Posts Tagged ‘Larry Niven’
Monday, January 26th, 2026
Here’s all the books I added to my library in 2025, some 204 of them. This list is dominated by a whole lot of Robert E. Howard, first from a large bulk purchase from a collector at the beginning of the year, and then someone selling off someone else’s collection of books on Facebook later. I also bought an interesting Ed Bryant collection at a bargain price, some of David Hartwell’s collection from Kathryn Cramer, numerous books from shopping at Half Price Books locations in Austin, DFW and Houston (and a few points between), several signed paperbacks off eBay, and fewer small press books than usual (a lot have gotten ridiculously pricy).
And please note that there are a few things covered here that I haven’t previously listed on this blog.
Allston, Aaron. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal. Del Rey, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel and slight bumping at points, in a Fine- dust jacket with trace of bumping at points, signed and dated (“2006/6/24”) by Allston. Bought from Half Price Books for $9.99.
Asimov, Isaac, editor. Where Do We Go From Here? Doubleday, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with one light thumbprint-sized blotch with a long sperm-like tail (binding flaw) to inside front cover, the ghost of that indention to the front free endpaper, slight bend at head, and front gutter just a little off from straight up and down (probably a binding flaw), in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Asimov. Reprint story anthology. Miller, Asimov: A Checklist, page 68. Currey, page 21. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $100.
Asimov, Isaac, Martin S. Greenberg and Charles G. White, editors (Jack Vance, Larry Niven, etc.). Isaac Asimov’s Magical Worlds of Fantasy 1: Wizards. New American Library, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight wrinkle at spine head and trace of wear at points, signed by contributors Jack Vance and Larry Niven. Bought off eBay for $13.01.
Baring-Gould, Sabine (John Maclay, editor). A Little Gray Book of Gloom. Borderlands Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #462 of 350 signed numbered copies (Borderlands: “we only print 350 copies but if anyone has matching numbers above 350, we make sure they continue to get it”), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of ghost stories from this extremely prolific late 19th/early 20th century clergyman and writer who penned the lyrics to “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
Blaylock, James P. The Aylesford Skull. Titan Books, 2013. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with a few tiny touches of wear. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.99.
Interestingly, there was supposed to be a 750 signed, limited hardback edition of this. One copy of that showed up in a Cold Tonnage Books catalog in 2023, but I never saw any others listed. I asked Jim Blaylock about this on Facebook, and he told me the following:
The story behind those ultimately destroyed books is unlikely, but essentially the production of the books was botched. There was gold-embossed writing on the cover and, I think, spine, but the gold was misapplied and muddied. They weren’t saleable, and Titan had no idea of reproducing them, so they pulped the lot. Several were sent out as pre-orders that were okay. One of my friends got one, which she ultimately gave to me. I can’t be sure how many survived the carnage, but Andy has one of probably a dozen books. I was slightly miffed, partly because I had to sign the signature pages twice. The first 750 were signed by me and Tim Powers, and then I sent the result to K.W. Jeter in Ecuador along with the box of necessary pens. The story is far more hilarious than I have room for here, but they were ultimately blown to smithereens by the Ecuadorian postal service who suspected that the box was some variety of terrorist plot and exploded it in a parking lot.
Blaylock, James P. Beneath London. Titan Books, 2015. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with a few tiny touches of wear. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.99.
Blaylock, James P. The Invisible Woman. PS Publishing, 2024. First edition hardback, #76 of 200 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. Set in the same universe as Pennies From Heaven. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Bloch, Robert. Fear and Trembling. Tor, 1989. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with small chip to top tip of rear cover, small chip to top tip of blurb page, slight, non-breaking spine creasing, and slight edgewear, inscribed by Bloch: “For Ingrid/ – best, always./Robert Bloch.” Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction Writers page 111. Bought off eBay for $16.77.
Bloch, Robert. Mysteries of the Worm: All the Cthulhu Mythos Stories of Robert Bloch. Kensignton Zebra, 1981. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with a faint crease starting down front spine join and a few thin stray marks to pageblock edges, otherwise tight and square, inscribed by Bloch: “Warmest/good wishes/to/Dan/from/Robert Bloch.” I don’t think the sub-title is entirely accurate (or was even then), but otherwise a very solid collection of Bloch’s Mythos stories. Larson, The Complete Robert Bloch page 61. Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction Writers page 111. Supplements a less attractive, unsigned copy. Bought off eBay for $17.87.
(Bloch, Robert) Nemeth, Jim (with Randall D. Larson). Robert Bloch: An Unconventional Bibliography. No publisher listed (but probably Amazon KDP), 2025. Print-On-Demand “first edition” (printing date of “03 July 2025”), a Fine copy. “This bibliography, as unconventional and idiosyncratic as Bloch himself, documents the entire oeuvre of his varied and diverse career, sprinkled throughout with Bloch’s own remembrances regarding many of his works.” Alas, one “unconventional” touch is the omitting of standard bibliographic information like first edition points (there is no mention of how to tell apart the two printings of Sea Kissed, for example), or things like page counts, prices, etc. Still, there’s a good bit of useful information in here, and the Larson essays look interesting. Bought from Amazon for $18.99.
Brackett, Leigh. The Reavers of Skaith. Ballantine Books, 1976. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear. I now have all three Skaith books, thanks to a previous Half Price Books purchase. Currey, page 53. Bought from Half Price Books for $1.34.
Brackett, Leigh. The Starman of Llyrdis. Ballantine Books, 1976. First edition paperback original thus under this title, (a reprint of the 1952 Gnome Press hardback The Starman), a Near Fine copy with edgewear and a large bookstore stamp inside the front cover, otherwise nice and square. Currey, page 53. Bought from Half Price Books for 67¢.
Bradbury, Ray. Christmas Greetings 1997. Self-Published, 1997. First edition broadsheet of the poem “Witness and Celebrate,” a Near Fine copy folded in the middle and with a name and phone number for Bradbury biographer Donn Albright on the back, inscribed “IRMA!” and signed by Bradbury. Bought as part of a small eBay lot.
Bradbury, Ray (with Kent Williams, Craig P. Russell, Segrelles, John Van Fleet, Chuck Roblin, Ray Zone, Ralph Reese and Al Williamson). The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 1. Byron Preiss/Mantier, Beall, Minoustchini Publishing, 1992. First edition hardback graphic novel, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bumping at heel in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of wear at points. Bought off eBay for a $25 offer.
Bryant, Edward. The Cutter. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition paperback chapbook edition, a Fine- copy with small spots of rubbing to rear along spine, inscribed by Bryant: “Edward Bryant/6 -20-03/For Jane,/I love the movies/don’t you?/x o X/Ed.” Issue #8 of their Short Story Paperbacks series. Supplements a copy in my complete run of Short Story Paperbacks.
Bryant, Edward. Dreamer. Wormhole Books, 2003. First edition greeting card chapbook, #June of 500 copies signed by Bryant and other Wormhole Books staffers (Dawn Dunn, Chris Dunn, Joanna Erbach and Thomas Mark), a Fine copy in plain white envelope, presumably as issued. Wormhole Books seems to have been in business from 2001-2004 and produced a handful of chapbooks (most with small hardback runs) by Bryant, Connie Willis, etc. This seems to have been sent out as an Independence Day greeting to customers. Though probably categorized as ephemera, this appears to be an original Bryant story printed nowhere else. Does anyone know how many of these holiday card stories Wormhole published?
Bryant, Edward. Knock. No publisher listed, just “copyright (C) 2004 by Edward Bryant.” Presumed first edition thus, an 8 1/2″ x 11″ broadsheet, #28 of 50 signed copies, a Very Good+ copy with several wrinkles. No idea what this was done for, maybe a convention. Reprints a very short story originally published in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, which I also have a story in.
Bryant, Edward. Particle Theory. Pocket/Timescape, 1981. First edition paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with spine creasing and former owner’s name stamped on inside front cover, inscribed by Bryant: “For Jane,/Yes, I know you’re not the/sort of person who makes requests/like this…but what the/heck—maybe these are fictions you can repeat/in the morning./Enjoy!/Edward Bryant/ 6/23/82.” Supplements a fine (but unsigned) copy.
Bryant, Edward. A Sad Last Love at the Diner of the Damned. Wormhole Books, 2001. First edition chapbook original (simultaneous with the much smaller hardback run), one of 750 copies on which “43” has been crossed out and replaced with “proof,” a Fine copy, signed by Bryant. I heard Ed read this at Armadillocon. Originally appeared in Skipp & Spector’s The Book of the Dead. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1214 (which erroneously notes this as the original publication). Supplements a copy of the hardback edition.
Bryant, Edward. The Thermals of August. Pulphouse, 1992. First edition hardback, one of 100 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine- copy with some extremely minor nicks (greatly exaggerated in the scan), sans dust jacket, as issued. Hugo and Nebula finalists. Supplements a copy of the short story paperback version.
Bryant, Edward. While She Was Out. Wormhole Books, 2001. First edition chapbook original (simultaneous with the much smaller hardback run), #154 of 750 copies, signed by Bryant. Thriller story that was the basis of a 2008 film of the same name. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1214.
Bryant, Edward. Wyoming Sun. Jelm Mountain Press, 1980. First edition trade paperback (simultaneous with a much smaller hardback run), a Fine- copy with slight wear at points, inscribed by Bryant: “Edward Bryant/6-20-30/For Jane,/Hey, Love Min. Sit/down. Have some tea/This is home,/Enjoy,/Ed.” Short story collection from a regional small press. Supplements a copy of the hardback. I also have an inscribed copy of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Bryant, Edward and Harlan Ellison. Phoenix Without Ashes. Fawcett, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one spine crease, bookstore stamp inside front cover, and a touch of edgewear, signed by Bryant. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 108. Supplements a fine (but unsigned) copy. Also, see another copy under Ellison. All of the above Ed Bryant items, and Wilson’s Clarion II below, bought for $50.
Burke, James Lee. In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. Hyperion, 1993/ First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar protected dust jacket, inscribed by Burke: “To Morey,/All the best,/James Burke.” I picked this up because I heard good things about it (and the author), and since there’s a ghost in it, it qualifies as slipstream. Bought from Half Price Books for $9.99.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice and Joe R. Lansdale. Tarzan: The Lost Adventure: Book One. Dark Horse, 1995. First edition trade paperback graphic novel (I assume it’s a first edition, as I see no additional printing listed), a Fine copy. First of four issues of a Tarzan novel started by Burroughs and completed by Lansdale. These are more illustrated chapters rather than an actual graphic novel. Isajanko, A016.a. Supplements the later hardback first edition.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice and Joe R. Lansdale. Tarzan: The Lost Adventure: Book Two. Dark Horse, 1995. First edition trade paperback graphic novel (no additional printing listed), a Fine- copy with slight edgewear. Second of four issues of a Tarzan novel started by Burroughs and completed by Lansdale. Isajanko, A016.a.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice and Joe R. Lansdale. Tarzan: The Lost Adventure: Book three. Dark Horse, 1995. First edition trade paperback graphic novel (no additional printing listed), a Fine copy. Third of four issues of a Tarzan novel started by Burroughs and completed by Lansdale. Isajanko, A016.a.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice and Joe R. Lansdale. Tarzan: The Lost Adventure: Book Four. Dark Horse, 1995. First edition trade paperback graphic novel (no additional printing listed), a Near Fine- copy with slight edgewear, thin crease to front middle near spine, and thin crease running down front cover near spine. Fourth of four issues of a Tarzan novel started by Burroughs and completed by Lansdale. Isajanko, A016.a. All four of these bought off Facebook for $15.
Cabell, James Branch. Something About Eve. Robert McBride & Company, 1927. First edition hardback, limited “Large Paper” edition #655 of 850 signed, numbered copies, a Near Fine copy with bumping at heel, with frontispiece tissue guard intact and attached, sans dust jacket, I think as issued. Jones & Newman, Horror: The 100 Best Books 35, where it’s praised by no less than Robert E. Howard (“Cabell writes with a diamond pen”). Barron, Fantasy Literature *3-70. Tymn Zahorsk Boyer, Fantasy Literature: A Core Collections and Reference Guide page 59. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 45 (“The British issue of a book printed in America.”). Bleiler, The Checklist of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1978) page 37. Bleiler, Supernatural Fiction 327. Supplements a copy of the unsigned edition. Bought from L. W. Currey for $37.50, marked down from $75.
Campbell, Ramsey. The Inhabitant of the Lake & Other Unwelcome Tenants (60th Anniversary Edition). PS Publishing, 2024 (stated, actually 2025). First edition hardback thus, a considerably expanded version of the 1964 Arkham House first edition, #47 of 100 signed, traycased copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket in a Fine traycase. A massively expanded version of Campbell’s first book, a collection of Cthulhu Mythos stories that August Derleth helped him edit and polish before publishing for Arkham House. In addition to being a much more attractive package than both the original and the 2011 PS edition, the book includes 12 additional works (stories and essays) not in the original. Sold out upon publication, but I still have copies available through Lame Excuse Books. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Shadow. Tor, 1999. First edition hardback (trade state; Tor did expensive signed/leatherbound editions for both this and Shadow of the Hegemon), a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Card. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $8.49.
Card, Orson Scott. Shadows in Flight. Tor, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Card. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $8.49.
Card, Orson Scott. Shadow of the Hegemon. Tor, 1999. First edition hardback (trade state), a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Card. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $7.49.
Card, Orson Scott. Stonefather. Subterranean Press, 2008. First separate edition, one of 2,000 signed, hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Fantasy novella. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $16.99.
Caro, Robert. The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate. Knopf, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket folded just slightly off-center, with a tiny bit of pull to top of flaps and a trace of edgewear, signed by Caro. The third in Caro’s monumental LBJ series. According to Caro, Johnson is the first Majority Leader to ever actually make the senate work. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought for $29.49 at the Half Price Books in Humble. I now have three of the four volumes signed by Caro (the first two signed on his book tour for Working, which obviously I also have signed). (Previously.)
Chiang, Ted. Exhalation. Knopf, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bend at heel and a trace of haze rubbing. Short story collection, Ted’s second. Includes such Hugo and Nebula-winning stories as “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” (which he brought to a Turkey City Writer’s Workshop I hosted, despite it being, like all Ted’s short fiction, annoyingly perfect already), “Exhalation,” and “The Lifecycle of Software Objects.” Bought for $13 at Half Price Books.
Chiang, Ted. Story of Your Life. Subterranean Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #212 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued, in publisher’s resealable bag. Chiang’s Nebula-winning novella about attempts to communicate with aliens who don’t perceive time as linear, and the basis of the 2016 movie Arrival. The number matches the number of my Subterranean edition of Exhalation. I also own an inscribed first of Stories of Your Life, his first short story collection, which contains this. Lots of people love this novella, but I don’t like it nearly as much as “Understand” or “Hell is the Absence of God” (also contained there). I still have copies available through Lame Excuse Books. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Clarke, Arthur C. Three signature cut “from extra limitation pages for the limited edition Ultramarine Press published in 1988 of 2061.” Bought for $45 for the three. For now I’ve put these into my first editions of The Fountains of Paradise, Rendezvous With Rama, and Tales from the White Hart.
Guran, Paula, editor. New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird. Prime Books, 2011. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Reprint anthology of Cthulhu Mythos and related stories, with stories from China Mieville, Neal Gaiman, Michael Shea, John Shirley, etc. Bought at Half Price Books for $13.
Clement, Hal. Some Notes on Xi Bootis. Advent: Publishers, 1960. First edition chapbook original, one of 500 copies (per Chalker Ownings), a Fine copy save a penciled “118” at top rear left corner. Given away as a freebie at the 1960 Pittsburgh Worldcon, where Clement gave a speech on the topic of speculative fiction set in this star system. Chalker/Owings, page 5. Hassler, Hal Clement, page 57, footnote 47. Not in Currey. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $45.
Clement, Hal. Still River. Ballantine Books, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Clement. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 302. (“**”). Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $15.
Crowley, John. Great Work of Time. Bantam, 1991. First edition paperback original thus and first separate edition, originally published as one of four novellas in Novelty two years before, a Fine- copy with edgewear. His World Fantasy Award-winning time travel novel, it which an initial time travel effort to keep the British Empire intact eventually results in radical changes down the line. Bought from Half Price Books for $1.79.
Davidson, Avram (as Ellery Queen). And on the Eighth Day. Random House, 1964. First edition hardback (“First Printing” stated, as per Currey), a Near Fine- copy with wear at head, heel and points, in a Very Good dust jacket with several 1/4″ to 1/8″ chips at head, heel, points and bottom center, “3-24” written in pen on inside top flap, two hairline tears to bottom front cover, and trace of dust soiling to white rear cover. Currey, page 131. Hubin, page 326. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $10.
Davidson, Avram (as Ellery Queen). The Fourth Side of the Triangle. Random House, 1965. First edition hardback (“First Printing” stated, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a trace of wear at head, heel and points in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight grubbiness to white jacket, 1/4″ close hairline tear at bottom front, and a touch of edgewear. Currey, page 131. Hubin, page 326. Currey says this Random House edition precedes, but Hubin says the Gollancz edition precedes. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $10.
