Posts Tagged ‘signed’
Thursday, December 20th, 2018
Two more signed Bradbury firsts:
Bradbury, Ray. Dogs Think Every Day is Christmas. Gibbs/Smith, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Bradbury: “Marion! Chuck!/Enjoy! Love!/Ray Bradbury/Valentine’s /Day/1999!” Small trim size hardback containing the illustrated title poem and an introduction. I suspect this and the companion volume, With Cat For Comforter, were issued for the pet store trade. Replaces an unsigned copy. Bought off eBay for $36.
Bradbury, Ray. We’ll Always Have Paris. Morrow, 2009. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Russ,/Ray Bradbury.” Short story collection. Tiny story: At the most recent Half Price Books coupon sale, they had several signed early Bradbury firsts from the late Fred Duarte estate for sale, but the condition was too poor for me to buy any of them. Then they had a signed copy of this, which was unpriced. “How much for this one?” “Let me check.” Comes back a minute later. “$150.” “Pass.” Then I went online and found this copy for $25, including shipping…
Tags:Books, dogs, poetry, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, signed
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Monday, December 17th, 2018
These were all books I picked up at various Houston Half Price Books stores the day after Thanksgiving. Those without prices were bought at half cover price.
Chabon, Michael. Moonglow. Harper, 2016. First edition hardback, one of an unstated number of signed limited copies sold by Powell’s Books, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket in a special slipcase, with a non-fiction Moonglow chapbook containing “The Box,” “The Facts,” and “The Interview” (Near Fine, with slight creasing) laid in. #63 in the Powells’ “Indiespensible” series, special signed editions sent out to book club members with various extras. Bought for $25.
Crais, Robert. The Wanted. Putnam, 2017. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Crais. I was looking through the discounted section of a Half Price Books, saw that this was a nice copy, thought to myself “I wonder if it’s signed,” picked it up, and it was. Hence George Locke’s dictum: “Don’t look for books, look at books.” Mystery novel. Bought for $3.00.
Duncan, Andy and Ellen Klages. Wakulla Springs. Tor, 2015. First edition hardback (evidently a reprint of an electronic version), a Fine copy in decorated boards, sans dust jacket, presumably as issued. Weird trim factor, being a small format hardback sightly smaller than a paperback. Bought for $4.99.
Howard, Robert E. Trails in Darkness. Baen, 1996. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with slight edgewear to top front cover and slight foxing to inside covers. Volume VII in the Robert E. Howard library.
Howard, Robert E. Beyond the Borders. Baen, 1996. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy. Volume VI in the Robert E. Howard library.
Kuttner, Henry (& C. L. Moore). Clash By Night. Hamlyn, 1980. First edition paperback original, a Very Good copy with a a long crease across the front cover. Short story collection. Kuttner’s name alone appears on the cover, but the title page also has C.L. Moore’s name, and all the stories are collaborations between the two.
Sammon, Paul M., editor. Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror. St. Martin’s Press, 1990. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with slight edgewear at head, heel and points. Signed by contributors Joe R. Lansdale, Ed Bryant, Nancy Collins and Chas. Balun. I had a copy of this (and I’m cited as an expert in here), but I didn’t get Ed Bryant to sign my copy, so this was a nice find. Bought for $12.49.
Tags:Andy Duncan, Books, C. L. Moore, Ed Bryant, Fantasy, Henry Kuttner, Horror, Joe R. Lansdale, Limited Editions, Michael Chabon, Nancy Collins, reference works, Robert Crais, Robert E. Howard, Science Fiction, signed, splatterpunk
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Friday, December 14th, 2018
The family of a late SF bookseller finally finished getting getting his stock online, so I checked out their newly christened website to see what was there, and immediately snapped up two books I thought were under-priced:
Bester, Alfred. Tiger! Tiger!. Sidgwick and Jackson, no date (but 1956). First edition hardback (no statement of printing on copyright page, as per Currey), a Near Fine- copy with bookstore stickers (Foyle’s) inside front cover (under flap), slight bumping at head and heel, darkening to page edges, and a tiny bit of spine lean, in a Very Good- dust jacket with three significant chips at top front, longest two 1″ long by 1/8″ high and 3/4″ high by 1/4″ long near flap join, with shallower chipping at head, heel and points, slight age darkening to white rear cover, and a 1 1/2″ closed tear at top front cover near spine join. These would be significant enough flaws that I would have avoided buying this copy except that it was only $40! That’s somewhere between 1/5th and 1/10th what it’s worth. The true first edition, first printing of Bester’s masterwork, later published in the U.S. as The Stars My Destination, and a science fiction keystone I’ve lacked for a long, long time. I will probably purchase facsimile dust jackets to wrap around to better display both this and the item below better. Currey (1979), page 33. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, page 33. Locke, Science Fiction First Editions, pages 18-19. Wendell, Alfred Bester, pages 28-36. Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 4, 3-19. Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature, pages 2168—2172. Day, Supplemental Checklist of Fantastic Literature, page 8. Aldiss, Billion Year Spree, page 247.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Past Through Tomorrow. Putnam, 1967. Second printing, a Very Good copy with one BB-sized indention in the spine with a small hole in the middle, with slight bumping at head and heel, in a Poor dust jacket (and it’s not even the right dust jacket, having coming from a book club edition) with the front, back and spine split into three panels (now taped back together), with further chips, tears, separation between the pieces, etc. Inscribed by Heinlein: “To Karol, Best Wishes/Robert A. Heinlein.” For some reason, this is one of the hardest of his books to find signed by Heinlein. Bought for $200. This is only the second signed Heinlein in my collection, after a signed book club edition of Time for the Stars I bought from David Hartwell for $40.
