I may have mentioned that I have a large library. I started out collecting “hypermodern” (which in my case meant “post-Neuromancer“) science fiction (with some fantasy and horror works and authors thrown in for good measure), and once I had collected everything I wanted there, I started going after every important post-World War II SF work. That collection is by no means complete, but I’ve made considerable progress toward it.
With that in mind, I recently compiled a list of the top ten hardback first editions on my (considerably larger) want list that I was most interested in picking up. Here it is:
James Blish’s A Case of Conscience (Faber & Faber)
Robert E. Howard’s The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press)
Robert E. Howard’s The Coming of Conan (Gnome Press)
Alfred Bester’s Tiger! Tiger! (Sidgwick & Jackson)
- Philip K. Dick’s Dr. Bloodmoney (Gregg Press)
R. A. Lafferty’s With Horns on Their Head (Pendragon Press HB)
R. A. Lafferty’s Funnyfingers & Cabrito (Pendragon Press HB)
Jack Vance’s Book of Dreams (Underwood/Miller)
Manly Wade Wellman’s Giants from Eternity (Avalon)
Richard Matheson’s Born of Man and Woman (Chamberline Press)
These are all books that I not only want, but think I have a reasonable shot at picking up at a price I can afford. There are lots of first editions priced like Unobtanium (Stanley G. Weinbaum’s Dawn of Flame, H. P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others, the Unwin-Hyman true firsts of all three books in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, etc.) that i would pick up if I saw cheap, but don’t expect to come across.
Anyway, if you have nice copies any of the above, and if you’re willing to sell it to me considerably cheaper than can be found on Bookfinder.com, drop me an email at lawrenceperson@gmail.com and I’ll consider it.