Posts Tagged ‘Ray Bradbury’
Monday, January 6th, 2014
It’s been another landmark year for adding books to my library of science fiction first editions. This post documents everything I bought after my big Zelazny acquisition on June 13, including some books that have been covered in posts since, and many that haven’t. (What I bought earlier in the year before the big Zelazny purchase can be found here.) All are first edition hardbacks, Fine copies in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted.
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Harmony Books, 1979. First U.S. edition.
(Adams, Douglas) Gaiman, Neil. Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Titan Books, 2003. First hardback edition and first edition thus (revised and updated), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction reference work.
Aldiss, Brian. Moreau’s Other Island. Jonathan Cape, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Aldiss on the front free endpaper.
Aldiss, Brian. This World and Nearer Ones: Essays Exploring the Familiar. Weidenfield and Nicolson, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
(Aldiss, Brian) Aldiss, Margaret. Item Eighty-Three: Brian W. Aldiss: A Bibliography: 1954—1972. SF Horizons, (1973). Chapbook, Fine. Non-fiction.
Asimov, Isaac. Nemesis. Doubleday, 1989. First edition hardback, number 485 out of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. This was a serendipitous find. I wasn’t looking for it (since I’m not generally a big fan of Asimov’s later work), but merely entered “signed limited edition” in Amazon’s books section just to see what I would find and this came up at $80. Given that it was originally issued at $125, and given that copies on Bookfinder start at $150, I thought it was a good price. Asimov isn’t actually a hard signature (especially compared to verified Philip K. Dick or Robert A. Heinlein signatures), but he has become fairly pricey one for his first editions.
Asimov, Isaac, edited by Stanley Asimov. Yours, Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, 1995. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with one tiny black remainder mark I missed, otherwise apparently new and unread, in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction collection of Asimov’s letters.
Ballard, J. G. Myths of the Near Future. Jonathan Cape, 1982.
Ballard, J. G. The Disaster Area. Jonathan Cape, 1967. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear and a few tiny spots of rubbing to dust jacket rear. Replaces a copy with a far more worn dust jacket. Bought for $100 at Half Price Books during a coupon sale.
Ballard, J. G. The Drought. Jonathan Cape, 1965. First hardback edition and first complete edition, a Near Fine+ copy, with spine of book itself slightly discolored and small sticker for London bookseller Foyles on inside cover, in a Fine dust jacket. Currey, page 22. Goddard and Pringle, J. G. Ballard: The First Twenty Years, item 59. Bought for $212.50, marked down from $425.
Ballingrud, Nathan, and Eileen Gunn. North American Monster Stories. Small Beer Press, 2013. Paperback chapbook original, Fine.
Banks, Iain. The Quarry. Little Brown, 2013.
Bear, Elizabeth. Book of Iron. Subterranean Press, 2013. Number 65 of 250 signed, numbered copies.
Bear, Elizabeth. Book of Iron. Subterranean Press, 2013. Trade edition.
Bear, Greg. Early Harvest. NESFA Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #173 of 250 signed, numbered copies (800 print run total), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off the Internet for $37.50.
Beaumont, Charles. The Intruder. Centipede Press, 2013. First edition thus, one of 200 copies signed by editor Roger Anker, William F. Nolan, and J.K. Potter. Basis of the Roger Corman film starring William Shatner.
Beaumont, Charles and John Tormerlin. Run From the Hunter. Centipede Press, 2013. First edition thus and first edition under authors’ actual names, one of 200 copies signed by John Tomerlin and J.K. Potter.
Beyer, William Gray. Minions of the Moon. Gnome Press, 1950. First edition hardback, a Very Good+ copy with small spotting to front and rear boards and wear at top and bottom boards, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with wear along spine and front panel join and slight edgewear elsewhere; a really nice example of the Edd Cartier dust jacket. The eighth Gnome Press book. Chalker/Ownings (1991), page 198. Kemp, The Anthem Series, page 197. Trying to collect the entire Gnome Press line…
Blaylock, James P. with Kim Stanley Robinson. Two Views of a Cave Painting b/w Escape From Kathmandu. Axolotl Press, 1986. First edition hardback, #43 of 300 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.
Bleiler, Richard. Supernatural Fiction Writers. Charles Scribner’s Sons/Thomson/Gale, 2003. First edition hardbacks of the Second Edition (stated inside, not on the cover), a two volume set, Fine- copies with slight dust soiling at heel in decorated boards with slight haze rubbing, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction reference work. Bought for $40, including dealer discount, which I though was a pretty good price, since non-Ex-Library copies list in the multiple hundreds. Note that the first edition was edited by the late E. F. Bleiler, while this second edition is edited by his son (who I’ve sold many a book to over the years…)
(Blish, James) Stableford, Brian M. A Clash of Symbols: The Triumph of James Blish. Borgo Press, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket (somewhat uncommon for Borgo, who usually went for plasticized decorated boards for their hardbacks), #17 of 62 signed/numbered copies signed by Stableford. Bought for $28. Non-fiction critical work, part of the Milford series, which I pick up in hardback when I chance across them for authors I’m interested in.
Brackett, Leigh. The Sword of Rhiannon. Boardman, 1955. First hardback edition (“First published in Great Britain, 1955″, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel and foxing to interior gutters, in a Very Good dust jacket with 1/4” of wear rubbing/chipping (dust jacket is present, but image has been worn away) at head, a similar, smaller amount of wear at heel, a shallow chip with associated wear at top rear, and crease along front cover spine join running the entire length of the jacket, and wear along extremities; despite all that, the rest of the jacket is quite bright and attractive. Currey, page 53. Cawthorn & Moorocock, Fantasy: The Hundred Best Books 75. A fairly uncommon book these days.
Bradbury, Ray. Collected Short Stories. Petersen Publishing Company (The Great Author Series), 2002. Presumed first edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued.
Bradbury, Ray. The Dragon. Footsteps Press, 1988. First edition chapbook, #72 of 300 signed, numbered copies, Fine. Has affixed wrappers with a transparent blue Mylar window (there were evidently also red and yellow window variants).
Bradbury, Ray. Driving Blind Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Marilyn! /Onward!/Ray Bradbury/Oct. 18, ’97”. Bought for $20 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. The Homecoming. Collins Design, 2006. First edition hardback in decorated boards, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Dave McKean. Short story done as a short illustrated book. Bought for $30.51 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. The Veldt. The Perfection Form Company, 1982. (Possible) First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in stapled wraps, inscribed by Bradbury on the cover. Reading comprehension questions at the back.
