Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
Vance, Jack. Dangerous Ways. Subterranean Press, 2011. Ultralimited PC traycased edition, one of an indeterminate number of signed, leatherbound copies beyond the 26 lettered copies.
I don’t often buy traycased editions (I have some for Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, and some Cheap Street authors, since they regularly did traycase editions for their “Publisher’s States” of books), but a book dealer offered up this Vance traycase as part of a number of Subterrranean Press PC editions for less than the original (long-sold-out) published price, and I snapped it up. It’s a rather imposing traycase (I’m not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the title lettering has a somewhat metallic sheen, like burnished copper), though there are two small oddities about it: 1.) The rounded spine edge of the case looks nice, but it prevents the case from laying flat while it’s open, and 2.) The left-side folds into, rather than outside, the right hand part of the traycase holding the book.
Still a very attractive production. Click to embiggen.
Tags:Books, First Edition, Jack Vance, Mystery, Science Fiction, signed, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Underwritten by Gollancz. I assumed something of the sort was in the works, since I’ve heard the likes of John Clute and David Langford muttering about updated material from time to time, but it’s good to know that the rough beast now has a schedule for its slouching. As mentioned before, the second edition is pretty much essential for anyone with an interest in the field, and I expect the third to be no less essential.
Tags:Books, John Clute, reference works, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 2nd, 2011
Tags:Ansible, Books, David Langford, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
And here’s the second part of my series on my reference library. The last installment dealt with the books I reach for most often. The reference works listed in this post share only size, being too big for most of my other shelves, which is why they’re filed here. Some of these (the Nevins, the first two Bleilers) get a lot of use, while others almost never get taken down (things that have been superseded by both the Internet and the two Clute encyclopedias).
(Click to embiggen.)
I’m not going to do a full run-down of publication dates, etc. for everything, but here’s a general overview of what’s here:
Harris-Fain, Darren, editor. British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers before World War I (Gale Dictionary of Literary Biography Volume 178). Eclectic selection, but a very solid work for the writers (about half the volume) who aren’t well-covered in other references.
Bleiler, Everett F. Science Fiction: The Early Years and Science Fiction: The Gernsback Years. Kent State University Press, 1990/1998. Absolutely essential for anyone with an interest in the early years of the field.
Bleiler, Everett F. Science Fiction Writers. First and second editions. Superseded by the two Clute Encyclopedias.
Smith, Curtis S., et. al. (editor) Twentieth Century Science Fiction Writers. Ditto.
Vinson, James and D.L. Kirkpatrick, editors. Twentieth Century Western Writers. It was cheap. Like, $2 at a library sale cheap…
Tuck, Doanld H. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Two volumes. Another book set superseded by the two Clute Encyclopedias.
Nevins, Jess. The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana. MonkeyBrain Books, 2005. Extremely useful work, but not quite worth the $2,000 some people are asking for online…
Bell, Joseph. Les Bibliotheques Howard Phillips Lovecraft (Volumes 1-8). Soft Books, 1984-1987. Weird, eight volume, stapled paper-wrappers collection of various H. P. Lovecraft-related bibliographic tidbits. Huge overlap with the Joshi bibliography and the catalog of the Grill-Berkin collection (both of which I have), but some odd and interesting information for the Lovecraft fanatic (of which there are many). I will probably do a separate post on my collection of Lovecraft reference works sometime in the indeterminate future…
Sidney-Fryer, Donald. Emperor of Dreams: A Clark Ashton Smith Bibliography. Donald M. Grant, 1979. If this isn’t the most irritatingly organized single-author bibliography of all time, it’s not for want of trying…
Grant, Donald M. Talbot Mundy: Messenger of Destiny. Donald M. Grant, 1983. Just picked this up, so it’s still in the shrinkwrap…
Day, Bradford M. Materials Toward a Bibliography of the Works of Talbot Mundy. Science-Fiction & Fantasy Publications, 1955. My copy was beat to hell when I got it, and it was regarded as not entirely accurate even when it was produced. A historical curiosity only.
Pringle, David. St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers. St. James Press, 1998. A lot less superseded than the SF & Fantasy works, but unless it’s something quite modern, I’ll generally reach for Bleiler’s The Guide to Supernatural Fiction instead.
Hall, Hal. Science Fiction Book Review Index, 1974-1979. Gale, 1981. If you need it (and you know who you are), you need it.
Spignesi,Stephen J. Shape Under the Sheet: The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia. Popular Culture Ink., 1991. A mixture of the really useful and the completely worthless.