Davidson, Avram. The Island Under The Earth. Ace, 1969. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with faint creasing along front spine join and slight edgewear (most noticeable at head and heel), otherwise square and bright, inscribed by Davidson to editor Lin Carter: “From one six-limbed to/another -/Lin Carter from/Avram Davidson/Jun 11, 1976/New York City.” In addition to having edited the acclaimed Ballantine Adult Fantasy line, Carter also bought two stories from Davidson: “Caravan to Illiel” for Flashing Swords #3: Warriors and Wizards, and “Milord Sir Smiht, The English Wizard” for Year’s Best Fantasy Stories 2, making this an even better associational copy. Dillon cover. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought off eBay for $13.95.
Disch, Thomas M. The Businessman: A Tale of Terror. Harper & Row, 1984. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Disch. Cawthorn and Moorcock, Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels 98. Pringle, Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels 88. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $20.
(Donaldson, Stephen R.) W. A. Senior. Stephen R. Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Variations on the Fantasy Tradition. Kent State University Press, 1995. First edition hardback (“03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 95 5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket (although, oddly, it seems quite like a heavy grade of red construction paper). Critical companion to the Thomas Covenant books. Added mainly because Kent State has put out a number of interesting SF/F/H related books over the years, some of which (like Bleiler’s Guide to Supernatural Fiction) have gotten quite pricey on the secondary market. Bought for $8 at Recycled Books in Denton.
Donoghue, Emma. Room. Little, Brown, 2010. First edition hardback (“FIRST EDITION: SEPTEMBER 2010” and “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” numberline on copyright page), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel and slight blunting of tips in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Mainstream novel of a mother raising a son in a single room while trying to hide from him the fact she’s a prisoner there. Basis of the 2015 film of the same name. Bought at Half Price Books for $5.84.
Eggers, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Simon & Schuster, 2000. First edition hardback (full “1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2” numberline), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed (with initials) and dated (“3/6/00”) by Eggers. His debut novel. You have to admire the chutzpah of the title. Bought from Half Price Books for $13.50.
Ellison, Harlan. The Man With Nine Lives b/w A Touch of Infinity. Ace Doubles, 1960. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with spine crease and faint crease along each cover’s spine join (exagerated here), both sides identically inscribed by Ellison: “For Carter/Harlan Ellison.” Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 107. Currey, page 178. Supplements a slightly less attractive signed copy. Bought for $26.55.
Ellison, Harlan. No Doors, No Windows. Pyramid, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with slight spine fading, hairline creasing on front and rear join, and slight edgewear, signed by Ellison. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 54. Currey, page 178. Supplements a better but unsigned PBO and the signed, limited Borderlands Press hardback. Bought for $26.
Bryant, Edward and Harlan Ellison. Phoenix Without Ashes. Fawcett, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear and spine ever so slightly concave, signed by Bryant and Ellison. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky page 108. Currey, pages 76 and 178. Supplements a Near Fine copy signed by Bryant, a Fine, unsigned copy, and a Near Fine unsigned copy, so now I have two each under Bryant and Ellison, which is probably more than I need. And I have unsigned copies for sale through Lame Excuse Books. Bought off eBay for $19.87.
Farmer, Philip Jose. Dare. Ballantine Books, 1965. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with a 1″ non-breaking crease or slice to rear cover, a bit of non-breaking spine creasing just starting, and a trace of edgewear, signed by Farmer. Currey, page 183. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 79. Bought off eBay for $36.
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Lovers. Ballantine Books, 1961. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one faint spine crease just starting and slight edgewear Currey, page 185. Brizzi, Phillip Jose Farmer, pages 18-24. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, 189. Bought off eBay for $16.49. Supplements a signed copy of the later hardback first and a less attractive signed PBO.
Farmer, Philip Farmer. Strange Relations. Ballantine Books, 1960. First edition paperback original, (and, unlike many Ballantine SF of the era, there was no simultaneous hardback edition, a Near Fine copy with one wrinkle across middle of spine and a small stray ink mark at head, signed by Farmer. Short story collection, the alien sex anthology before Alien Sex. Currey, page 178. Bought for $10 (the opening bid).
Farmer, Philip Jose. The Unreasoning Mask. Putnam, 1981. First edition hardback (simultaneous with the trade hardback), #349 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Pringle, Science Fiction: The Hundred Best Novels 96. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, pages 339-340 (“***…Metaphsyical space opera, one of the author’s best”). Supplements a copy of the trade hardback. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $35.
Ferris, John, Stephen Gallagher and Joe R. Lansdale. Night Visions 8. Dark Harvest, 1990. First edition hardback, #491 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine-, Mylar-protected dust jacket with a trace of edgewear at bottom rear, in a Fine slipcase. The second to last Dark Harvest volume of the original Night Visions anthology series, each volume of which includes original stories from three writers. Supplements a trade edition signed by Lansdale (I have all 12 volumes, including the three done by Subterranean). Bought off eBay for $30, a substantial discount off the original $55 price.
Note: The white streak at upper right is dust jacket glare.
Hammond, Warren. KOP. Tor, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Hammond. Postcyberpunk crime drama. Back when I was still invited to Worldcon etc., someone mentioned that this was a good cyberpunk police procedural. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.99.
Hammond, Warren. KOP Killer. Tor, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of haze rubbing to rear panel, inscribed by Hammond: “To Deane,/Down the/rabbit hole/Warren Hammond.” Postcyberpunk crime drama. Bought from Half Price Books in Pearland for $4.99.
Harvia, Teddy (David Thayer). WingNuts in Time and Space. Self-published, 2025. First edition comic book fanzine original, #90 of 200 copies, a Fine copy, with letter from the author/illustrator laid in. An eight page comic from the award-winning fan artist featuring his WingNut characters talking about the Big Bang. Given to me free after he asked me if I wanted a copy. Sure!
Haydock, Ron. Deerstalker! Holmes and Watson on Screen. Scarecrow Press, 1978. First edition hardback (no additional printings listed), a Fine- copy with wear at points, sans dust jacket, presumably as listed. Filmography of Sherlock Holmes films and TV shows. Bought off Facebook for $10.
Hill, Joe. The Fireman. William Morrow, 2016. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine- dust jacket with two creases running the length of the front flap. Supplements an unsigned first and the signed, limited, slipcased PS Publishing edition. Bought from Half Price Books for $13.04.
Houlihan, John. Mon Dieu Cthulhu! The d’Bois Escapades: Volume One. No Publisher, 2018. Presumed first edition trade paperback original (no additional printings listed, but it looks like a POD book), a Fine copy. Contains two Napoleonic Wars Cthulhu Mythos novellas, “The Crystal Void” (“first illustrated edition”) and “Feast of the Dead,” for which this appears to be the first publication anywhere. I just found the concept interesting. Bought at Half Price Books for $4.94.
Howard, Robert E. The Adventures of Lal Singh. Cryptic Publications, 1985. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Short story collection. Part of a large bulk purchase of Robert A. Howard books at the beginning of the year from a private collector for $725.
Howard, Robert E. Always Comes Evening. Underwood Miller, 1977. First edition thus, a reprint of the Arkham House edition #116 of 200 leatherbound copies signed by artist Keiko Nelson, a Fine copy in a Fine-, first state (dragon) dust jacket with a short hairline crack and three tiny spots of edgewear at head, four tiny spots of edgewear at heel, and indention in spine middle (where you would pull the book out of the slipcase with you fingers), with folded sheet reproducing the handwritten “The Song of Yar Ali Khan” laid in, in a Fine- slipcase with a trace of wear at points. Contents differ from the Arkham House edition. Chalker/Owens, page 430. Supplements a copy of the Arkham House first edition. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Black Vulmea’s Vengence. Donald M. Grant, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with trace of wear at head, heel and points. Pirate stories. Currey, page 248. Chalker/Owings, page 218. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Blades for France. George T. Hamilton, 1975. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with faint dust prints to front cover. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. (Rob Roehm, editor). The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard Volume One: 1923 – 1929. Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2007. First edition hardback, #267 of 300 copies, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight bumping at heel, small fold to top of front flap, trace of wear at points, and slight haze rubbing to rear. Most of the letters in this volume seem to be to longtime close friend Tevis Clyde Smith.
With:
Howard, Robert E. (Rob Roehm, editor). The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard Volume Two: 1930-1932. Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2007. First edition hardback, #266 of 300 copies, a Fine- copy with bump to top front point in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bend at head, bump at point, trace of wear at points, and faint non-breaking surface scratches to rear cover. In this volume we finally start to see a number of letters to H.P. Lovecraft (I haven’t looked yet, but I’m guessing most if not all are included in the two volume A Means to Freedom, which I also have).
With:
Howard, Robert E. (Rob Roehm, editor). The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard Volume Three: 1933-1936. Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2007. First edition hardback, #265 of 300 copies, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with two long, faint scratches to the front cover, slight wrinkling at head and a trace of wear at points. Letters to a wide range of recipients: Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Emil Petja, etc. All three bought of Facebook for $60 for the set.
Howard, Robert E. The Coming of El Borak. Cryptic Publications, 1987. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Short story collection. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Complete Yellow Jacket. Paul Herman, 1999. First edition chapbook original, #80 of 100 copies, a Fine copy. Collection of Howard’s work that appeared in The Yellow Jacket, the school paper for Howard Payne University. Bought off Facebook for $20.
Howard, Robert E. The Devil in Iron. Donald M. Grant, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bump at heel and long, faint non-breaking crease to front free endpaper, in a Near Fine dust jacket with bump at heel, small section of slight discoloration to bottom rear edge, long, faint non-breaking crease to front flap and trace of wear at points. Chalker/Owings, page 218. Currey, page 249. Fifth volume in the Deluxe Conan series. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Early Adventures of El Borak. The Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2010. First edition hardback, #26 of 150 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. All the Francis X. Gordon, Lal Singh and Yar Ali Khan stories. Although not signed when I purchased, I’ve now had introduction author David A. Hardy inscribe it to me. Bought off Facebook for $50.
Howard, Robert E. Echoes from an Iron Harp. Donald M. Grant, 1972. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with trace of wear at head, heel and point in a Fine- dust jacket with trace of wear at head, heel and points and trace of dust soiling to white rear panel. Howard’s third poetry collection. Lord, The Last Celt, page 129. Chalker/Owings, page 217. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Grey God Passes. Charles Miller, 1975. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Chalker/Owings, page 547. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Hawks of Outremer. Donald M. Grant, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight bumping and small abrasion at heel and trace of wear at head and points. Howard’s Cormac Fitzgeoffrey stories. Chalker/Owens, page 220. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Hour of the Dragon. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1977. First hardback edition thus (no statement of printing, as per Currey, and “7711” date on flap, as per ISFDB), “The Authorized Edition” of the Conan novel Conan the Conqueror edited by Karl Edward Wagner (and weirdly, the paperback edition precedes by a couple of months), a Fine-/Fine- copy with a trace of bumping at points. Currey, page 250, who notes “Follows the text of the five-part serial appearing in Weird Tales.” Supplements a copy of the Gnome Press first of Conan the Conqueror. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan. FAX Collector’s Editions, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping and edgewear at head, heel and a trace of wear at points. All Howard’s tales of Sailor Dennis Dorgan. Chalker/Owings, page 177. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Isle of Pirate Doom. George T. Hamilton, 1975. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wear to top corners. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The King’s Service. George T. Hamilton, 1976. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Lost Valley of Iskander. FAX Collector’s Editions, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrink wrap. Chalker/Owings, page 177. Francis X. Gordon stories. Neither Chalker/Owings nor ISFDB note any additional FAX printings. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Marchers of Valhalla. Donald M. Grant, 1977. First edition thus, a larger and more heavily heavily illustrated version than the 1972 edition which adds an additional story (“The Grey God Passes”), a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with bumping at head and heel and two 1/2″ closed tears to top rear panel, with signature plate by illustrator Marcus Boas affixed to front free endpaper. Chalker/Owens, page 218 (“essentially a new book”). I’m not seeing any mention of the plate online or in the literature, and I’m not sure whose signature that is. Supplements the 1972 first edition. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Pay Day. Cryptic Publications, 1986. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Eight extremely short stories. Editor Robert M. Price: “These tales represent Howard’s attempt to write ‘realistic’ fiction.” Bought off Facebook for $20.
Howard, Robert E. The People of the Black Circle. Donald M. Grant, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight discoloration to the front panel and slight bumping at head. Chalker/Owings, page 217. Currey, page 250. First volume of the Deluxe Conan series. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Pride of Bear Creek. Donald M. Grant, 1966. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with previous owner’s name in ink on front free endpaper and a tiny dust print at heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with a few small nicks to front panel near bottom edge. The second collection of Breckenridge Elkins stories. Supplements a copy of the 1977 Grant edition. Lord, The Last Celt, page 117. Currey, page 251. Chalker/Owings, page 216. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Queen of the Black Coast. Donald M. Grant, 1978. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine copy. Chalker/Owings, page 218. Seventh volume of the Deluxe Conan series. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Red Nails. Donald M. Grant, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket was one pinprick black dot on front of dust jack. Fourth in the Deluxe Conan series. Currey, page 251. Chalker/Owings, page 217-18. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Road of Azrael. Donald M. Grant, 1979. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bend at head and heel. Another lavishly illustrated collection, this one with art by Roy Krenkel. Chalker/Owens, page 219. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Road to Rome. Roy A. Squires, 1972. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine- envelope with slight wear at edges. Lord, The Last Celt: A Bio-Bibliography of Robert Ervin Howard, page 128. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 17. Chalker/Owings, page 589. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Rogues in the House. Donald M. Grant, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Sixth in the Deluxe Conan series. Currey, page 251. Chalker/Owings, page 218. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Sentiment: An Olio Rarer Works. Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2009. First edition hardback, #63 of 150 hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of edgewear at head. Hefty 583 page collection of Howard’s rarer works, including some never meant for publication. Edited by Bob Roehm. Introduction by Mark Finn. Bought off Facebook.
Howard, Robert E. The Shadow of the Beast. George T. Hamilton, 1977. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bend to top front right corner. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Shadow of the Hun. George T. Hamilton, 1975. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight crease to top left front corner. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Son of the White Wolf. FAX Collector’s Editions, 1977. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrink wrap. Francis X. Gordon stories. Chalker/Owings, page 177. Neither Chalker/Owings nor ISFDB note any additional FAX printings. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. A Song of the Naked Lands. Roy A. Squires, 1973. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ envelope with fold to flap and slight wear at edges. Lord, The Last Celt: A Bio-Bibliography of Robert Ervin Howard, page 130. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 21. Chalker/Owings, page 589. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Spears of Clontarf. George T. Hamilton, 1978. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Swords of the North. Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2009. First edition hardback, #118 of 200 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkling at head and slight edgewear at heel. “Featuring Viking Stories, Celtic Adventures, Drafts and Fragments.” Edited by Bob Roehm. Introduction by Rusty Burke. Bought off Facebook.
Howard, Robert E. The Swords of Shahrazah. FAX Collector’s Editions, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrink wrap. Kirby O’Donnell stories. Chalker/Owings, page 177. Neither Chalker/Owings or ISFDB note any additional FAX printings. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. The Tower of the Elephant. Donald M. Grant, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at head in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bumping at head and heel. Third in the Deluxe Conan series. Currey, page 251. Chalker/Owings, page 217. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Two-Fisted Detective. Cryptic Publications, 1984. First edition chapbook original, one of 450 unsigned, unnumbered copies, a Fine- copy with slight bit of wear to the spine. Four stories featuring Detective Steve Harris. Bought off Facebook for $20.
Howard, Robert E. Up, John Kane! Roy A. Squires, 1977. First edition chapbook original, a Fine- with one faint surface scratch and faint indentation through pages copy in a Fine- envelope with slight wear at edges. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 33. Chalker/Owings, page 590. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Valley of the Lost. Charles Miller, 1975. First edition chapbook original, #691 of 777 signed by illustrator Bot Roda, a Fine copy (the ragged right edge of the front cover seems intentional). Chalker/Owings, page 547. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. A Witch Shall Be Born. Donald M. Grant, 1975. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight bend at head and slight crease to very tip of top front inner flap. Second in the Deluxe Conan series. Currey, page 251. Chalker/Owings, page 217. Part of that large Howard purchase.
Howard, Robert E. Writer of the Dark. Dark Carneval Press, 1986. First edition oversized 11 1/2″ x 8 3/8″ trade paperback original, #111 of 500 copies, a Near Fine copy with light streak of dampstaining to pageblock edges, slight dampstaining dye transfer from covers to first and last pages, just the start of a spine crease, and a touch of edgewear to covers. Collection of poetry and fiction. Bought off Facebook.
Howard, Robert E. and Tevis Clyde Smith (“El Gringo” (E. A. Fisher) illustrator). Red Blades of Black Cathay. Real Free Press, 1975. First edition chapbook graphic novel, a Fine copy. Part of that large Howard purchase.
(Howard, Robert E.) Derie, Bobby. Weird Talers: Essays on Robert E. Howard and Other. Hippocampus Press, 2019. First edition trade paperback original (though I think all Hippocampus Press trade paperbacks are POD books now), a Fine copy. Bought off Facebook for $5.