Bradbury, Ray. With Cat for Comforter. Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Louise Reinoehl Max. Short poem turned into an illustrated children’s book. Replaces an unsigned copy in my library. Bought for $16.66 off eBay.
Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Sword of Aldonis. Gregg Press, 1977. First hardback edition, Fine- with a trace of wear at tips, sans dust jacket, as issued. Darkover novel. Currey (1978), page 61.
Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Heritage of Hastur. Gregg Press, 1977. First hardback edition, Fine- with a trace of wear at tips, sans dust jacket, as issued. Darkover novel. Currey (1978), page 62. Bought more as part of my long-term goal of collecting all the Gregg Press first editions…
Bramah, Earnest. The Moon of Much Gladness. Cassell & Company, 1932. First edition hardback (Berro A17), a Fine- copy with slight bends at head and heel in a VG+ dust jacket with a 1/8″ chip at rear head join, slight cracking at top edge of front cover, and dust soiling to rear, otherwise a fairly bright and attractive copy of a book seldom offered in dust jacket. Bought for $300 off the Internet from a major SF book dealer. (What appear to be tiny spots of white rubbing to the black dj are in fact scanner artifacts.)
Brundage, Margaret (edited by Stephen D. Korshak and J. David Spurlock). The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage, Queen of Pulp Pin-Up Art. Vanguard Productions/Shasta Phoenix, 2013. First edition hardback, slipcased limited edition with 16 additional pages of art, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Brundage was the woman who did all those great “damsel in distress” covers for Weird Tales in the 1930s, and it’s great to finally have a book of her art.
Brunner, John. The Man Who Was Secrett and Other Stories. Ramble House/Dancing Tuatara Press, 2013. First edition POD hardback, Fine/Fine.
Budrys, Algis. Cerberus. Pulphouse, 1989. First edition hardback, #53 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Part of the “Pulphouse Convention Series.” Fourth book Pulphouse did, and the first one that wasn’t an issue of their namesake hardback magazine.
Campbell, Ramsey. Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death. Scream Press, 1987. First edition hardback, #130 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, in a Fine slipcase. Bought for $20. I’m sort of collecting a complete Scream Press collection, but it’s fairly low on my list of priorities…
Carriger, Gail (pen name of Tofa Borregaard). Heartless. Orbit, 2011. Paperback original, a Fine- copy. Parasol Protectorate #4.
Chabon, Michael. Fountain City: A Novel Wrecked. McSweeney’s, 2010. First edition paperback original, a small, slightly oblong format, roughly 5 1/4″ high, by 6 1/4″ long, a Fine- copy in Fine- fold over wrappers (which fold out into a sort of map picture), with a tiny, 1/16″ cut to top font cover. The opening chapters of a novel Chabon abandoned. Bought for $22.50, down from $45.
Clarke, Arthur C. Imperial Earth. Gollancz, 1975.
Clement, Hal (writing name of Harry C. Stubbs). Fossil. DAW, 1993. First edition paperback original, Fine- with a tiny bit of edgewear.
Clement, Hal. Small Changes. Doubleday, 1969. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with blindstamp on title page and crimping at head and heel, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with dust soiling to white background and a small closed tear and associated wrinkle to top front flap. Signed “”Hal Clement” (Harry C. Stubbs)”. Not overly common these days. Bought for $28.
Dick, Philip K. The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 4: Minority Report. Subterranean Press, 2013. First thus.
Dick, Philip K. A Handful of Darkness. Rich & Cowan, 1955. First edition hardback, Currey binding A (blue boards lettered in silver) in a first state dust jacket (no mention of World of Chance), an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws, including protected dust jacket flaps taped to boards (and inner cardboard sleeve additionally taped) and stamp for Eeeling Science Fiction Postal Library on inner cover; dust jacket is completely intact, the only flaws being “D11/2” written in white on bottom spine just above publisher, and slight dust staining to white rear cover; call it a VG/NF Ex-Lib copy. Levack, 21a. Currey (1978), page 157. Dick’s first short story collection and first hardback book. (Hairline crack on left is a scanner artifact.)
(Dick, Philip K.) Peake, Anthony. A Life of Philip K. Dick: The Man Who Remembered the Future. Arcturus, 2013. Non-fiction.
Di Filippo, Paul. Time’s Black Lagoon. DH Press, 2006. Paperback original, a Fine, unread copy. Sequel to the movie The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Dozois, Gardner and George R. R. Martin, editors. Songs of Love & Death. Gallery Books, 2010.
Egan, Greg. The Eternal Flame (Orthogonal Book 2). Night Shade Books, 2012.
Ellison, Harlan. All the Lies That Are My Life. Underwood/Miller, 1980. First edition hardback, one of 400 unsigned trade hardcover copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Chalker/Owings, page 432.
Ellison, Harlan. Harlan Ellison is Watching. Underwood/Miller, 1989. First edition hardback, #46 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Chalker/Owings, page 440.
Ellison, Harlan. Stalking the Nightmare. Phantasia Press, 1982. First edition hardback, #240 of 700 signed hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a copy of the trade edition. Chalker/Owings, page 340.
Farmer, Philip Jose. Lord Tyger. Doubleday, 1970. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel and trace of foxing along gutters, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight darkening to spine and a few traces of dust soiling. Signed by Farmer. Farmer’s SF take on Tarzan. Currey (1979), page 153. Bought for $60.
Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately the Milk…. HarperCollins (UK), 2013. First edition hardback (the UK and U.S. edition were evidently simultaneous), slipcased limited edition (“with exclusive bookmark”) sold by UK bookstore chain Foyle’s signed by Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddle, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. I think this state came out about a month after the trade edition. Young adult novella. Bought for £19.99 plus shipping off eBay.
Gaiman, Neil, with David McKean. Mythological Creatures. The Royal Mail, 2009. First edition folded broadside, legal-paper sized printed cardstock, two-sided, with six stamps in attached Mylar pouches, Fine. Collectable stamp folder with six mini-stories by Gaiman, one for each mythological creature on the stamps, with Dave McKean art. An odd item I only recently became aware of, and one that may frustrate Gaiman completists a few years hence…
Gibson, William. Zero History. Putnum, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Gibson. Bought for $12 (marked down from $20) at a Half Price Books during a coupon sale.
Haldeman, Joe. A Separate War and Other Stories. Ace, 2006.
