Posts Tagged ‘small press publishers’

Library Additions: Little Books By Robert W. Chambers and “Robert W. Chambers”

Tuesday, April 19th, 2022

Two recent “Little” books from Borderlands Press, one with a hilarious typo right on the cover.

  • Chambers, Robert W. (Lisa Morton, editor). A Little Yellow Book of Carcosa and Kings. Borderlands Press, 2022. First edition hardback, #462 of 500 copies signed by Morton, a Fine copy, sans dust, as issued. Four linked horror tales, all reprinted from The King in Yellow, all set in a then-future United States. Now sold out from the publisher. I have one copy of this still available through Lame Excuse Books.

  • “Chambers, Robert W.” (i.e., Arthur Machen)(Bentley Little, editor). A Little Brown Book of Unnatural Narratives. Borderlands Press, 2022. First edition hardback, #462 of 500 copies signed by Little, a Fine copy, sans dust, as issued. Three stories (“The Inmost Light,” “The Shining Pyramid” and “The Novel of the White Powder”) all reprinted from previous Machen collections. Hilariously, Borderlands accidentally kept the author embossing for Chambers from the above volume on the cover design when they printed this Machen collection, which is probably the funniest mistake since “Karl Edward Wanger” on the first state dust jacket of Gods in Darkness. With inserted slip apologizing for the typo laid in. I’ll have a few copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

  • Library Addition: Three Centipede Press Titles

    Thursday, April 14th, 2022

    The Sheckley was bought directly from the publisher, while the two Watts titles were bought from a collector culling his collection.

  • Sheckley, Robert. Masters of Science Fiction: Robert Sheckley. Centipede Press, 2022. First edition hardback, #350 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap. “Signed by Jim & Ruth Keegan, with facsimile signatures by Robert Sheckley, Christopher Priest, and John Pelan.” The signed edition is sold out from the publisher, but I’ll have a few copies in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

  • Watts, Peter. Blindsight. Centipede Press, 2020. First limited edition hardback, #177 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Watts Hugo-Award nominated novel about a mission sent to examine an alien probe in the Kupier Belt. Well-written and super depressing, Blindsight argues that self-aware, sentient life is an evolutionary dead-end. (There’s an interview Joe Rogan did with Neill Blomkamp about the resurrected vampires that are part of the book, but they’re not even the most interesting or fundamental part of the novel.) Supplements a copy of the Tor true first edition.

    With:

  • Watts, Peter. Echopraxia. Centipede Press, 2020. First limited edition hardback, #177 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Sequel to Blindsight that I haven’t read yet. Sets of these went out of print shortly after their announcement, and seems to be pretty close to Unobtanium on the secondary market. Bought for $400 for the pair from a private collector.

  • Library Addition: Clark Ashton Smith’s The Dark Chateau

    Monday, March 21st, 2022

    I’m closing in on a complete Clark Ashton Smith collection in hardback. Here’s one of the pricier Smith Arkham Houses:

    Smith, Clark Ashton. The Dark Chateau. Arkham House, 1951. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight crimping and a touch of wear at head, small embossed name at bottom of half-title page, moderate foxing to rear gutters, slight foxing to front gutters, and a thumbnail edge-like indention to the top of the first few pages, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with slight loss at points and age-darkening to white lettering on spine. Only 563 copies printed, one of the smaller Arkham House runs. Joshi, Schultz & Connors, Clark Ashton Smith: A Comprehensive Bibliography, I.13.a. Sidney-Fryer, Emperor of Dreams, page 27. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House, 44. Derleth, Thirty Years of Arkham House, 44. Jaffrey, Horrors and Unpleasantries, 42. Nielsen, Arkham House Books, 46 (also ranked as the eighth scarcest Arkham House volume, and the ninth priciest). Bought from PBA Auctions for $406.25 plus shipping.

    The only Smith Arkhams I now lack are:

  • Genius Loci and Other Tales
  • Spells and Philtres
  • The Abominations of Yondo
  • Library Additions: Fairwood Press Books

    Saturday, February 12th, 2022

    Picked up four Fairwood Press books at the usual dealer discount.

