Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Thursday, April 29th, 2021
Here’s an item I picked up a while back that I’ve only just gotten around to blogging about:
(Moorcock, Michael) Cawthorn, James. The Stormbringer Sessions. Jayde Designs/Savoy Books, 2021. First edition hardback, an oversized graphic novel format. #30 of 100 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase, with a sheet replicating the cover art laid in. A graphic novel reprinting Cawthorn’s rough sketches for Michael Moorcock’s Elric: The Book of Stormbringer, a much more complete and elaborate graphic novel adaptation of the concluding Elric book than the version published by Savoy Books in 1976. At £100 plus transatlantic shipping, it’s a pricey item, but with such a small limitation (with only an additional 100 trade copies) for a Moorcock item, I thought it was better to snap it up when I could (and indeed, all copies are now sold out).
The scan chops off the very bottom of the cover, because that was all that would fit on my scanner.
The slipcase is embossed with a red foil version of Moorcock’s eight-arrowed chaos symbol:
Tags:Books, James Cawthorn, Jayde Design, Limited Editions, Michael Moorcock
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Wednesday, April 28th, 2021
Picked up another signed Sturgeon first:
Sturgeon, Theodore. Without Sorcery. Prime Press, 1948. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight bumping at head, heel and points and a tickmark and circled “A+” next to “Maturity” on the title page, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with edgewear and crinkling at head, heel and points, rubbing along edges one thin streak of discoloration to spine (not affecting any text), slight haze rubbing to front cover, and age darkening and dust staining to white rear cover, signed by Sturgeon. Sturgeon’s first short story collection (and first “real” book). Diskin, Theodore Sturgeon: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography, A54. Currey, page 473 (state B, trade issue). Chalker/Owings, page 352. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 129. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 189 (not in the 1948 edition). Locke, Anatomy of Wonder, page 208. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4, 3-173. Bought for $50 off eBay.
Tags:Books, Prime Press, Science Fiction, signatures, Theodore Sturgeon
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Thursday, April 22nd, 2021
Some nine years ago, I published this post on Andrew Ferguson’s NYRSF piece on unpublished R. A. Lafferty works. These included:
Loup Garou, a werewolf mystery
Civil Blood, an anti-communist novel
Antonio Vescovo, a very early novel described as “a cross between Rabelais and The Lives of the Saints”
Dark Shine, about gifted children and an evil protagonist, and
When All the World Was Young, a plague novel in which everyone over the age of 10 is killed.
I also knew about the unpublished “In a Green Tree” novels:
Grasshoppers and Wild Honey 1928-1942 (first two chapters published, the rest unpublished)
Deep Scars of the Thunder 1942-1960
Incidents of Travel in Flatland 1960-1978
(A project fifth volume, In the Akrokeraunian Mountains 1978-1990, was evidently started but never completed.)
I was also aware of the third and fourth volumes in the Coscuin Chronicles series:
Sardinian Summer
First and Last Island
However, this wiki (evidently created by Ferguson) includes still more novels I haven’t heard about before:
Esteban, “a historical novel tracking the life and travels of the African slave who was the first ‘white’ (i.e., non-Native) man to enter much of what would become the southwestern United States”
Fair Hills of Ocean, Oh!, “About a dolphin who is a quadruple-agent spy and the invasion of dry land by the king of the oceans.”
Iron Tongue of Midnight (I know nothing about, except it shares the same title as a 1988 Lafferty poem)
Mantis (evidently a mystery novel)
Not listed there, and only listed on a couple of dubious webpages, so I have my doubts as to whether it actually exists, is The Giant Ratchet of Sumatra (with Sharon Scott). There is a reference to a first chapter manuscript in the University of Tulsa archives, but I see no sign that it had ever been completed.
Excluding the dubious and unfinished, by my count that’s fourteen unpublished Lafferty novels…
Tags:Andrew Ferguson, Books, Fantasy, R. A. Lafferty, Science Fiction, unpublished works
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 18th, 2021
Still more books from the Subterranean Press PC sale:
Stephenson, Neal. Atmosphæra Incognita. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 Lettered copies, a Fine copy in embossed boards and a Fine traycase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Novella about building a giant tower. Bought for $500 (the original offering price).
Stephenson, Neal. Atmosphæra Incognita. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $100.
