Posts Tagged ‘Science Fiction’
Wednesday, September 17th, 2025
It’s been two years since the last volume, but the latest Centipede Press Lafferty volume finally showed up.
Lafferty, R.A. The Man Who Lost His Magic: The Collected Short Fiction Volume 8. First edition hardback, #40 of 300 numbered copies signed by introduction author Gary K. Wolfe.
Unlike previous volumes, this one came shipped in a plastic bag much larger than the book rather than being shrinkwrapped. It means that I need to carefully tape everything up before I can even get it on my shelf next to the other volumes.
Tags:Books, Centipede Press, Fantasy, R. A. Lafferty, Science Fiction, small press publishers
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Tuesday, August 12th, 2025
New signed, limited edition from Subterranean:
Reynolds, Alastair. The Dagger in Vichy. Subterranean Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #422 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with bookmark laid in. Novella described as a mixture of science fiction and fantasy, with perhaps a dollop of Eldritch Horror.
I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Alastair Reynolds, Books, Fantasy, Horror, Limited Editions, Science Fiction, Subterranean Press
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Wednesday, August 6th, 2025
Another Kathryn Cramer purchase:
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Unreasoning Mask. Putnam, 1981. First edition hardback (simultaneous with the trade hardback), #349 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Pringle, Science Fiction: The Hundred Best Novels 96. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, pages 339-340 (“***…Metaphsyical space opera, one of the author’s best”). Supplements a copy of the trade hardback. Bought for $35.
Tags:Books, Kathryn Cramer, Philip Jose Farmer, Science Fiction
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Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
Two more Kathryn Cramer purchases:
Clement, Hal. Some Notes on Xi Bootis. Advent: Publishers, 1960. First edition chapbook original, one of 500 copies (per Chalker Ownings), a Fine copy save a penciled “118” at top rear left corner. Given away as a freebie at the 1960 Pittsburgh Worldcon, where Clement gave a speech on the topic of speculative fiction set in this star system. Chalker/Owings, page 5. Hassler, Hal Clement, page 57, footnote 47. Not in Currey. Bought for $45.
Clement, Hal. Still River. Ballantine Books, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Clement. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 302. (“**”). Bought for $15.
Tags:Advent: Publishers, Books, chapbooks, Hal Clement, Kathryn Cramer, Science Fiction, signatures, Worldcon
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Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
Another purchase from Kathryn Cramer:
Asimov, Isaac, editor. Where Do We Go From Here? Doubleday, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with one light thumbprint-sized blotch with a long sperm-like tail (binding flaw) to inside front cover, the ghost of that indention to the front free endpaper, slight bend at head, and front gutter just a little off from straight up and down (probably a binding flaw), in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Asimov. Reprint story anthology. Miller, Asimov: A Checklist, page 68. Currey, page 21. Bought for $100.
Tags:anthology, Books, David Hartwell, Isaac Asimov, Kathryn Cramer, Science Fiction, signatures
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Monday, July 28th, 2025
Kathryn Cramer, after having numerous problems selling David Hartwell’s book collection in other venues, is now selling some directly. I contacted her, haggled over prices, and eventually we agreed on a purchase of several books, this being the first listed here.
Wolfe, Gene. The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories. Pocket Books, 1980. Proof (trade paperback format) of the paperback original first edition, a Fine copy, inscribed by Wolfe to his longtime editor Hartwell: “To Dave Hartwell, who/had sense enough to/separate the Doctor stories./Gene Wolfe”. Supplements another signed copy of this proof inscribed to me by Wolfe. In his Nova Express interview, Gene said Hartwell was the best editor he ever worked with. I suppose it’s a bit greedy to have two signed proof firsts of this, but I had long wanted an associational copy of a Wolfe title inscribed to Hartwell, and this is a pretty good one. Bought for $100.
Tags:Associational Copy, Books, David Hartwell, Fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Kathryn Cramer, proof, Science Fiction, signatures
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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
This was simply a case of browsing eBay and going “Well, that’s pretty damn cheap.”
Simmons, Dan. The Crook Factory. Easton Press, 1999. First edition hardback thus, #264 of 1,050 copies, a Fine leatherbound copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, with “a note about THE CROOK FACTORY and the author DAN SIMMONS” and Certification of Authenticity laid in. Supplements an inscribed first edition. Bought off eBay for $20.
Tags:Books, Dan Simmons, Easton Press, eBay, Limited Editions, Science Fiction
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Monday, July 14th, 2025
Another bargain signed first off eBay:
Williamson, Jack. Mazeway. Del Rey, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Williamson. Bought off eBay for $10.
Jack was someone I knew from conventions, and he was a longtime subscriber to Nova Express. I pick up cheap signed firsts of his work whenever I can.
Tags:Books, eBay, Jack Williamson, Science Fiction, signatures
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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
Closing in on a complete set of these:
Bradbury, Ray (with Kent Williams, Craig P. Russell, Segrelles, John Van Fleet, Chuck Roblin, Ray Zone, Ralph Reese and Al Williamson). The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 1. Byron Preiss/Mantier, Beall, Minoustchini Publishing, 1992. First edition hardback graphic novel, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bumping at heel in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of wear at points. Bought off eBay for a $25 offer.
I now only lack Volume 5…
Tags:Books, eBay, Fantasy, graphic novel, Horror, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2025
Two more signed paperbacks from that same eBay seller. The theme here seems to be “books I already had plenty of copies of.”
Bryant, Edward and Harlan Ellison. Phoenix Without Ashes. Fawcett, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear and spine ever so slightly concave, signed by Bryant and Ellison. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 108. Currey, pages 76 and 178. Supplements a Near Fine copy signed by Bryant, a Fine, unsigned copy, and a Near Fine unsigned copy, so now I have two each under Bryant and Ellison, which is probably more than I need. And I have unsigned copies for sale through Lame Excuse Books. Bought off eBay for $19.87.
Koontz, Dean R. (as Leigh Nichols). Shadowfires. Avon, 1987. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one slight spine crease, start of a faint crease along front spine join, slight bumping at head, trace of wear at corners, and touch of age darkening to very tops of white cover, signed by Koontz: “Leigh Nichols/[quotation marks around printed Leigh Nichols name]/also known as/Dean R. Koontz.” One of Koontz’s many pseudonymous novels. Supplements unsigned copies of the book club hardback and the Dark Harvest trade hardback under Koontz’s own name. Bought off eBay for $15.59.
Tags:Books, Dean R. Koontz, Ed Bryant, Harlan Ellison, Horror, PBO, Science Fiction, signatures
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