Harrison, Harry. Skyfall. Faber & Faber, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed and dated (“82”) by Harrison. Bought for $20.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Number of the Beast. New English Library, 1980. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Reportedly Heinlein’s worst novel, but if you’re collecting the whole set…
Heinlein, Robert A. The Puppet Masters. Doubleday, 1951. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight foxing to endpapers and tiny touches of wear at heel in a in a Near Fine- dust jacket with extremely shallow surface chipping at head and slight fading of purple coloring on spine. A very nice copy of one of Heinlein’s most important early novels. Currey (1978), page 233. Pringle, SF 100 4.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Patterson, William H. Robert A. Heinlein in Dialogue With His Century Volume 1: Learning Curve: 1907-1948. Tor, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction biography.
Hill, Joe. Locke & Key 3: Crown of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 2013. #31 of 250 signed, numbered copies, in slipcase. Graphic novel.
Howard, Robert E. Cormac MacArt Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, Fine- with a tiny bit of edgewear, foxing inside covers, and a phantom crease along rear cover. Mostly reprints Howard stories from Tigers of the Sea, but adds a new Cormac MacArt story by David Drake.
Howard, Robert E. Kull Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original thus (“First Complete Edition”), a Fine copy.
Howard, Robert E. Kull: Exile of Atlantis. Subterranean Press, 2013. Hardback first edition thus, #305 of 1,500 copies signed by artist Justin Sweet, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket and slipcase.
Howard, Robert E. The Sower of Thunder. Donald M. Grant, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by illustrator Roy G. Krenkel. Currey (1978), page 252.
Howard, Robert E. (edited by Robert M. Price). Nameless Cults: The Cthulhu Mythos Fiction of Robert E. Howard. Chaosium, 2001. Trade paperback original, Fine. Includes four Howard story fragments finished by others.
Hubin, Allen J. Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography with 1981-1985 Supplement to Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Garland, 1984/1988. First edition hardbacks, Near Fine copies with dust staining at head and traces of wear at points and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought from Half Price Books for $5 for the set (marked down from an original price of $60). I’m a sucker for comprehensive bibliographies…
(Jeter, K. W. and Ferret, as Dr. Adder and Mink Mole). Alligator Alley. Morrigan Books, 1989. First edition hardback, copy #104 of 210 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, as well as a cassette tape of material related to the novel. Does not include the T-shirt that was sold with some of the slipcased copies. Supplements my trade edition. Jeter told me he actually had very little to do with the novel…
Jones, Sergent Morgan, and Damien Lewis. The Embassy House. Threshold Editions, 2013. Non-fiction on Benghazi embassy attack. Withdrawn by the publisher under political pressure.
Jones, Stephen, Editor. Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth. Fedogan & Breamer, 2005. Cthulhu Mythos anthology.
Jones, Stephen, Editor. Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth. Fedogan & Breamer, 2013. Cthulhu Mythos anthology.
Klaw, Rick, editor. Rayguns Over Texas. Fandom Association of Central Texas, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread, signed by 13 of the contributors. Anthology of SF stories from Texas writers published for the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio. I have a story in here, “Novel Properties of Certain Complex Alkaloids,” that’s like a Greg Egan story by way of H. P. Lovecraft and Timothy Leary. Introduction by Bruce Sterling. This copy signed by myself, editor Rick Klaw, cover artist Rocky Kelly, Don Webb, Chris Brown, Matthew Bay, Stina Leicht, Nicky Drayden, Rhonda Eudaly, Derek Austin Johnson, Marshall Maresca, Sanford Allen, and Josh Roundtree. I also have an additional copy inscribed to me by several of the contributors in my contributor copy library.
(Koontz, Dean R.) Kotker, Joan G. Dean Koontz: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press, 1996 (stated; probably more recent). Reprint hardback, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction.
Lake, Jay. Dogs in the Moonlight. Prime Books, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a bit of wear at the tips. Signed by Lake. Missed this when it came out, mainly because Prime was still part of Wildside. Bought for $24 off the Internet.
Lake, Jay. Endurance. Tor, 2011. Signed by Lake. Bought for 20% off cover at the San Antonio Worldcon.
Lansdale, Joe R. Bleeding Shadows. Subterranean, 2013. Short story collection.
Lansdale, Kasey, editor. Impossible Monsters. Subterranean Press, 2013.
Leiber, Fritz. The Moon is Green and Other Tales. Armchair Fiction, 2013. First edition trade paperback original (POD), a Fine copy, new and unread.
(Leiber, Fritz) Morgan, Chris. Fritz Leiber: a bibliography, 1934—1979. Morgenstern, 1979. Chapbook original, one of 1000 copies, a Near Fine+ copy with spots of age darkening to cover.
Leinster, Murray and Charles L. Fontenay. Planet of Dread b/w Twice Upon a Time. Armchair Fiction, 2010. First edition trade paperback original (POD), a Fine copy, new and unread. Honestly, I just picked this up for the cool, retro giant spider cover.
Lem, Stainslaw. A Perfect Vacuum. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. First English language edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with small closed tear at bottom front and a few touches of wear. Reviews of imaginary books. Replaces an Ex-Library copy in my library.
Lethem, Jonathan. Chronic City. Doubleday, 2009.
Littell, Jonathan. The Kindly Ones. Harper, 2009. First U.S. edition of a book original published in French as Les Bienveillantes, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a few touches of wear at edges. In 1989 Littell published a 3rd-generation cyberpunk PBO called Bad Voltage, then slipped from public view until he published Les Bienveillantes, a novel about the Holocaust, in France in 2006 (he’s a dual U.S. French citizen), which won the prestigious Prix Goncourt literary award.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Lockhart, Ross E., editor. The Book of Cthulhu II. Night Shade Press, 2012. Trade paperback original. Anthology.
Martin, George R. R. and John J. Miller. Wild Cards Volume VII: Dead Man’s Hand. Bantam Spectra, 19990. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear.
(Martin, George R. R.) Samuelson, Todd, Editor. Deeper Than Swords: Celebrating the Work of George R. R. Martin. Texas A&M University Cushing memorial Library and Archives, 2013. Oversized trade paperback, a Fine copy. Illustrated critical companion to Martin’s work, published as part of an event at the library with Martin on March 22, 2013.
Matheson, Richard. The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickock. Jove, 1996. Paperback original, VG with creasing.
Matheson, Richard. The Shrinking Man. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press edition, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Mieville, China. London’s Overthrow. The Westbourne Press, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new and unread. Non-fiction. Appears to be a political rant with pictures.
McDevitt, Jack. Echo. Ace, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wrinkling at top edge.
Moorcock, Michael. Sailor on the Seas of Fate. Quartet Books, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with a chip out of the corner of the front free endpaper, in a Fine dust jacket. Currey, page 372.