Wiater, Stanley, Christopher Golden and Hank Wagner. The Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King. Cemetery Dance, 2001. Signed, slipcased edition. I don’t have too many King reference works, but I’ve got these two. (Plus Hank use to do a lot of reviews for me back in the Nova Express days.)
Hawk, Pat. Hawk’s Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Series & Sequels. Hawk’s Enterprises, 2001. Not perfect, but nothing else really covers so much information for this particular area.
Stableford, Brian. The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places. Simon & Schuster, 1999. A solid work, but I almost never find myself consulting it.
Turner, George R. (Bruce Gillespie, editor) SF Commentary 76: The Unrelenting Gaze: George Turner Non-Fiction: A Selection. A hefty selection of commentary, reviews, etc. from the dean of Australian SF writers. The full text is available online.
Wright, H. Stephen. Philip K. Dick: A Secondary Bibliography, 1960-1983. Just what it says. Bound pages. Not a particularly common work. Like Lovecraft, I plan on doing a future post on my Philip K. Dick reference works.
Shoaf, Eric C. Collecting William S. Burroughs in Print: A Checklist. Ratishna Books, 2000. Bought this off eBay back around 2001, and was initially disappointed that it was just bound pages, but this is actually a really solid bibliography. For example, there’s an in-depth history of the Grove Press publication of Naked Lunch.
Bradbury, Ray. Futuria Fantasia. Graham, 2007. Hardback reproduction of four issues of an early fanzine Bradbury published. I’m guessing the green ink is designed to matched the original look of the fanzine, but man, it’s really hard on the eyes…
Collins, Paul, editor. The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy. Melbourne University Publishing, 1998. Felt compelled to pick this up after I published a very scathing John Clute review of it in Nova Express.
Science Fiction Bibliography, Volume 1, Number 1 (and only). Science Fiction Syndicate, 1935. A curiosity, being the first published science fiction bibliography on record (and published here in Austin, no less). Mainly reviews fanzine and magazines you’ve never heard of, condemning some as complete worthless. No author listed, but it was apparently a D. R. Welch, the first used SF book dealer in Austin. Picked up for $35 back when Currey was asking $100 for it. Mainly useful as something to pull out for guests and go “Look! The first published SF bibliography!” and watch them nod indulgently.
Tags:bibliography, Books, Donald M. Grant, Everett F. Bleiler, Fantasy, Horror, Jess Nevins, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, reference works, Science Fiction, science fiction bibliography, Stephen King, Talbot Mundy, William S. Burroughs
Posted in Austin, Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Including my story “The Dog Parade.”
Here’s the traycase the signed, limited edition comes in:
And here’s the book itself nestled snugly inside that traycase:
It was actually an unusually long journey for the anthology to be published, as one of the sets of signature sheets got lost in transit, which set back the publication timeline considerably.
Contents of Postscripts #24/25: The New and Perfect Man, edited by Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers, are as follows:
THE NEW AND PERFECT MAN — Carol Emshwiller (cover story, illustrated by her husband, the late, great Ed Emshwiller)
FRIGHTENED ANGELS — Jeremy Adam Smith
TO SEE INFINITY BARE — Rudy Rucker & Paul Di Filippo
ELECTRIC BREAKFAST — Paul Meloy
A CRACK IN THE CEILING OF THE WORLD — Michael Kelly
THE DOG PARADE — Lawrence Person
THE LAST HERETIC — Darrell Schweitzer
THE STORY OF PRINCESS ROSEBUD — Alan Peter Ryan
THE INN OF DISTANT SORROWS — Thomas Tessier
A MOMENT AT THE HOUSE — T.M. Wright
WHISPER — Richard Calder
THE PRIMATE SANCTUARY — Quentin S. Crisp
CALL ME — Bob Strother
SO LOVED — Matthew Hughes
CONFESSIONS OF A TYRANT’S DOUBLE — Gregory Norminton
EUPHORIA — Robert Reed
TRUE BLUE — Darrell Schweitzer
CHRIST THE PAINTER — Allen Ashley
YOUR GOLDEN HANDS — Andrew Hook
THE GHOST OF LILLIAN BLISS — Rio Youers
ASHES IN THE WATER — Joel Lane and Mat Joiner
CHILD OF EVIL STARS — Anne-Sylvie Homassel
HER FINGERS LIKE WHIPS, HER EYES LIKE RAZORS — Jay Lake
DR. BLACK, THOUGHTS & PATENTS — Brendan Connell
THE ROOM BEYOND — Ramsey Campbell
THROWNNESS — Adam Roberts
IMAGO — Keith Brooke
THE VORKUTA EVENT — Ken MacLeod
Sold wherever fine SF anthologies are sold…
Tags:Books, Ed Emshwiller, Fantasy, Horror, Ken MacLeod, Nick Gevers, Paul Di Filippo, Peter Crowther, Rudy Rucker, Science Fiction, Shameless Self-Promotion
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
I haven’t posted much the last week because I’ve been busy doing this and that, and one of the things I’ve been busy with is a long-overdue cleanup of my office, including doing something about those Nova Express review copies cluttering it up. Now that I’ve finally finished moving books around, and gotten a new camera (a Kodak Slice) to replace the one that died, I thought I would put up some long-overdue pictures of the books in my office, starting with the reference shelf right next to my computer, which contains the reference works I tend to reach for most often.