Tags:Alfred Bester, Books, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction, signed
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Wednesday, December 12th, 2018
Saw references to this (which might have preceded the trade edition) online, and finally found a copy cheap.
Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. HarperCollins, 2007. First edition hardback, one of 1,000 copies signed by Chabon in a wooden slipcase, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase, still in publisher’s shrinkwrap (I think it’s the publisher’s, which is why I haven’t removed it). Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. Supplements a trade copy of the novel inscribed to me by Chabon right after he won the Nebula for it. Original list price was $150. Bought off eBay for $50.
Forgive the crappy scan, since it’s still in the shrinkwrap…
Tags:Books, Hugo Award, Limited Editions, Michael Chabon, Science Fiction, signed
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Tuesday, November 13th, 2018
No theme, except for the place I bought them and picking them up really cheap:
Koontz, Dean R. (as K. W. Dwyer). Dragonfly. Random House, 1975. First edition hardback (“First Edition” and numberline starting with “2”, as per Random house practice), an Ex-Library copy with most of the usual flaws, including stamps at head and page block side, tape ghosts inside covers, spine lean, ink writing and some edge-staining on FFE; call it a Very Good- Ex-Lib copy, in a Fine- dust jacket with a bit of wrinkling at head and heel. Kotker, Dean R. Koontz: A Critical Companion, page 175. Bought at Half Price Books for $2.
MacAvoy, R. A. Trio for Lute. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1984. First hardback and first omnibus edition thus (with code P08 on page 631, as per ISFDB), a Very Good copy with some dampistaining transfer to blind side of dust jacket, in a Very Good- dust jacket with same, as well as multiple small tears at head, slight wear at head and heel, and abrasions along rear flap fold. Signed by MacAvoy: “For Fred/Bertie/MacAvoy.” Almost certainly another book from Fred Duarte’s library. Omnibus edition of Damiano, Damiano’s Lute and Raphael. Bought for $2.
Morrow, James. The Madonna and the Starship. Tachyon, 2014. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy, signed by Morrow. Bought for $4.99.
(Pournelle, Jerry) Acres, Mark. Combat Command in the World of Jerry E. Pournelle’s Janissaries: Lord of Lances. Ace, 1988. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with some edgewear. These Combat Command novels were strategic “pick your own path” adventures. Sort of an oddball concept. I also have the one done for Zelazny’s Amber. Bought for $1.
Tags:Books, Dean R. Koontz, Fantasy, Fred Duarte, James Morrow, Jerry Pournelle, R. A. MacAvoy, signed
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2018
Another elaborate Charnel House Tim Powers book:
Powers, Tim. The Collected Stories of Tim Powers. Charnel House, 2018. First edition hardback (or first thus; see below), #58 of 124 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Even though this was sold out shortly after it was announced, I will have copies for sale in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog. [Sold out.]
One thing the scan doesn’t do justice is just how sparkly this book is, it being “bound in Japanese ‘Snow Dust'” silk silver foiled boards.
There was a 2017 Baen hardback collection, Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers, but this collection evidently has an additional story, in addition to being signed and much better looking…
Tags:Books, Charnel House, Fantasy, signed, Tim Powers
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Friday, August 24th, 2018
More Armadillocon purchases, all picked up at the usual dealer discount:
Beagle, Peter S. The Overneath. Tachyon, 2017. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. Signed by Beagle. Short story collection.
Beagle, Peter S. Summerlong. Tachyon, 2016. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. Signed by Beagle. Novel.
Beagle, Peter S. and Jacob Weisman, editor. The New Voices of Fantasy. Tachyon, 2017. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. Anthology. Signed by Beagle and Weisman.
Walton, Jo. Starlings. Tachyon, 2018. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. Short story collection.
