Posts Tagged ‘Wild Cards’

Library Additions: Signed Jacobs, Plus A Martin First

Monday, April 8th, 2024

Two more Half Price Books finds:

  • Jacobs, Harvey. The Egg of the Glak and Other Stories. Harper & Row, 1969. First edition hardback, a Near Fine+ copy with slight bumping at head, heel, and top rear point, in a Very Good dust jacket I’ll replacing with the better dust jacket on my existing copy, inscribed by Jacobs: “To Polly Lyons,/with all good wishes/for sunthings and/moonthings. Happy/wedding./Harvey Jacobs.” The signature seems to match other online examples of Jacobs signature. Replaces an existing copy. Bought for $13.50.

  • Martin, George R. R., editor. Texas Hold-Em: A Wild Cards Novel. Tor, 2018. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $8.99. I have the first twelve Wild Card Bantam PBOs (the first three signed by a significant number of contributors), the three Baen PBOs, the first six SFBC hardback reprints of the Bantam PBOs, the two iBooks hardback firsts, and a goodly number (but not all) of the Tor hardback firsts. So I need the Tor firsts of Busted Flush, Suicide Kings, High Stakes, Low Chicago, Knave Over Queens, Three Kings, Joker Moon, Full House, Pairing Up and Sleeper Straddle.
  • Library Additions: Four Paperback Originals

    Thursday, January 11th, 2024

    Three of these were bought at Half Price Books locations in the Dallas Metroplex, and two replace slightly less attractive copies.

  • Delany, Samuel R. Babel-17. Ace, 1966. First edition paperback original, a Fine copy, though with slight age darkening to the pages. Nebula Award winner and Hugo nominee. Currey, page 139. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $5 at Recycled Books in Denton.

  • Martin, George R. R. Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks. Bantam Spectra, 1991. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with mild spine creasing and a trace of wear at points. This completes my Wild Cards paperback collection. Bought for $2.49.

  • Moore, Ward. Caduceus Wild. Pinnacle Books, 1978. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with one tiny spine crease near front join, bookstore stamp inside, slight rubbing to rear cover, trace of magic marker left over price on front cover (Bestine took care of the rest), and touch of edgewear. Moore’s last novel. Replaces a slightly less attractive copy. Bought for $1.99.

  • Wagner, Karl Edward, and David drake. Killer. Baen Books, 1985. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with slight spine creasing, edgewear, and foxing to insider covers. Hunting an alien killer in ancient Rome. Bought for $1.49.

  • This is the last of the books picked up on the Thanksgiving trip to the Metroplex.

    Library Additions: Various First Editions

    Friday, January 5th, 2024

    Found at various Half Price Books locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the Book Celler in Temple, and Recycled Books in Denton.

  • Anonymous. In the Future. Arno Press, 1974. First edition hardback thus, a reprint of a book originally published in 1867, a Fine- copy with slight bumps at points, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought for $7.99.

    Not to be confused with the David Byrne piece of the same name:

  • Clarke, Arthur C. A Fall of Moondust. Harcourt, Brace and World, 1961. First edition hardback, an Ex-Library copy with the usual flaws, including stamps, pocket removal, tape to boards, etc, but with a much better than usual dust jacket, with a couple of short closed tears on flap edges, a small sticker ghost on spine, and slight protector discoloration to edges; call it a G/NF Ex-Lib copy. Currey, page 114. Replaces a less attractive Ex-Library copy. Bought for $20.

  • Erickson, Steve, Our Ecstatic Days. Simon & Schuster, 2005. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine, Mylar-protected dust jacket. Bought at Recycled Books in Denton for $6.80.
  • Kuttner, Henry. The Best of Henry Kuttner. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1975. First edition hardback (code “01 R” on page 335, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with trace of bumping at points in a Fine- dust jacket with slight edgewear and small fold to tip of bottom front flap. Introduction by ray Bradbury. Currey, page 291. Bought for $6 at the Book Cellar in Temple.

  • Martin, George R. R., editor. Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole. Bantam Books/SFBC, 1989. First hardback edition, the SFBC book club edition, preceded by the PBO, a Fine- copy with bumping at head, heel and top points, in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight bumping at head, heel and top points, a couple of phantom creases across rear cover, and slight edgewear. Bought for $6 at the Book Cellar in Temple.

  • Matheson. Richard. Duel: Terror Stories By Richard Matheson. Tor, 2003. First edition hardback, a Fine- with slight bend at heel copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight wrinkle at rear bottom. Supplements a trade paperback edition. Bought for $12.99.
  • Vance, Jack. The Space Pirate. Toby Press, 1953. First edition trade paperback original (no statement of printing, as per Currey), a Fine- copy with a bare trace of dust oiling age darkening to rear cover, plus the usual age darkening to pages; all but perfect, and far and away the nicest copy I’ve seen. Vance’s second novel. Hewett, A2. Cunningham, B.75.a. Currey, page 500. Supplements a signed but less attractive copy. Bought for $12 from Recycled Books in Denton.

  • Library Additions: Two Wild Cards PBOs

    Thursday, January 26th, 2023

    More Metroplex PBO purchases.

  • Martin, George R. R., editor, Melinda Snodgrass. Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire. Bantam Spectra, 1992. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy with one light spine crease, edgewear, wear at points, and slight foxing to inside covers.
  • Martin, George R. R., editor, Victor Milan. Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards. Bantam Spectra, 1993. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine copy with mild spine creasing, a trace of edgewear and slight foxing to inside covers.

  • The only one of the original Wild Cards PBOs I lack now is Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks. I have the rest (including the three Bean PBOs), the first three of which are signed by most of the contributors. I also have the one iBooks title and most of the Tor hardbacks, as well as the first five SFBC hardbacks of the first series.