Moore, C.L. Judgment Night. Gnome Press, 1952. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight crimping at head and heel, mild foxing to inner gutters, and a few tiny spots of wear to bottom boards, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with 1/4″ closed tear at heel, slight wrinkling at rear head, and a touch of edgewear. A truly superb, bright example of the dust jacket. Collection of five longer stories. Currey (1978), Page 377. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 199. Anatomy of Wonder 4, 3-130. Another notable book from the golden age of the genre small press. Bought for $65 off eBay.
Picacio, John. John Picacio 2014 Calendar. Lone Boy, 2013. First edition, Fine, signed by the artist, with Kickstarter specials, including six oversized loteria cards, a sketcbook, and a signed pencil.
Pohl, Frederik, with Jack Williamson. The Saga of Cuckoo. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1983. First edition thus and first hardback (a book club omnibus edition of Farthest Star and A World Around a Star, both previously published only in paperback), code “N34” on page 433 (as per ISFDB), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by both Pohl and Williamson. Bought for $22.50 off eBay.
Powers, Tim/James P. Blaylock. The Way Down the Hill/The Pink of Fading Neon. Axoltl Press, 1986. First Edition hardback, #178 of 300 hardback copies by both authors and introducers Ed Bryant and Charles De Lint, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $30 plus shipping from Heritage Auctions. One of those books I wasn’t sure whether I owned or not, since I had the other Axolotl Press Powers and Blaylock books…
Rainey, Stephen Mark. Song of Cthulhu. Chaosium, 2001. Trade paperback original, Fine. Anthology.
Reynolds, Alastair. Dr. Who: Harvest of Time. BBC Books, 2013. Signed by Reynolds at the 2013 San Antonio Worldcon.
Roberts, Adam (as A. R. R. R. Roberts). The Soddit, or Let’s Cash In Again. Gollancz, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Roberts. Parody of The Hobbit.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. 2312. Orbit, 2012. First UK edition (I think the U.S. precedes by two days), a Fine- copy with slight wrinkling to top of dust jacket.
Schweitzer, Darrell. Cthulhu’s Reign. DAW, 2010. paperback original, Fine. Anthology.
Sennholz, Mary. On Freedom and Free Enterprise. Von Nostrand, 1956. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight dust-staining to head and crimping at head and heel in a very Good+ dust jacket with 1/4″ tears at head and heel. Collection of free market essays, published in honor of the 50th anniversary of Ludvig von Mises’ receiving his doctorate. Bought for $5 at Half Price Books.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book One. Armchair Fiction, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Two. Armchair Fiction, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Three. Armchair Fiction, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new.
Shaver, Richard S. The Shaver Mystery, Book Four. Armchair Fiction, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, Fine, new. The four volumes collect stories and ancillary material from the “Shaver Mystery,” Shaver’s weird, strangely compelling conspiracy theory/alternate reality in which a hateful race of “deros” (“detrimental robots”) lived inside he earth, beaming mind-control rays at surface dwellers (and occasionally kidnapping them for torture, food, or sport). Shaver’s elaborate, unhinged vision brought a vast legion of cranks out of the shadows and onto the subscriber ranks of Amazing, whose editor Ray Palmer started publishing Shaver’s stories in the 1940s, which was to have a considerable impact on SF fandom. I doubt much of this has seen print since it’s original appearance in Amazing, or in Palmer’s subsequent The Hidden World. If you’re a connoisseur of crank literature, Shaver is up there with the whackiest.
Shea, Michael. Assault on Sunrise. Tor, 2013. Sequel to The Extra.
Shea, Michael. The Incomplete Nifft. Baen, 2000. First edition paperback original thus, an omnibus edition of Nifft the Lean and The Mines of Behemoth, a NF copy, with a crease on the bottom back cover.
Silverberg, Robert. Capricorn Games. Random House, 1976. Signed by Silverberg. Currey (1979), page 436.
Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume 8: Hot Times in Magma City: 1990-1995. Subterranean Press, 2013. Fine, sands dust jacket, as issued.
(Simak, Clifford D.) Becker, Muriel R. Clifford D. Simak: a primary and secondary bibliography. G. K. Hall, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Non-fiction. I do wish the books were separated from the short fiction listings…
Smith, Clark Ashton. Lost Worlds. Arkham House, 1944. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight crimping at head and heel, bump to top front corner, usual age darkening to pages, and a trace of foxing to gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with age darkening to light-colored portion of spine, short closed tear and associated 1/2″ wrinkle crease at head, a tiny bit of rubbing at heel, and age darkening around edges and crease folds. Smith’s second prose collection and the seventh Arkham House book published. Currey (1978), page 453. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy One, page 200. Bleiler, Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1485. Tymn, 4-202. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House 7. Derleth, 30 Years of Arkham House, 7. Jaffery (1982), 7. Nielsen, 7. Bought for $172 off the Internet.
Smith, Edward E., Ph.D. Skylark Three. Fantasy Press, 1948. First edition hardback, one of 500 subscriber copies with a signature page inscribed by Smith bound in: “To Hugh F. Henry—/Three in a row — Hot dog!/And thanks a million for/the compliment./Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.” (Doc Smith had marvelously clear handwriting), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel and faint foxing to gutters, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight rubbing to top 1/2″ of front, slight edgewear at head, and slight dust soiling to rear cover. E. E. “Doc” Smith is someone I only pick up as a target of opportunity, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to pick up a very attractive example of one of the Fantasy Press subscriber copies for one of their most popular writers for approximately $150 after sale discount.
Smith, George O. The Brain Machine. Garland Press, 1975. First hardback edition, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Originally a paperback original under the title The Fourth “R”. Currey (1979), page 458. Garland, like Gregg Press, usually did interesting hardback reprints.
Smith, George O. Hellflower. Abelard Press, 1953. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight spine fade to red portions and tiny traces of wear, otherwise a complete, bright and attractive dust jacket. Currey (1979), page 458.
Stephenson, Neal. Some Remarks. Atlantic Books, 2012. First UK edition. Non-fiction.
Sturgeon, Theodore. A Touch of Sturgeon. Simon & Schuster (UK), 1987. Fine-/Fine- with sight crimping at head.
Swainston, Steph. The Modern World. Inscribed by the author: “S. Swainston/12.05.07/’All things from eternity are of like forms/And come round in a circle.’ — Marcus Aurelius”. With photograph of the author laid in. Bought for $24. I should really get around to reading The Year of Our War some day…
Swanwick, Michael. Moon Dogs. NESFA Press, 2000. First edition hardback, one of 175 signed slipcased copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements an inscribed trade copy.