(Click to embiggen.)
Going left to right (left being the side closest to the computer, and thus the books I reach for most often) are:
Currey, L.W. Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction. G. K. Hall, 1978. The bible of the field, and absolutely essential for any serious collector of science fiction first editions. Only goes up to 1978. For dates after 1983, you can use The Locus Online Database. Currey also sells a slightly updated CD-ROM version, which still only goes up to 1978. (Now if only someone would compile a book that covers 1979-1983…)
Chalker, Jack & Owings, Mark. The Science Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History. Mirage Press, 1991 (“Third Edition Revised and Enlarged”). If you’re a serious SF collector, you need this. The problem is, you can’t trust it. No other reference work offers the wealth and scope of knowledge of SF small press publishers that this one does. There’s a lot of good information in here. The print edition shown above had major errors and omissions, and a very odd organizational structure, not to mention several sneers and the constant sound of ax-grinding for SF figures the authors disagree with; the CD-ROM version is more accurate, but no longer up to date as both Chalker and Owings have died. What this book is best for is the chatty, informative histories of the various publishing houses listed here. (If nothing else, I can unstintingly recommend this book for anyone thinking of starting up their own small press, as it provides numerous examples of what not to do.) It’s also quite useful for uncovering titles and publishers you might not have known existed before. In summary: A valuable tool for those who possess enough experience in the field to know which parts to take with a grain of salt.
Clute, John, & Nichols, Peter. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. St. Martins, 1993 (first U.S. edition, offset from the same plates as the Orbit (UK) first). An absolutely essential general reference work.
Clute, John, & Grant, John. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. St. Martins, 1997 (first U.S. edition). Slightly more scattershot than the above, but still an essential guide.
Reginald, Robert. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: Indexes to the Literature, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature:Contemporary Science Fiction Authors, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: 1975 to 1991. Gale Research, 1980, 1981, 1992. Not the first reference work I reach for, but contains a lot of information that has slipped through the cracks of other works.
Levack, Daniel. Amber Dreams: A Roger Zelazny Bibliography. Underwood Miller, 1983. The first of the single-author bibliographies.
Levack, Daniel. PKD: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography. Underwood Miller, 1981. I have a copy of the trade paperback edition for sale over on the Lame Excuse Books page.
Hewett, Jerry. The Work of Jack Vance: An Annotated Bibliography & Guide. Borgo Press/Underwood Miller, 1994. I know Jerry pretty well, and not only has he signed my copy, he crossed out “Borgo” and wrote in “Bozo” on the title page. I think he had some problems dealing with them…
Bleiler, Everett F. The Checklist of Science-Fiction and Supernatural Fiction. Firebell, 1978. Slightly updated edition of Bleiler’s classic Checklist of Fantastic Fiction (which I have on another shelf), and an absolutely essential reference work for older SF/F/H books.
Joshi, S. T. Sixty Years of Arkham House. Arkham House, 1999. Not 100% accurate, but essential none the less.
Bleiler, Everett. The Guide to Supernatural Fiction. Kent State University Press, 1993. Very good, and very solid, as a general reference work, but not really concerned with first edition points.
Locke, George. Spectrum of Fantasy I-III. Ferret Fantasy, 1980-2002. Perhaps the only SF dealer as knowledgeable as Currey. These are Locke’s descriptions of his own personal library of fantastic fiction. Quite enjoyable works, and George is a nice guy.
One guideline I’d offer aspiring SF/F/H book collectors is: Don’t skimp on the reference works. Some of these books can be expensive, but all it takes is one real find (or one expensive dud avoided) for a good reference work to pay for itself.