(Howard, Robert E.) de Camp, L. Sprague. The Miscast Barbarian: A Biography of Robert E. Howard (1906-2936). Gerry de la Ree, 1975. Presumed second printing (no limitation statement on final page, as pr Chalker/Owings) oversize chapbook original, a Fine copy. A short (42 pages, including art, bibliography and notes), impressionistic biography of Howard by de Camp, who was later to do a much more extensive biography of Howard, Dark Valley Destiny, in collaboration with his wife Catherine Crook de Camp. It is an understatement to note that de Camp’s biography, and his long legacy collecting, editing and publishing Howard’s work, is not regarded with universal love by the Robert E. Howard community. Chalker/Owings, page 128. Part of that large Howard purchase.
(Howard, Robert E.) Lord, Glenn. The Last Celt: A bio-Bibliography of Robert Ervin Howard. Donald M. Grant, 1976. First edition hardback a Fine- copy in a Fine- dust jacket with bumped corners. About a hundred pages of biography of Howard by various people (including H. P. Lovecraft), with the rest taken up with a bibliography. Chalker/Owings, page 218 (“Good and very useful.”). Part of that large Howard purchase.
(Howard, Robert E.) Willard M. Oliver. Robert E. Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author. University of North Texas Press, 2025. First edition hardback (“10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Hefty 580 page biography of Howard that’s gotten lots of praise in the various REH-adjacent bibliographic groups I visit on Facebook. Bought off Amazon for $20.80, a hefty discount off the $40 list price. But click on that link and you’ll find it even cheaper…
Hunter, Stephen. Dead Zero. Simon and Schuster, 2010. First edition hardback (“1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2” numberline), a Fine- copy with slight bends at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of wear at head, heel and points, signed by Hunter. Bought at Half Price Books for $7.19.
Hunter, Stephen. I, Ripper. Simon and Schuster, 2015. First edition hardback (“10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” numberline), a Fine- copy with slight bends at head and heel in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of wear at head, heel and points, inscribed by Hunter: “To David,/All/best/Stephen Hunter”. Bought at Half Price Books for $7.19.
Hunter, Stephen. Night of Thunder. Simon & Schuster, 2008. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket, signed by Hunter. “A Bob Lee Swagger novel.” Bought at a Dallas Half Price Books for $6.49, which is a quarter of the original selling price.
Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: Slave Ship: Book 2 of The Bounty Hunter Wars. Bantam Spectra, 1998. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight foxing to inside covers and a trace of edgewear. I already had volume 1 and volume 3 of the trilogy, as well a signed copy of the SFBC hardback omnibus. Bought for $3.99.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Minor Arcana. Gollancz, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket, signed by Jones, with sales slip laid in. Bought at a Half Price Books for $14.99. I kept this one because I like short story collections and I didn’t have a signed Jones in my collection.
Joshi, S. T., editor. Black Wings II: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2012. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket with UPC sticker to rear cover (presumably as issued). Original Lovecraftian horror anthology featuring work from John Shirley, Don Webb, Steve Rasnic Tem, etc. This is the trade edition (there was also a signed, limited edition). Long out of print in hardback, but bought off Facebook for $30 (pretty close to the original price of £25).
Joshi, S. T., editor. Black Wings IIi: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror. PS Publishing, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. original Lovecraftian horror anthology featuring work from Brian Stableford, Don Webb, Peter Cannon, etc. This is the trade edition (there was also a signed, limited edition). Long out of print in hardback, but bought off Facebook for $30 (pretty close to the original price of £25).
Koontz, Dean R. Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages. Warner Books, 1988. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, an association copy inscribed by Koontz to longtime friend and fellow writer Lisa Tuttle: “To Lisa —/A tale for kids of all ages./Button up your jammies, put/your slippers by the bed, and/be ready to run in case the/[underlined]bad toys[/underlined] show up some night./Warmest regards/Dean R. Koontz.” Lisa told me that she knew Koontz since she met him and his wife Gerda at a convention in the early 1970s when she was a student at Syracuse University, and in fact spent Thanksgiving break with the Koontzs one year. Koontz also dedicated his novel Beastchild to Tuttle. I saw on Facebook that Lisa had been selling off some books, and this is one of the ones she wanted to sell. The prices for signed Koontz firsts have come down a bit lately, to the point that recent titles can be had for cover price or even a bit less, but I have to think actual associational copies signed by him are a good deal harder to find. Bought from Lisa for £50, including shipping (which is a goodly chunk).
A little bit of the dust jacket top is cut off in the scan.
Koontz, Dean R. (as Leigh Nichols). Shadowfires. Avon, 1987. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one slight spine crease, start of a faint crease along front spine join, slight bumping at head, trace of wear at corners, and touch of age darkening to very tops of white cover, signed by Koontz: “Leigh Nichols/[quotation marks around printed Leigh Nichols name]/also known as/Dean R. Koontz.” One of Koontz’s many pseudonymous novels. Supplements unsigned copies of the book club hardback and the Dark Harvest trade hardback under Koontz’s own name. Bought off eBay for $15.59.
Kurland, Michael. The Unicorn Girl. Pyramid, 1969. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with non-breaking crease across front cover and some edgewear (but no spine creasing). Second book in the hippie science fiction trilogy, preceded by Chester Anderson’s The Butterfly Kid and followed by T. A. Waters’ The Probability Pad (which I have). Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $2.49.
Kuttner, Henry. Ahead of Time. Ballantine Books, 1954. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight wear at head, heel and points, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with two closed 2″ tears to front cover, wear at points, and slight soiling to lighter portions of jacket. Short story collection. Currey, page 291. Bought from L. W. Currey for $37.50, marked down from $75.
Kuttner, Henry. Valley of the Flame. Ace, 1964. First edition paperback original (40¢ price and no printing statement on copyright page, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a trace of wear at points. Currey, page 293. Cawthorn and Moocrcock, Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, page 135. Bought at Recycled Books in Denton for $3.
Kuttner, Henry and C. L. Moore. Earth’s Last Citadel. Ace, 1964. First edition paperback original (40¢ price and no printing statement on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with hairline creasing along front spine join, slight edgewear at head, heel and points and a few other traces of edgewear. Currey, page 292. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for $3.
Lachman, Marvin. A Reader’s Guide to the American Novel of Detection. G. K. Hall & Co., 1993. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws (though UT Law Library rather than APL, so it doesn’t have the hideous APL band glued to the dust jacket), otherwise it would be a Fine/Fine copy. Provides plot synopsis for American detective novels, along with a few different index sections (pseudonyms, series characters, settings, etc.). There are no entries for Joe R. Lansdale, Kinky Friedman, or even Dashiell Hammett, so I wonder what the criteria was for an entry here. Bought for the munificent sum of $1 at UT’s ReUse shop.
Lafferty, R.A. The Man Who Lost His Magic: The Collected Short Fiction Volume 8. First edition hardback, #40 of 300 numbered copies signed by introduction author Gary K. Wolfe.
(Lafferty, R. A., Gene Wolfe) Knight, Dan (Amanda Patchin and Brent Towell, interviewers). Hedgehog Press Interviews Dan Knight. Hedgehog Press, 2024. First edition chapbook original, #23 of 50 copies, a Fine copy, with frontispiece tissue guard laid in. Interview with the publisher of United Mythologies Press, small press publisher of several works by R. A. Lafferty and Gene Wolfe. Bought off Abebooks for $15 plus shipping after Knight mentioned the existence off it on a Gene Wolfe group on Facebook. Do I want all the Lafferty and Wolfe critical chapbooks? Yes, yes I do.
Lansdale, Joe R. (Joe Hill) The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale. Tachyon, 2025. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Lansdale. According to the publisher, Joe showed up for their 30th Anniversary Party and “signed all the books.” Joe Hill provides the introduction. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Freezer Burn. Mysterious Press, 1999. Advanced Reading Copy, trade paperback format, of the trade hardback first edition, a Fine- copy, with slight wear at corners. Supplements the Crossroad Press signed, limited, true first edition. Bought for $9.99.
Lansdale, Joe R. Sugar on the Bones. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications. 2025. First limited edition edition hardback, #101 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase (the slipcase was not included in the base price for the book, I had to pay extra for it). Signed, limited edition of the latest Hap and Leonard novel.
Lansdale, Joe R., editor. The Horror Hall of Fame. Cemetery Dance, 2011. First edition Advanced Uncorrected Proof, trade paperback format, of the hardback first edition, a Fine copy. Isajanko D13.a (but no mention of proof states). Bought off Facebook for $10.
(Lansdale, Joe R.) Christopher Golden & Brian Keene, editors. The Drive-In: Multiplex. Pandi Press, 2023. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy with seven different Pando Press/Lansdale advertising cards and such laid in. Supplements a copy of the the Thunderstorm Books signed/limited hardback. Bought from the publisher at cover price when they announced it was about to go out of print.
Lethem, Jonathan. K is for Fake. McSweeney’s Quarterly, 2000. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Story about Franz Kafka from the then-forthcoming Kafka Americana. Bought for $10 from The Little Book House in the Woods in Spring, Texas.
Link, Kelly. 4 Stories. Jelly Ink, 2000. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy, singed by Link. Jelly Ink was Link’s own publishing house before Small Beer Press. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $35.
Locke, George. Ferret Fantasy’s Christmas Annual For 1972. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy save for penciled inventory number on front cover. Full of obscure bibliographic entries and reprints of period literature. I would like to pick up all of Locke’s reference works. Tymn Schlobin Currey, A Research Guide to Science Fiction Studies 31. Burgess, Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror 180. Bought from L. W. Currey for $12.50, marked down from $25.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Eddy, Muriel E. & C.M. The Gentleman from Angell Street. Helios House Press, 2025. Third edition, first hardback and first thus, a greatly expanded version of the Fenham Publishing trade paperback of 2001 (which I also have), a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Biographical memoir of Lovecraft by two of his neighbors, now filled out with information gleaned from unearthed correspondence. Backed on Kickstarter for $65.
(Lovecraft, H. P.) S. T. Joshi, editor. Primal Sources: Essays on Lovecraft. Hippocampus Press, 2003. First edition trade paperback original (stated, though I think all Hippocampus Press trade paperbacks are POD books now), a Fine- copy with first page slightly dog-eared at bottom. Joshi essays on various Lovecraftian topics. Joshi, H.P. Lovecraft: A Comprehensive Bibliography III-C-65. Joshi, 200 Books by S. T. Joshi, I.23. Bought off Facebook for $10.
(Lovecraft, H.P.) Mariconda, Steven J. H. P. Lovecraft: Art, Artifact, and Reality. Hippocampus Press, 2013. First edition trade paperback original (though I think all Hippocampus Press trade paperbacks are POD books now), a Near Fine+ copy with a trace of light staining to page block edges and few light spots of staining to first few pages, and a trace of wear at points. Bought for $10.
McDonald, Ian. Hopeland. Tor, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping to top points. Looks a bit New Weird-ish. ISDFB says the Tor edition precedes by a couple of days. Bought from Half Price Books for $13.49.
Michener, James A. The Eagle and the Raven. State House Press, 1990. First edition hardback, an unnumbered copy of 350 numbered copies signed by Michener and illustrator Charles Shaw, a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket. Novel of the clash between Sam Houston and Santa Ana, and unlike most Michener works, this one comes in at a sprightly 210 pages. Bought at a Half Price Books for $9.99.
Middleton, Richard. A Little Green Book of Ghastly Tales. Borderlands Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #462 of 350 numbered copies (Borderlands: “we only print 350 copies but if anyone has matching numbers above 350, we make sure they continue to get it”) signed by editor Nicholas A. Psaltso, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection from this British writer and poet who died young, including his most famous story, “The Ghost Ship.” I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Moorcock, Michael. The Fireclown. Compact SF/Roberts & Vintner, 1965. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing and wear at points, otherwise nice and square, signed by Moorcock, with a folded flyer for Modern Family Planning laid in (no idea if that was as issued or not). Bilyeu, Tanalorn Archive page 19. Currey, page 370. Bought for $20.51.
Moorcock, Michael. The Twilight Man. Compact SF/Roberts & Vintner, 1966. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with former owner’s name on blurb page and a few nicks of wear, otherwise tight and square, signed by Moorcock. Bilyeu, Tanalorn Archive page 35. Currey, page 373. Bought for $20.59.
Moorcock, Michael. Five signature plates. Mike was kind enough to put these in my SASE.
(Moorcock, Michael) Edward Kramer, editor. Michael Moorcock’s Pawn of Chaos. White Wolfe, 1996. Presumed first edition trade paperback original (most White Wolf Moorcock books have a first printing statement and/or numberline; while this one does not, it doesn’t have any later printing statement either, I have been unable to find anyone who has a copy with a printing statement, and it seems unlikely an anthology would have multiple printings), a Fine- copy with a trace of soiling to outer pageblock edge. Original anthology of Eternal Champion stories, featuring work by John Shirley, Don Webb, Bill Crider, Peter Crowther, etc. (even Gary Gygax!). Bought off Facebook for $10.
Moore, Christopher. Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Avon, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Moore. Comic novel. Bought off Facebook for $10.
Morris, Edmund. Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan. Random House, 1999. First edition hardback (with “First Edition” states and “24689753” numberline (yes, Random House first printing numberlines of the period started with “2”; don’t ask me why)), a Fine- copy with a touch of a crease at head in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight bit of pull at head and top front edge, inscribed by Morris: “To Wade/With regards.” Massive 874 page authorized biography of Reagan that was quite controversial when released because it added fictional characters for dramatic effect. Bought from Recycled Reads, the Austin Public Library resale shop, for $1.85.
Moskowitz, Sam. Explorers of the infinite: Shapers of Science Fiction. World Publishing Company, 1963. Hardback reprint (Currey says First Edition stated on copyright page, and I’m not seeing it anywhere), a Near Fine copy with bend at head and heel and a few pinpoint spots to boards, in a Near Fine- Mylar-protected dust jacket with wear at head and heel, slight age darkening to spine, some rubbing, and slight darkening to white portions of rear panel. Mostly essays on individual writers, arranged chronologically, from well-known figures like Lovecraft, Stapledon and Burroughs to more obscure ones like Fitz-James O’Brien and Frank Reade Jr. Moskowitz was tremendously important as one of the field’s first historians and critics, but also tremendously controversial due to many tendentious opinions. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for $6.99.
Nesbit, Edith. A Little Fuchsia Book of Fantasy. Borderlands Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #463 of 350 numbered copies (Borderlands: “we only print 350 copies but if anyone has matching numbers above 350, we make sure they continue to get it”) signed by editor Hal Bodner, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Ten stories (including retellings of Hamlet and Macbeth) from an English author better known for children’s books. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Neville, Leigh. Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces. Osprey, 2018. Fourth printing of the first trade paperback original edition, a Fine copy. Just what is says, a history of technicals, civilian vehicles (frequently Toyota pickup trucks) modified to mount military weapons like machine guns, anti-tank guns and rocket launchers. Usually an insurgent weapon, American Special Forces used them in some theaters in the 1980s and 90s. Given to me as a late Christmas present by Dwight.
Niven, Larry. Ringworld. Ballantine Books, 1970. First edition paperback original (“First Printing: October 1970,” as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with just a start of spine creasing, traces of soiling to rear cover, and trace of wear at head and heel and tips, otherwise a tight, square, beautiful copy. Hugo and Nebula winner for Best Novel. Currey, page 387. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 262 (“***”). Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 *4-316. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature, pages 1799-1804. The true first edition and the one in which Niven infamously had the earth rotating the wrong way. Supplements a copy of the Gollancz hardback first and replaces a less attractive PBO copy now available through Lame Excuse Books. Bought off Facebook for $5.
Niven, Larry. The Time of the Warlock. SteelDragon Press, 1984. First edition hardback, #185 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Includes all of The Magic Goes Away and additional stories set in the same universe. Supplements an unsigned copy. Chalker/Owings, page 418. Bought off eBay for $23.50, less than the original limited edition list price of $30.
Piper, H. Beam. Four-Day Planet. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1961. First edition hardback (no statement of printing, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with slight wear at heel and points, slight bend at head and heel, and slight dust-soiling to page block edges, and a trace of foxing to gutters, in a Very Good- dust jacket missing several small chips from spine, the largest about 1″ x 1/16″), about 1/4″ loss at head, and shallow loss at points, inscribed by Piper: “For Bill Stroup/—off for California with his banjo on/his knee –/Hope the Injuns don’t get him. /a-crossin’ the plains —/H. Beam Piper.” According to the seller, Piper was a friend of his father’s. Currey, page 402. Bought for $150, bargained down from $180.
