Posts Tagged ‘Star Wars’

Library Additions: Bradbury, Jeter, Mundy Firsts

Monday, September 11th, 2023

Only theme here is that I bought all of these on a day trip to San Antonio:

  • Bradbury, Ray (Jonathan R. Eller, editor). The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition: Volume 2: 1943-1944. Kent State University Press, 2014. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just a tiny bit of wrinkling at heel. Bought from Half Price Books for $37.49, considerably more than the $15 I paid for the first volume, but this one doesn’t seem to have been nearly as widely remaindered.
  • Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: Hard Merchandise. Bantam Spectra, 1999. First edition paperback original, a Fine- copy with just a trace of wear at points. The third book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, and evidently the hardest one to find. Supplements a signed first of the SFBC Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy I bought from the Fred Duarte estate sale. I supposed now I need to find a PBO first of Slave Ship, the second in the trilogy, but it seems the easiest to find of the three. Bought from Half Price Books for $4.49.
  • Mundy, Talbot. Full Moon. D. Appleton-Century, 1935. First edition hardback (“(1)” on page 312), a very Good copy with slight spotting to top and bottom page block edges (and possibly side, but it’s hard to tell with deckled edges), slight concavity at top of spine, slight bend at head and heel, light foxing to inside covers, and a few penciled notes front and back, in a Very Good dust jacket with shallow chipping at head, heel and points, spine faded, top rear flap corner clipped (but front panel and price intact), wear along front fold edge, slight dust staining to white rear panel, one 1/2″ closed tear to top front and one 1/4″ closed tear to rear bottom, and slight foxing to flaps; not pristine, but nice for the age. Oriental adventure with magic set in India. Grant, Talbot Mundy: Messanger of Deastiny, page 184. Day, Talbot Mundy Biblio, page 5. Bleiler, Checklist (1978), page 145. Bought for $40 at Antiquarian Book Mart in San Antonio.

  • Wes Anderson’s Star Wars

    Thursday, May 4th, 2023

    I checked out of Star Wars after The Force Awakens was just “meh” and everyone told me the sequels were much worse and Disney proceeded to screw every single pooch. But here’s a Star Wars movie I would totally watch:

    Consider this your May the 4th post.

    Library Additions: Two Centipede Press Books

    Friday, July 30th, 2021

    Two more books came in from Centipede Press:

  • Boyett, Stephen R. The Architect of Sleep. Centipede Press, 2021. First hardback edition, #355 of 400 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrinkwrap. Really interesting novel about a man transported to an alternate earth where raccoons evolved as the planet’s sentient life form. Originally published as an Ace paperback original back in 1986 and became something of a cult classic, and I’ve sold a lot of PBO copies of this and Ariel over the years (and indeed, if you just want to read it, I have copies available). Recommended. This signed edition is already sold out from the publisher. I’m hoping this new edition prods Boyett into revising and finishing the still-unpublished sequel, The Geography of Dreams.

  • Foster, Alan Dean. The Director Should’ve Shot You: Memoirs of the Film Trade. Centipede Press, 2021. First hardback edition, #430 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, still in shrinkwrap. I haven’t read any Foster novels since one of the early Pip and Flinx books way back in my misspent youth, but this one interests me. As the king of media tie-in novels, from Star Wars to Alien to Krull, Foster has worked on a lot of big hits (and misses), and in this book he dishes on all the behind-the-scenes drama he witnessed in in his career. This signed edition is already sold out from the publisher.

    The white square visible on the front is a numbered card inside the shrink wrap that will get laid in when it’s opened.

  • I will have copies of both of these in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog (currently in progress).

    Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Debuts Today

    Tuesday, November 17th, 2020

    The Lego remake of the Star Wars Holiday Special evidently premiered today on Disney+.

    Looks less a remake than a complete comic re-imagining.

    I don’t have Disney+ (or any other streaming service), so I can’t tell you how good it is.

    But it can’t help but improve on the original

    Tis The Season

    Monday, December 25th, 2017

    Finally, a video that combines two of the biggest obsessions this time of year:

    Merry Christmas, everyone!

    Library Addition: True PBO 1st of Star Wars

    Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017

    Picked this up at Half Price Books, and while not along my usual collecting vectors, I knew enough to pick it up.

    Foster, Alan Dean (writing as George Lucas). Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker. Ballantine Books, 1976. First edition paperback original (as indicated both by the “First Printing 1976” statement on the copyright page, and by the original Ralph McQuarrie artwork on the cover, which was dropped from all subsequent reprints), a Very Good copy with cover creasing, bottom front corner crease, and general wear.

