Posts Tagged ‘signed’
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Two more signed Ray Bradbury Christmas broadsheets, both bought off eBay:
Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings (AKA Scanning the Universe. Self-published, no date (but 1984). First edition broadsheet original, one sheet of paper, a Near Fine copy, folded for mailing. Inscribed: “Stephen! Ray Bradbury.” Yet another Bradbury poem referencing George Bernard Shaw. Credited to Ray and Marguerite Bradbury. Not sure if this has been reprinted anywhere. Bought off eBay for $35 plus shipping.

Bradbury, Ray. A Christmas Wish 1994 (AKA Go Not With Ruins In Your Mind). Self published, 1994. First edition broadsheet original, one sheet of paper, a Near Fine copy with a paper clip indention at top left. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Dear/Holly!/[line]/Happy New Year!/[line]/Ray Bradbury/ 1/3/95”. Credited to Maggie and Ray Bradbury. Bought off eBay for $34.89 plus shipping.
Tags:Books, broadsheet, Christmas, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, signed
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Monday, June 18th, 2018
I won a three-book lot of signed Philip K. Dick firsts from Swann Auctions in May, and after a small shipping delay, they finally arrived.

Dick, Philip K. In Milton Lumkey Territory. Dragon Press, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 50 copies bound in quarter-leather with Philip K. Dick’s signature (cut from a cancelled check) pasted to the front free endpaper, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. One of the Dick mainstream novels unpublished at the time of his death. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 132. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, MS4.1. Supplements a copy of the simultaneous trade first hardback.


Dick, Philip K. Mary and the Giant. Ultramarine Press/Arbor House, 1987. First edition hardback, one of 125 copies bound in quarter-leather with Philip K. Dick’s signature (cut from a cancelled check) pasted to the front free endpaper, a Near Fine copy with 1/4″ of what appear to be sun-fading to the leather along spine and at top, sans dust jacket, as issued. Like all Ultramarine Press books, this is just the rebound Arbor House sheets with Dick’s signature added. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 611, calls for a limitation page, but I’m not seeing one. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, MS5.1. Oddly enough, I never picked up the Arbor House first, so this supplements a UK first.


Dick, Philip K. Ubik: A Screenplay. Corroboee Press, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 50 copies bound in full leather with Dick’s signature mounted on the half title page, and signed by the introduction authors (Tim Powers and Paul Williams) and the artists (Val Lakey-Lindhan and Rob Lindhan, and Doug Rice), a Near Fine copy with apparent sun-fading to leather spine, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine patterned cardboard slipcase. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 114. Wintz/Hyde, Precious Artifacts, SF34.2.


When the Dick “cancelled check limiteds” started appearing, there was widespread belief among collectors that they were extremely tacky, but damned if the things didn’t sell out almost instantly. Nowadays these typically retail in the $750-$1,250 range each. All three books bought for $880 at auction, including buyer’s fee and shipping.
Tags:Books, Dragon Press, Philip K. Dick, signed, small press publishers, Ultramarine Press
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Tuesday, May 15th, 2018
Here’s an interesting item: Another short-run Michael Swanwick chapbook, but with a difference:
Swanwick, Michael. Blue Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2018. First edition chapbook original, #18 of 69 printed copies, a Fine copy (there’s some slight phantom creasing to the cover, because the chapbook was mailed in a flat envelope, which meant the sewn bead on the outside pressed against the book in transit, and all copies seen so affected), new and unread. Bought for $10 direct from the publisher.
Here’s the description of the project: “Five ‘flash’ stories, all with a lunar setting. Published in an edition of 69, released for sale on the second “blue moon” of 2018. 67 copies available for sale (publisher’s and author’s copies withheld) on March 31, 2018, for 24 hours only. All copies not sold by midnight, March 31, 2018 will be burned.” In fact, all copies sold out in a matter of hours, so none were burned.

Since 69 is a pretty small print run for a Swanwick chapbook, I took the liberty of picking up additional copies, and will be offering them in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, now in preparation…
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Dragonstairs Press, Fantasy, Limited Editions, Michael Swanwick, Science Fiction, signed
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Saturday, March 24th, 2018
Two of these were bought as part of the Subterranean PC copy sale, and the other was an unrelated eBay purchase.
Ellison, Harlan. Can and Can’tankerous. Edgeworks Abbey/Subterranean Press, 2015. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 324 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Short story collection. This limited edition contains four stories not in the trade edition. Bought for $100.