Pournelle, Jerry (with John F. Carr). The Survival of Freedom. Fawcett Crest, 1981. First edition paperback original (“First Fawcett Crest Printing: August 1981” and “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”), a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing and a touch of edgewear, a few other touches of wear, and pages slightly toned, signed not only by editor Pournelle, but also contributors Robert A. Heinlein (twice; once on the title page and once after his non-fiction piece on the L-5 society), Poul Anderson and Larry Niven. Proof, once again, of George Locke’s dictum not to look for books, but look at books. Heinlein didn’t make many (if any) public appearances after the Kansas City Worldcon in 1976. I found this book at the Half Price Books in Clear Lake City, so I wonder if the contributors might have signed this at a NASA or L-5 event. Contains a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, and includes contributions from Russell Kirk (non-fiction), Harlan Ellison (“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman”) and Jack Vance (“Dodkin’s Job”). Bought for $2.99, quite a bargain considering that signed Heinleins start at about $300 these days.
Powers, Tim. Dinner at Deviant’s Palace. Charnel House, 2025. First limited edition thus, #56 of 99 numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, with cardstock ad for limited edition art print of Powers’ own interpretation of Deviant’s Palace laid in. Post-apocalytic science fiction novel that won the Philip K. Dick Award. Already sold out from the publisher, but I have a copy available through Lame Excuse Books.
Powers, Tim. The Mills of the Gods. Charnel House, 2025. First edition hardback (according to Charnel House, both this and the Baen edition came out December 2, 2025), #54 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Supernatural fantasy set in 1925 Paris. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Price, Robert M., editor. Two-Fisted Detective Stories Volume 2. Cryptic Publications, 1988. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy. Anthology of detective stories, including stories from Manly Wade Wellman (“Murder Music,” which doesn’t appear to be in the five volume Selected Stories), Robert Bloch (“The Knife and the Throat,” which doesn’t appear to have been reprinted in any Bloch collections), Lin Carter and C.J. Henderson. Bought off Facebook for $20.
Rand, Ayn (edited by Michael S. Berliner). Letters of Ayn Rand. Dutton, 1995 First edition hardback (“First Printing, June, 1995/1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2”), a Fine- copy with a trace of bend at head in a Fine- dust jacket with small crease to rear top flap tip and a trace of haze rubbing. 682 page collection of Rand letters. Bought for $9.99 from a Half Price Books in Garland.
Reagan, Ronald (edited Kiron B. Skinner, Annelisa Anderson, and Martin Anderson). Reagan: A Life in Letters. Free Press, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of crimping at head and top points. Just what it says, a hefty 934 page collection of Reagan’s letters. Forward by George P. Schultz. Bought for $4.94.
Resnick, Mike. Eros Descending. Signet, 1985. First edition paperback original (“First Printing, December, 1985/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9”), a Near Fine- copy with spine crease just beginning, start of a hairline crease along front spine join, a dozen or so very small rubs to bottom half of front cover, bookstore stamp to blurb page, and a trace of edgewear, otherwise a tight, square copy, signed by Resnick. Third book in the Tales of the Velvet Comet. Bought for $5.
Reynolds, Alastair. The Dagger in Vichy. Subterranean Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #422 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with bookmark laid in. Novella described as a mixture of science fiction and fantasy, with perhaps a dollop of Eldritch Horror.
Rice, Jeff. Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Original Novel. Monstrous Books, 2024. First hardback edition (no additional printings stated), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, with postcard and press pass laid in. Supplements my copy of the paperback original, which precedes by over half a century. The extra button is in a photo below. Bought off Kickstarter for $39.
Rosenbach, A. S. W. A Book Hunter’s Holiday. Houghton Mifflin, 1936. First edition hardback, #747 of 760 signed, numbered copies, a Very Good+ copy with a bit of wear to the cloth and a large sticker ghost on the inside front cover, with some sheets still uncut, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued (the trade edition had a dust jacket, but all online examples of the signed edition seem to lack the dust jacket), but lacking the slipcase. Essays on bookselling and collecting. Received as a Christmas gift from Dwight, and a companion volume for Books and Bidders.
Rosenbach, A. S. W. Books and Bidders. Little Brown and Company, 1927. First edition hardback (“Published November, 1927), a Fine-copy with a faint 1″ groove at head near rear join and slight bend at head and heel, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with a 1” closed tear and associated creases at top rear, two much smaller closed tears, slight shallow loss at head and heel, and a bit of soiling to white rear cover, with dedication slip tipped in at the dedication page: “To Ben F. Wallace, with all best wishes/a.s.w. Rosenbach/ June 20, 1933.” Rosenbach was probably the grandest of the grand old men of the American bookselling trade in the first half of the 20th century. Given that Rosenbach sold multiple Gutenberg bibles throughout his career, I think my own bookselling efforts rather pale in comparison. Still, I expect this will be full of bookselling tidbits of yesteryear. Given to me as a birthday gift by Dwight.
Saha, Arthur W., editor. The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories: 9. SAW, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with slight abrasion line to spine, slight age toning to pages, moderate foxing to inside covers, a trace of edgewear, and a trace of age darkening of white rear cover along spine. Year’s Best anthology with stories from R. A. Lafferty, Michael Shea, Tanith Lee, Harlan Ellison, Parke Godwin, etc. Saha took over from Lin Carter on this series starting with volume 7. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $1.99.
Scarborough, Elizabeth [Ann]. The Drastic Dragon of Draco, Texas. Bantam Spectra, 1986. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight pine creasing and lean trace of edgewear and wear at tips, slight foxing and page toning, inscribed by Scarborough: “For Bobbi,/Not a tall tail but a long one./Elizabeth Scarborough/Ann[?].” Bought at a Half Price Books for $1.99.
Schwarzkopf, General Norman H. (with Peter Petre) The Autobiography: It Doesn’t Take A Hero. Bantam Books, 1992. First edition hardback this, the large print edition (which came out in December 1992, while the true first came out in October 1992), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and touches of wear at head and heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wrinkle at head and slight wear at top points, with bookplate signed by Schwarzkopf pasted to front free endpaper. Autobiography of the architect of the U.S. military-led coalition’s overwhelming victory in Desert Storm. I meant to pick up a first of this back in the 1990s, but I knew this type of book would show up heavily discounted at some point, but evidently I never ran across a Fine/Fine copy at a price I liked. Bought from Recycled Reads for $2, which I think is incredibly cheap to buy a book with Stormin’ Norman’s signature.
Shepard, Lucius. Crows and Silences. Subterranean Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #108 of 750 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Collection of four novellas, all of which have previously been published as stand-alone works, though one (Skull City), was only available in the limited edition of The Best of Lucius Shepard.
Shirley, John. Lovecraft Alive! Hippocampus Press, 2016. First edition trade paperback original (stated, though I think all Hippocampus Press trade paperbacks are POD books now), a Fine copy. Collection of Shirley’s Lovecraftian stories. Bought off Facebook for $10.
Silverberg, Robert. Nightwings. Centipede Press, 2025. First limited edition hardback, #338 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in shrinkwrap. Somehow I never picked up the first edition hardback, even though the novella is one of Silverberg’s best. Includes a bonus interview with Silverberg and reproductions of covers of previous editions. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Simmons, Dan. The Crook Factory. Easton Press, 1999. First edition hardback thus, #264 of 1,050 copies, a Fine leatherbound copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, with “a note about THE CROOK FACTORY and the author DAN SIMMONS” and Certification of Authenticity laid in. Supplements an inscribed first edition. Bought off eBay for $20.
Smith, Clark Ashton. Nero. Roy A. Squires, 1964. First edition chapbook original, one of “about 450” copies (Chalker/Owings says 381), a Fine copy of what seems to be the “ordinary” edition in a slightly crease and age-darkened white envelope. Squires’ second Clark Ashton Smith work. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 3. Joshi/Schultz/Connors, Clark Ashton Smith: A Comprehensive Bibliography, I.A.20. Chalker/Owings, page 588. This, the other two CAS books below, and the Squires bibliography below, were bought for $140.
Smith, Clark Ashton. The Potion of Dreams. Roy A. Squires, 1975. First edition chapbook original, copy 124 of 292 copies, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ envelope with age-darkening to edges. “The Fugitive Poems, Second Series, Third Volume, Xiccarph Edition.” The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 28. Joshi/Schultz/Connors, Clark Ashton Smith: A Comprehensive Bibliography, I.A.38.a. Chalker/Owings, page 589.
Smith, Clark Ashton. A Song From Hell. Roy A. Squires, 1975. First edition chapbook original, copy 124 of 296 copies, a Fine- copy with two thin scratches to front, in a Very Good only envelope whose flap came off when I opened it up. “The Fugitive Poems, Second Series, Second Volume, Xiccarph Edition.” The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 27. Joshi/Schultz/Connors, Clark Ashton Smith: A Comprehensive Bibliography, I.A.38.a. Chalker/Owings, page 589.
Smith, Clark Ashton, and George Sterling (David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi, editors). The Shadow of the Unattained: The Letters of George Sterling and Clark Ashton Smith. Hippocampus Press, 2019. First edition trade paperback original (though I think all Hippocampus Press trade paperbacks are POD books now), a Fine copy. Sterling was the California poet who mentored and championed the work of the young Clark Ashton Smith. Bought for $10.
Squires, Roy A. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires. Roy A. Squires, 1987. First edition chapbook original, copy #128 of 230 copies of the “standard format” edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- envelope with short tears at either end of the flap fold and a touch of age-darkening to edges. Descriptive bibliography of the press. The Private Press of Roy A. Squires 39 (yes, the bibliography is the last item listed in the bibliography). Chalker/Owings, page 590. Burgess, Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror 258.
Sterling, Bruce. Schismatrix Plus. SFBC, 2006. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Part of SFBC’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Honestly, I wasn’t even aware they had done this until I chanced across it. Supplements the trade paperback original and the hardback firsts of Schismatrix and Crystal Express. Bought for $4.99.
Stross, Charles. A Conventional Boy. Tor, 2025. First edition hardback (ISFDB states that the UK and U.S. editions came out the same day), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for around $9.99.
Stross, Charles. Dead Lies Dreaming. Tor, 2020. First edition hardback (ISFDB states that the U.S. edition came out two days before the UK edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for around $9.99.
Stross, Charles. The Labyrinth Index. Tor, 2018. First edition hardback (ISFDB states that the UK and U.S. editions came out the same day), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought at a DFW Half Price Books for around $9.99.
Sturgeon, Theodore. More Than Human. Farrar. Straus & Young and Ballantine Books, 1953. First edition paperback original (Currey state B, simultaneous with the hardback issue), a Good+ copy only with significant waviness to book and moisture spotting to edges, a touch of edgewear to covers, and just a trace of space concavity, otherwise square, signed by Sturgeon to the inside front cover. His celebrated fixup novel of a gestalt organism, including the classic “Baby is Three.” Currey (1978), page 472. Currey (2002), page 403. Pringle, SF 100 14. Bought off eBay for $20.61.
Swanwick, Michael. A Fantasist’s Guide to Venice. Dragonstairs Press, 2025. First edition chapbook original, #30 of 79 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Collection of short essays on various fantastic elements of Venice, in fact and fiction, following the author’s visit there. Note that this is one of at least four different cover patterns for this title, all done in reds and yellows.
Swanwick, Michael. Life: A User’s Manual. Dragonstairs Press, 2025. First edition chapbook original, #6 of 40 signed, numbered copies produced for Confluence 2025, a Fine copy, with tiny additional chapbook inscribed “for a friend of the Press” laid in. Vignettes on the stages of life.
Swanwick, Michael. S1ngular 1nterv1ews. First edition chapbook original, #57 of 60 signed, numbered copies, a Fine- copy with a slight crease in the middle. A series of one question interviews with science fiction professionals: David Hartwell (on editing Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun), Samuel R. Delaney, John Crowley, etc.
Swanwick, Michael. Winter Constellations. Dragonstairs Press, 2024 (not seen until 2025). First edition chapbook original, #76 of 118 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Bought directly from the publisher.
Swanwick, Michael, with Marianne Porter. Under A Harvest Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2025. First edition chapbook original, #5 of 80 copies signed by both Swanwick and Porter, a Fine copy. “A very short, dark and romantic story of love and death,” and an outgrowth of Swanwick’s online ‘fallen leaves” project. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Tenn, William. The Square Root of Man. Ballantine Books, 1968. First edition paperback original (“First Printing: June, 1968”), a Very Good copy with spine creasing and lean, crease along front spine join, edgewear, and a bookstore stamp to teaser page, signed by Tenn. Currey, page 278. Bought off eBay for the opening bid of $10.
Vance, Jack. Bad Ronald. Underwood Miller, 1982. First hardback edition, #63 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine- copy with a very small bump to top rear boards, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight age darkening to top of spine, and a trace of same along edges. Suspense novel originally published as a paperback original under his legal name of John Holbrook Vance, and the basis of a well-regarded 1974 TV movie of the same name. Hewett, A.43.c. Cunningham, 5.b. Chalker/Owings, page 434. Hubin, page 404. Supplements copies of the text in Volume 12 of the Vance Integral Edition and the Subterranean Dangerous Ways omnibus (which I have both lettered and trade states of), but I still lack the 1973 Ballantine PBO. Though overgraded as Fine/Fine, I can’t really complain since I bought this off eBay at a bargain $35 price.
Vance, Jack. The Best of Jack Vance. Pocket Books, 1976. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Vance. Hewett, A51. Cunningham, B.7.a. Currey, page 497. Supplements a copy of the Taplinger hardback. Bought off eBay for $35.
Vance, Jack. Marune: Alastor 933. Ballantine Books, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a tiny trace of wear to front tips, signed by Vance. Hewett, A48. Cunningham, B.56.a, Currey, page 499. Supplements another signed PBO copy (I should probably work a trade for a signed Vance PBO I don’t have) and an unsigned Underwood-Miller hardback. Bought off eBay for $10.50.
Vance, Jack. Showboat World. Pyramid, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with one very faint spine crease, otherwise nicely tight and square, signed by Vance. Supplements two Underwood-Miller hardbacks (both 1/200 signed, numbered copies, one a PC copy) and replaces an unsigned PBO. Hewett, A47. Cunningham, B.71.a. Currey, page 500. Bought off eBay for $10.50.
Vance, Jack. Slaves of the Klau b/w Big Planet. Ace, 1958. First edition paperback original (for Slaves of the Klau and this Ace Double, though Big Planet was previously published as an Avalon hardback), a Very Good copy with stamps at head, heel and blurb page for Slaves of the Klau, with a dime-sized stain and a small, fine-line ballpoint division equation to inside from cover, spine creasing and wear, and wear at points, signed by Vance. First copy I have of Slaves of the Klau under that title, though it supplements two copies of the Underwood-Miller Gold and Iron (one a trade edition, the other one of 200 signed copies), the Avalon Big Planet, and the Underwood-Miller Big Planet. Hewett, A9. Cunningham, B.72.a. Currey, page 500. With Slaves of the Klau, I believe the only English-language titles I lack for Vance are three early 1980s DAW paperbacks, Nopalgarth, The Narrow Land and Dust of Far Suns (though I’m still looking for a few various states of Vance books). Bought off eBay for $16.50.
Verne, Jules (Tim Connair, editor). A Little Blue Book of Icy Peril. Borderlands Press, 2024. First edition hardback, #463 of 500 copies signed by the editor, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issue. Three novelette/novella length stories (“A Drama in the Air,” “Winter amidst the Ice,” and “Ascent of Mount Blanc”) plus notes.
Wagner, Karl Edward. Bran Mak Morn: Legion From the Shadows. Zebra Books, 1976. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with a tiny crease to bottom front corner and a trace of wear at points, inscribed by Wagner: “To Ed —/from the King of the Picts/Karl Edward Wagner/CONAN.” Novel featuring Robert E. Howard’s Bran Mak Morn character. Bought off eBay for $37.
Wagner, Karl Edward and David Drake. Killer. Baen, 1985. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with phantom crease to top front corner, a trace of edgewear and slight foxing to inside covers (but no spine creasing). Novel of hunting an outer space monster in ancient Rome. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought from a DFW Half Price Books for $1.49.
Waldrop, Howard. The Ugly Chickens. Old Earth Books, 2009. First edition chapbook original thus, one of 250 copies distributed to members of the 2009 World Fantasy Convention, a Fine copy, signed by Waldrop. Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner for Best Novelette of 1980. Bought off eBay for the opening bid of $25.
(Waldrop, Howard) David E. Myers. “Whenever and Wherever: The Fishing and Fiction of Howard Waldrop” in The Flyfish Journal, Volume Seventeen, Issue 2 (2025). Profile of Howard and his fishing in a glossy lifestyle fishing magazine. Received as a gift from Dwight.
Includes one of the best pictures of Howard I’ve seen from his Oso sojourn:
Wellman, Manly Wade. The Beyonders. Warner Books, 1977. First edition, second printing paperback original (This is the rare case where Currey (1978) got something wrong: There it states “First Printing: April 1977/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2” on the copyright page as the true first, but the 2002 Currey CD says “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” and no “First Printing” statement is the true first), a Near Fine+ copy with slight small crease to bottom outer corner, hairline crease along front spine join, and slight edgewear, otherwise nice and square, inscribed by Wellman: “To Vickie [?]/From whom I’ll sign/anytime./Manly Wade Wellman.” Science fiction novel. Currey (1978), page 512. Currey (2002), page 435. Supplements an unsigned first printing. Bought off eBay for $26.79.
