Posts Tagged ‘chapbooks’

Library Additions: Two Neal Barrett Jr. Hardback Chapbooks

Wednesday, October 12th, 2016

Now that I’ve finished cataloging those National Book Auction Books, I can finally start cataloging the books I bought at Armadillocon, way back in July. First up: Two Neal Barrett, Jr. chapbooks I already had in wraps, but not in the hardback versions I picked up there. Both of these are unnumbered copies, presumably from Neal’s own contributor copies, and both bought for $40 from two different sellers (Adventures in Crime and Space and Rick Klaw).

  • Barrett, Neal, Jr. The Day the Decorators Came. Subterranean Press, 2000. First edition hardback, a signed but unnumbered copy among 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy with pictorial pastedown on front boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.

    day-decorators-hb

  • Barrett, Neal, Jr. Way Out There. Subterranean Press, 2004. First edition hardback, a signed but unnumbered copy among 52 lettered copies, a Fine copy with pictorial pastedown on front boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.

    way-out-there-hb

  • At this point I think all I’m missing of Neal’s books are some media tie-ins and the pseudonymous series work (of which he did quite a bit).

    Library Addition: Signed First Edition of Clark Ashton Smith’s The Double Shadow

    Monday, August 29th, 2016

    Just a few days after picking up Clark Ashton Smith’s Out of Space and Time for $399, I was able to pick up another important Clark Ashton Smith book at a bargain price. And this one is signed!

    Smith, Clark Ashton. The Double Shadow. Auburn Journal Print, 1933. First edition oversized (8 1/2″ x 11 1/2″, about the size of a sheet of music) side-stapled chapbook, a Very Good copy with light crease to bottom corner, bottom staple starting to go, page 19 torn most of the way through in the center (but still intact) and general wear. Inscribed by the author: “With compliments of Clark Ashton Smith.” There are also several hand corrections by Smith in blue ink. Smith’s first collection of prose. Currey, page 453. Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction, 1483. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy, page 200. Emperor of Dreams, page 183. Bought off eBay (after a bit of haggling) for $220. I did not previously have anything signed by Smith.

    Double Shadow

    Double Shadow sig

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s 5 Seasons

    Monday, May 2nd, 2016

    Dragonstairs Press has been unusually busy this year. Hot on the heels of their last project, here’s another Michael Swanwick chapbook:

    Swanwick, Michael. 5 Seasons. Dragonstairs Press, 2016. First edition chapbook original, #69 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Five one page stories about the seasons.

    5 Seasons

    Unlike last month’s Dragonstairs book, I’ll actually have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, currently in preparation…

    Library Addition: Kuttner Times Three

    Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

    Though much of Kuttner is coming back into print thanks to Haffner Press, the following item dates from a period when most (if not all) of it was out of print:

    Kuttner, Henry. Kuttner Times Three. Virgil Utter, 1988. First edition chapbook original, one of 200 copies, a Fine- copy with a light crease at head and a thin line of fading along spine, with Erratum slip inserted before the introduction. Contains the stories “The Old Army Game,” “Bamboo Death” and “The Wolf of Aragon.” Bought off the Internet for $10.

    Kuttner 3

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s Season’s Greetings

    Friday, December 11th, 2015

    Another signed Michael Swanwick chapbook has made its way to my mailbox:

    Swanwick, Michael. Season’s Greetings. Dragonstairs Press, 2014. First edition chapbook original, #42 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy.

    Swanwick Seasons Greetings

    I’ll have copies available for sale through the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: Signed Isaac Asimov Limited Chapbook

    Thursday, November 12th, 2015

    This is one of the many things on my want list, since I always thought it was a neat little book, and I finally found a copy I could afford.

    Asimov, Isaac. Three By Asimov. Targ Editions, 1981. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed copies, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- tissue paper dust jacket with a 7/8″ semi-closed tear on the top right front cover, with associated wrinkles (the white streaks at left and top are reflection glare from the dust jacket protector). All the pages seem to be made of hand-made paper with ragged edges. Bought for $107.79 off eBay.

    Asimov3

    William Targ was a former editor at Putnam who ran a one-man small press in his retirement. This and the Ray Bradbury book Beyond 1984 were, as far as I know, the only SF Targ Editions published.

    Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s Meditations on Meditations on Oysters

    Tuesday, July 14th, 2015

    Another weird Swanwick chapbook from Dragonstairs:

    Swanwick, Michael, and Christophe Morley. Meditations on Meditations on Oysters (Swanwick) b/w Meditations on Oysters (Morley). Dragonstairs Press, 2015. First edition sewn chapbook with decorative beadcultured pearl*, #24 of 50 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Swanwick’s observations on a 1917 free-form rumination on oysters.

    Swanwick Oysters

    Scan is extra wide to show the bead pearl…

    *Correction via Michael Swanwick.

    Library Additions: Two Michael Swanwick Chapbooks

    Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

    I recently obtained two Michael Swanwick chapbooks, at least one of which is bound to drive Swanwick completists bonkers:

  • Swanwick, Michael. Hunting the Phoenix. Dragonstairs Press, 2015. First edition hardback (“archival board wrappers covered with hand-dyed rice paper, with a stab binding ornamented with a single aventurine bead”), #6 of 30 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, new and unread. Sort of an in-progress illustrated sketchbook for a Swanwick novel, more impressionistic colored line art than narrative. If it’s not the strangest Swanwick item yet, it’s tied with the hardback state of Puck Aleshire’s Abecedary. Bought for $30 from the publisher.
  • Swanwick, Michael. Season’s Greetings. Dragonstairs Press, 2014. First edition chapbook original, #18 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. I should be able to pick up copies of this to sell through Lame Excuse Books later in the year.

    Swanwick X 2

  • Library Addition: Philip K. Dick’s Young Authors’ Club

    Monday, April 20th, 2015

    Here’s an odd Philip K. Dick item it took me a bit of effort to track down:

    Dick, Philip K. (Frank T. Hollander, editor). Young Authors’ Club: The Wartime Adolescent Writings of Philip K. Dick. Frank T. Hollander, 2014. First edition trade paperback original, #58 of 100 copies signed by the editor/publisher, a Fine copy. A 94 page chapbook containing Dick’s published writings from 1942 to 1944 in the Berkeley Daily Gazette newspaper, consisting of fiction and poems, some of which are fantasy. Includes bibliographic information and story notes. Something likely to drive Dick completists crazy. I’ll have one copy available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Dick Young Authors

    Shadows are, as usual, a scanner artifact.

    Library Additions: Three Ray Bradbury Chapbooks By Roy Squires

    Thursday, December 4th, 2014

    Three more Ray Bradbury chapbooks from small press publisher Roy A. Squires, all bought from Lloyd Currey for $28 each.

  • Bradbury, Ray. Old Ahab’s Friend, and Friend to Noah, Speaks His Piece. Roy A. Squires, 1971. First edition thread-bound chapbook original, #152 of 485 copies, a Fine copy.

    Bradbury Old Ahab

  • Bradbury, Ray. That Ghost, That Bride of Time. Roy A. Squires, 1976. First edition thread-bound chapbook original, #289 of 400 copies, a Fine copy, in mailing envelope. (You can’t see from the scan, but the title is just barely visible through the slightly translucent paper wrapper.)

    Bradbury That Ghost

  • Bradbury, Ray. That Son of Richard III. Roy A. Squires, 1974. First edition thread-bound chapbook original, #164 of 400 “ordinary” copies, a Fine copy, in mailing envelope. With small typed note from the publisher laid in: “Send No Money, Rik. We’ll get squared away at Westercon.” and “RAS” signature.

    Bradbury Son Richard III