Archive for December, 2013

Library Additions: Two Manly Wade Wellman First Editions (One Signed)

Thursday, December 19th, 2013

I’m closing in on a complete Manly Wade Wellman first edition collection (closer to completing that than my complete Heinlein collection, but farther than my complete Lafferty, Lansdale or Zelazny collections). I picked up two firsts, one off eBay, another off a major science fiction book dealer.

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. The Ghost Battalion. Ives Washburn, 1958. First edition hardback, most likely a repaired Ex-Library copy, Very Good with tape ghosts on boards, front free endpaper excised and another attached in it’s place, slight wear at heel, dust soiling at head, and slight crimping at head and heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear and about 1/16″ inch of color loss at heel, and possible spine fading (hard to tell, since it’s a different color than the front and back covers). Second book in the Iron Scouts Civil War YA trilogy. Bought for $18 off eBay.

    Ghost Batallion

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. What Dreams May Come. Doubleday, 1983. First Edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with signature plate signed by Wellman attached to front free endpaper. Features supernatural detective John Thundstone. Replaces an Ex-Library copy in my collection. Bought for $20 from a major SF book dealer.

    Wellman What Dreams

  • Three Robert A. Heinlein First Editions

    Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

    My efforts to collect all of Robert A. Heinlein in first edition continue apace. Here are two Heinlein first editions, as well as an important related critical work.

  • Heinlein, Robert A. The Number of the Beast. New English Library, 1980. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Reportedly Heinlein’s worst novel, but if you’re collecting the whole set…

    Heinlein Number Beast

  • Heinlein, Robert A. The Puppet Masters. Doubleday, 1951. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight foxing to endpapers and tiny touches of wear at heel in a in a Near Fine- dust jacket with extremely shallow surface chipping at head and slight fading of purple coloring on spine. A very nice copy of one of Heinlein’s most important early novels. Currey (1978), page 233. Pringle, SF 100 4.

    Puppet Masters

  • (Heinlein, Robert A.) Patterson, William H. Robert A. Heinlein in Dialogue With His Century Volume 1: Learning Curve: 1907-1948. Tor, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction biography.
  • Rosemary Wolfe, RIP

    Monday, December 16th, 2013

    From Michael Swanwick comes the sad news that Rosemary Wolfe, Gene Wolfe’s wife of more than 50 years, has died.

    I don’t have a lot to add to Michael’s write-up. I knew that she had been suffering for ill health for some time, and had been confined to 24-hour care for over a year.

    My condolences to Gene and the rest of the Wolfe family on her passing.

    Here’s a scanned picture of Gene and Rosemary on their wedding day from A Wolfe Family Album:

    Wolfe Wedding

    And here’s a picture of Gene and Rosemary (with Elizabeth Hand in-between) at the 2009 Readercon:

    10399694_1096304367956_2997018_n

    Library Additions: Jack Vance’s Gold and Iron

    Monday, December 16th, 2013

    Another acquisition from my recent book-buying spree:

    Vance, Jack. Gold and Iron. Underwood/Miller, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight wrinkle at rear heel. Previously published in paperback as Slaves of the Klau. Hewett, A9e.

    Vance Gold Iron

    Peter O’Toole, RIP: 1932-2013

    Sunday, December 15th, 2013

    Acting legend Peter O’Toole has died at age 81. One of the greats, and one of my personal favorite actors, not only from Lawrence of Arabia, but as The Stunt Man, Lord Jim, The Lion in Winter, Beckett, My Favorite Year, and even his great, weird, twitchy turn in The Ruling Class.

    Since everyone else in the world will have clips from Lawrence of Arabia, here’s an entire play O’Toole was in, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, in which he plays a very talkative drunk writer (or perhaps a writing drunkard).

    Shoegazer Sunday: Bailter Space’s “Robot World”

    Sunday, December 15th, 2013

    Here’s New Zealand’s Baltier Space with the title track from their Robot World shoegaze album, which checks in on the crunchier side of classic shoegaze:

    Insanely Awesome Japanese Lego Ball Machine

    Friday, December 13th, 2013

    Happy Friday the 13th!

    I’m not a LEGO fanatic, but I know two people who are, so I thought I’d put this up for them:

    This is for Kurt Baty and Steve Jackson, who now need to step up their LEGO game…

    Library Additions: C. L. Moore’s Judgment Night

    Thursday, December 12th, 2013

    Another notable book from the golden age of the genre small press:

    Moore, C.L. Judgment Night. Gnome Press, 1952. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight crimping at head and heel, mild foxing to inner gutters, and a few tiny spots of wear to bottom boards, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with 1/4″ closed tear at heel, slight wrinkling at rear head, and a touch of edgewear. A truly superb, bright example of the dust jacket. Collection of five longer stories. Currey (1978), Page 377. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 199. Anatomy of Wonder 4, 3-130. Bought for $65 off eBay.

    Judgment Night

    Library Additions: Earnest Bramah’s The Moon of Much Gladness (in dust jacket)

    Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

    If you like Barry Hughart, you should really try reading Earnest Bramah’s Kai Lung series, which is exceptionally entertaining. Though most of the Kai Lung first editions were published slightly before my main collecting period, I do snatch up nice copies in dust jacket when I see them at an affordable price (though I doubt I’ll ever have a Bramah collection to rival Mike Berro’s).

    Bramah, Earnest. The Moon of Much Gladness. Cassell & Company, 1932. First edition hardback (Berro A17), a Fine- copy with slight bends at head and heel in a VG+ dust jacket with a 1/8″ chip at rear head join, slight cracking at top edge of front cover, and dust soiling to rear, otherwise a fairly bright and attractive copy of a book seldom offered in dust jacket. Bought for $300 off the Internet from a major SF book dealer.

    (Click to embiggen, but note that the what appear to be tiny spots of white rubbing to the black dj are in fact scanner artifacts.)

    Moon Much Gladness

    New Godzilla Trailer

    Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

    There’s a new Godzilla trailer out:

    Points:

  • I’m a Godzilla fan from way back in my youth.
  • This is directed by Gareth Edwards, whose Monsters I loved.
  • It has a script by Frank Darabont, AKA “The Only Guy Who Can Make Great Films From Stephen King’s Novels.”
  • Holy shit does Zilla look big.
  • If you need something to fill the time between now and May 2014, may I suggest Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack? Despite the cheesy title, this is actually the best Godzilla film since the original Gojira
  • Mood: Cautious Optimism.