Westwood, Emma, editor. Midnight Movie Monographs: Bride of Frankenstein. Electric Dreamhouse/PS Publishing, 2023. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Essays on the celebrated second film in the Universal Frankenstein series. The only other volume I have in this series is their Plan 9 From Outer Space book. Bought for $6 from Recycled Books in Denton.
Williamson, Jack. Mazeway. Del Rey, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Williamson. Bought off eBay for $10.
Wilson, Kris, Rob DenBleyker and Dave McElfatrack. Cyanide & Happiness: Twenty Years Wasted. Archaia, 2024. First edition hardback (“First Printing” stated), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. With book mark, enamel pin and sticker set extras. Best of collection for the online cartoon. Bought off Kickstarter for $30.
Wilson, Robin Scott, editor. Clarion II. Signet, 1972. First edition paperback original, a very Good copy with spine creasing and a few other touches of wear. Anthology of stories by attendees of the Clarion Writer’s Workshop. Ed Bryant has a story in here, but this book is not signed.
Wolfe, Gene. The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories. Pocket Books, 1980. Proof (trade paperback format) of the paperback original first edition, a Fine copy, inscribed by Wolfe to his longtime editor Hartwell: “To Dave Hartwell, who/had sense enough to/separate the Doctor stories./Gene Wolfe”. Supplements another signed copy of this proof inscribed to me by Wolfe. In his Nova Express interview, Gene said Hartwell was the best editor he ever worked with. I suppose it’s a bit greedy to have two signed proof firsts of this, but I had long wanted an associational copy of a Wolfe title inscribed to Hartwell, and this is a pretty good one. Bought from Kathryn Cramer for $100.
Wolfe, Gene. Two signatures cut from “extra limitation pages for the limited edition Ultramarine Press published in 1988 of There Are Doors. Right now I’m inclined to lay them in my first editions of On Blue’s Waters and In Green’s Jungles. Bought for $20 for the pair.
Yamane, David. Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor’s Surprising Journey Inside American’s Gun Culture. Exposit, 2024. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, inscribed by the author: “To Lawrence-/Always/be/curious!” Given to me as a gift by Dwight.
Zelazny, Roger. Immer, Zlaz: The Zelazny Yoke Letters, Portrait of a Lifelong Friendship. Positronic Publishing, 2022. First edition? hardback, (sold as such, though its a print on demand book; as there’s no date code on the POD page at the back, so its possible that it’s a first printing), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, signed by editor/publisher/introduction author Warren Lapine. Massive 933 page volume of correspondence between Zelazny and longtime friend/critical biographer Carl B. Yoke. Bought from Lapine off eBay for $20.
Zelazny, Roger. Seven Tales in Amber. Positronic Publishing, 2023. Hardback print on demand book, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued, signed by editor/publisher/introduction author Warren Lapine. In contrast to the above, this is a slender, 86 page hardback containing seven Amber stories, many of which had originally appeared in obscure places like Amberzine. Bought from Lapine off eBay for $12.
Tags:Arthur C. Clarke, Avram Davidson, Books, Dean R. Koontz, Gene Wolfe, H. P. Lovecraft, Henry Kuttner, History, Jack Vance, James P. Blaylock, Joe R. Lansdale, Larry Niven, Michael Moorcock, Michael Swanwick, Philip Jose Farmer, Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, S. T. Joshi, Science Fiction, Stephen Hunter, Ted Chiang, Tim Powers
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Tuesday, January 6th, 2026
Shortly after I finished my DFW trip and sent out the latest Lame Excuse Books catalog, I had a chance to visit my mother in Houston, and do some book shopping while in town.
It’s always a good book hunting trip when you find a signed Heinlein for $2.99.
Pournelle, Jerry (with John F. Carr). The Survival of Freedom. Fawcett Crest, 1981. First edition paperback original (“First Fawcett Crest Printing: August 1981” and “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”), a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing and a touch of edgewear, a few other touches of wear, and pages slightly toned, signed not only by editor Pournelle, but also contributors Robert A. Heinlein (twice; once on the title page and once after his non-fiction piece on the L-5 society), Poul Anderson and Larry Niven. Proof, once again, of George Locke’s dictum not to look for books, but look at books. Heinlein didn’t make many (if any) public appearances after the Kansas City Worldcon in 1976. I found this book at the Half Price Books in Clear Lake City, so I wonder if the contributors might have signed this at a NASA or L-5 event. Contains a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, and includes contributions from Russell Kirk (non-fiction), Harlan Ellison (“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman”) and Jack Vance (“Dodkin’s Job”). Bought for $2.99, quite a bargain considering that signed Heinleins start at about $300 these days.
This was the most valuable book I found on my Houston trip, followed by a signed first of Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate.
Tags:Books, Half Price Books, Harlan Ellison, Jack Vance, Jerry Pournelle, John F. Carr, Larry Niven, PBO, Poul Anderson, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction, signatures
Posted in Books, Science Fiction | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 7th, 2025
Two more purchases from that ongoing library sell-off on Facebook:
Niven, Larry. Ringworld. Ballantine Books, 1970. First edition paperback original (“First Printing: October 1970,” as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with just a start of spine creasing, traces of soiling to rear cover, and trace of wear at head and heel and tips, otherwise a tight, square, beautiful copy. Hugo and Nebula winner for Best Novel. Currey, page 387. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 262 (“***”). Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 *4-316. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature, pages 1799-1804. The true first edition and the one in which Niven infamously had the earth rotating the wrong way. Supplements a copy of the Gollancz hardback first and replaces a less attractive PBO copy I’ll offer up in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog (probably November). Bought for $5.
Renick, Mike. Eros Descending. Signet, 1985. First edition paperback original (“First Printing, December, 1985/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9”), a Near Fine- copy with spine crease just beginning, start of a hairline crease along front spine join, a dozen or so very small rubs to bottom half of front cover, bookstore stamp to blurb page, and a trace of edgewear, otherwise a tight, square copy, signed by Resnick. Third book in the Tales of the Velvet Comet. Bought for $5.
Tags:Books, Facebook, Hugo Award, Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Nebula, PBO, Science Fiction, signatures
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2025
Another signed/limited edition bought at a bargain price.
Niven, Larry. The Time of the Warlock. SteelDragon Press, 1984. First edition hardback, #185 of 200 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Includes all of The Magic Goes Away and additional stories set in the same universe. Supplements an unsigned copy. Chalker/Owings, page 418. Bought off eBay for $23.50, less than the original limited edition list price of $30.
Tags:Books, eBay, Fantasy, Larry Niven, Limited Editions, signatures, small press publishers, SteelDragon Press
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Monday, September 1st, 2025
Not a title I was seeking to add to my library, but it included a couple of good signatures at a bargain price.
Asimov, Isaac, Martin S. Greenberg and Charles G. White, editors (Jack Vance, Larry Niven, etc.). Isaac Asimov’s Magical Worlds of Fantasy 1: Wizards. New American Library, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight wrinkle at spine head and trace of wear at points, signed by contributors Jack Vance and Larry Niven. Bought off eBay for $13.01.
Tags:anthology, Books, Fantasy, Isaac Asimov, Jack Vance, Larry Niven, signatures
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Monday, December 23rd, 2024
Three more paperback originals added to the library, all from DFW used book stores.
Brunner, John. Wear the Butcher’s Medal. Pocket Books, 1965. First edition paperback original (“First printing……..May, 1965,” as Per Currey), a Very Good copy with spine creasing, foxing to inside covers, and slight wear at points, one crease and a few small indentations to rear cover, otherwise a fairly nice copy. Looks like a mainstream thriller in the mode of Geoffrey Household’s Rogue Male. Like Philip K. Dick, Brunner wrote several novels outside the SF/F/H genre, but unlike Dick, managed to get them published in his lifetime, though none seemed to make much of an impression. Currey, page 74. De Bolt, The Happening Worlds of John Brunner, page 23. Bought from Half Price Books for $2.99.
Lee, Tanith. Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. DAW, 1983. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one faint spine crease, previous owner’s name on blurb page, and slight edgewear. Supplements a copy of the SFBC (first hardback) edition. Bought from Lucky Dog Books for $2.50.
Niven, Larry. Ringworld. Ballantine Books, 1970. First edition paperback original (“First Printing: October 1970,” as per Currey, a Very Good- copy with 1/4″ chip to top front corner, and another 3/4″ x 1/16″ chip to middle of front cover edge, spine crease, pages brittle, and a few pinpoint spots of soiling to page block edges, plus a few other spots of wear. Hugo and Nebula winner for Best Novel. Currey, page 387. Pringle, Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, page 262 (“***”). Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4 *4-316. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature, pages 1799-1804. The true first edition and the one in which Niven infamously had the earth rotating the wrong way. Supplements a copy of the Gollancz hardback first. Bought for $4.99.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Hugo Award, John Brunner, Larry Niven, Nebula, PBO, Science Fiction, Tanith Lee
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021
Larry Niven falls into a sort of weird valley in my collecting history. I read a great deal of Niven in my youth and liked his work, but thought for novels he was better when he collaborated with Jerry Pournelle. By the time I started collecting first editions in the mid-1980s, his print runs had gotten pretty big, and I was more focused on collecting cyberpunk authors. Later, I started going back collecting writers from the Golden Age through the New Wave, Heinlein, Kuttner, Moore, Vance, Zelazny, Dick, etc. While I collected some of the Niven highpoints (such as the Gollancz Ringworld) and other works as targets of opportunity, I never made a particular effort to collect hardback firsts of his early works. (I’ll need to add that to my revised Books Wanted list, currently in progress.) When I picked up Burning City and Burning Tower, I saw that it was set in The Magic Goes Away universe, which I haven’t read and didn’t own. (I did pick up a TPO first of related book More Magic! for something like $2 way back when.) I’d had the impression it was a TPO only, but in fact there was a 1/1000 signed, numbered hardback published by Ace (which was not typically known for doing such editions), so I picked up a copy of that.
Niven, Larry. The Magic Goes Away. Ace, 1978. First edition hardback, #243 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed and hand numbered (it looks like by Niven himself) on the front free endpaper. Bought off the Internet for $38.25
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Larry Niven, signatures
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Monday, February 15th, 2021
I didn’t manage to break it up into two posts this year, so this is a roundup of every book I bought (or that came in) between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Most, but not all, of these were already listed in blog posts between March 2020 and February 2021:
Adams, Douglas. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Simon & Schuster, 1987. First edition hardback (simultaneous with the UK Heinemann edition), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $9.99.
Ballard, J. G. The Terminal Beach. Gollancz, 1964. First hardback edition (preceded by the Berkley paperback), a Near Fine copy with small owner’s name on FFE, small Australian bookstore sticker at bottom inside front cover near gutter, uniform dust soiling to top and side edges, and slight bumping at head and heel, in a Very Good+ price-clipped dust jacket with a 3/16″ chip at heel, shallow chipping at points, slight dust staining to spine and edges. A fairly nice copy of a key Ballard short story collection, including the title story and “The Drowned Giant.” Goddard & Pringle, J. G. Ballard: The First Twenty Years, 54. Currey, page 23. Bought at auction for A$500 plus shipping. Replaces an Ex-Library copy.
Barksdale, Dante, with Grace Kearney. Growing Up Barksdale: A True Baltimore Story. No publisher listed, printed 2020. Trade paperback POD reprint, a Fine copy. Autobiography by a former Baltimore gang member who’s family’s story provided some of the grist for David Simon’s The Wire. A Christmas gift from Dwight.
Beaumont, Charles. The Magic Man and Other Science-Fantasy Stories. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1965. First edition paperback original, a Very Good- copy with crease across bottom front corner, spine creasing and abrasions, age darkening to pages and general wear. Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Volume 1, page 40. Obtained free.
Beaumont, Charles. Shadow Play. Panther, 1964. First UK edition and first edition under this title, a Very Good- copy with chipper bottom front corner, spine creasing, age darkening to pages and general wear. Originally published in the U.S. in hardback as The Hunger and Other Stories. Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Volume 1, page 40. Some overlap between these two. Obtained free.
Bennett, Robert Jackson. In the Shadows of Men. Subterranean, 2020. First edition hardback, #134 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Novella by the author of Mr. Shivers and Company Man.
Bethke, Bruce. Headcrash. Warner Books, 1995. Advanced reading copy of the paperback original first edition, also mass market paperback size, a Fine copy, signed by the author. Bethke was doing some pioneering cyberpunk work (indeed, his story “Cyberpunk” probably coined the word in 1980, but wasn’t published until 1983), but most of it didn’t get published until after the 1980s. This is his first stand-alone non-tie-in novel. Philip K. Dick award winner. Obtained directly from the author.
Blaylock, James P. The Gobblin’ Society. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #259 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Blaylock’s latest Steampunk Langdon St. Ives adventure.
Blaylock, James P. The Magic Spectacles. Morrigan Publications, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a full page inscription to SF writer Scott Cupp and his wife Sandy: “For Scott & Sandi,/This loony children’s book, starring/my sons at what now seems to/me to be an impossibly young/age. Here’s to Italian food &/trips to California. Cheers,/Jim.” Replaces an unsigned copy.
Blish, James. Black Easter. Doubleday, 1968. An Ex-library copy I bought for $4 for the quite bright Near Fine+ dust jacket to marry to another copy.
Bond, Nelson. Nightmares and Daydreams. Arkham House, 1968. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slightly bumped points, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight wear at points and the barest trace of dust soiling to white rear cover. Signed by Bond. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House 98. Jaffrey, Horrors and Unpleasantries, 106. Nielsen, 104. Derleth, Thirty Years of Arkham House, 96. Currey (1979), page 49. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 38. Bought off eBay for $35.
Bradbury, Ray. Forever and the Earth. Croissant & Company, 1984. First edition hardback, #20 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a glassine dust wrapper, as issued. Script for a radio dramatization. Bought for $50.
Bradbury, Ray. A Chapbook for Burnt-Out Priests, Rabbis and Ministers. Cemetery Dance, 2001. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 350 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy save a dime-sized spot of discoloration on front free endpaper (possibly a paper flaw), in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Mixture of prose and poetry. Supplements a trade copy. Bought for $29.99.
Bradbury, Ray. The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Volume 4. Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 1993. First edition hardback, #548 of 1,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $35. I now lack only volumes 1, 3 and 5. Weist, Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life, page 183.
(Bradbury, Ray) James Tucker and Erin Mckee, editors. Touchstone: Celebrating the Lives of Fritz Leiber and Ray Bradbury. Mysterious Stranger Press, 1978. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine copy with slight crease to bottom front corner, a stray ink mark to bottom outer pageblock edge, and a touch of grubbiness to the uncoated covers, signed by Bradbury and McKee, with 183/977 written at the bottom right corner of the title page (presumably the limitation). Odd mélange of festschrift, bits of fiction from the two authors, a bibliography, etc. Includes contributions from Harlan Ellison, Poul Anderson, William F. Nolan, Richard Lupoff (as Ova Hamlet), etc. Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975-1991, 29608. Not in Currey. Not in The Undead (which had a lot of obscure Bradbury items listed). Not in Morgan, Fritz Leiber: a Bibliography 1934—1979. Not in Staicar, Fritz Leiber. Not in a whole damn lot of things it should have been in (but it is in the ISFDB). Found literally in Dreamhaven’s basement, and I think I ended up paying something like $16.
Bryant, Edward, and Harlan Ellison. Phoenix Without Ashes. Fawcett, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with one faint spine crease and a few touches of edgewear, otherwise apparently new and unread. Currey, page 76 and 178. Richmond, Fingerprints on the Sky, page 108. Supplements a slightly less attractive copy. Now I can file one copy under Bryant and one under Ellison. Bought for $2 from a fundraiser sale for the Joe R. Lansdale documentary All Hail The Popcorn King.
Butler, Octavia. Unexpected Stories. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #391 of 1000 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Contains two newly unearthed stories, plus an introduction by Nisi Shawl and an afterword by Butler’s agent and literary executor Merrilee Heifetz.
Campbell, Ramsey. A Little Green Book of Grins & Gravity. Borderlands Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #498 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. A novella, “The Enigma of the Flat Policeman,” supposedly in the manner of John Dickson Carr, along with an introduction and an afterword.
Castle, Mort. A Little Cobalt Book of Old Blue Stories…And Stuff. Borderlands Press, 2018. First edition hardback, #492 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Nine stories, one original to this volume.
Chiang, Ted. Exhalation. Subterranean Press, 2020. First signed, limited edition (preceded by the Knopf hardback), #212 of 300 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount. Now sold out from the publisher. I will have a very small number of copies available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Crouch, Blake. A Little Orange Book of Obsessions. Borderlands Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #498 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Three stories, one from an online-only source. Now out of stock from the publisher. I still have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Davidson, Avram, editor. The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction Fourteenth Series. Doubleday, 1965. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine- dust jacket with a 1/16″ chip at head, slight edgewear a heel, and some darkening/dust soiling to white rear cover. Currey, page 131.
de Camp, L. Sprague. Warlocks and Warriors. Putnam, 1970. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with five tiny ink “x”s next to stories on the copyright page and a trace of bend at head and heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with traces of edgewear along flap folds. Signed by de Camp. Includes Zelazny’s “The Bells of Shoredan.” The Zelazny and others include maps for their stories that I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else.
