Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy’

Library Addition: David Aronovitz Book Catalog for Heritage Auctions

Monday, May 4th, 2026

There’s a big Heritage SF/F/H book auction coming up, this one for book dealer David Aronovitz’s collection, and Heritage sent me a big fat catalog for it. I’ve been receiving catalogs from Heritage since 2007, but haven’t recorded them previously.

(Aronovitz, David) The David Aronovitz Collection of Important Science Fiction & Fantasy Part I. Heritage Auctions, 2026. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Aronovitz is an SF bookseller who got started a lot earlier than me, all this is expensive stuff I wouldn’t have been able to bid on even if I weren’t between jobs. While I have copies of a lot of the first editions being auctioned (I have firsts of six of the ten books shown on the cover), Aronovitz generally had much nicer copies and/or more desirable states, along with manuscripts and associational copies (like I, Robot inscribed to John W. Campbell).

Previous notable Heritage SF/F/H auctions include:

  • The Jerry Weist Collection
  • The Robert and Diane Yaspan Collection
  • The Ventura Collection
  • Library Addition: Signed Illustrated First of Gail Carriger’s Souless

    Monday, April 27th, 2026

    Another Half Price Books find:

    Carriger, Gail. Soulless. Orbit, 2018. First illustrated hardback edition, a Fine- copy with a tiny little ump at heel, sans dust jacket in illustrated boards, as issued, signed by Carriger. Supplements the signed PBO. I lack the Subterranean Press signed/limited edition, which was the first separate hardback. Bought for $13.50.

    Library Addition: Signed First of Masters of Science Fiction: Howard Waldrop

    Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026

    I tried to order copies of this right after Howard told me about it, way back in 2022, before it was even announced. It finally came out in January.

    Waldrop, Howard. Masters of Science Fiction: Howard Waldrop. Centipede Press, 2026. First edition hardback, #13 of 500 numbered copies signed by Waldrop, introduction author Paul Di Filippo, and artists Jim & Ruth Keegan, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrinkwarp. Massive 1,048 page compilation of Howard’s short work, including pretty much all his great stories, and even a sampler of his early work. Bought from the publisher, though I got far fewer signed copies than I ordered.

    I will have a very small number of unsigned copies in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog (hopefully in May).

    Library Additions: Two Signed Zelazny Hardbacks

    Monday, January 19th, 2026

    Both of these books are signed by Positronic Publishing Editor/Publisher Warren Lapine, who I think also edited both of these (though that’s not mentioned on their covers or title pages).

  • Zelazny, Roger. Immer, Zlaz: The Zelazny Yoke Letters, Portrait of a Lifelong Friendship. Positronic Publishing, 2022. First edition? hardback, (sold as such, though its a print on demand book; as there’s no date code on the POD page at the back, so its possible that it’s a first printing), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, signed by editor/publisher/introduction author Warren Lapine. Massive 933 page volume of correspondence between Zelazny and longtime friend/critical biographer Carl B. Yoke. Bought from Lapine off eBay for $20.

  • Zelazny, Roger. Seven Tales in Amber. Positronic Publishing, 2023. Hardback print on demand book; as there’s no date code on the POD page at the back, so its possible that it’s a first printing, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, signed by editor/publisher/introduction author Warren Lapine. In contrast to the above, this is a slender, 86 page hardback containing seven Amber stories, many of which had originally appeared in obscure places like Amberzine. Bought from Lapine off eBay for $12.

  • Library Addition: Charnel House Signed, Limited Edition of Tim Powers’ The Mill of the Gods

    Tuesday, January 13th, 2026

    Another Tim Powers limited edition from Charnel House:

    Powers, Tim. The Mills of the Gods. Charnel House, 2025. First edition hardback (according to Charnel House, both this and the Baen edition came out December 2, 2025), #54 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Supernatural fantasy set in 1925 Paris. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.

    I will have a single copy available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Updated with more first edition information from the publisher.

    Library Addition: Jonathan Lethem’s K is for Fake

    Monday, January 12th, 2026

    An odd chapbook find from my trip to Houston:

    Lethem, Jonathan. K is for Fake. McSweeney’s Quarterly, 2000. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Story about Franz Kafka from the then-forthcoming Kafka Americana. Bought for $10 from The Little Book House in the Woods in Spring, Texas.

    Obviously I’m a sucker for weirdo SF/F chapbooks…

    Library Addition: Signed PBO of Elizabeth (Ann) Scarborough’s The Drastic Dragon of Draco, Texas

    Thursday, January 8th, 2026

    Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is a writer I previously had one book for, The Healer’s War, because the Nova Express crew recommended it back in the day. But I found a signed copy of another Scarborough book I was intrigued about (mainly due to the title) quite cheap, so I picked it up.

    Scarborough, Elizabeth [Ann]. The Drastic Dragon of Draco, Texas. Bantam Spectra, 1986. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight pine creasing and lean trace of edgewear and wear at tips, slight foxing and page toning, inscribed by Scarborough: “For Bobbi,/Not a tall tail but a long one./Elizabeth Scarborough/Ann[?].” Bought at a Half Price Books for $1.99.

    I found several PBOs inscribed by Scarborough on the trip, the rest of which will be available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog (probably May).

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s Winter Constellations

    Monday, January 5th, 2026

    Another Dragonstairs chapbook:

    Swanwick, Michael. Winter Constellations. Dragonstairs Press, 2024 (not seen until 2025). First edition chapbook original, #76 of 118 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Bought directly from the publisher.

    Library Additions: Three PBOs

    Wednesday, December 31st, 2025

    Three more PBOs bought at DFW Half Price Books locations.

  • Kurland, Michael. The Unicorn Girl. Pyramid, 1969. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with non-breaking crease across front cover and some edgewear (but no spine creasing). Second book in the hippie science fiction trilogy, preceded by Chester Anderson’s The Butterfly Kid and followed by T. A. Waters’ The Probability Pad (which I have). Bought for $2.49.

  • Saha, Arthur W., editor. The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories: 9. SAW, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with slight abrasion line to spine, slight age toning to pages, moderate foxing to inside covers, a trace of edgewear, and a trace of age darkening of white rear cover along spine. Year’s Best anthology with stories from R. A. Lafferty, Michael Shea, Tanith Lee, Harlan Ellison, Parke Godwin, etc. Saha took over from Lin Carter on this series starting with volume 7. Bought for $1.99.

  • Wagner, Karl Edward and David Drake. Killer. Baen, 1985. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with phantom crease to top front corner, a trace of edgewear and slight foxing to inside covers (but no spine creasing). Novel of hunting an outer space monster in ancient Rome. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $1.49.

  • Library Addition: Two Henry Kuttner PBOs

    Tuesday, December 30th, 2025

    Two Henry Kuttner PBOs, both bought on my DFW trip.

  • Kuttner, Henry. Valley of the Flame. Ace, 1964. First edition paperback original (40¢ price and no printing statement on copyright page, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a trace of wear at points. Currey, page 293. Cawthorn and Moocrcock, Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, page 135. Bought at Recycled Books in Denton for $3.

  • Kuttner, Henry and C. L. Moore. Earth’s Last Citadel. Ace, 1964. First edition paperback original (40¢ price and no printing statement on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with hairline creasing along front spine join, slight edgewear at head, heel and points and a few other traces of edgewear. Currey, page 292. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for $3.