  • Bishop, Michael. Joel-Brock the Brave and the Valorous Smalls. Kudzu Planet Productions/Fairwood Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #187 of 300 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Young Adult novel.
  • Bishop, Michael. The Sacerdotal Owl and Three Other Long Tales. Kudzu Planet Productions/Fairwood Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #69 of 250 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
  • Buckell, Tobias S. Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories. Fairwood Press, 2021. First edition trade paperback edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. Short story collection.
  • Palwick, Susan. All World Are Real. Fairwood Press, 2019. First edition trade paperback edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. Short story collection.
  • Library Additions: Three Reference Works

    Friday, January 7th, 2022

    Three more reference works:

  • (Ballard, J. G.) McGrath, Rick. Deep Ends: A Ballardian Anthology 2018. Terminal Press, 2018. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of essays on Ballard, including David Pringle’s continuing, invaluable “Ballard/Moorcock Chronology,” of which Moorcock himself says “I frequently trust his memory over my own.” Bought from Amazon.
  • Gaiman, Neil (with Leslie S. Klinger). The Annotated American Gods. Morrow, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Annotated version of Gaiman’s Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning novel, made into the acclaimed TV series of the same name. This edition follows the text of the 10th Anniversary edition, but the annotations note where it differs from the first edition (among other things). Bought for $24.99 from a Houston-area Half Price Books. I will have one copy of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

  • (Gibson, William) Westfahl, Gary. William Gibson. University of Illinois Press, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Critical companion to Gibson’s work. Bought at Half Price Books for $12.49.
  • Library Additions: Three Signed Ray Bradbury Firsts

    Thursday, December 2nd, 2021

    Three more additions to my mad quest to collect signed firsts of every Ray Bradbury book.

  • Bradbury, Ray. Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines Avon, 1998. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. You know all the classic books Bradbury wrote over the years? This is reportedly not one of them. Bought for £18 from a notable UK book dealer.
  • Bradbury, Ray. The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 3. Byron Preiss/NBM, 1992. First edition hardback a graphic novel, #417 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny, faint scratch across top rear outer corner. Bought for £27 from a notable UK book dealer. I now lack only volumes 1 and 5.
  • Bradbury, Ray. The Wish. Hill House, 2006. First edition hardback, #102 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in matching numbered paper envelope, sans dust jacket, as issued. Won off eBay for $95.

    (I think that’s a stray dog hair in the upper left…)

  • Library Addition: Joe R. Lansdale’s Apache Witch

    Wednesday, December 1st, 2021

    Another Lansdale limited edition:

    Lansdale, Joe R. Apache Witch. Independent Legions/The Last Bookstore, 2021. First edition hardback, #33 of 180 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Poetry collection (Lansdale’s first). Bought directly from the publisher. I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: Lettered Edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s The Horror Hall of Fame

    Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

    Another Lansdale lettered edition picked up cheap-ish:

    Lansdale, Joe R., editor. The Horror Hall of Fame: The Stoker Winners. Cemetery Dance, 2021. First edition hardback, #WW of 52 signed (by Lansdale), lettered, traycased copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Anthology of Stoker Award winning stories from Robert Bloch, George R. R. Martin, Harlan Ellison, etc. Isajenko, World Lasdalean, D13aiii. Supplements trade and limited edition copies. Bought off eBay for $125 plus shipping.

    Library Addition: Two Signed Lansdale Firsts

    Monday, November 29th, 2021

    Picked up from Armadillocon last month.

    Lansdale, Joe R. Cold in July with Savage Season. Mark V. Ziesing, 1989/1990. First hardback edition and first edition hardbacks, Fine- (Cold in July)/Near Fine+ (Savage Season) with faint spotting at head, heel and on pageblock, in Fine dust wrappers, and a Fine- slipcase with a touch of wear, each inscribed to late Texas writer Carrier Richerson. While these are the trade hardbacks, one thing Ziesing did for this and the Waldrop set was offer the trade editions in overrun slipcases (something to check for if you’re buying a set). Supplements a PC limited set I got for helping transcribe Cold in July for Ziesing. Isajenko, World Lansdelean A011b and A013a. Bought at Armadillocon for $32.

    The blotching on Cold in July is just dust jacket protector reflections.

    Library Addition: Two SST Joe R. Lansdale Limiteds

    Thursday, November 18th, 2021

    Two more SST Lansdale limiteds came out a while back, and I’m just now getting around to listing them.

  • Lansdale, Joe R. Hap and Leonard: Of Mice and Minestrone. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2021. First hardback edition and first limited edition (the Tachyon trade paperback, which I also have, precedes), #101 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Linked Hap and Leonard short stories.

  • (Lansdale, Joe R.) Fred Isajanko. The World Lansdalean: The Authorized Joe R. Lansdale Bibliography. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2021. First edition hardback, #101 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Bibliography of Lansdale’s work, that also includes bonus Lansdale fiction in the back. I have not checked to verify that all of my edit suggestions on the ARC made it into the final edition.

  • I will have copies of both these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.