Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Library Addition: Signed Hardback First Of Gail Carriger’s Dear Lord Akeldama

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026

Subterranean Press had one of their 50% off sales, so I grabbed this.

Carriger, Gail. Dear Lord Akeldama & Parasolverse Ephemera. Subterranean Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #705 of 750 copies, a Fine copy in embossed boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, in publisher’s bag with bookmark and packed by card laid in. Material from the Soulless universe. Bought for $25 plus shipping.

Library Addition: David Aronovitz Book Catalog for Heritage Auctions

Monday, May 4th, 2026

There’s a big Heritage SF/F/H book auction coming up, this one for book dealer David Aronovitz’s collection, and Heritage sent me a big fat catalog for it. I’ve been receiving catalogs from Heritage since 2007, but haven’t recorded them previously.

(Aronovitz, David) The David Aronovitz Collection of Important Science Fiction & Fantasy Part I. Heritage Auctions, 2026. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Aronovitz is an SF bookseller who got started a lot earlier than me, all this is expensive stuff I wouldn’t have been able to bid on even if I weren’t between jobs. While I have copies of a lot of the first editions being auctioned (I have firsts of six of the ten books shown on the cover), Aronovitz generally had much nicer copies and/or more desirable states, along with manuscripts and associational copies (like I, Robot inscribed to John W. Campbell).

Previous notable Heritage SF/F/H auctions include:

  • The Jerry Weist Collection
  • The Robert and Diane Yaspan Collection
  • The Ventura Collection
  • Library Addition: Signed Illustrated First of Gail Carriger’s Souless

    Monday, April 27th, 2026

    Another Half Price Books find:

    Carriger, Gail. Soulless. Orbit, 2018. First illustrated hardback edition, a Fine- copy with a tiny little ump at heel, sans dust jacket in illustrated boards, as issued, signed by Carriger. Supplements the signed PBO. I lack the Subterranean Press signed/limited edition, which was the first separate hardback. Bought for $13.50.

    Library Addition: Two Signed “Garth Marenghi” Firsts

    Monday, April 20th, 2026

    In 2004, BBC 4 aired Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, a horror parody series satirizing the cheapness of 1980s BBC TV shows, created by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, all supposedly the work of “Garth Marenghi” (Holness), “the only writer to publish more books than he’d read.” Last year, I showed these as the Halloween offering for our regular Saturday movie group. Dwight took that as a license to buy these two signed “Marenghi” firsts and give them to me as a birthday gift.

  • “Marenghi, Garth” (i.e., Matthew Holness). Garth Marenghi’s Incarcerat. Hodder & Stoughton Coronet, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine protected dust jacket, signed by the author (as Marenghi). Received as a gift.

  • “Marenghi, Garth” (i.e., Matthew Holness). Garth Marenghi’s TerrorTome. Hodder & Stoughton, 2022. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by the author (as Marenghi). Received as a gift.

  • Library Addition: Jack London’s Little White Book of The Wild

    Tuesday, March 31st, 2026

    Another Borderlands Press Little Book came in:

    London, Jack. A Little White Book of the Wild. Borderlands Press, 2026. First edition hardback, #463 of 350 copies signed by editor John DeChancie, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Five stories, the only one I’ve which I’ve already read is “To Build A Fire.”

    I will have a small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: Signed First of Dan Simmons Hard As Nails

    Monday, March 9th, 2026

    I had the first two Joe Kurtz books (Hard Case and Hard Freeze) signed by Simmons, but the third wasn’t, so I pick this up cheap when I heard about his untimely death.

    Simmons, Dan. Hard as Nails. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at heel, in a Fine dust jacket (taken from my existing copy), signed by Simmons. Bought for $14.95 plus shipping off eBay.

    Library Addition: Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters

    Wednesday, March 4th, 2026

    This Kickstarter from 2024 finally came in.

    Aquilone, James, editor. Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters Volume 1. Monstrous Press, 2026. First edition hardback graphic novel, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, with three cards laid in. Just what the title says, the latest graphic novel featuring dogged investigative reporter of the supernatural Carl Kolchak. Brought to you by the same people who previously brought you the 50th anniversary edition graphic novel compilation and the first hardback edition of the original Jeff Rice Night Stalker novel. Bought from the Kickstarter for $32.

    Library Addition: R. C. Matheson’s Bombyx

    Thursday, February 26th, 2026

    Another PS Publishing book came in:

    Matheson, Richard Christian. Bombyx. PS Publishing, 2025 (not shipped until 2026). First edition hardback, #58 of 200 copies signed by both Matheson and Mick Garris (who is co-credited with the story), a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Novella of a guy graduating rehab who suddenly feels that everyone hates him.

    I will have one copy of this in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

    Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of Cold War Cthulhu

    Monday, February 16th, 2026

    This PS Publishing anthology finally came in, after difficulties getting the signing sheets all around the world.

    Schweitzer, Darrell. Cold War Cthulhu. PS Publishing, 2025 (though I don’t think this hardback edition was actually released until 2026.) First edition hardback (the hardback state was preceded by the trade paperback edition from PS’s Drugstore Indian Press imprint in May 2025), #45 of 100 signed, numbered copies signed by all the contributors, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Cthulhu Mythos stories set from 1950-1989. Includes familiar names like Paul Di Filippo, Harry Turtledove, and Don Webb (two stories). Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. Already sold out from the publisher.

    I will have a very small number of these available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, hopefully in May.

    Library Addition: Centipede Press Signed Limited Edition Set of Philip K. Dick’s Eye in the Sky/The Man Who Japed/The World Jones Made/Solar Lottery

    Monday, February 9th, 2026

    This set is the second set in this Centipede Press signed/limited prestige hardback reprint series of Dick’s books, following The Cosmic Puppets, Dr. Futurity, and Vulcan’s Hammer.

    Dick, Philip K. Eye in the Sky with The Man Who Japed with The World Jones Made with Solar Lottery. Centipede Press, 2025 (stated; actually not released until 2026 due to a signature sheet problem). First editions thus for Eye in the Sky, The World Jones Made and Solar Lottery, and the first U.S. hardback edition for The Man Who Japed, each #92 of 300 signed, numbered copies, each signed by Michael Swanwick, and the respective artists, each Fine copies in Fine dust jackets (with Mylar dust jacket protectors!) and a Fine slipcase, still in shrinkwrap (though it has been opened to the front to correct the signature sheet problem), with #92 sticker affixed to shrinkwrap. All four of these supplement first hardback editions of each (Gregg Press for Eye in the Sky and Solar Lottery (plus the Rich & Cowan true hardback first until the title World of Chance), Eyre Metheuen for The Man Who Japed (plus the Ace Double PBO)), and Sidgwick & Jackson for The World Jones Made). Not seeing this on the Centipede Press website, so it may have been sold out upon publication.