Jacobs, Harvey. The Egg of the Glak and Other Stories. Harper & Row, 1969. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bumping at head, heel, and top rear point, in a Very Good dust jacket I’ll replacing with the better dust jacket on my existing copy, inscribed by Jacobs: “To Polly Lyons,/with all good wishes/for sunthings and/moonthings. Happy/wedding./Harvey Jacobs.” The signature seems to match other online examples of Jacobs signature. Replaces an existing copy. Bought for $13.50.
Martin, George R. R., editor. Texas Hold-Em: A Wild Cards Novel. Tor, 2018. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $8.99. I have the first twelve Wild Card Bantam PBOs (the first three signed by a significant number of contributors), the three Baen PBOs, the first six SFBC hardback reprints of the Bantam PBOs, the two iBooks hardback firsts, and a goodly number (but not all) of the Tor hardback firsts. So I need the Tor firsts of Busted Flush, Suicide Kings, High Stakes, Low Chicago, Knave Over Queens, Three Kings, Joker Moon, Full House, Pairing Up and Sleeper Straddle.
Another Half Price Books haul, with three signed copies of literary writer who dabbles in genre work. I spot-check the literary firsts, and my eyes were drawn to the Mylar dust jacket protectors on these, which made me check to see if they were signed. They were.
Oates, Joyce Carol. American Appetites. Dutton, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket with a 1/16″ chip at front heel join and a trace of wear at points, signed by Oates. Bought for $7.19.
Oates, Joyce Carol. Man Crazy. Virago Press (UK), 1998. First UK hardback edition (the Dutton precedes), a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed and dated (“3 Sept. 1998”) by Oates. Though the Dutton precedes, signed copies of this UK edition comps out slightly higher, and one signed copy online has the same “3 Sept. 1998” signed date. Maybe she did a UK signing that day. Bought for $13.50.
Oates, Joyce Carol. You Must Remember This. Dutton, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with dust print to outer page block, in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, inscribed by Oates: “for Nash and Marrion/Joyce Carol/Oates/11/8/87.” Bought for $6.74.
Honestly, I was a bit ambivalent about picking these up. I’ve liked some of Oates short stories when they appeared in various Ellen Datlow anthologies, but I wasn’t wild about Zombie, the only Oates novel I’ve read, as she failed to convince me she had gotten into the mindspace of a Jeffrey Dahmer-esque serial killer. Also, while I got these for a bit less than they list for online, she’s something of a pill on the market. There’s a ton of signed Oates firsts online, at or below cover price.
But before I had no signed Oates firsts, and now I have three.
Three of these were bought at Half Price Books locations in the Dallas Metroplex, and two replace slightly less attractive copies.
Delany, Samuel R. Babel-17. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, though with slight age darkening to the pages. Nebula Award winner and Hugo nominee. Currey, page 139. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $5 at Recycled Books in Denton.
Martin, George R. R. Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks. Bantam Spectra, 1991. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with mild spine creasing and a trace of wear at points. This completes my Wild Cards paperback collection. Bought for $2.49.
Moore, Ward. Caduceus Wild. Pinnacle Books, 1978. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with one tiny spine crease near front join, bookstore stamp inside, slight rubbing to rear cover, trace of magic marker left over price on front cover (Bestine took care of the rest), and touch of edgewear. Moore’s last novel. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $1.99.
Wagner, Karl Edward, and David drake. Killer. Baen Books, 1985. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing, edgewear, and foxing to insider covers. Hunting an alien killer in ancient Rome. Bought for $1.49.
This is the last of the books picked up on the Thanksgiving trip to the Metroplex.
Found at various Half Price Books locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the Book Celler in Temple, and Recycled Books in Denton.
Anonymous. In the Future. Arno Press, 1974. First edition hardback thus, a reprint of a book originally published in 1867, a Fine- copy with slight bumps at points, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought for $7.99.
Not to be confused with the David Byrne piece of the same name:
Clarke, Arthur C. A Fall of Moondust. Harcourt, Brace and World, 1961. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with the usual flaws, including stamps, pocket removal, tape to boards, etc, but with a much better than usual dust jacket, with a couple of short closed tears on flap edges, a small sticker ghost on spine, and slight protector discoloration to edges; call it a G/NF Ex-Lib copy. Currey, page 114. Replaces a less attractive Ex-Library copy. Bought for $20.
Erickson, Steve, Our Ecstatic Days. Simon & Schuster, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Bought at Recycled Books in Denton for $6.80.