Watts, Peter. The Freeze-Frame Revolution. Tachyon, 2018. First edition trade paperback original, Fine. New novel. “How do you stage a mutiny when you’re only awake one day in a million? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what best for you?” Looks interesting.
Note that most of these will be available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Armadillocon, Books, Jo Walton, Peter S. Beagle, Peter Watts, signed, small press publishers, Tachyon
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Monday, August 13th, 2018
Somebody was selling off what seemed to be a pretty complete Jack Vance collection on eBay, and I took the opportunity to bid on some signed copies, including these two I won:
Vance, Jack. Maske: Thaery. Berkley, 1976. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Very Good+ dust jacket with shallow chipping at head and a few other nicks. Signed by Jack Vance. Hewett, A52. Won off eBay for $40.96.
Vance, Jack. Gold and Iron. Underwood-Miller, 1982. First edition hardback, one of 200 copies signed by Vance, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Originally published in paperback original as Slaves of the Klau. Supplements the trade edition. Hewett, A9e. Won off eBay for $81.
Tags:Books, Jack Vance, Science Fiction, signed, small press publishers, Underwood/Miller
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Monday, July 30th, 2018
All of these books were bought at Half Price Books, and the majority of them came from the Karen Meshcke/Fred Duarte collection(s).
Baker, Kage. Black Projects, White Knights. Golden Gryphon, 2002. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a trace of edgewear at head, heel and points. Inscribed by Baker: “For Fred/Kage Baker.” Short story collection. Baker died at age 57 of an aggressive form of cancer in 2010. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $5.
Bear, Greg. W3: Women in Deep Time. iBooks, 2002. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy. Bought for $3.49.
Effinger, George Alec. Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson. SWAN Press, 1993. First edition trade paperback original, a Fine copy. Inscribed by Effinger: “To Fred & Karen,/Con Mucho Loved!/George Alec Effinger (Yer Pal)”. Signed by introduction author Mike Resnick. Inscribed by artist Peggy Ransom: “To Fred & Meschke,/Come see us often!/And we’ll Frankie & Johnny again,/best,/Peggy Ransom.” Effinger was co-Guest of Honor at Armadillocon 4 in 1982, and a frequent Armadillocon attendee. George died in 2002 at age 55. Replaces a signed copy in my library. Bought for $4.99.
Oliver, Chad. Unearthly Neighbors. Crown SF Classics, 1984. First hardback edition (reprinting a Ballantine paperback from 1960), a Near Fine copy with red remainder mark at head in a Fine- dust jacket with a few touches of wear. Inscribed by Oliver: “10/7/88/To Meschke/All best/Chad Oliver.” Chad was the dean of Austin science fiction writers and the former chairman of UT’s Department of anthropology. The date indicates he signed this during Armadillocon 10, where Duarte and Meschke were co-chairs. Chad died in 1993. Supplements a Fine/Fine unsigned copy. Bought for $4.99.
Sladek, John. Bugs. Macmillian (UK), 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy in a Fine-dust jacket with some wear at heel. Signed by Sladek. Bought for $5.
Stableford, Brian. Swan Songs. Big Engine, 2003 (but see below). First hardback edition, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Omnibus edition containing six Hooded Swan novels (Halcyon Drift, Rhapsody in Black, Promised Land, The Paradise Game, The Fenris Device, and Swan Song), the last two of which were previously published only as paperback originals. ISFDB says that SFBC produced this edition, which I can believe, given the trim size and the fact Big Engine (a short-lived UK small press SF publisher) only did trade paperbacks. The mystery is that the book seems much higher quality than the usual SFBC fair, with tight bindings and bright page blocks. Maybe they subcontracted with a different printer for this one.
Young, Jim. Armed Memory. Tor, 1995. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Young: “For Karen Meschke/ & Family/Jim Young/L.A./April 24, 2009.” Young died in 2012. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $9.99.
Zahn, Timothy. Cascade Point. Bluejay Books, 1986. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $8.48.
Other signed books I bought there will be available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Tags:Austin, Big Engine, Brian Stableford, Chad Oliver, Fred Duarte, George Alec Effinger, Greg Bear, iBooks, Jim Young, John Sladek, Kage Baker, Mike Resnick, signed, small press publishers, Swan Press, Timothy Zahn
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Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Received the trade edition earlier, but the limited finally came in:
Moorcock, Michael. Pegging the President. PS Publishing, 2018. First edition hardback, #71 of 100 signed, numbered copies (reportedly; production difficulties meant I got short shipped this for Lame Excuse Books, so there may be less than 100 copies existent), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, with tissue paper protector for signature page laid in. A new Jerry Cornelius novella.
Tags:Books, Limited Editions, Michael Moorcock, PS Publishing, Science Fiction, signed, small press publishers
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