More pictures of my reference library when I have the time…
Tags:Arkham House, Book Collecting, Books, Daniel Levack, Everett F. Bleiler, Fantasy, Ferret Fantasy, First Edition, George Locke, Horror, Jack Chalker, Jack Vance, John Clute, L. W. Currey, Mark Owings, Philip K. Dick, reference works, Robert Reginald, Roger Zelazny, S. T. Joshi, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 6 Comments »
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
So about a year after I really needed to, I’ve finally got around to reorganizing my office. And by “reorganizing,” I mean “putting away a bunch of crap so I can actually put the books I’ve already bought in their proper places on my shelves.”
One obstacle to this is all the Nova Express review copies that have piled up around the place. It hasn’t (quite) been a decade since The Fanzine That Walks Like a Semiprozine published its last issue in 2002. In 2003 I was unemployed most of the year, in 2004 I bought a house, and in 2005 I took a 10 day trip to the UK to see London and the Glasgow Worldcon, all things that ate up both time and money required to publish something that lost a good $1,000-2,000 an issue. (I contend that Nova Express is not in fact dead, but merely resting and pining for the fjords. It’s been my intention to resurrect the beast as some sort of online zine, but life has continued to get in the way.) Despite its non-published status, Nova Express has continued to receive review copies of books (proofs, ARCS, hardbacks, paperbacks, you name it), the more interesting of which I’ve put aside until I had time to bring the zine back to life, though I have reviewed something here every now and then.
But rather than let all these review copies continue taking up valuable bookshelf space, I’ve decided to do two things:
- Offer them up to former Nova Express staffers (you know who you are) to review here on Futuramen (as a sort of low-calorie-Nova-Express substitute, or Nova-Express-in-Exile sort of thing), and
- Disperse the rest (sell/giveaway/put into my own library).
Rather than spend time listing each and every copy (there are a lot), I’m just going to list the authors. If you’d like to review something by them, let me know. Keep in mind some of these are almost a decade old, but what the hell, better late than never.
Neal Asher
S. A. Bodeen
Kevin Brockmeier
M. M. Buckner
Ramsey Campbell
Storm Constantine
Brenda Cooper
Robert Conroy
Frank Corsaro
Ellen Datlow
Cory Doctrow
William Drinkard
Carol Emshwiller
Andreas Eschbach
Steven Erikson
Ian C. Esselmont
Michael Flynn
Gregory Frost
Anne Harris
Melanie Gideon
Daryl Gregory
Jim Grimsley
Peter F. Hamilton
Thomas Harlan
Howard Hendrix
Stephen Hunt
James Patrick Kelly
Liam Jackson
Jay Lake
Jean Lorrah
James Maxey
A. Lee Martinez
Sandra McDonald
Paul Melko
James Morrow
Jamil Nasir
Paul Park
Nicholas Pekearo
Kit Reed
R. Garcia Y. Robertson
Cameron Rogers
Mary Rosenblum
Rudy Rucker
Melinda Snodgrass
Stanley Schmidt
William R. Trotter
Vernor Vinge
Kit Whitfield
Kim Wilkins
David Wellington
Scott Westerfield
If you want to review any of these, drop me a line.
Tags:Book reviews, Books, Fantasy, Horror, Howard Hendrix, Neal Asher, Nova Express, Rudy Rucker, Science Fiction
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Time for another roundup on my serious mental illness the latest acquisitions for my professional science fiction library since the last time I listed them. All these are first edition hardbacks in Fine condition, with Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise listed.
Books that I have available for sale through Lame Excuse Books are marked LEB (though a few of those titles won’t appear on the stock page until after I send out my next book catalog).
I’ve included scans of a few of the more uncommon titles.
Bacagalupi, Paolo. The Alchemist. Subterranean Press, 2011. LEB
Banks, Ian M. The Spheres. Novacon, 2010. Chapbook, Fine, with Novacon 40 program book.
Bear, Elizabeth. The White City (with Twilight chapbook). Subterranean Press, 2011, one of 200 signed, numbered copies, with chapbook, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Blaylock, James P. The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 1,500 signed copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. LEB
Brackett, Leigh. Lorelei of the Red Mist: Planetary Romances. Haffner Press, 2007.
Brackett, Leigh. Martian Quest: The Early Brackett. Haffner Press, 2002.
Buckell, Tobias S. The Executioness. Subterranean Press, 2011. First edition hardback, one of 300 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. LEB
Cady, Jack. Rules of ’48. Night Shade Books, 2008. Trade paperback original.
Dick, Philip K. Clans of the Alphane Moon. Gregg Press, 1979. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Replaced an Ex-Library copy.