Swanwick, Michael. Tumbling. Dragonstairs Press, 2013. First edition micro-chapbook original, 3″ x 2 3/4″ inches, #10 of 50 signed, numbered copies, Fine, new and unread.
Taine, John. The Time Stream. Buffalo Book Company, 1946. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with foxing to inside covers and a few faint pinpoint spots on boards, in a VG- dust jacket with uneven loss to top edge, mostly 1/16″ but occasionally as much as 1/4″. According to Chalker/Owings (1991), page 78, only 500 copies were ever bound, and half of those were lost in a rainstorm. Currey (1979), page 29. Bleiler Checklist, 1978, page 191. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy One, page 211. 333, page 63. An important early SF specialty book.
Tucker, Wilson. Ice and Iron. Doubleday, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with edgewear at head and heel, with review slip laid in. Inscribed by Tucker: “For Dave, at Nashville,/Wilson Bob Tucker/May 19, 1979”. Tucker was famous both as a writer and as a noted fan. Bought for $20.
Turner, Gary, and Marty Halpern. The Silver Griffith. Golden Gryphon, 2003. First edition hardback, #34 of 100 numbered copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, in slipcase.
Utley, Steven. Silurian Tales — Volume 1: The 400-Million-Year-Itch. Ticonderoga, 2012.
Utley, Steven. Silurian Tales — Volume 2: Invisible Kingdoms. Ticonderoga, 2012.
Vance, Jack. Araminta Station. Underwood Miller, 1987. First edition hardback, #443 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. First book of the Caldwell Chronicles. Precedes both the NEL and Tor editions by six months. Hewett, A79. Chalker/Owings (1991), pages 437-438. Bought for $120.
Vance, Jack (as John Holbrook Vance). The Deadly Isles. Bobbs-Merrill, 1969. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with a few bare traces of dust soiling and a tiny bit of rubbing at extremities. Overall a beautiful copy of this Vance mystery. Currey, p. 497. Hewett, A33.
Vance, Jack. Gold and Iron. Underwood/Miller, 1982. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight wrinkle at rear heel. Previously published in paperback as Slaves of the Klau. Hewett, A9e.
Vance, Jack. Lyonesse: Suldrun’s Garden. Underwood/Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, #78 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. (Note: Unlike the signed, numbered edition of Lyonesse: The Green Pearl, this was not issued in a slipcase.) Hewett, A70b. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 436. Supplements my copy of the unsigned library edition in decorated boards issued without a dust jacket. Bought for $100.
Vinge, Joan D. World’s End. Bluejay Books, 1984. First edition hardback, #127 of 750 signed numbered copies in slipcase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. This copy has been additionally inscribed by Vinge: “To Marcia Adams/-with all my best wishes-!/Joan D. Vinge/2005.” There was a PBS cooking show host and cook book author by that name who died in 2011; not sure if that’s who it’s inscribed to or not. I do wonder how many of these slipcased hardcovers Bluejay Books did. I have their slipcased edition of K. W. Jeter’s Dr. Adder, and I know they did a few others, but there does not appear to be a list online. I’ll write Jim Frenkel and ask…
Waldrop, Howard. The Horse of a Different Color. Small Beer Press, 2013. Inscribed to me to by the author.
Webb, Don. The War With The Belatrin/A Velvet of Vamphyres. Wildside, 2012. Trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed by Webb.
Webb, Don & Gary Lovisi. Do the Weird Crime, Do The Weird Time/Gargoyle Nights. Wildside, 2012. Trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed by Webb.
Weinbaum, Stanley G. Dawn of Flame. Ruppert Printing Service (for The Milwaukee Fictioneers), 1936. One of only 245 copies of the Currey B state (with the Lawrence A. Keating introduction), a Near Fine+ copy with very faint spine creasing and slight gray staining to bottom page block (or possibly where the red page block staining has worn away), sans dust jacket, as issued. Currey, page 510. Chalker/Owings, page 279. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 204. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy (I), page 224. Bought at the San Antonio Worldcon for $1,200 (negotiated down from $1,500) from Erle Melvin Korshak. And if I’m remembering correctly, it was on consignment from Sam Moskowitz’s widow through Robert Weinberg to Korshak.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Ghost Battalion. Ives Washburn, 1958. First edition hardback, most likely a repaired Ex-Library copy, Very Good with tape ghosts on boards, front free endpaper excised and another attached in it’s place, slight wear at heel, dust soiling at head, and slight crimping at head and heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear and about 1/16″ inch of color loss at heel, and possible spine fading (hard to tell, since it’s a different color than the front and back covers). Second book in the Iron Scouts Civil War YA trilogy. Bought for $18 off eBay.
Wellman, Manly Wade. What Dreams May Come. Doubleday, 1983. First Edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with signature plate signed by Wellman attached to front free endpaper. Features supernatural detective John Thundstone. Replaces an Ex-Library copy in my collection. Bought for $20 from a major SF book dealer.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Worse Things Waiting. Carcosa, 1973. First edition hardback, Trade Edition issue, a Fine- copy with a couple of pinpricks of wear, in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed to fellow horror writer Dennis Etchison: “Better Things Waiting/for/Dennis Etchison/Manly Wade Wellman/Dec 7, 1979”. Being a Wellman collector, I could hardly pass up an associational copy of this, his best and most important collection, inscribed to another top horror writer. (This is the second Wellman-inscribed association copy I own along with Third String Center inscribed to Wellman’s own brother, western writer Paul I. Wellman.) Currey (1979), page 515. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 87. Bleiler, Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1672. Jones/Newman, Horror 100, 70. Bought for $100.
Wells, H. G. (edited by Robert Philmus and David y. Hughes). Early Writings in Science and Science Fiction by H. G. Wells. University of California Press, 1975. Presumed first edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel and trace of foxing to inside front covers, in a VG- dust jacket with a 1/2″ square chip missing from bottom front cover and a 3/8″ chunk tapering to a point over 3″ missing at top rear. Not in Currey. Reginald, 1975-1991, 36697. Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume 178: British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Before World War I, page 242. Not a great dust jacket, but it was only $8, and copies online are somewhat pricey…
Wilson, Gahan. Everybody’s Favorite Duck. Mysterious Press, 1988.
Wolfe, Gene. Home Fires. Tor, 2010. Already read it in ARC.
Wolfe, Gene. A Wolfe Family Album. United Mythologies Press, 1991. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Signed by Gene Wolfe. Chapbook of mostly Wolfe family photos, evidently issued with the hardback edition of Letters Home (which I’ve owned for some time, but which didn’t come with the chapbooks when I bought it).