Delaney, Samuel R. Babel-17. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 40¢ price on cover, as per Currey), a Near Fine copy with rubbing along front spine join, slight edgewear, and slight age darkening to pages. Nebula Award winner for best novel. Currey, page 139. Bought for $2 from the Lansdale documentary fundraiser sale.
Delaney, Samuel R. City of a Thousand Suns. Ace, 1965. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing and 40¢ price on cover, as per Currey), a Near Fine+ copy with considerable foxing to inside covers, age darkening to pages, and trace of dust soiling to white covers. Currey, page 139. Bought for $2 from the Lansdale documentary fundraiser sale.
de la Ree, Gerry. Fantasy Collector’s Annual – 1975. Gerry de la Ree, 1974. First edition hardback, #50 of 80 bound hardback copies a Fine- copy with top rear spine hinge gutter paste-down starting to tear, otherwise a nice, square copy. Miscellany of fantasy-related items, including Virgal Finley art, facsimiles of letters from Seabury Quinn to Finley, J.J. Weguelin’s art of H. Rider Haggard’s Montezuma’s Daughter, a note on the secret reprint edition of August Derleth’s Someone in the Dark, facsimile examples of inscriptions by several fantasy notables including, Ray Cummuings, A. A. Merrit, and Wernher von Braun, and a reprint of a The Mars Gazette, a chemical company advertising pamphlet in science fictional form extolling the virtues of “liquid peptonoids.” Chalker/Owings, page 128. Bought from an online dealer for $60.
De Palma, Brian and Susan Lehman. Are Snakes Necessary? Hard-Case Crime, 2020. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors. Bought from The Mysterious Bookstore at a dealer discount.
Dick, Philip K. Mary and the Giant. Arbor House, 1987. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. For some reason I ended up with a copy of the UK first edition and the Ultramarine Press leather-bound-with-the-cancelled check edition, but never picked up the American trade edition (the true first) until now. Precious Artifacts, MS5.2. Bought for $20 from Dreamhaven.
Dick, Philip K. The Slave Race. Sangrail Press, 2020. First edition chapbook, #69 of 250 copies, a Fine copy, with additional linocut of the cardstock frontispiece illustration affixed inside the firstpage and note from publisher laid in. First separate publication of a 15-year old Dick’s first SF short story that appeared in the Berkeley Daily Gazette Young Author’s Club column on May 8th, 1944. Bought directly from the publisher at a dealer discount.
Disch, Thomas. Fun With Your New Head. Doubleday, 1971. First U.S. edition and first edition under this title, previously published as Under Compulsion in the UK three years before, a Near Fine copy with purple remainder speckling at heel, owners name of “Scott Imes” written in ink on inside top back cover under flap, and slight bend at head and heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to spine and a few traces of dust soiling. Inscribed by Disch: “For Margee & Scott,/Best,/Thomas M. Disch.” Imes was the long-time manager of Uncle Hugo’s SF bookstore store. Currey, page 164. Bought for $28.
Disch, Thomas M. Echo Round His Bones. Berkley Medallion, 1967. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with slight edgewear, touches of wear elsewhere, and usual slight foxing and slight age-darkening of pages. Currey (1979), page 164. Obtained free.
Disch, Thomas M. The Genocides. Berkley, 1965. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a trace of edgewear and the usual foxing and age darkening to pages. Supplements the UK first hardback edition. Currey (1979), page 164. His first novel. Obtained free.
Disch, Thomas M. White Fang Goes Dingo. Arrow Books, 1970 (interestingly, Currey (both 1979 and 2002) says 1971). First edition paperback original under this title (an expanded version of 102 H-Bombs), a Fine- copy with slight edgewear and slight age-darkening to edges of pages. Currey (1979), page 165.
Dozois, Gardner, with Michael Swanwick. ‘She Saved Us From World War Three’: Gardner Dozois Remembers James Tiptree, Jr. Temporary Culture, 2020. First edition chapbook original, one of 225 copies printed, a Fine copy in a Fine black envelope, as issued. Swanwick interviews Dozois on the subject of the reclusive Alice Sheldon AKA James Tiptree, Jr., who corresponded with Dozois and met him in person at least once. Haven’t read it yet, but the story Gardner told was that as a CIA analyst, Sheldon was told to look at satellite photographs the government, fearful of a nuclear first strike, thought showed hundred of mobile Soviet missile launchers. She told them they were hay drying carts for the fall harvest. (Neal Barrett, Jr. used to tell a story about how he had prevented World War III. He was with the army in West Germany in the late 1950s, and his night watch superior had gotten liquored up and wanted to invade East Germany. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, sir.”)
Dozois, Gardner, editor. The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection. St. Martin’s, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought from Dreamhaven for cover price minus 20%. The remaining volumes I lack are 15, 23, 24, 27 and 28.
Effinger, George Alec. The Exile Kiss. Doubleday Foundation, 1991. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a wrinkle at heel in a Fine- dist jacket with just a trace of darkening to the very tops of the white flaps. Inscribed by Effinger: “To Ed —/With supreme best wishes/(Which I haven’t bestowed even/on Willie or Fred) —/At Armadillocon 13 —/George.” I strongly suspect this book was inscribed to Ed Graham, who was the chair of Armadillocon 12. (His wife, Casey Hamilton, chaired Armadillocon 13, and together they chaired Armadillocon 16.) Willie Siros and Fred Duarte were other Armadillocon chairs. Replaces an unsigned trade first in my library, and supplements a copy of the signed/limited state.
Egan, Greg. Dispersion. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #173 of 1000 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. “In a world not quite our own, every living thing is born into one of six discrete ‘fractions’ that are incompatible with—and often invisible to—each other. These fractions have coexisted peacefully for centuries, but now a disease has appeared that seems to drag the infected parts of the body into a different fraction. The effects are devastating. Individual victims suffer painful, protracted deaths. Entire communities turn against one another, and a state approaching perpetual war takes hold.”
Ellison, Harlan. Getting in the Wind. Kicks Books/Edgework Abbey, 2012. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy with four postcards, a pair of dice, a signature plate signed by Ellison, in a dropbox, with a picture of the cover pasted on front, in a plastic bag with a seal for “Sex Gang Perfume.” (This one with the seal broken so I could look at the contents.) An elaborate production. This copy and the following reprint all the stories from Ellison’s very early PBO Sex Gang, published as by Paul Merchant in 1959, along with other very early Ellison stories. Richmond, Fingerprints in the Sky, page 52. Bought for $50 off eBay, 1/3rd the original offering price.
Ellison, Harlan. Partners in Wonder. Walker, 1971. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with a light, dime-sized black smudge along rear spine-join, in a Near Fine- dust jacket with two quarter-sized light charcoal colored stains on the spine panel, and slight edgewear at head and heel. Inscribed by Ellison: “For Mila,/Merry Christmas/1977/Harlan Ellison.” Collection of collaborative stories. Supplements a nicer copy signed by Robert Silverberg (but not Ellison). Fingerprints on the Sky, page 56. Currey, page 178.
Ellison, Harlan. Pulling a Train. Kicks Books/Edgework Abbey, 2012. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy with four postcards, a switchblade comb, a signature plate signed by Ellison, in a dropbox, with a picture of the cover pasted on front, in a plastic bag with a seal for “Sex Gang Perfume.” (This one with the seal unbroken.) An elaborate production. This copy and the above reprint all the stories from Ellison’s very early PBO Sex Gang, published as by Paul Merchant in 1959, along with other very early Ellison stories. Richmond, Fingerprints in the Sky, page 56. Bought for $50 off eBay, 1/3rd the original offering price.
(Ellison, Harlan) Ellen Weil and Gary K. Wolfe. Harlan Ellison: The Edge of Forever. Ohio State University Press, 2002. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with bottom outer edges slightly bumped. Bought for $12.49.
Finn, Mark. Gods New and Used. Clockwork Storybook, 2001. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Finn, with a “Signed by Author at Book People” sticker on it. Collection of linked stories. Bought at Half Price Books for $10.
Gaiman, Neil. The View from the Cheap Seats. William Morrow, 2016. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Gaiman. Collection of non-fiction (essays, interview, etc.).
Grant, Charles L. (Hank Wagner and Kathryn Ptacek, editors). A Little Black book of Quiet Horror. Borderlands Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #498 of 500 numbered copies signed by the editors, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Four stories. Now out of print from the publisher.
Greenberg, Martin H. Dragons: The Greatest Stories. MJF Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Anthology. A few mysteries about this copy: Has a numberline ending in one (which would typically indicate a first edition rather than a book club edition), but no price on the dust jacket (which would typically indicate the opposite), and has a red binding along the spine. The ISFDB lists two editions, one at a price of $19.95, and the other at a price of $7.98, the latter of which it indicates is taken from the Locus database, which also lists only one edition of the book and that as an instant remainder (which would explain the lack of a price). The Don Maitz cover appears to be a cropped example of the fuller dust jacket illustration that originally appeared on Kathleen Sky’s Witchdame in 1985; copies of this anthology with green spine and the fuller illustration (still with no price on the dust jacket) appear to be second printings. Still another mystery is the not-quite-right Zelazny signatures on the title page and at his story “The George Business,” which would be a neat trick since Zelazny died in 1995. No idea if Bob or someone else created the spurious signatures. It would seem that this instant remainder edition was done first and the pricier retail edition (if it even exists) may have been done later.
Haldeman, Joe. War Stories. Night Shade Books, 2005. First edition hardback, one of 175 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Omnibus editions of Haldeman’s Vietnam War stories and poems, including his novel War Year. On one hand, 175 is a pretty low limitation for a Haldeman limited. On the other hand, literally the only difference is the signed limitation page. Supplements a trade copy inscribed to me. Bought off eBay for $24.50.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Patterson, William H., Jr. Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue With His Century — Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Better | 1948—1988. The second half of Patterson’s mammoth biography. Bought at Half Price Books for $17.49.
Hill, Joe. Full Throttle. Subterranean Press, 2020. First signed, limited edition thus, #43 of 750 numbered copies signed by Hill and artist Dave McKean, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. An elaborate, lavishly illustrated edition in a square form-factor. I have copies available for sale through Lame Excuse Books.
Holkins, Jerry and Mike Krahulik. Penny Arcade 6: The Halls Below. Del Rey, 2010. First edition hardback, #885 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy with inset color cover illustration, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of Penny Arcade cartoons. Bought from the Penny Arcade store for $30.
Howard, Robert E. Skull-Face And Others. Arkham House, 1946. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight bumping at points, slight bend at head and heel, trace of rubbing to center of gold designs along spine, in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight sun-fading to spine, slight wear at points, a 1/16″ closed tear at head, slight wrinkling at top right cover, a touch of dust soiling around just the edge of white rear cover, and blindside foxing to dust jacket; all in all, an extremely nice copy of this key Howard and Arkham House work. Joshi, Sixty Years of Arkham House, 17. Jaffrey, Horrors and Unpleasantries, 19. Nielsen, Arkham House Books, 17. Derleth, Thirty Years of Arkham House, 17. Currey, page 251. Bleiler, Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 852. Locke, Spectrum of Fantasy, page 117. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 104. Bleiler, Checklist (1948), page 153. Chalker/Owings (1991), page 23 (“What The Outsider and Others is to Lovecraft, this book is to Howard”). Kemp, Anthem Series, pages 305-6. Barron, Horror Literature, 3-95 (but not in the companion Fantasy Literature volume). One of four “tall” Arkham house volumes, of which I now have two. Bought for $382.46 from a fellow Biblio dealer.
Ipcar, Dahlov. A Dark Horn Blowing. Viking Press, 1978. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with slight bend at head and heel, a short, thin line of rust-colored staining at very bottom of front free endpaper, and a trace of age-darkening to pages, in a Near Fine dust jacket with a vertical crease running along the edge of the rear flap. Fantasy novel of a woman kidnapped to elfland to nurse a newborn elf prince. Never heard of it, but Bob Pylant said it was a good novel. In the Encyclopedia of fantasy, John Clute calls her work “atmospheric and densely conceived.”
Kelly, James Patrick. King of the Dogs, Queen of the Cats. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #131 of 1000 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Novella about a circus of uplifted cats and dogs.
King, Stephen. Lisey’s Story. Scribner, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought at Goodwill for $3.99. I generally don’t pick up King’s new trade editions because I know they will show up used cheap. And I generally can’t afford the signed limited editions unless they’re coming out from a publisher I’m already a regular customer of and can pick them up at a (usually slight) discount pre-publication. But $3.99 for a perfect copy falls into “good enough” territory.
Kuttner, Henry and C.L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett). The Day He Died. Duell, Sloan and Pierce, 1947. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a little bit of bend at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with small chip at heel and associated 1/2″ closed tear, lus a trace of wear at points. Mystery. I saw a less attractive copy in an online auction go for considerably more than I was willing to spend, so I bought this (the nicest copy online) from a notable SF dealer for $220.
Lansdale, Joe R. Act of Love. Zebra Books, 1981. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with 1/4″ chip at top front cover near spine, slight spine creasing and slight general wear. Inscribed by Lansdale: “For Robert,/Hope you like it). Joe Lansdale.” (Robert said he had another copy of this title). His first novel. Supplements at least four other editions (including the Kinnell hardback first), but I lacked the PBO until now. Person, “Joe Lansdale: Notes Toward A Bibliography,” Nova Express Volume 3, Number 4, page 26, I.1. Hankow, A Checklist of Joe Lansdale, A1.
Lansdale, Joe R. Act of Love. Cemetery Dance, 1992. First limited edition hardback (preceded by both the Leisure books PBO and the Kinnell UK hardback), #465 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Bought off eBay for $36 (list price is $50).
Lansdale, Joe R. The Big Blow. Subterranean Press, 2000. First edition hardback, #178 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Bought for $30.40 after dealer discount.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Big Blow. Subterranean Press, 2000. First edition hardback, copy of D of 13 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine traycase. Bought for $124.80 after dealer discount. Thirteen is an awfully small number for a Lansdale lettered edition…
Lansdale, Joe R. Bleeding Shadows. Subterranean Press, 2013. First edition hardback, #78 of 250 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, with publisher’s bookmark laid in. Supplements a trade edition (which has a different dust jacket). Bought from an online dealer for $75.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Boar. Subterranean Press, 1998. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 signed, numbered, quarter leather-bound copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, with a PC copy of the 1/750 signed/limited (regular) edition, a Fine copy with a Fine dust jacket, with an advanced uncorrected proof, a Fine- copy with a touch of wear at head and heel, signed by Lansdale, all together in a Fine slipcase. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 853, which states textual differences between the lettered and numbered editions (though pagination seems identical), and fails to note the included proof. Bought off eBay for $125.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Boar. Night Shade Books, 2009. First edition hardback thus, #7 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought from an Internet book dealer for $30. Supplements the Subterranean Press first edition. Originally announced as a Mark V. Ziesing book under the title Git Back, Satan!.
Lansdale, Joe R. Deadman’s Road. Subterranean Press, 2010. First edition hardback, #18 of 200 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off an Internet book dealer for $50.40.
Lansdale, Joe R. For A Few Stories More. Subterranean Press, 2002. First edition hardback, #550 of 1,000 copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements the Lettered edition, but weirdly I never picked up this trade edition until now. Bought from Kasey Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade. Short Scary Tales (SST) Press, 2020. First hardback edition and first signed limited edition (preceded by the Tachyon trade paperback), #101 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Jane Goes North. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #264 of 2,000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Road trip novel. I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Joe R. Lansdale’s Christmas With The Dead. Write-On Movies, 2012. Presumed first edition (?) DVD, a new copy, inscribed to me by Joe R. Lansdale and signed by Kasey Lansdale. I don’t usually record DVDs I buy here, but they’re not usually signed. Bought from Kasey Lansdale.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Magic Wagon. BookVoice Publishing, 2018. First edition thus, #408 of 500 signed, numbered hardback copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. This edition includes a rare western story by Joe, “Man With two Lives,” not in any other edition, a new introduction by Joe, and a new afterword by Keith Lansdale. Supplements a signed copy of the Doubleday first edition. Bought from Kasey Lansdale. Now I need to pick up that Crossroad Press limited edition.
Lansdale, Joe R. Of Mice and Minestrone. Tachyon, 2020. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. “Hap and Leonard: The Early Years.” I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Paradise Sky. Short Scary Tales (SST) Press, 2016. First UK edition and first limited edition hardback, a PC copy of 350 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and decorated boards. Bought for $30 of eBay.
Lansdale, Joe R. Red Range: A Wild West Adventure. It’s Alive, 2017. First edition hardback graphic novel, the Kickstarter edition, a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, as issued. I am unclear on the precedence between this version (with the block cover) and the regular hardback with the red cover. Weird western featuring a hollow earth with dinosaurs and such. I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. The Sky Done Ripped. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, one of 2000 signed copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. New (and final) Ned the Seal adventure. I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Waltz of Shadows. Subterranean Press, 1999. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Although the limitation calls for a 1/1000 signature page, it’s not in this copy, though it still has the FIRST EDITION/SEPTEMBER 1999 statement, making this a previously unrecorded variant (not in the 2002 Chalker/Owings CD). Bought from Kasey Lansdale. I have one copy of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Joe R. Wet Juju. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2020. First edition hardback, #101 of 550 signed, numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with SST tissue paper closure sticker laid in. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount, and out of print upon publication. Massive collection. I will have copies available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, but prepare for it to be pricey.
