can tell, I’m only missing two Wolfe chapbooks now:
Wolfe, Gene. The Old Woman Whose Rolling Pin Was the Sun. Cheap Street, 1991.
Wolfe, Gene. The Grave Secret. The Pretentious Press, 1991.
I may have mentioned that I have a large library. I started out collecting first edition hardbacks of “hypermodern” (which in my case meant “post-Neuromancer“) science fiction (with some fantasy and horror works and authors thrown in for good measure), and once I had collected everything I wanted there, I started going after every important post-World War II SF work, toward which I’m making significant progress. Hence this list of books I’m still looking for.
By and large, I don’t buy later printings, copies without dust jackets, copies with price-clipped dust jackets (unless all copies of the true first edition were released that way), copies with facsimile dust jackets, or overly crummy copies. Most of the books I buy are in Fine/Fine condition, but that relaxes a bit the older (and pricier) books become. I have picked up Ex-Library copies in dust jacket when the better copies of the true first can’t be found under a grand. I also only buy first state bindings and dust jackets, unless there’s no priority, or the true first state is insanely rare (such as with Stanley G. Weinbaum’s Dawn of Flame).
With that in mind, I compiled a list of first editions on my want list, so here’s a significant portion of that list (omitting things available relatively cheap, or hideously expensive), listed alphabetically by author. I also put down all the Manly Wade Wellman and Jack Vance books I was looking for, since I have so many I was having a hard time keeping track of what I had and what I was still missing.
Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Arthur Baker)
Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot (Gnome Press)
J. G. Ballard’s Crash (Cape)
J. G. Ballard’s The Drowned World (Gollancz)
Alfred Bester’s Tiger! Tiger! (Sidgwick & Jackson)
James Blish’s A Case of Conscience (Faber & Faber)
Robert Bloch’s The Opener of the Way (Arkham)
L. Sprague de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall (Henry Holt, 1941)
Philip K. Dick’s Dr. Bloodmoney (Gregg Press)
Philip K. Dick’s Counter-Clock World (White Lion)
Philip K. Dick’s Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (Doubleday)
Philip K. Dick’s A Handful of Darkness (Rich & Cowan, 1st state in blue boards stamped in silver, in first state dj (no mention of World of Chance))
Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made (Sidgwick & Jackson)
Philip K. Dick’s World of Chance (Rich and Cowan)
Harlan Ellison’s The Fantasies of Harlan Ellison (Gregg Press)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Between Planets (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.50 dj)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Beyond This Horizon (Fantasy Press)
Robert A. Heinlein’s The Door Into Summer (Doubleday)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Farmer in the Sky (Scribner’s)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Glory Road (Putnam)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Methuselah’s Children (Gnome, 1st state binding, 1st state dj)
Robert A. Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters (Doubleday)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Red Planet (Scribner’s)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Rocket Ship Galileo (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.00 dj)
Robert A. Heinlein’s The Star Beast (Scribner’s, unclipped $2.50 dj)
Robert A. Heinlein’s The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (Gnome)
Robert A. Heinlein’s Waldo & Magic Inc. (Doubleday)
Robert E. Howard’s The Coming of Conan (Gnome Press)
Robert E. Howard’s The Dark Man (Arkham House)
Robert E. Howard’s Skull-Face and Others (Arkham House)
R. A. Lafferty’s Horns on Their Head (Pendragon Press HB)
R. A. Lafferty’s Funnyfingers & Cabrito (Pendragon Press HB)
Joe R. Lansdale (as Ray Slater)’s Texas Night Riders (Chivers)>Fritz Leiber’s Two Sought Adventure (Gnome)
Fritz Leiber’s The Secret Songs (Rupert Hart-Davis)
H. P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others (Arkham House)
Richard Matheson’s Born of Man and Woman (Chamberline Press)
Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man (David Bruce and Watson)
Chad Oliver’s Another Kind (Ballantine HB)
Chad Oliver’s Shadows in the Sun (Ballantine HB)
Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan (Eyre & Spottiswoode)
Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast (Eyre & Spottiswoode)
Mervyn Peake’s Titus Alone (Eyre & Spottiswoode)
Jack Vance’s Araminta Station (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s The Deadly Isles (Bobbs-Merrill)
Jack Vance’s The Dragon Masters (Dennis Dobson)
Jack Vance’s Ecce and Old Earth (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s Four Men Called John (Gollancz)
Jack Vance’s The Houses of Iszm (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s The House on Lily Street (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s The Eyes of the Overworld (Gregg Press)
Jack Vance’s The Last Castle (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph (Dennis Dobson)
Jack Vance’s Monsters in Orbit (Dennis Dobson)
Jack Vance’s Seventeen Virgins/A Bagful of Dreams (Underwood Miller HB)