Wolfe, Gene (Mooney, J. E. and Bill Fawcett, editors. Shadows of the New Sun: Stories in Honor of Gene Wolfe. Tor, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A tribute anthology.
Zelazny, Roger. Home is the Hangman. SFBC, 1996. First separate hardback edition. Kovacs, VI-7-a.
Zelazny, Roger. Knight of Shadows. Ultramarine Press, 1989. First limited hardback edition, #20 of 40 signed, numbered copies, bound in quarter leather, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Kovacs, 27-d-i. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 612. Proof that being a collector drives you slightly insane. (“Slightly?” asks the peanut gallery.) Ultramarine Press would take the sheets of the trade edition, then add a signed limitation page and leather binding. Honestly, I’m less than impressed with both their business model and most of the books produced, and I’m not too wild about post-first edition limiteds, but this edition seems nicer than many, 40 is a pretty low limitation for a Zelazny limited, and since I have such an extensive Zelazny collection, I decided to pony up for it. Bought for $240.
Zelazny, Roger, and Thomas T. Thomas. Flare. Baen, 1992. First edition paperback original, Fine.
(Zelazny, Roger) Kovacs, Christopher, compiler. The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. NESFA Press/Camelot Books, 2011. First hardback edition, letter M of 21 lettered copies with a Zelazny signature sheet (taken from unused Ultramarine press Zelazny books), a Fine copy in three-quarters bound leather, in a Fine patterned traycase with the pictorial cover from the trade paperback edition, sans dust jacket, as issued. An elaborate aftermarket edition of this Zelazny incorporating unbound NESFA sheets obtained by the compiler. I paid $191 for it, considerably less than the $500 list price it was offered at.
(Zelazny, Roger) Yoke, Karl. Roger Zelazny/Andre Norton: Proponents of Individualism State library of Ohio, 1979. First edition chapbook original, Near Fine+ with some age toning. Non-fiction.
Tags:Borgo Press, Brian Aldiss, Charles Beaumont, China Mieville, Cthulhu, Douglas Adams, Elizabeth Bear, Ernest Bramah, Gene Wolfe, George R. R. Martin, Gnome Press, Gregg Press, Hal Clement, Harlan Ellison, Iain M. Banks, Isaac Asimov, J. G. Ballard, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, Manly Wade Wellman, Margaret Brundage, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, Philip Jose Farmer, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Richard Bleiler, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert E. Howard, Roger Zelazny, Shaver Mystery
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Monday, November 18th, 2013
Some more library additions, with no particular theme except books signed by the author.
Bear, Greg. Early Harvest. NESFA Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #173 of 250 signed, numbered copies (800 print run total), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off the Internet for $37.50.
Bradbury, Ray. Driving Blind Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Marilyn! /Onward!/Ray Bradbury/Oct. 18, ’97”. Bought for $20 off eBay.
Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately the Milk…. HarperCollins (UK), 2013. First edition hardback (the UK and U.S. edition were evidently simultaneous), slipcased limited edition (“with exclusive bookmark”) sold by UK bookstore chain Foyle’s signed by Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddle, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. I think this state came out about a month after the trade edition. Young adult novella. Bought for £19.99 plus shipping off eBay.
Gibson, William. Zero History. Putnum, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Gibson. Bought for $12 (marked down from $20) at a Half Price Books during a coupon sale.
Lake, Jay. Dogs in the Moonlight. Prime Books, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a bit of wear at the tips. Signed by Lake. Missed this when it came out, mainly because Prime was still part of Wildside. Bought for $24 off the Internet.
Lake, Jay. Endurance. Tor, 2011. Signed by Lake. Bought for 20% off cover at the San Antonio Worldcon.
Pohl, Frederik, with Jack Williamson. The Saga of Cuckoo. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1983. First edition thus and first hardback (a book club omnibus edition of Farthest Star and A World Around a Star, both previously published only in paperback), code “N34” on page 433 (as per ISFDB), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by both Pohl and Williamson. Bought for $22.50 off eBay.
Powers, Tim/James P. Blaylock. The Way Down the Hill/The Pink of Fading Neon. Axoltl Press, 1986. First Edition hardback, #178 of 300 hardback copies by both authors and introducers Ed Bryant and Charles De Lint, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $30 plus shipping from Heritage Auctions. One of those books I wasn’t sure whether I owned or not, since I had the other Axolotl Press Powers and Blaylock books…
Tags:Books, First Edition, Frederik Pohl, Greg Bear, Jack Williamson, James P. Blaylock, Jay Lake, Mystery, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, signed, Tim Powers, William Gibson
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Thursday, October 24th, 2013
I picked up two more signed Ray Bradbury books off eBay:
Bradbury, Ray. The Homecoming. Collins Design, 2006. First edition hardback in decorated boards, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Dave McKean. Short story done as a short illustrated book. Bought for $30.51 off eBay.
Bradbury, Ray. With Cat for Comforter. Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Bradbury. Illustrated by Louise Reinoehl Max. Short poem turned into an illustrated children’s book. Replaces an unsigned copy in my library. Bought for $16.66 off eBay.
Tags:autographs, Books, first editions, Horror, pics, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, signatures
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Monday, August 5th, 2013
I recently picked up three Ray Bradbury chapbooks, two signed stapled chapbooks from Heritage Auctions, one bound in decorated boards from Half Price Books. One is pretty well documented as a first edition. However, the other two, being for the scholastic market, are not.
Bradbury, Ray. Collected Short Stories. Petersen Publishing Company (The Great Author Series), 2002. Presumed first edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued. 96 page book which collects three stories (“The Other Foot,” “The April Witch,” and “The Veldt”), reading comprehension questions, and a biography. Not to be confused with the much larger The Stories of Ray Bradbury, which I also have.
Bradbury, Ray. The Dragon. Footsteps Press, 1988. First edition chapbook, #72 of 300 signed, numbered copies, Fine. Has affixed wrappers with a transparent blue Mylar window (there were evidently also red and yellow window variants).
Bradbury, Ray. The Veldt. The Perfection Form Company, 1982. (Possible) First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in stapled wraps, inscribed by Bradbury on the cover. Reading comprehension questions at the back.
I’m not aware of a comprehensive Ray Bradbury bibliography out that, or I would no doubt own it. Does anyone know if The Veldt and Collected Short Stories are indeed first editions of those works or not, or how I would tell?
Tags:Books, chapbooks, Fantasy, first editions, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction
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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
Bloomsbury Auctions is offering up several notable modern first editions on Thursday, October 25th. Among the items offered: Graham Greene’s inscribed first edition of Lord of the Flies. That’s not quite in the same league as Lord Byron’s inscribed copy of Frankenstein, but it’s still an impressive association copy.