Lettered edition on left, numbered edition on right
All editions are long sold out.
Tags:Books, Limited Editions, Neal Stephenson, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 16th, 2021
Another book from the Subterranean Press PC sale:
Howard, Robert E. The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard. Subterranean Press, 2010. First limited edition hardback (the Del Rey trade edition precedes), a PC copy of 50 signed, numbered (so says the limitation page, though this is the Lettered edition) leatherbound copies, signed by artist Greg Staples, a Fine copy in a Fine traycase, sans dust jacket, as issued. A lavish production. Supplements a copy of the ordinary numbered edition. Bought for $200, a hefty 50% off the original offering price of $400.
Tags:Books, Horror, Limited Editions, Robert E. Howard, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Horror | No Comments »
Monday, March 15th, 2021
More from the Subterranean PC sale:
Mieville, China. The Last Days of New Paris. Subterranean Press, 2017. First limited edition hardback (the Del Rey trade edition precedes), a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Supplements a copy of the numbered edition. Long out of print. Bought for the original offering price of $250.
Tags:Books, China Mieville, Fantasy, Subterranean Press
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Thursday, March 11th, 2021
Three more books from the Subterranean Press PC sale. All these were long sold out from the publisher. As with Blood’s A Rover, Subterranean has provided plastic bags for both the traycase and the book inside the traycase for all of these.
Barker, Clive. Chiliad: A Meditation. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Collects two novelettes. Bought for $250 (the original offering price).
Barker, Clive. Infernal Parade. Subterranean Press, 2017. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 52 signed, lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Bought for $250 (the original offering price). Supplements a signed limited edition bought during one of their 50% off sales.
Barker, Clive. Tonight, Again. Subterranean Press, 2015. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Bought for $250 (the original offering price). Supplements a trade edition.
All in all, these are a little plain compared to all the other items I’ve cataloged from the sale…
Tags:Books, Clive Barker, Limited Editions, signatures, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Horror | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2021
Another book from the Subterranean Press PC sale:
Gaiman, Neil. Smoke & Mirrors. Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback thus, a PC copy of 500 numbered copies signed by Gaiman and illustrator Dave McKean. Preceded by both the Dreamhaven Angels and Visitations in 1993 and the Avon Smoke and Mirrors from 1998 (both of which I have). Includes new art by McKean. Sold out quickly the year of publication. Bought for $250 (the offering price).
Tags:Books, Dave McKean, Fantasy, Neil Gaiman, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Thursday, March 4th, 2021
Subterranean Press had one of their PC sales, where Publisher Copies of limited and lettered editions of their books (most long out of print) are offered up for sale during a brief window of time. I ended up buying a ridiculous amount of limited and lettered editions. I’ll be listing them here over the next week or so. Here’s the first:
Martin, George R. R. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Subterranean Press, 2016. First signed limited edition hardback, a Fine PC copy of 52 leatherbound lettered copies signed by Martin and illustrator Gary Gianni, in a Fine traycase, sans dust jacket, as issued. An elaborate production, with full color fold-out frontispiece artwork and inserted card-stock separator, and a high quality embossed leather binding. Long out of print from the publisher. (In fact, I’m not even sure they ever offered the lettered edition in their email newsletter.) Bought for $600, a substantial discount from the original $750 offering price.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, George R. R. Martin, Limited Editions, Subterranean Press
Posted in Books, Fantasy | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
If these seems like a rerun to you it’s because I bought another copy two years ago. However, this copy has a dust jacket:
Moore, Ward. Breathe the Air Again. Harper & Brothers, 1942. First edition hardback (stated), a Near Fine copy with dust staining at top and bottom page blocks and slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket with price stamp of “2.95” next to clip, slight grubbiness (most noticeable to back rear cover), plus shallow closed tears at head and heel; despite that, it’s a bright, vibrant example of a dust jacket for which I can find no other scan on the Internet. Interestingly, this copy has a different binding, and even appears to be a different trim size, than my other copy. I now believe my earlier copy is not only a library rebind, but one for which the page blocks were trimmed as part of the rebinding process. Reportedly a Picaresque mainstream novel of labor organizing. Bought off an Internet dealer for $265.50.
Current copy on the left, older copy on the right
Tags:binding, Books, Science Fiction, Ward Moore
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