Jack Vance’s Showboat World (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s Son of the Tree (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s Strange Notions/The Dark Ocean (Underwood Miller)
Jack Vance’s To Live Forever (Ballantine Books HB)
Jack Vance’s Vandals of the Void (Winston)
Jack Vance (as Alan Wade)’s Take My Face (Mystery House)
Jack Vance (as Peter Held)’s Isle of Peril (Mystery House)
Stanley G. Weinbaum’s A Martian Odyssey and Others (Fantasy Press)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Carolina Pirate (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Clash on the Catabwa (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s The Ghost Battalion (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Gray Riders (Aladdin)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Haunts of Drowning Creek (Holiday House)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Mystery at Bear Paw Gap (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Napoleon of the West (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s The South Fork Rangers (Washburn)
Manly Wade Wellman’s The Specter of Bear Paw Gap (Washburn)
Gene Wolfe’s The Grave Secret (Portentous Press chapbook)
Gene Wolfe’s The Old Woman Whose Rolling Pin Was the Sun (Cheap Street chapbook)
Roger Zelazny’s Damnation Alley (Putnam)
If you have nice copies any of the above, and if you’re willing to sell it to me considerably cheaper than can be found on Bookfinder.com, drop me an email at lawrenceperson@gmail.com and I’ll consider it.
The book-buying continues apace here at Stately Person Manor since the last roundup. Many were bought from a notable SF book dealer having a sale. And some weren’t even bought, as there’s a large number of unclaimed Nova Express proofs and ARCs that were integrated into my own library after I cleaned my office. All of these are Fine hardback first editions in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted. Signed book are noted, except for recent titles where the entire run was signed (like several Subterranean Press books).
Books that I have available for sale through Lame Excuse Books are marked LEB (though some of those titles won’t appear on the stock page until after I send out my next book catalog, which will probably be late this month or early next; email me if you’d like to get on the mailing list to received it).
And if perchance you’re new to my mad bibliomania, the most comprehensive post on my library can be found here.
Now the books:
Aldiss, Brian. Brothers of the Head Pierrot Publishing Ltd., 1977. First edition hardback (simultaneous with the much more common trade paperback edition), oversized and illustrated, a Fine copy in a VG+ dust jacket with light wrinkling, wear to extremities, and some age toning to white flaps of the dust jacket. Signed by both Aldiss and illustrator Ian Pollock. The hardback edition was already uncommon, but became more so after an art house movie based on it came out a few years ago. Bought this from a dealer in France, of all places.
Aldiss, Brian. Cultural Breaks. Tachyon, 2005. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format, with packet of review material.
Aldiss, Brian. This World and Nearer Ones. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1979. Signed by Adliss. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer. Non-fiction.
Baker, Kage. The Sons of Heaven. Tor, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Barker, Clive. Weaveworld. Poseidon Press, 1987. One of signed, 500 numbered copies, in unprinted Mylar dust jacket, in slipcase, as issued. Bought from a notable SF dealer for less than half original publisher’s price.
Barnes, John. The Armies of Memory. Tor, 2006.
Bear, Greg. The Collected Stories of Greg Bear. September, 2002. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Bear, Greg. Heads. One of 300 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Binder, Eando. Lords of Creation. Prime Press, 1949. One of 112 copies with plate signed by Binder affixed, Near Fine, sans dust jacket, with uncut pages, as issued. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Boyett, Steven R. Mortality Bridge. Subterranean Press, 2011.
Boyle, T.C. The Human Fly and Other Stores. Speak, 2005. Advanced uncorrected proof, trade paperback format, with packet of review material.
Brin, David. Dr. Pak’s Preschool. Cheap Street, 1989. One of 117 signed, numbered copies of the “Collector’s Edition,” in Fine handmade dust jacket and slipcase. Bought from a notable SF book dealer at a considerable discount off the original offered price.
Burks, Arthur J. Black Medicine. Arkham House, 1966.
Canon, Peter. Forever Azathoth. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 350 signed/numbered copies.
Charnes, Suzy McKee. Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Clarke, Arthur C. and Stephen Baxter. Firstborn. Del Rey, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Constantine, Storm. The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure. Tor. 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Crowther, Peter & Nick Gevers, editors. Postscripts #24/25: The New and Perfect Man. PS Publishing, 2011. Signed, traycased edition. Contributor copy, with my story “The Dog Parade” inside. For more information, see here.