Ellison, Harlan. An Edge in My Voice. Donning, 1985. First edition hardback, one of 1,200 copies signed by Ellison, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine slipcase. Collection of non-fiction essays. Supplements a trade hardback and Edgeworks 1. Bought for $30 plus shipping off eBay.

Ellison, Harlan. Top of the Volcano. Edgeworks Abbey/Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Collection of Ellison’s award-winning short stories. Bought for $125.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Harlan Ellison, Horror, Limited Editions, Science Fiction, signed, Subterranean Press
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Thursday, March 22nd, 2018
Another book I picked up at the Subterranean Press PC copy sale:
Mieville, China. Railsea. Subterranean Press, 2012. First limited edition hardback (the Del Rey hardback is the true first), PC copy of 26 signed lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase (even by the standards of lettered editions, this is a very nice leather traycase with suede baffle surfaces on the inside of the front and back). Bought for $150.

Tags:Books, China Mieville, Fantasy, Limited Editions, signed, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
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Wednesday, March 21st, 2018
Another book I picked up at the Subterranean Press PC copy sale:
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Other in the Mirror. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Omnibus edition of Fire and the Night, Jesus on Mars, and Night of Light, and the first hardback editions of the first two. Supplements both a trade edition and a copy of the limited edition I got very cheap. Bought for $150 (half cover price for the lettered edition).


Tags:Books, Limited Editions, Philip Jose Farmer, Science Fiction, signed, small press publishers, Subterranean Press
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Tuesday, March 20th, 2018
Subterranean Press had a charity sale for PC copies of various lettered and numbered states of various books, most of which had already sold out. I took advantage of it to snap out some books for authors I collect, this being the first:
Vance, Jack. Desperate Days. Subterranean Press, 2012. First edition hardback, a PC copy of the 26 copy lettered edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket and a Fine- traycase (there’s a small flaw to the cork-lined interior front lid), signed by Vance. Contains “The Genessee Slough Murders: Outline for a Novel” not in the trade edition (though reprinted from Jerry Hewett’s bibliography). Contains three Vance mysteries: The Fox Valley Murders, The Pleasant Grove Murders and The Dark Ocean. Note that there was no regular numbered edition of this, so the lettered edition was the only one signed by Vance. Bought from the Subterranean PC sale for $250 plus shipping. Supplements a trade edition.


Also note that the traycase for Desperate Days is distinctively different from the one the lettered edition of Dangerous Ways, the first book in this mystery reprint series and which resembles an even larger book with it’s rounded spine. The traycase for Desperate Days resembles the regular Subterranean square traycase.
Tags:Books, Jack Vance, Limited Editions, Mystery, Science Fiction, signed, Subterranean Press
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
No theme, just two signed first editions, bought from different sources:
Matheson, Richard. Hunted Past Reason. Tor, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Signed by Matheson, with certificate of authenticity laid in. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $18.
Reynolds, Alastair. The Iron Tactician. Newcon Press, 2016. First edition hardback, #197 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $57.60 from a fellow Biblio dealer.

Tags:Alastair Reynolds, Books, Horror, Limited Editions, Richard Matheson, Science Fiction, signed, small press publishers
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Thursday, March 8th, 2018
Both of these I got from the same book auction:
Smith, E. E. “Doc”. Skylark of Valeron. Fantasy Press, 1949. First hardback edition (and first limited edition), trade state (Currey B), a Fine- copy with small bookplate pastedown remnant on RFE, in a Fine- dust jacket with just the barest trace of dust soiling to white rear cover. Inscribed by Smith: “To Rocco Mays/In appreciation of your appreciation/of my stuff —/Edward E. Smith, PhD. Currey, page 457. Chalker/Owings, page 159. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy (One), page 201. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 26. Bought from National Book Auctions for $100. (Surface wear in the scan below is on the dust jacket protector.)


Vance, Jack. The Houses of Izam. Underwood-Miller, 1983. First edition hardback, #104 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Hewett, A12h. Chalker/Owings, page 435. Supplements a trade edition. Bought from National Book Auctions for $55.

Tags:Books, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Fantasy Press, Jack Vance, Limited Editions, Science Fiction, signed, Underwood/Miller
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Tuesday, March 6th, 2018
Another small press Joe R. Lansdale item:
Lansdale, Joe R. and Jussi Piironen. Hap and Leonard: Savage Season. SST, 2017. First hardback and first limited edition, number 105 of 270 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Graphic novel adaptation of the first Hap and Leonard novel. The IDW trade paperback edition precedes.
I’ll have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Books, graphic novel, Joe R. Lansdale, Mystery, signed, small press publishers
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