There are a few other SF/F/H first editions of note: A nice set of J. R. R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings (all first printings, but the last a 3rd state book and 2nd state dust jacket), a signed first of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, Richard Adams’ Watership Down, Robert Bloch’s Psycho, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (not stated, but Currey D binding) and Dark Carnival, an inscribed copy of Roald Dahl’s first book The Gremlins, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Stephen King’s Carrie (signed), and several other King books, George Orwell’s Animal Farm and both cover variants of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the UK first of John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (the U.S. Doubleday edition actually precedes) and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Other notable first editions include Samuel Beckett’s first published work, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, Agatha Christie’s most famous novel (in its original, politically incorrect title), F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Ian Fleming’s Casino Royal (as well as the rare first-state binding of The Man With the Golden Gun, plus Hemingway’s first two books, and bunches more.
Tags:book auction, Books, first editions, George Orwell, J. R. R. Tolkien, John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Stephen King
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Monday, July 23rd, 2012
No particular theme this time: Just three interesting books I picked up.
Bradbury, Ray. The Last Circus & The Electrocution. Lord John Press, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Bradbury. Two stories and an afterword, plus an introduction by William F. Nolan.
Moorcock, Michael. The Jade Man’s Eyes Unicorn Bookshop, 1973. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. An original Elric novella. An odd trim size, being wider than the standard mass market paperback. Currey (1978), p. 370.
Vance, Jack. The House on Lily Street. First edition hardback, one of 450 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dustjacket with 1/2″ closed tear at head. Signed by Vance. Hewett A55.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, First Edition, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Mystery, pics, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, William F. Nolan
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Time for another roundup of what additions I’ve made to my library of science fiction first editions. This is what I’ve picked up in the last six months. All are Fine/Fine hardback first editions unless otherwise noted.
Baker, Kage. The Best of Kage Baker. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Baxter, Stephen. Last and First Contacts. Newcon Press, 2012. One of 150 signed, numbered copies.
Beagle, Peter S. The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and other odd acquaintances. Tachyon Publications, 1997. First edition hardback, one of 100 signed, numbered copies (and only 126 hardbacks total).
Bear, Elizabeth. ad eternum. Subterranean Press, 2012. First edition hardback, one of 250 signed, numbered copies with the chapbook Underground.
Bear, Greg. Hull Zero Three. Orbit, 2010.
Bishop, Michael. The Door Gunner and Other Perilous Flights of Fancy. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 250 signed, numbered copies.
Black, Pansy E. The Valley of the Great Ray. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning. More information on the Stellar Science Fiction series books here.
Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper. Subterranean Press, 2012. First edition thus, collecting all Bloch’s Jack the Ripper-related material.
Bourne, Frank/Long, Amelia Reynolds. The Thought Stealer (Bourne) and The Mechanical Man (Long). Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Brackett, Leigh. Shannach: The Last Farewell to Mars. Haffner Press, 2012.
Bradbury, Ray. Witness and Celebration. Lord John Press, 2000. First edition hardback, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Signed by Bradbury.
Bradley, Jack. The Torch of Ra. Stellar Publishing Corporation, no date (1930). First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Brown, Chris, and Eduardo Jimenez Mayo, editors. Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic. Small Beer Press, 2012. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed to me by Brown and contributors Bernardo Fernandez and Pepe Rojo. More information here.
Cadigan, Pat. Synners. Bantam Books, 1991. First edition uncorrected proof, mass market paperback trim size, of a paperback first edition, a Fine copy, signed by Cadigan. Bought for $5 from Half Price Books.
Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Crown Publishers, 2011.
Colladay, Morrison. When the Moon Fell. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Clute, John. Canary Fever. Beccon Publications, 2009. First edition hardback, one of only 40 (!) hardback copies signed by Clute, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Non-fiction.
Dick, Phillip K. The Complete Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 2: Adjustment Team. Subterranean Press, 2011.
Dick, Philip K. Counter Clock World. White Lion, 1977. First hardback edition, an Ex-Library copy, otherwise VG/VG. Complete details here.
Duncan. Andy. The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories. PS Publishing, 2012. Fine in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Ellison, Harlan. Angry Candy. Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
Eberle, Merab/Mitchell, Milton. The Thought Translator (Eberle) and The Creation (Mitchell). Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Farmer, Philip Jose (and Christopher Paul Carey). Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 250 signed, numbered copies.
Farrar, Clyde/Sharp, D.D.The Life Vapor (Farrar) and Thirty Miles Down. Stellar Publishing Corporation, no date (1930). First edition chapbook original, VG-, with punch holes and usual page browning, slight staining to top back corner near spine, and initials to very bottom of cover.
Gaiman, Neil. Rhyme Maidens. Biting Dog Press, 2012. Folio edition of first edition broadsheet. Details here.
Gaiman, Neil. Rhyme Maidens. Biting Dog Press, 2012. First edition broadsheet. Trade edition (though still signed by Gaiman).
Higginson, H. W. The Elixir. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1930. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
(Howard, Robert E.) de Camp, L. Sprague and George Scithers, editors. The Conan Swordbook. Mirage Press, 1969. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine -dust jacket, with a few pinpricks of wear.
Hughes, Matthew. The Yellow Cabochon. PS Publishing, 2012. One of only 100 signed copies.
Hughes, Matthew. The Yellow Cabochon. PS Publishing, 2012. Trade edition.
Kennedy, Leigh. Wind Angels. PS Publishing, 2011. First edition hardback in decorated boards, Fine, sans dj, as issued.
Kuttner, Henry. Man Drowning. Harper & Brothers, 1952. Near Fine copy with slight spine creasing at top and bottom in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight edgewear at head and heel, one phantom crease on top front pane, and short, thin indention line on rear cover.
Kuttner, Henry. Thunder in the Void. Haffner Press, 2012.
Lansdale, Joe R. Act of Love. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 200 signed, numbered slipcased copies. First edition hardback thus, with a new novelette, “A Bone Dead Sadness,” and interview with Lansdale not included in any previous edition.
Lansdale, Joe R. Act of Love. Subterranean Press, 2012. Trade edition.
Lansdale, Joe R. and John l. Lansdale. Shadows West. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 500 signed, numbered copies.
Lee, Tanith. Electric Forest. DAW, 1979. Paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear.
Lindholm, Megan, and Robin Hobb. The Inheritance & Other Stories. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 1,000 numbered copies signed by “both” authors (actually, Robin Hobb is just Megan Lindholm’s pseudonym).