Dick, Philip K. The Complete Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 1: The King of the Elves. Subterranean Press, 2011. LEB
Eshbach, Lloyd Arthur. Over My Shoulder: Reflections on a Science Fiction Era. Oswald Train, 1983. Non-fiction.
Grant, Donald M. Talbot Mundy: Messenger of Destiny. Donald M. Grant, 1983. Non-fiction.
Heinlein, Robert A. Assignment in Eternity. Fantasy Press, 1953. See here for full details.
Howard, Robert E. The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 750 copied signed and numbered by the artist, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, in slipcase. LEB
King, Stephen. Little Sisters of Eluria. Donald M. Grant, 2009. First edition hardback, one of 4000 artist’s copies signed by Michael Whelan, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase.
Kuttner, Henry. Terror in the House: The Early Kuttner, Volume One. Haffner Press, 2010. LEB
Kuttner, Henry, and C. L. Moore. Detour to Otherness. Haffner Press, 2010.
Lake, Jay. The Baby Killers PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. LEB
Lansdale, Joe R. Christmas with the Dead PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 300 copies signed and numbered by Lansdale, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. LEB
Lansdale, Joe R. Christmas with the Dead PS Publishing, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Trade edition. Signed by Lansdale. LEB
Lansdale, Joe R. Devil Red. Knopf, 2011. Inscribed, with promotional postcard laid in.
Lansdale, Joe R. Dread Island. IDW, 2010. First edition hardback, one of 500 copies with signed square bound in, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Lansdale, Joe R. Hyenas. Subterranean Press, 2011. One of 400 signed, numbered copies. LEB
Lansdale, Joe R. Hyenas. Subterranean Press, 2011. Trade edition. Signed by Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Magic Wagon. Chivers Press, 1988. First British Edition. Fine in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Lansdale.
Leicht, Stina. Of Blood and Honey. Night Shade Books, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. Inscribed by the author. LEB
Moorcock, Michael. The Vanishing Tower. Archival Press, 1981. A Fine copy, sans dust jacket, in slipcase, as issued.
Moore, Ward. Cloud by Day. Heinemann, 1956. First edition hardback, a near Fine copy with non-authorial gift inscription, in a Near Fine dust jacket with faint spots of foxing to inner flaps and a bit of edgewear and crinkling at head.
Morris, Mark, editor. Cinema Futura. PS Publishing, 2010. Non-fiction.
Powers, Richard. The Gold Bug Variations. William Morrow, 1991.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson. Night Shade Books, 2010. LEB
Rucker, Rudy. Jim and the Flims. Night Shade Books, 2011.
Shea, Michael. The Autopsy and Other Tales. Centipede Press, 2009. One of 500 copies signed by Shea, Fine, sans dj, as issued.
Sheckley, Robert E. Immortality Delivered. Avalon Books, 1958. A Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with moderate spine-fading.
Stephenson, Neal. Zodiac: The Eco Thriller. Subterranean Press, 2011. First hardback edition, one of 500 copies signed by Stephenson, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, in slipcase. LEB
Straub, Peter. Sides. Cemetery Dance, 2007. Signed by Straub. Non-fiction.
Swanwick, Micheal. Dancing With Bears. Night Shade Books, 2011. LEB
Totten, Michael. The Road to Fatima Gate. Encounter Books, 2011. Signed by the author. Non-fiction.
Vance, Jack. Dangerous Ways. Subterranean Press, 2011. Omnibus edition.
Vance, Jack. Trullion: Alastor 2262 with Marune:Alastor 993 with Wyst: Alastor 1716. Underwood/Miller, 1984. First hardback editions, Fine copies in Fine dust jackets, in slipcase (though these are the unsigned editions, the slipcase appear to be the one they issued for the signed edition).
Williamson, Jack. The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson Volume 4: Spider island. Haffner Press, 2002.
Williamson, Jack. The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson Volume 7: With Folded Hands and Searching Mind. Haffner Press, 2010.
Zelazny, Roger. Blood of Amber. Underwood-Miller, 1986. First edition hardback, one of 500 signed/numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, in a Fine slipcase.
Tags:Book Collecting, Donald M. Grant, First Edition, Henry Kuttner, Iain M. Banks, Jack Vance, Jack Williamson, Joe R. Lansdale, Lame Excuse Books, Leigh Brackett, Michael Shea, Philip K. Dick, pics, Robert Sheckley, Stephen King, Ward Moore
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, pics, Science Fiction | No Comments »