Kuttner, Henry. The Best of Henry Kuttner. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1975. First edition hardback (code “01 R” on page 335, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with trace of bumping at points in a Fine- dust jacket with slight edgewear and small fold to tip of bottom front flap. Introduction by ray Bradbury. Currey, page 291. Bought for $6 at the Book Cellar in Temple.
Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole. Bantam Books/SFBC, 1989. First hardback edition, the SFBC book club edition, preceded by the PBO, a Fine- copy with bumping at head, heel and top points, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight bumping at head, heel and top points, a couple of phantom creases across rear cover, and slight edgewear. Bought for $6 at the Book Cellar in Temple.
Matheson. Richard. Duel: Terror Stories By Richard Matheson. Tor, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine- with slight bend at heel copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight wrinkle at rear bottom. Supplements a trade paperback edition. Bought for $12.99.
Vance, Jack. The Space Pirate. Toby Press, 1953. First edition trade paperback original (no statement of printing, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a bare trace of dust oiling age darkening to rear cover, plus the usual age darkening to pages; all but perfect, and far and away the nicest copy I’ve seen. Vance’s second novel. Hewett, A2. Cunningham, B.75.a. Currey, page 500. Supplements a signed but less attractive copy. Bought for $12 from Recycled Books in Denton.
Four books, three from the publisher, three signed.
Shiner, Lewis. More Collected Stories. Subterranean Press, 2023. First edition perfect bound chapbook, a Fine copy, in publisher’s plastic bag. Six stories Lew has published since Subterranean’s Collected Stories for him. Bought from the publisher.
Swanwick, Michael. Winter Songs. Dragonstairs Press, 2022 (not offered for sale until 2023). First edition chapbook original, #37 of 115 copies, a Fine copy. I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Whitehead, Henry S. (Thomas Tessier, editor). A Little Orange Book of Voodoo Tales. Borderlands Press, 2023. First edition hardback, #462 of 500 numbered copies signed by the editor, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Five stories, two of which (“Jumbee” and “West India Lights”) were the title stories of his two Arkham House collections. Weirdly, this book has about 130 pages of text, then another 30 numbered but blank pages at the back. I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Wilson, F. Paul. The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium. Necessary Evil Press, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a 3/4″ closed tear to bottom front near spine. Bought for $30 from a Half Price Books location in the Metroplex.
Four more items for the Lansdale collection, three by Joe R. Hisownself, one an anthology he’s in.
Aquilone, James, editor. Dead Detectives Society. Monsterous Books, 2023. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, with extras bag including three cardstock illustrations and a Dead Detective’s Society Membership card. Includes stories by Joe and Kasey Lansdale, Nancy Collins, Kevin J. Anderson, etc. Bought off Kickstarter for $32.
Lansdale, Joe R. (as Ray Slater). Texas Night Riders. leisure, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with tiny loss at very tip of top rear outer corner and some foxing to inside covers, otherwise tight, square and apparently unread. This is far and away the best copy I’ve ever seen. Supplements a less attractive copy of the PBO inscribed to me, the Chivers Press large print (and first hardback edition) inscribed to me, and both the lettered and numbered editions of the Subterranean signed/limited edition. Isajenko, A003.a. Bought for $40 from Half Price Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. (illustrated by Ted DiLucia). Incident On and Off a Mountain Road. Crystal Lake Publishing, 2023. First edition hardback (“10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. Illustrated version of the dark suspense novelette originally published in Night Visions 8 and later adapted as an episode of the Showtime Masters of Horror TV anthology series. Amazon seems to be the main fulfillment avenue for this book, so I provided an Amazon link above.
Lansdale, Joe R. and Keith Lansdale. Prisoner of Violence. Dark Regions Press, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, into which I’ve laid a signature plate by Joe and Keith Lansdale. Graphic novel that was announced several years ago, but only recently came out. I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
All these were bought at various Half Price Books locations, the Delany in Austin and the other three in various stores in the Dallas Metroplex.
(Bradbury, Ray) Eller, Jonathan R. Becoming Ray Bradbury. University of Illinois Press, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head, heel and points. Biography of Bradbury that made use of his personal notes and correspondence. Bought for $17.49.
Delany, Samuel R. (edited by Kenneth R. James). In Search of Silence: The Journals of Samuel R. Delany Volume 1, 1957-1969. Wesleyan University Press, 2017. First edition hardback (“5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Selections from Delany’s journals when he was first making his mark on the SF field. Bought for $9.95.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) Houllebecq, Michel. H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life. Cernunnos, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical analysis of Lovecraft and his work by the French writer and critic. Introduction by Stephen King. Bought for $9.95.