Lorraine, Lilith. The Brain of the Planet. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG-, with punch holes and usual page browning, and a few stray black marks to cover.
Lovercraft, H. P. (edited by S. T. Joshi and Marc A. Michaud). Uncollected Prose and Poetry. Necronomicon Press, 1978. First edition side-stapled chapbook, a Near Fine- copy with uneven darkening along spine and top far edge.
Michelmore, Reg. An Adventure in Venus. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Moon, Elizabeth. Phases. Baen, 1997. Paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a touch of wear.
Powers, Tim. The Bible Repairman and Other Stories. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 500 signed, numbered copies.
Reed, Robert. Eater-of-Bone and other novellas. PS Publishing, 2002. First edition hardback, Fine in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued.
Reynolds, Alastair. Blue Remembered Earth. Gollancz, 2012.
Sarath, Patrice. Gordath Wood. Ace, 2008. Paperback original, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of wear to points.
Scalzi, John. 24 Frames Into the Future. NESFA Press, 2012. One of 150 signed, numbered, slipcased copies. Non-fiction.
Scalzi, John. 24 Frames Into the Future. NESFA Press, 2012. Trade edition. Non-fiction.
Schroeder, Karl. Lady of Mazes. Tor, 2005.
Shepard, Lucius. The Dragon Griaule. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Silverberg, Robert. The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Six: Multiples 1983-1987. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Sterling, Bruce. High-Tech Gothic. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Stone, Leslie F. When the Sun Went Out. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1929. First edition chapbook original, VG, with punch holes and usual page browning.
Straub, Peter. The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Stross, Charles. Palimpsest. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Thompson, Jim. The Killer Inside Me. Orion, 2006. Trade paperback reprint, a Fine- copy.
Vance, Jack. Dream Castles. Subterranean Press, 2012.
Vance, Jack. The Magnificent Showboats of the Lower Vissel River, Lune XXIII, Big Planet (AKA Showboat World). Underwood Miller, 1983. First hardback edition, one of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. The longer title is Vance’s original title, and appears only on the book cover and title page of this edition (but not the dust jacket), and on volume 19 of the Vance Integral Edition.
Wagner, Karl Edward. Where the Summer Ends: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner Volume One. Centipede Press, 2012. One of 500 hardback copies.
Wagner, Karl Edward. A Walk on the Wild Side: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner Volume Two. Centipede Press, 2012. One of 500 hardback copies.
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Invading Asteroid. Stellar Publishing Corporation, 1932. First edition chapbook original, a Near Fine copy with usual page browning.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Napoleon of the West: The Aaron Burr Conspiracy. Washburn, 1970. A Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel in a Near Fine- dust jacket with spine fading and a trace of soiling to rear cover.
Willis, Connie. All About Emily. Subterranean Press, 2012. One of 400 signed, numbered copies bound in leather.
Yu, Charles. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. Pantheon, 2010.
Related topics:
A description of my own library of science fiction first editions (a couple of years out of date; I need to update this)
My Books Wanted List
Lame Excuse Books, my own side SF/F/H book business, where a discerning collector may find several first editions of potential interest.
Other book related posts
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Horror, Jack Vance, Joe R. Lansdale, John Scalzi, Karl Edward Wagner, Manly Wade Wellman, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction
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Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
I’m seeing reports that science fiction legend Ray Bradbury has passed away at 91.
Bradbury was one of the few unquestioned giants of the field. Personally, if I hadn’t read The Illustrated Man at an early age, I may never have become a science fiction writer. I corresponded with him a tiny bit, and once I got a phone call from him (in response to a letter) talking about meeting in person at the Anaheim Worldcon in 2006. Alas, my flight flew out before his one appearance at the convention, so I never got a chance to meet him face-to-face.
Rest in Peace.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Obituary, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction
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Friday, April 13th, 2012
I wanted to do a brief follow-up on Wednesday’s Heritage Books Auction. Results were all over the map.
First, books I have trending data for:
The Asbestos-bound copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 went for a hefty $13,750.00, up considerably from a lesser copy in the Jerry Weist auction last year.
By contrast, the signed copy of Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist went for $1,000, down over 80% from a slightly better copy in the Weist auction.
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others went for $2,250.00, down from the $3,883.75 paid for a slightly worse copy.
Books I don’t have trending data for:
The signed, limited first edition of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World went for $3,750.
The first Stephen King book he ever signed, an incribed ARC of Carrie, went for $11,250. (The Stephen King collector’s market, after some declines among “regular” signed/limited editions over the past few years, seems to be alive and well.)
A first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with a signed letter from Stoker laid in went for $5,625.
But the most schizophrenic result from the auction was two early signed Thomas Pynchons going for hefty sums, but two later signed copies failed to sell at all:
The Crying of Lot 49 went for $8,750.
Gravity’s Rainbow went for $16,250.
Slow Learner failed to sell. It can be yours as an after-auction buy for a mere $3,125.
An ARC of a later edition of V failed to sell and can be yours as an after-auction buy for $2,500.
You would think there would be enough hardcore Pynchon collectors for those two to sell, especially the Slow Learner.
And a beat-up Shakespeare and Company true first edition (in wrappers) of James Joyce’s Ulysses went for $35,000.
As for the non-fiction first editions:
Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations went for $80,500.
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection went for $83,500.
A beautifully bound subscriber’s edition of T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom went for $62,500.
Tags:book auction, Books, H. P. Lovecraft, Heritage Auctions, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Thomas Pynchon
Posted in Books, Horror, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »
Sunday, April 8th, 2012
Heritage Auction is having another of their big book Auctions April 11.
There are a few notable SF/F/H works listed:
Another Asbestos-bound copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
Another signed copy of Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist.
A copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others with perhaps the nicest dust jacket (an original, not the de la Ree facsimile) I’ve ever seen offered for sale.
The signed, limited first edition of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World
The first Stephen King book he ever signed, an incribed ARC of Carrie.
A first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with a signed letter from Stoker laid in.
There’s also some signed Thomas Pynchon, which almost never comes on the market, including:
The Crying of Lot 49
Gravity’s Rainbow
Slow Learner
An ARC of a later edition of V
Plus the notoriously fragile Shakespeare and Company true first edition (in wrappers) of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
But the main strength of the auction is in non-fiction, including first editions of:
Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
A beautifully bound subscriber’s edition of T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Not to mention several Isaac Newton first editions, plus a whole lot of important economic and military first editions.
Tags:book auction, Books, Fantasy, First Edition, H. P. Lovecraft, Heritage Auctions, Horror, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, Stephen King, T. E. Lawrence
Posted in Books, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