De Camp, L. Sprague & Catherine Crook. Footprints in Sand: A Literary Sampler. Advent, 1981. One of 500 signed, numbered copies. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
De Camp, L. Sprague. Heroes & Hobgoblins Donald M. Grant, 1981. One of 1,250 copies signed by de Camp, a Fine copy in a price clipped (but otherwise Fine) dust jacket.
De Camp, L. Sprague. The Prisoner of Zhamanak. Phantasia Press, 1982. One of 500 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Di Filippo, Paul. The Emperor of Gondwanaland. Thunder Mouth Press, 2005. Trade paperback original.
Di Filippo, Paul. A Princess of the Linear City. PS Publishing, 2010. Fine in decorated boards, sans dj, as issued. LEB
Doctorow, Cory. A Place So Foreign and 8 More. Four Walls and Eight Windows, 2003. Trade paperback original. Signed by Doctorow.
Egan. Greg. The Clockwork Rocket. Night Shade Press, 2011. LEB
Emshwiller, Carol. I Live With You. Tachyon, 2005. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Farris, John. Fiends. Dark Harvest, 1990. One of 500 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Finch, Sheila. Reading the Bones. Tachyon, 2003. Trade paperback original.
Gunn, James. The End of the Dreams: Three Short Novels. Scribner’s, 1975. Inscribed by Gunn. Review materials laid in. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Gunn, James. The Magicians. Scribner’s, 1976. Inscribed by Gunn. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Haldeman, Joe, Stephen Giron, Edo van Belkom. Chapbook Seven. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2008. First edition hardback chapbook, one of only 20 copies bound in hardback, signed by Haldeman and Giron, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Haldeman’s section is hand-written and -illustrated.
Halpern, Marty and Claude Lalumiere. Witpunk. Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003.
Heinlein, Robert A. Assignment in Eternity. Fantasy Press, 1953. First edition hardback, first state Currey A binding (brick red cloth, with six gilt bands on spine, and with “Heinlein” 3mm high), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. Have Space Suit–Will Travel. Scribner’s, 1958. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. A Heinlein Triad. Gollancz, 1966. Details here.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Shasta Publishers, 1950. Details here.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Adventure of Cobbler’s Rune. Cheap Street, 1982. One of 250 signed, numbered hardback copies, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Solomon Leviathan’s Nine Hundred and Thirty-First Trip Around the World. Cheap Street, 1984. One of 250 signed, numbered hardback copies, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Water is Wide. Pendragon Press, 1976. Chapbook, one of 200 signed copies, a Fine copy.
Leiber, Fritz. The Change War. Gregg Press, 1978. Fine sans dj, as issued.
Link, Kelly and Gavin J. Grant. The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Del Rey, 2007. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Link, Kelly and Gavin J. Grant. The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Del Rey, 2007. Trade paperback original.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Leiber, Fritz, etc. H. P. Lovecraft: A Symposium. Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society/Riverside Quarterly, 1964. Chapbook, a Fine copy, with errata sheet laid in. Non-fiction.
MacLeod, Ken. The Night Sessions. Orbit, 2008.
Marusek, David. Mind Over Ship. Tor, 2009. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Marusek, David. Mind Over Ship. Tor, 2009.
McDevitt, Jack. The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge. Buffalo fantasy League, 2003. First edition hardback chapbook, #16 of a very small number bound into hardback, signed by McDevitt, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. The first of the Eeriecon chapbooks.
McMullin, Sean. Voyage of the Shadowmoon. Tor, 2002. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Moorcock, Michael/Joe R. Lansdale. Sojan the Swordsman/Under the Warrior Star. Planet Stories/Paizo, 2010. Trade paperback.
Morrow, James. The Cat’s Pajamas & Other Stories. Tachyon, 2004. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Nagata, Linda. Memory. Tor, 2003.
Nasir, Jamil. The Houses of Time. Tor, 2008. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Niven, Larry. A Gift From Earth. Macdonald, 1969. First hardback edition. Signed. A Near Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket.
Niven, Larry/Derwin Mak. Eeriecon Chapbook Ten: Doubling Rate/Willpower. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2011. First edition hardback chapbook, one of only 15(!) hardback copies, signed by both authors, Fine in a Fine dust jacket. LEB
Niven, Larry/Derwin Mak. Eeriecon Chapbook Ten: Doubling Rate/Willpower. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2011. Wraps edition.
