Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021
Another purchase from that same private collector as the two previous Lansdale lettered editions:
Lansdale, Joe R. Blood Dance. Subterranean Press, 2000. First edition hardback, letter R of 18 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a beautiful full-cloth binding and a Fine traycase with an additional Mark A. Nelson illustration mounted on the inside front cover, sans dust jacket, as issued. The Lost Lansdale Volume Three. Bought for $250 off a private collector.
Note: The bottom right of the illustration looks strange due to reflections off the protective plastic covering over the illustration.
Tags:Books, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, Subterranean Press, Western
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Monday, September 27th, 2021
More from that private collector purchase:
Lansdale, Joe R. (originally writing as Ray Slater). Texas Night Riders. Subterranean Press, 1997. First edition hardback thus and first U.S. hardback edition (preceded by the PBO and the Chivers large print hardback), copy P of 26 signed and lettered copies, a Fine copy bound in quarter-leather, in a Fine- patterned slipcase with slight rubbing to corners, sans dust jacket, as issued. This was early in Subterranean’s history, and they were still using the 4 x 3 acrostic spine logo. Bought for $220.
Tags:Books, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, small press publishers, Subterranean Press, Western
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2021
Here’s the first of several Lansdale items I obtained from a fellow collector who was selling off his collection:
Lansdale, Joe R. Waltz of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 1999. First edition hardback, letter R of 52 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine- traycase with a few small, shallow, random indentations. The Lost Lansdale Volume One. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 855. Unnoted by Chalker/Owings (or my proof copy of The World Lansdalian), this edition is bound in a very attractive, deep purple cloth rather than the light blue of the trade edition. Bought for $190 ($5 less than cover).
Tags:Books, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, Mystery, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
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Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021
Here’s a book I’ve wanted for quite a while, and finally pulled the trigger on:
Lansdale, Joe R. The Nightrunners. Dark Harvest, 1987. First edition hardback, letter X of 26 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in white leather and a wooden slipcase (AKA “slipcrate”), sans dust jacket, as issued. (Note: The wooden slipcase has three small notches at the back, but given the uniform staining, they were there when the book left the publisher.) Lansdale’s landmark splatterpunk novel, featuring two very bad boys and The God of the Razor. Chalker/Owings, page 120 (Jack was not a fan of the novel). Bought off a fellow Biblio dealer for $315.
The scan doesn’t do justice to the silver highlighting on the lettering. It’s a very attractive book.
Note that this is the third Dark Harvest “slipcrate” edition I’ve added to my library, along with George R. R. Martin’s Portraits of His Children and Chet Williamson’s Dreamthorpe.
I would sort of like to pick up all the other Dark Harvest “slipcrate” lettered editions, but not at the prices people are currently asking for them.
Note: I’ve recently picked up a lot of Lansdale lettered editions, so watch this space…
Tags:Books, Dark Harvest, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, small press publishers
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2021
Outside of eBay, I rarely win things at auction these days, as almost everything seems to go for more than I’m willing to bid. But here’s an exception on: Three items from the same Asimov-heavy auction that I picked up at bargain prices.
Asimov, Isaac. The Best of Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and a slight bit of lean, in a Very Good, price-clipped dust jacket with a 1/4″ closed chip at head, shallow edgewear at head, and slight dust staining to white rear cover. Just what the title says, and it includes “Nightfall” and “The Last Question.” Bought in an online auction for $4.88 plus shipping.
(Asimov, Isaac) Carl Freedman. Conversations With Isaac Asimov. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy with with ISBN sticker to rear cover, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued. (The Google Books image also lacks a dust jacket.) Collection of interviews with Asimov. There was a simultaneous trade paperback edition, and the hardback state seems uncommon. Bought at auction for $1.22 and shipping.
(Asimov, Isaac) James Gunn. Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. Oxford University Press, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Probably the main critical study of Asimov’s work. Bought at auction for $1.22 and shipping.
Tags:Books, Isaac Asimov, James Gunn, reference works, Science Fiction
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Saturday, September 18th, 2021
Two David Wong firsts from that bulk book purchase:
Wong, David (pseudonym of Jason Pargin). This Book Is Full of Spiders. St. Martin’s Press, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel and a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkling at heel, touches of edgewear and a couple of small stray abrasions. Sequel to John Dies At The End.