    Star Wars PB

    Although McQuarrie helped design many of the characters, the versions on the cover of this paperback varies wildly from their on-screen counterparts, and every other subsequent piece of official Star Wars art.

    Star Wars Rogue One Trailer Meets Beastie Boys “Sabotage”

    Saturday, August 20th, 2016

    Really, what action film trailer isn’t improved by “Sabotage”?

    I’m pretty sure the use of it in the Star Trek: Beyond trailer probably added a good $5-10 million to that film’s gross. But I suspect Disney doesn’t have the audacity to follow Star Trek and pony up money to make this an official trailer…

    Library Addition: Three Signed K.W. Jeter Books

    Thursday, August 4th, 2016

    More purchases from the estate of Fred Duarte, in this case three inscribed K.W. Jeter media tie-in novels:

  • Jeter, K.W. Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Bloodletter. Pocket Books, 1993. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with slight wear along spine edges and points. Inscribed by Jeter: “For Fred +/Meschke/Signed @/Confrancisco/Best/Wishes/K.W. Jeter.” Karen Meschke was then Fred’s wife (they later divorced) and con chair of the 1997 San Antonio Worldcon. The proceeds of the sale of Fred’s books went to their son, Matthew Duarte.

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  • Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars. SFBC, 1999. First edition hardback thus (omnibus edition containing The Mandalorian Armor, Slave Ship, and Hard Merchandise), first hardback editions of all titles, and first edition of Hard Merchandise (as per ISFDB), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, inscribed by Jeter.
  • Jeter, K.W. Star Wars: The Mandalorian Armor. Bantam Spectra, 1998. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine+ copy with crease at front bottom right corner and wear at points, inscribed by Jeter.

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  • “A Great Artistic Endeavor”

    Friday, December 18th, 2015

    What’s a great artistic endeavor? Why that would be The Star Wars Holiday Special! Or at least the artistic challenge of same, in the eyes of one of the writers, namely the difficulty on writing for wookies to seal-honk inscrutably to each other for 20 minutes.

    Also: Suspicions confirmed!

    All right, so at this point, I’m going to quote The Onion’s A.V. Club, who wrote about the show — this is a quote — “I’m not convinced the special wasn’t ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine.”

    Is that what was going on with that scene?

    Bruce Vilanch: Well, there was a lot of that. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, it was 1977! I think after 40 years, probably the statute of limitations has run out, as well as the cocaine.

    Also this:

    “I know it’s one of the worst television shows of all time. And I’ve written… Listen, I wrote “Wayne Newton at Sea World.” So I know whereof I speak.”

    (More on The Star Wars Holiday Special.)

    MST3K Kickstarter Update: Seinfeld, Hader, Harris, Jack Black

    Thursday, December 10th, 2015

    The MST3K Kickstarter is going to have a cavalcade of guest comedians appearing on the show.

    Here are a few performers who are interested in appearing on MST3K next season:

    • JACK BLACK, the brilliant comic actor and musician, star of everything from the Kung Fu Panda films to the wonderful School of Rock… though to some people, of course, he’s better known as one-half of Tenacious D. So, I don’t wanna tell you anything about what I’m planning for his character… but I think it would be a lot of fun to have him perform a song.
    • JOEL MCHALE, who I first knew as the hilariously dry host of The Soup, and who has been expanding his acting career into television (as the star of Community) and film (the Ted movies). I met Joel at a friend’s wedding last year, and we became fast friends. He’s a really nice guy, so even though he’s in demand for big-time revivals like The X-Files, he says he’s up for joining us too!
    • BILL HADER, the incredible changeling/actor/impressionist who has appeared in everything from SNL to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to Trainwreck. I’ve always been amazed by Bill’s talents, and was finally introduced to him backstage at SNL by a mutual friend.
    • NEIL PATRICK HARRIS is a true renaissance man whose career spans film, TV, the broadway stage and the internet, where he appeared opposite our own Felicia Day in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Funny enough, though, I actually met Neil through mutual friends at the Los Angeles Magic History Conference, where we geeked out on magic together. Also, I’m honored to point out that Neil has always been a MSTie. In fact, he was included in first MST documentary – This is MST3K – all the way back in his Doogie Howser days!
    • JERRY SEINFELD, my long time friend, and of course, one of our most brilliant stand-up comedians. Jerry was also the co-creator of Seinfeld, and the creator and host of my favorite concept for a talk show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. You know, I’ve known this guy for over thirty years. I actually remember him from when he only had one car.

    Plus Mark Hamill. And (from yesterday’s email) the guys behind the designs for Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Adventure Time.

    A lot of those guys have extremely popular and active fanbases, so this could very well put them over the $5.5 million/12 episode mark.

    I declare that this is officially A Thing.