Shatner, William (with Chris Kresski). Star Trek Memories. HarperCollins, 1993. First edition hardback, limited issue, one of 4,500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. Non-fiction memoir of his time on the original Star Trek TV series. Bought for $65, less than cover price and less than a fourth of what it lists for these days.
I have one copy of the Delany available through Lame Excuse Books.
Only theme here is that I bought all of these on a day trip to San Antonio:
Bradbury, Ray (Jonathan R. Eller, editor). The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition: Volume 2: 1943-1944. Kent State University Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a tiny bit of wrinkling at heel. Bought from Half Price Books for $37.49, considerably more than the $15 I paid for the first volume, but this one doesn’t seem to have been nearly as widely remaindered.
Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: Hard Merchandise. Bantam Spectra, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a trace of wear at points. The third book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, and evidently the hardest one to find. Supplements a signed first of the SFBC Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy I bought from the Fred Duarte estate sale. I supposed now I need to find a PBO first of Slave Ship, the second in the trilogy, but it seems the easiest to find of the three. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.49.
Mundy, Talbot. Full Moon. D. Appleton-Century, 1935. First edition hardback (“(1)” on page 312), a very Good copy with slight spotting to top and bottom page block edges (and possibly side, but it’s hard to tell with deckled edges), slight concavity at top of spine, slight bend at head and heel, light foxing to inside covers, and a few penciled notes front and back, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and points, spine faded, top rear flap corner clipped (but front panel and price intact), wear along front fold edge, slight dust staining to white rear panel, one 1/2″ closed tear to top front and one 1/4″ closed tear to rear bottom, and slight foxing to flaps; not pristine, but nice for the age. Oriental adventure with magic set in India. Grant, Talbot Mundy: Messanger of Deastiny, page 184. Day, Talbot Mundy Biblio, page 5. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 145. Bought for $40 at Antiquarian Book Mart in San Antonio.
Here are three first edition hardbacks, all bought at Half Price Books.
Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974. First English language edition, a Near Fine+ copy with small name to front free endpaper, slight bumping at head and heel and uneven fading at top and bottom edges, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with two closed 3/4″ tears at top front cover, shallow chipping at head, crease to front inner flap, slight bumping at points, and traces of wear to reflective silver surfaces along spine board join, front edge-fold and rear cover (slightly exaggerated in the scan). Important slipstream work of European fantasy, or what John Clute would call “Fantastika.” Bought for $45.
Gibson, William. Agency. Berkley, 2020. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Sequel to The Peripheral. Bought for $9.99.
Heinlein, Robert A. Off the Main Sequence: The Other Science Fiction Stories of Robert A. Heinlein. Science Fiction Book Club, 2005. First edition hardback (stated “First SFBC Science Fiction Printing, October 2005”; the SFBC is the only edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Short story collection, including three (“My Object All Sublime,” “Pied Piper,” and “A Tenderfoot in Space”) that were previously uncollected. Bought for $5.95.
Paperbacks are the final batch of books I picked up in the Metroplex. I generally don’t picked up unsigned paperbacks these days, but so many of these were perfect or near perfect examples at very attractive prices. All these are from Half Price Books.
Brackett, Leigh. The Ginger Star. Ballantine Books, 1974. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight wear at heel, edges and points, otherwise a tight, square copy. Currey, page 52. Bought for $2.
Brackett, Leigh. The Hounds of Skaith. Ballantine Books, 1974. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bumping to bottom corner and a trace of edgewear, otherwise a tight, square copy. Currey, page 52. Bought for $2.
Brunner, John. The Productions of Time. Signet, 1967. First paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight darkening to pages and a trace of edgewear to points. 1967 Nebula nominee for Best Novella. De Bolt, The Happening Worlds of John Brunner page 203. Currey, page 72 (he says the text was “badly edited” without Brunner’s approval). Bought for $2.99.
Davidson, Avram. Rogue Dragon. Ace, 1965. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 40¢ cover price, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with just a trace of edgewear at top outer point, but tight and square with bright white portions of cover. Currey, page 131. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought from Half Price Books for $5.
Davidson, Avram. Rogue Dragon. Ace, 1965. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 40¢ cover price, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a tiny crease across the Ace logo at head, otherwise tight and square. Currey, page 131. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $3.
Harrison, Harry. The Man From P.I.G.. Avon/Camelot Original, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one spine crease and usual mild age-darkening of pages. Currey, page 225. Bought for $1.99.