Added the back cover scan just because there doesn’t seem to be one on the Internet.
Wong, David (pseudonym of Jason Pargin). What The Hell Did I Just Read. St. Martin’s Press, 2017. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Another book in the series.
Tags:Books, David Wong, Horror, Science Fiction
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Friday, September 17th, 2021
Another book from that bulk purchase I’m cataloging:
Greenberg, Martin. The Robot and the Man. Gnome Press, 1953. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with top of spine very slight concave, edges of head and heel slightly soft, and a 2″ crack starting to bottom front inner hinge, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and heel, some edgewear along front bottom and at top near fold, slight, faint spotting along rear fold edge, and a crease running down the entire front cover right next to the flap fold, as though the book were folded not quite on center and corrected much later, plus a few other touches of wear. Still, the white portions of the jacket are reasonably bright and the pages lack the horrific browning that plagues later Gnome titles. Reprint anthology of robot stories, including some from Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore (not a Gallagher story), Lester del Rey (two stories), A. E. van Vogt, John D. MacDonald, and Bernard Wolfe. Chalker/Owings, page 200. Kemp, The Anthem Series, 225-26.
Tags:Books, Gnome Press, Martin Greenberg (Gnome Press), robots, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Wednesday, September 15th, 2021
Another one from the bulk purchase:
Fowler, Karen Joy. What I Didn’t See and Other Stories. Small Beer Press, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at top rear, signed by by Fowler. Short story collection.
Gaiman, Neil. The Ocean at the End of the Lane. William Morrow, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Gaiman.
Silverberg, Robert. The Secret Sharer. Underwood Miller, 1988. First edition hardback, #230 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Near Fine slipcase with some red spotting to rear.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Karen Joy Fowler, Neil Gaiman, Robert Silverberg, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Underwood/Miller
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Monday, September 13th, 2021
First Edition Library was a publishing line that produced prestige facsimile reprints of famous first editions. They printed the book and dust jackets to match the look of the original first edition (save an additional information box on the copyright page and an “FEL” notice on the bottom rear dust jacket flap) on quality paper and bindings with a slipcase. Most of these were literary works: Steinbeck, etc. By they did some dozen science fiction works, including this one.
Asimov, Isaac. I, Robot. Gnome Press (i.e., First Edition Library), 1950 (1978 copyright date, but actually printed sometime in the 1980s). Facsimile reprint of the Gnome Press first edition, first edition hardback thus, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase, which includes the front and back just jacket cover art pasted on, with FEL cardstock information brochure laid in. An attractive production, and undoubtedly done on better paper stock than the Gnome Press original. Aiming for the same prestige reprint market as Easton Press, and indeed they were either part of or acquired by Easton. Obtained as part of the same private library purchase as the two signed Ellison books.
I only picked this up because true jacketed firsts of I, Robot have zoomed up considerably beyond what I’m willing to pay right now. I don’t collect First Edition Library, but it’s somewhat annoying that no good, complete list of the science fiction volumes seems to exist online. So I compiled the following:
Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot
James Blish’s Earthman, Come Home
Ray Bradbury’s Golden Apples of the Sun
John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There?
Robert A. Heinlein’s Beyond This Horizon
C.L. Moore’s Shambleau and Others
Andre Norton’s Star Man’s Son
Lewis Padgett’s (Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore)’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and The Fairy Chessmen
Eric Frank Russell’s Dreadful Sanctuary
E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Gray Lensman
A. E. van Vogt’s The Weapon Makers
Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano (Note: This may have been issued as part of the literary line)
Jack Williamson’s The Legion of Space
I note that Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes was done as part of their literary line.
Tags:Books, First Edition Library, Gnome Press, Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction
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Thursday, September 9th, 2021
Another book from the same purchase as two Ellison books.
Sturgeon, Theodore. The Dreaming Jewels. Greenberg, 1950. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight flatness to top of spine, a few touches of wear to boards, slight foxing to inside covers, FFE and RFE, and trace of light spotting at top page block, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and heel, moderate light staining spots to white rear panel, and some 1/4″ closed tears at top and bottom fold joins and various other traces of surface wear, with Greenberg response postcard laid in. Currey, page 471. His first novel.
Tags:Books, Science Fiction, Theodore Sturgeon
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