Lansdale, Joe R. and Keith Lansdale. Big Lizard. Short Scary Tales (SST) Publications, 2020. First edition hardback, #101 of 1,500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. A botched supernatural ceremony gives the protagonist ” the power to transform into a big lizard who can run fast, has incredible strength, and a large tail.” Full color illustrated endpapers and signature page. Looks like fun. I will have copies available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Lansdale, Joe R., editor. Son of Retro Pulp Tales. Subterranean Press, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Joe and Keith Lansdale. Trade edition. I actually picked up a copy of the limited edition, only to realize that not only did I already have one, but for some reason I hadn’t added the trade edition to my library, even though I already had it in Lame Excuse Books stock. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount way back when. Indeed, I still have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lansdale, Keith. Red Range: Pirates of Fireworld. It’s Alive, 2019. First edition comic, a Fine copy, as issued. Lansdale the Younger continues the story. I have copies available through Lame Excuse Books.
Lee, Tanith. Sometimes, After Sunset. Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, 1980. First edition hardback, an omnibus edition of Sabella, or The Blood Stone and Kill the Dead (neither of which had any other hardback editions), a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight wear at points, a thin 1/2″ scratch at top front spine join, a trace of rubbing along front flap join bend edge, and slight age darkening to white flaps. Nice early Maitz cover.
Le Guin, Ursula K., editor. Nebula Award Stories 11. Gollancz, 1976. First edition hardback (precedes the U.S. edition by a year), a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel, traces of foxing to front free endpaper, and slight dust soiling at head, in a Near Fine copy with spine fading and a trace of edgewear at points. Includes the Nebula-winning Zelazny novella “Home is the Hangman.”
Lovecraft, H.P. A Winter Wish and Other Poems. Whispers Press, 1977. First edition hardback, #160 of 200 signed, numbered hardback signed by editor Tom Collins, publisher Stuart Schiff, and artist Steve Fabian, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine (and very tight) slipcase. Bought from Dreamhaven for $60.
Malzberg, Barry. The Many Worlds of Barry Malzberg. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing on copyright page and $1.25 price, as per Currey), a Fine- copy, with a trace of edgewear and one pinhead-sized black mark near bottom edge of back cover. Short story collection.
Malzberg, Barry. Galaxies. Pyramid, 1975. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with edgewear and moderate darkening to page edges. Pringle SF 100 list #77. Supplements a Gregg Press first hardback edition.
Martin, George R. R. Fire and Blood. Subterranean Press, 2019. First signed, limited edition hardback (the Bantam and Harper Voyager trade hardbacks precede by a year), #619 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. A novel set some 300 years before A Song of Fire & Ice proper. A handsome production.
Martin, George R. R., editor. Mississippi Roll. Tor, 2017. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Wild cards novel. Bought at the San Marcos Book Warehouse for $7.99.
Martin, George R. R. Nightflyers. Bluejay Books, no date (but 1985). First edition uncorrected proof of the trade paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with blue bunching along front spine (not uncommon among proofs), and a 1″ square dragon stamp in red at top right corner of half title page. Bought from Dreamhaven for I think $16.
Martin, George R. R. and Lisa Tuttle. Windhaven. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #259 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements the 1981 Timescape first edition inscribed to me by Martin and Tuttle. It’s been my experience that only a small fraction of Martin’s Game of Thrones fans exhibit any interest in his science fiction and horror work. Bought for $62.50.
Matheson, Richard. Counterfeit Bills. Gauntlet, 2004. First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy, signed by Matheson. Bought off eBay for $36.52.
McCammon, Robert. A Little Amber Book of Wicked Shots. Borderlands Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #498 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Four stories, all of which involve alcoholic drinks. Plus an extra cocktail recipe in the introduction! I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books.
McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. Knopf, 1992. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with all the usual flaws, otherwise Very Good. A true first of his first Pulitzer winner and first book of the Border trilogy. Bought for $6.99.
Meacham, Beth. Terry’s Universe. Tor, 1988. Uncorrected bound proof (trade paperback format) of the hardback first edition, a Fine copy. Tribute anthology to the late Terry Carr. Includes Zelazny’s “Deadstone Donner and the Flintstone Cup.”
Mieville, China. The Scar. Subterranean Press, 2019. First edition hardback, #404 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Supplements a signed copy of the 2002 Macmillan (UK) first edition. Bought for $62.50.
Miller, Jr., Walter M. The Best of Walter M. Miller, Jr. Pocket Books, 1980. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with faint spine creasing and touches of wear. Short story collection, all from the 1950s.
Moorcock, Michael. Legends From The End of Time. Harper & Row, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with bumping at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight wear at head and heel, slight age darkening to white rear panel, and slight dust soiling to same. Inscribed by Moorcock: “To Bob,/With all good wishes/from Michael M.” Tanelorn Archives, page 24, a. Precedes the W. H. Allen edition (which I also have).
Moorcock, Michael. The White Wolf’s Son. Warner Aspect, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Elric/von Beck novel. Bought at Half Price Books for $7.98.
Moore, Ward. Lot & Lot’s Daughter. Tachyon, 1996. First edition hardback, #52 of 100 numbered, leatherbound hardback copies (the only hardback state), copies signed by introduction author Michael Swanwick, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with touches of wear at points and elsewhere. Two linked nuclear holocaust stories. Bought off eBay for $40.
Morrell, David. A Little Gold Book of Protector Tales. Borderlands Press, 2017. First edition hardback, #337 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Three stories, plus an introduction.
Morrow, James. The Continent of Lies. Holt, Reinhardt and Winston, 1984. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Morrow: “For Scott/This book of/dreams & desires…/best wishes,/James Morrow.” Formerly Scott Cupp’s copy.
Niven, Larry & Steven Barnes. The Seascape Tattoo. Tor, 2016. Bought at Half Price Books for $7.99.
Niven, Larry & Jerry Pournelle. The Burning City. Pocket Books, 2000. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors. Set in Niven’s The Magic Goes Away universe. Bought off an Internet book dealer for $9.75.
Niven, Larry & Jerry Pournelle. Burning Tower. Pocket Books, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors, with certificate of authenticity laid in. Bought off eBay for $25.83.
Perez, Malia A., editor (Joe R. Lansdale). Speculative Poets of Texas. The House of the Fighting Chupacabra Press, 2015. First edition trade paperback original (“First printing” stated), a Fine copy, new and unread. Includes poems from Peter Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, Juan Manuel Perez, Waide Aaron Riddle, and Rie Sheridan Rose. Bought from Amazon.
Pinborough, Sarah. A Little Magenta Book of Malevolence. Borderlands Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #498 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. I have copies of this available for sale through Lame Excuse Books.
Piper, H. Beam. Federation. Ace, 1981. First edition trade paperback edition, a Fine copy, new and unread. Bought at Half Price Books for $3.99.
Proctor, Geo W. Fire at the Center. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1981. First edition paperback original, a near Fine- copy with 1/32″ deep x 1/4″ wide loss at head of top front cover, slight edgewear, rim of foxing to interior covers, and slight age darkening to pages. Novel dedicated to the early Turkey City Writer’s workshop attendees. Obtained free.
Powers, Tim. Forced Perspectives. Charnel House, 2020. First signed/limited edition (the Baen hardback precedes), hardback, #54 of 150 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards with a gold-foil sphinx embossed on the front cover (matching the look of Alternate Routes), sans dust jacket, as issued. I have one copy of this available for sale through Lame Excuse Books.
Powers, Tim. The Properties of Rooftop Air. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #277 of 474 numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. An Anubis Gates story. I have copies of this available through Lame Excuse Books as well.
Pumelia, Joe, and Bill Wallace (as M. M. Moamrath). The Cruse of the Kritix. “Deathnell Publications, 1932″ (actually Kenneth Donnell, 1976). First edition chapbook original, a Fine copy in a Very Good+ dust jacket with semi-closed 1/4” tear at top front with associated wrinkle, faint spotting along spine, and a few very small tears elsewhere. Lovecraftian parody. Obtained free.
Rice, Jeff (Richard Matheson). The Night Strangler. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight glue wrinkling near top of spine and slight spine fading, otherwise new and unread, signed by Richard Matheson. Novel by Jeff Rice based on Matheson’s screenplay for The Night Strangler, the sequel to The Night Stalker and the second TV movie starring Darren McGavin as reporter Carl Kolchak. Bought off eBay for $42. Copies that are both nice and signed by Matheson are uncommon.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Stan’s Kitchen. NESFA Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #171 of 600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Short story collection.
Russell, Mary Doria. Doc. Random House, 2011. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Russell. Western novel about Doc Holliday. Bought from The Mysterious Bookstore for $10.
Saberhagen, Fred. Berserker Base. Tor, 1985. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with a touch of edgewear and slight age-darkening to pages. Theoretically a fix-up novel set in Saberhagen’s Beserker universe, but really more of a Beserker anthology with some filler material by Saberhagen. Includes the Zelazny story “Itself Surprised,” which originally appeared in Omni the year before.
Schiff, Stuart David, editor. The Best of Whispers. Borderlands Press, 1994. First edition hardback, #375 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Signed by all the then-living contributors (Fritz Leiber died in 1992), including Zelazny, Ray Bradbury, Karl Edward Wagner, Russell Kirk, Hugh B. Cave, Lucius Shepard, Jerry Sohl and Alan Ryan. Includes Zelazny’s “The Horses of Lir.”
Scholz, Carter. Cuts. Chris Drumm, 1995. First edition chapbook original, a Fine- copy with slight age darkening to edges. Short story collection. Obtained free,
Shepard, Lucius. The Golden. Mark V. Ziesing, 1993. First edition hardback, #243 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with one 1/16″ closed tear at heel in a Fine- slipcase with a tiny rub at top. Supplements a trade edition signed by Shepard. I saw this on eBay for $24, and the book pricing part of my brain went “That’s a good price…but I bet I can do a little better.” Bought off eBay for a $20 buy-it-now offer. List publication price was $65. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 1003. Part of my plan to pick up every Ziesing book in every state, since I already had most of the trade editions anyway…
Silverberg, Robert. Reflections & Refractions: Thoughts on Science Fiction, Science and Other Matters. Underwood Books, 1997. First edition hardback, #180 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards and Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of essays, most (but not all) from his “Reflections” series of columns in Amazing and Asimov’s. Bought off eBay for $25, exactly half off the original list price of $50.
Silverberg, Robert. Rough Trade. PS Publishing, 2017. First edition hardback, #99 of 100 signed and numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards a Fine dust jacket and a Fine slipcase. Supplements a trade copy. Bought off eBay for $40.
Silverberg, Robert, editor (Vonda N. McIntyre, Marta Randall, Joan D. Vinge). The Crystal Ship. The Science Fiction Book Club (UK)/Reader’s Union, 1981. Book club reprint, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by editor Robert Silverberg, and contributors Marta Randall and Joan D. Vinge (each twice, once on the title page and once at their novella). Bought for $9, marked down from $15 at Half Price Books during a coupon sale just before the lockdown came down.
Simak, Clifford D. and Jeff Sutton. So Bright the Vision b/w The Man Who Saw Tomorrow. Ace Double, 1968. First edition (no statement of printing and price of 60¢, as per Currey), a Very Good+ copy with small chips at corners of Sutton side, spine creasing, name or word on Sutton blurb page. Plus usual foxing. Currey (1979), page 447.
Smith, Brenden Powell. Assassination! The Brick Chronicle of Attempts on the Lives Twelve US Presidents. Skyhorse Publishing, 2013. Lego recreations of presidential assassinations. One of those books you have to buy to prove it actually exists. Bought from Half Price Books for $5.99.
Stephenson, Neal. Seveneves. HarperCollins, 2015. First edition hardback, special signed edition with gold “Signed First Edition” sticker on the cover and “THIS SIGNED EDITION OF/seveneves/by/Neal Stephenson/[signature]/HAS BEEN SPECIALLY BOUND/BY THE PUBLISHER” signature page bound in before the half-title page, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $9.99.
Sterling, Bruce. Schismatrix Plus. Ace, 1996. First edition trade paperback original, Near Fine- with slight spine crease, slight sun fading to spine, and edgewear, signed by Sterling. Contains the novel plus the Shaper/Mechanist stories from Crystal Express. I never bothered to pick this up when it came out because I already had first editions of both, but picking up variant titles is classic late-phase book collecting behavior. Bought for $7.49.
Sturgeon, Theodore. Sturgeon Is Alive And Well…. Putnam, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of bend at head and heel in a Near Fine dust jacket with slight edgewear at head and heel, a bit of dust soiling to white rear panel, and slight age darkening to top of white rear panel and edges of white flaps. Signed by Sturgeon. Short story collection, one I greatly enjoyed reading in my youth. I particularly remember “It Was Nothing—Really!,” about man who figures out that perforations make things stronger, and eventually invents invisible wall of impenetrable nothingness, and “Suicide,” about a man who jumps off a cliff to kill himself, and awakens still alive, hurt, down the cliff, and struggles to climb back up. According to Bought off eBay for $39.99. Currey, page 472.
Swanwick, Michael. Blue as the Moon. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook original, #2 of 69 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Seven horror vignettes (“White as a Sheet,” “Yellow as Corn,” “Green as the Sea,” “Red as the Revolution,” “Purple as Prose,” “Orange as an Orange,” and “Black as Sin”), plus an introduction (“Blue as the Moon”). Offered at moonrise (5:54 PM EDT) on October 30, 2020 to celebrate the blue moon, and sold out that night.
Swanwick, Michael. The Death of Aubrey Darger. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook thus, #14 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Excerpted from the 2015 novel Chasing the Phoenix.
Swanwick, Michael. The Devil’s Bestiary. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook, #8 of 45 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in dyed paper wrappers. A short alphabetical vignette bestiary of supernatural creatures. Out of print upon publication.
Swanwick, Michael. Gulliver’s Wife. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook original, #33 of 50 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Sold out upon publication. Bought from the publisher at full price.
Swanwick, Michael. The Postutopian Adventures of Darger and Surplus. Subterranean Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #183 of 1000 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Swanwick’s loveable con artists are back in this short story collection.
Swanwick, Michael and Sean Swanwick. In Memoriam: Gardner Dozois 1947-2018. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook, #60 of 70 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Came in the mail with a “with the Compliments of the Press” notice laid in. Originally appeared in the Philcon 2018 program book.
Swanwick, Michael. Reindeer Season. Dragonstairs Press, 2019. First edition chapbook original, #20 of 120 signed, numbered copies. “It includes ten very brief musings on the magical nature of reindeer and their relationship with Claus-tse. Issued in an edition of 120, Reindeer Season is 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”, hand-stitched, numbered, and signed by the author. Most copies have been given to friends, family, and colleagues, but 37 are offered for sale.” There are two states of the chapbook: a.) A cream colored wrapper (as this copy), and b.) a mottled beige cover. All copies for sale sold out the day they were offered.
Swanwick, Michael. Reindeer Season. Dragonstairs Press, 2019. First edition chapbook original, #101 of 120 signed, numbered copies. There are two states of the chapbook: a.) A cream colored wrapper, and b.) A mottled beige cover (as this copy). All copies for sale sold out the day they were offered.
(Tolkien, J. R. R.) Day, David. An Encyclopedia of Tolkien: The History and Mythology That inspired Tolkien’s World. Canterbury Classics, 2019. First edition hardback, a Fine copy bound in embossed leather, sans dust jacket, as issued. Tolkien reference work by an author who has done a lot of other Tolkien reference works. A very attractive book, with gilded edges and full-color illustrated endpapers, from a publisher that mostly seems to do leatherbound prestige reprints. Bought for $12.49.
Vance, Jack. The Dragon Masters/ b/w The Five Gold Bands. Ace Double, 1962. First edition paperback original, a very Good- copy with wrinkling to covers, spine creasing, edgewear and usual age-darkening to pages. Hewett, A11. Cunningham, 26a. Currey, page 498. Supplements a first hardback edition. Bought for $2 from the Lansdale documentary fundraiser sale.
Vance, Jack (Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan, editors). Minding the Stars (The Early Jack Vance, Volume Four). Subterranean Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a PC copy of 26 lettered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and a Fine- traycase with one small fingernail-tip sized indention at bottom front, with a provenance card from the Vance estate laid in. The only edition signed by Vance. Bought off eBay for $255.00. The other traycase editions I bid on went for substantial more.