Priest, Cherrie. Fathom. Tor, 2008.
Reed, Robert. Sister Alice. Tor, 2003.
Resnick, Mike. The Science Fiction Professional: Seven Years of “Ask Bwana” Columns. Farthest Star Science Fiction, 2002. Trade paperback original.
Resnick, Mike, et. al. With a Little Help From My Friends. Farthest Star Science Fiction, 2002. Trade paperback original.
Reynolds, Alastair. Troika. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 350 signed, numbered copies with a different cover.
Robson, Justina. Natural History. Macmillan (UK), 2003. Trade paperback original (simultaneous with the hardback edition), signed by Robson, with additional signed note on a Post-It square laid in.
Rossi, Matthew. Things That Never Were. MonkeyBrain Books, 2003.
Rucker, Rudy. Frek and The Elixer. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Rucker, Rudy. Mad Professor: The Uncollected Short Stories of Rudy Rucker. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2007. Trade paperback original.
Shiner, Lewis. Dark Tangos. Subterranean Press, 2011.
Shunn, William. An Alternate History of the 21st Century. Spilt Milk Press, 2007. Chapbook.
Silverberg, Robert. Homefaring. Phantasia Press, 1983. One of 450 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Silverberg, Robert. Sunrise on Mercury and Other Science Fiction Stories. Thomas Nelson Inc., 1975. Signed on affixed label by Silverberg. Bought for $8 from a notable SF book dealer.
Spector, Craig. Underground. Tor, 2005.
Stewart, Ian and jack Cohen. Heaven. Warner Books, 2004.
Stross, Charles. The Family Trade. Tor, 2004. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
(Sturgeon, Theodore) Diskin, Lahna F. Theodore Sturgeon: a primary and secondary bibliography. G.K. Hall & Co., 1980. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
Swanwick, Michael. Bones of the Earth. Eos, 2001. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Swanwick, Michael. The Dragons of Bable. Tor, 2007. Advanced reading copy, trade paperback format.
Totten, Michael. The Road to Fatima Gate. Encounter Books, 2011. Signed. Non-fiction.
Tregillis, Ian. Bitter Seeds. Tor, 2010.
Vance, Jack. Dangerous Ways. Subterranean Press, 2011. Traycased edition, signed by Vance. See here for more details.
(Vance, Jack) Tiedman, Richard. Jack Vance: Science Fiction Stylist. Mimeographed from typewritten copy on yellow paper stock, self wrappers, stapled, one of only 225 copies, Fine, with additional correspondence laid in.
Vinge, Vernor, and John-Allen Price. Chapbook Eight. Buffalo Fantasy League, 2002. First edition hardback chapbook, one of a very small number hardbound, signed by Vinge and Price, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Devils Planet. World Distributors, 1951. First edition, pulp paperback format, Very Good with slight rubbing and internal tape reinforcement, and spine creasing, otherwise bright.
Westerfield, Scott. The Killing of Worlds. Tor, 2003. Uncorrected proof, trade paperback format.
Westfahl, Gary, George Slusser and David Leiby, editors. Worlds Enough and Time: Explorations of Time in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Greenwood Press, 2002. Fine first edition hardback, sans dj, as issued, with review slip laid in. Non-fiction.
Since trailers for two of the films Howard Waldrop and I will be reviewing for Locus Online have recently dropped, I thought a trailer roundup was in order:
In November we’ll be reviewing Hugo (AKA Hugo Cabaret, based on Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret), a steampunk children’s fantasy from Martin Scorsese:
Which begs the question: Will Hugo be up for a Hugo?
Next year comes John Carter, AKA John Carter of Mars, AKA A Princess of Mars) directed by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton from a script written by Michael Chabon:
The public has cried out “Stina! We just can’t get enough photos of her! Could you possibly put up a bunch more?” The blue hair fetish crowd has spoken, and who am I to deny the public what it wants? Vox populi, vox dei.
(If you’re wondering whether the phrase “Blue Hair Fetish” bring up a lot of Google hits, I can tell you: Yes. Yes it does. And you shouldn’t test this theory at work. (See also: Rule 34.))
Martha Wells and Troyce Wilson, just back from their awesome private tour of NASA. They even showed them the video feed of the top secret moonbase and the dead alien in the third subbasement freezer…
Three of the four redheads of the apocalypse: Julia Mandala, Rhonda Eudaly, and Linda Donahue.