Vance, Jack. The Languages of Pao/The Dragon Masters. Vance Integral Edition, no date. Unpublished paper dust jacket proof for the “Science Fiction Volume” containing those two novels produced by the Vance Integral Edition in 2002. Ultimately they decided not to use dust jackets for either that or the Vance Integral Edition itself. Bought from the Jack Vance estate off eBay for $33, and with the Vance Estate stamp on the blind side. The scan below is only what would fit on my scanner:
Vance, Jack. The Last Castle. Underwood-Miller, 1980. First hardback edition, a Fine- copy with slight bumping at tips and traces of wear at head and heel, in a Fine- dust jacket with a few traces of wear and faint phantom crease down front flap, with signature card by artist Alicia Austin laid in (as issued) and Vance Estate stamp on title page. Hewett, A30d. Cunningham, B45b. Bought for $20.13 from the Vance Estate off eBay.
Vance, Jack. The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph. Dennis Dobson, 1977. First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Near Fine, price-clipped dust jacket, signed by Vance. Hewett, a27f. Cunningham, b55b. Currey, page 499. Bought off eBay for $93.97. One of the few Vance hardbacks I lacked, and one of the more difficult ones signed.
Vance, Jack. Marune: Alastor 933. Ballantine Books, 1975. Currey, page 499. First edition paperback original (PBO), a Fine- copy with a trace of edgewear, signed by Vance. Hewett, A48. Cunningham, B56. Currey, page 499. Supplements the Underwood-Miller hardback. Bought off eBay for $16.50.
Vance, Jack. Maske: Thaery. Berkley, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny wrinkle at top of the front flap and a few tiny traces of edgewear. Signed by Vance. Replaces a slightly less attractive signed first. Hewett, A52. Cunningham, B57a. Currey, page 499. Bought off eBay for $14.99.
Vance, Jack. Night Lamp. Tor, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Vance. Cunningham, B61a. Supplements an unsigned trade first, the Underwood Books signed, limited edition, and Volume 42 of The Vance Integral Edition. Bought off eBay for $20.50.
Vance, Jack. Ports of Call. Tor, 1998. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine hardback, signed by Vance. Cunningham, B66a. Supplements an unsigned trade first, the Underwood Books signed/limited edition, and Volume 43 of The Vance Integral Edition. Bought off eBay for $14.99.
Vance, Jack. Sjambak. Wildside Press, 2010. First edition trade paperback original (perfect bound chapbook), a Fine copy, signed by Vance. I suspect this was produced because the story slipped out of copyright. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought off eBay for $33.
Wagner, Karl Edward. HorrorStory Volume Four. Underwood-Miller, 1990. First edition hardback, #82 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine- traycase, with just a touch of blunting at points, a touch of edgewear around spine label, and a trace or two of wear. Omnibus and first hardback editions of Year’s Best Horror Stories X, XI and XII. Signed by Wagner, Harlan Ellison, Dennis Etchison, Michael Kube-McDowell, Richard Laymon, Michael Swanwick, David Drake, and many others. Chalker-Owings (1991), page 441. Supplements the trade edition. Bought off eBay for $65, or less than half the original offering price of $150.
Watts, Peter. Peter Watts is an Angry Sentient Tumor: revenge fantasies and essays. Tachyon, 2019. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Many Are The Hearts: a play in one act. North Carolina Confederate Centennial Commission, 1961. First edition chapbook, a Near Fine- copy with small wrinkle on rear cover near head, touches of wear, some sun-fading around the edges, and rust bleed-through on the two staples. One act play about a confederate North Carolina artillery detachment. Even includes a detailed diagram of a 6-pounder field gun at rear; good luck to any theater company trying to get their hands on one of those! I think this is only the second copy I’ve seen offered for sale this decade. Currey, page 513. Bought for $38.25 off a fellow Biblio dealer.
Wellman, Manly Wade. Mystery at Bear Paw Gap. Ives Washburn, 1965. First edition hardback, a Very Good Ex-Library copy in the Hercules library binding, with pockets and interior stamps, with wear at head and heel, a 1″ very light stain to bottom page block, a couple of pinprick spots to top page block, and blunting of points, but no external stamps, sans dust jacket, as expected for the library binding. One of Wellman’s more difficult YA novels. Currey, page 513. Bought for $29.99 off eBay.
Wilhelm, Kate (John Pelan, editor). Masters of Science Fiction: Kate Wilhelm (Volumes One and Two). Centipede Press, 2020. First edition hardback, #457 of 500 numbered hardbacks signed by the editor and artists Jim and Ruth Keegan, both Fine copies in Fine dust jackets, with dust jacket protectors, new and unread.
(Wolfe, Gene) Swanwick, Michael. Swan/Wolfe. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook original, #50 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy (save some slight wrinkling at head; since the outer paper wrapper is bigger than the inner chapbook page block, I suspect this is an endemic problem). Transcription of a Swanwick interview with the ReReadingWolfe podcast. As noted in the acknowledgements, I actually suggested the creation of this chapbook. Bought from the publisher at the usual bookseller discount. Sold out shortly after publication. I have copies of this for sale through Lame Excuse Books.
Zelazny, Roger. Blood of Amber. Arbor House/SFBC, 1986. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.2.d.
Zelazny, Roger. Changeling. Ace, 1980. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Kvocs, I5v.
Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. Underwood Miller, 1981. First hardback edition, #128 of 200 numbered copies signed by Zelazny and artist Thomas Canty, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Levack, 4b.
Zelazny, Roger. The Changing Land. Del Rey/SFBC, 1981. Book club hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to white flaps, signed by Zelazny. Supplements signed copies of the PBO and the Underwood-Miller signed/limited hardback. Kovacs, I.6.d. Levack, 4c.
Zelazny, Roger. Damnation Alley. Faber & Faber, 1971. First UK edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a trace of edgewear, with slip of paper signed by Zelazny laid in. Levack, 9c.
Zelazny, Roger. Damnation Alley. Gregg Press, 1979. First hardback edition thus, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Adds 24 pages of photos from the movie of the same name. Supplements a signed copy of the first Putnam edition, an unsigned copy of same, and a signed copy of the paperback movie tie-in edition. Kovacs, I.10.k. Levack, 9r.
Zelazny, Roger. Dilvish, The Damned. Del Rey/SFBC, 1981. Book club hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to white flaps, with signed letter from Zelazny laid in. Supplements signed copies of the PBO and the Underwood-Miller signed/limited hardback. Kovacs, I.15.d.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, And Other Stories. Doubleday, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with very slight bend at head and heel and a trace of foxing to inside front gutter, in a Fine- dust jacket with touches of wear and a tiny bit of age darkening to the spine and at top rear. With signed Zelazny bookplate laid in. Kovacs, V9a. Levack, 12a. Currey, page 570. Replaces an Ex-Library copy.
Zelazny, Roger. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth. Pulphouse. 1991. First edition paperback original, Fine- copy with trace of rubbing along front spine join and pinpricks of soiling to front cover, signed by Zelazny. Short story paperback #13. I still need the Short Story Hardback of this…
Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. Gregg Press, 1976. First U.S. hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine aftermarket dust jacket Bob made from blowing up a copy of the Frank Kelly Freas PBO cover, with a signed title page removed from an Ace paperback edition laid in. This and the Gregg Press editions of Lord of Light, Nine Princes in Amber and Bridge of Ashes (which I already had) all share the same Freff cover art featuring characters from all those novels. Supplements a signed first of the Rupert Hart-Davis hardback, a signed first of the Ace PBO, and an unsigned copy of same. Kovacs, I.18.e. Levack, 14i.
Zelazny, Roger. The Dream Master. SFBC, 2004. Book club hardback, a Fine- copy with uniformly age-darkened pages in a Fine dust jacket. SFBC 50th Anniversary edition book. Kovacs, I.18.n.
Zelazny, Roger. Gone to Earth. Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, #40 of 50 signed, numbered copies bound in leather, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. (Well, they say leather; I have my doubts. Also note that between volumes 18 and 19, the color of the “leather” edition went from a dark gray to a dark blue.) Author’s Choice Monthly #29. Supplements a signed “trade” clothbound hardcover in dust jacket. Kovacs, V13iv. Chalker/Owings (2002), page 728. I suppose that now I should look for one of the 10-copy red leather staff editions…
Zelazny, Roger. Knight of Shadows. Morrow/SFBC, 1989. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the very top white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.27.c.
Zelazny, Roger. The Last Defender of Camelot. Pocket Books/SFBC, 1980. Book club and first hardback edition (gutter code L10 on page 278, as per Kovacs), a Fine- copy with slight age darkening to pages in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Zelazny: “To Liz,/All sorts of good wishes -/ — Roger Zelazny.” Supplements the Underwood-Miller limited edition, and another copy of this edition inscribed to me in a more worn dust jacket. Kovacs, V.15.c. Levack, 24b.
Zelazny, Roger. Lord of Light. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a letter from Betsy Groban of G. K. Hall laid in talking about how they had gotten Freff to do the artwork. Hugo and Nebula Award winner for Best Novel. Kovacs, I.29.1. Levack, 25s.
Zelazny, Roger. Lord of Light. Easton Press, 1994. Hardback, a Fine copy bound in decorated leather, sans dust jacket, as issued, with unused personalization bookplate sticker laid in (as issued), as well as a signed Zelazny signature plate. According to Kovacs, copies in aquamarine-colored leather like this one are reprints. Kovacs, I29m.
Zelazny, Roger. Madwand. Ace/SFBC, 1981. Book club edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white jacket. Kovacs, I.30.d. Levack, 26c.
Zelazny, Roger. Manna From Heaven. DNA Publications/Wildside Press, 2003. Hardback, a Fine copy in non-decorated boards and a Fine dust jacket. The 1-59224-199-9 ISBN matches the first edition listed at the ISFDB, but Kovacs says this is the UK Lightening Source hardback reprint. Signed by publisher Warren Lapine. Kovacs, V18b. Supplements the first printing with pictorial boards.
Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in Amber. Gregg Press, 1979. First Gregg Press hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a signed title page from a paperback laid in. Kovacs, I.34.g. Levack, 28n.
Zelazny, Roger. Prince of Chaos. Morrow/SFBC, 1991. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.35.d.
Zelazny, Roger. Roadmarks. Macdonald Futura, 1981. First UK edition hardback, a Fine-/Fine- copy with slight bumping/wrinkling at head and heel. Kovacs, I37d. Supplements a signed first.
Zelazny, Roger. Sign of Chaos. Arbor House/SFBC, 1987. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket flap, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.38.c.
Zelazny, Roger. This Immortal. Garland Publishing, 1975. First (and only) edition thus, a hardback reprint for the library trade, a Fine copy in a Fine- aftermarket dust jacket Bob created from a copy of the SFBC/Ace Books reprint from 1988 with Richard Powers’ cover art, and which has some faint creasing along the folds. Signed by Zelazny. This edition is reproduced from the 1973 Ace third paperback printing, as stated on the reproduced Ace copyright page. Part of the Garland Library of Science Fiction. Kovacs, I40c.
Zelazny, Roger. Today We Choose Faces. Gregg Press, 1978. First U.S. hardback edition, a Fine copy with a Fine aftermarket dust jacket Bob created from a Signet reprint featuring Dean Ellis art. Signed by Zelazny. Supplements a signed Millington hardback first and a signed PBO first. Kovacs, I.42.d. Levack, 37h.
Zelazny, Roger. To Die In Italbar. Faber & Faber, 1975. First UK edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket with a small Zelazny signature plate pasted to the front free endpaper. Kovacs, I41d. Supplements a signed first.
Zelazny, Roger. Trumps of Doom. Arbor House/SFBC, 1985. First book club edition, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight age darkening to the white portions of the dust jacket, signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I.43.d.
Zelazny, Roger and Jane Lindskold. Donnerjack. Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, either a Fine or a Poor copy (depending on how you count the annotations), in a Fine dust jacket. Novel started by Zelazny and finished by Lindskold after Zelazny’s death. Zelazny was a famously lean prose stylist, and Bob felt that Lindskold was not, so he has annotated the book by crossing out in brown or blue marker every section he felt was un-Zelazny-like from page 167 on. I passed on picking this up in the first bulk buys, but took it this time around because, well, it’s not like I can sell it to anyone else, and who else would know or appreciate the story behind it? Kovacs, I16b. Supplaments a Fine/Fine copy inscribed to me by Lindskold.
Zelazny, Roger and Neil Randall. Roger Zelazny’s Visual Guide to Castle Amber. Avon, 1988. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear. Kovacs, X14a. Supplements a signed copy of the SFBC (only hardback) edition.
Zelazny, Roger and Fred Saberhagen. Coils. Wallaby Books/Simon & Schuster, 1982. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine copy with one faint top front corner crease and slight age darkening to pages. Signed by Zelazny. Kovacs, I7a. Supplements a copy of the SFBC (and only hardback) edition inscribed to me. Kovacs, XIB1a.
Zelazny, Roger and Robert Sheckley. A Farce to be Reckoned With. Trade paperback, presumably a POD reprint, as it lacks the numberline of the first edition, and includes the usual POD barcode on the last page, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear and wear at points. Interestingly, despite having the same ISBN, this is a larger trim size (9″ x 6″) than the first edition (8 1/4″ x 5 1/2″), and could pass as a large print edition, except it is not so marked. This edition not in Kovacs.
First edition on left, this copy on right.
(Zelazny, Roger) Greenberg, Martin H., editor. Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny. Avon Eos, 1998. First edition trade paperback original, a Near Fine copy with a previous ownership plate inside front cover and a few touches of wear. Zelazny tribute anthology.
(Zelazny, Roger) Yoke, Karl. Roger Zelazny. Stamont House, 1979. First edition trade paperback original, a Very Good+ copy with bumping at heel and head, abrasion at front right bottom point, touches of wear along spine and elsewhere, and a touch of staining to inside front cover and blurb page. Starmont Reader’s Guide 2. Levack, “Works About Roger Zelazny” 15, page 140. Kovacs, XXIII11a. There is a Borgo Press hardback binding done three years later I still need to track down.
Tags:Arkham House, Barry Malzberg, Books, Borderlands Press, Dragonstairs Press, Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, George R. R. Martin, Harlan Ellison, Horror, Jack Vance, James P. Blaylock, Joe R. Lansdale, Keith Lansdale, Larry Niven, Manly Wade Wellman, Michael Moorcock, Michael Swanwick, Philip K. Dick, Richard Matheson, Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, Samuel R. Delany, Science Fiction, small press publishers, Subterranean Press, Thomas M. Disch, Tim Powers, Underwood/Miller
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Saturday, February 6th, 2021
Here are a couple of books I always planned to pick up and have Larry and Jerry sign for me, but life had other plans.
Niven, Larry & Jerry Pournelle. The Burning City. Pocket Books, 2000. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors. Set in Niven’s The Magic Goes Away universe. Bought off an Internet book dealer for $9.75.
Niven, Larry & Jerry Pournelle. Burning Tower. Pocket Books, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by both authors, with certificate of authenticity laid in. Bought off eBay for $25.83.
Tags:Books, Fantasy, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, signatures
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Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
No particular theme, just various books I picked up at Half Price Books over the last few months that I didn’t feel like breaking out into separate posts.
Lake, Jay. Death of a Starship. Monkeybrain Books, 2009. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, new and unread. Bought for $4.99.
Lee, Tanith. Dancing Through the Fire. Fantastic Books, 2015. First edition (stated, though it looks like a POD book) hardback, an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws (stickers, stamps, dust jacket taped to boards, etc., but otherwise apparently new and unread. Don’t usually pick up such current books as Ex-Lib copies, but I’d never seen a copy of this before, there are no other firsts listed online, and this was very cheap (I think $3).
Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards: Black Trump. Baen, 1995. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with trace of edgewear and spine just slightly concave. All the Baen Wild Cards volumes are hard to find these days. Bought for $2.69.
Matheson, Richard. The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok. Jove, 1996. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with previous owner’s small (Mylar?) ownership label and “January 1996” on the second blurb page, plus slight edgewear. Western novel. Replaces a reprint copy. Bought for $2.48.
Niven, Larry. Neutron Star. Ballantine Books, 1968. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with spine creasing and slight lean, edgewear, and slight black marker staining over prices on front cover and spine (most, but not all, came off with Bestine, leaving a tiny bit of shadowing around the price). Currey, page 386. Bought for $1.99.
Reynolds, Alastair. On the Steel Breeze. Gollancz, 2013. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of wear at points. Actually, this is a Reynolds that I missed when it first came out and had difficulty locating an affordable copy of, so I was quite surprised to be able to pick this up in just shy of perfect shape for a mere $5.99.
Silverberg, Robert. In The Beginning: Tales From The Pulp Era. Subterranean Press, 2006. First edition hardback, probably an Ex-Library copy: the dust jacket flaps have been glued to the inside covers, something has been crossed out at the top of the front free endpaper, and just below that is what appear to be very faint traces of pocket removal, very easy to miss against the thick patterned endpapers used, maybe a Near Fine/Near Fine Ex-Lib copy, #173 of 1,000 signed numbered copies. Again, normally I wouldn’t bother with an Ex-Lib for so recent a book, but I missed this when it first came out and all the copies online list for more than $100. Bought for $17.99.
Tags:Alastair Reynolds, Books, Fantasy, George R. R. Martin, Half Price Books, Horror, Jay Lake, Larry Niven, Monkeybrain Books, Richard Matheson, Science Fiction, Subterranean Press, Tanith Lee, Western
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