Photos from the 2013 San Antonio Worldcon

December 9th, 2013

I knew that dealing books at Worldcon would eat up a lot of time, but I had no idea just how much time it would take me to not only get all the books back on the shelf, but to catch up on everything I set aside while getting ready for, then recovering from, Worldcon.

Which explains why I’m just now putting up the pictures I took there. Here are the handful of pictures I took at Worldcon that came out decent.

Clotheshorse that she is, the lovely and talented Gail Carriger kicks off our review with the first of three outfits I managed to photograph.

P1000047

A second.

P1000065

And a third.

And here’s the same outfit she insisted I snap with her own camera. “You’ve got to include the shoes!”

P1000034

Stina Leicht, sitting next to me at the Rayguns Over Texas event at the San Antonio Library.

P1000035

Scott Cupp and Josh Rountree at the same event. The other photos I took there came out crappy.

P1000039

Bookseller and con chair Mike Walsh.

P1000043

Lou Antonelli channels Flavor-Flav.

P1000044

Howard Waldrop and Eileen Gunn, just before Howard went three rounds with a concrete step.

P1000066

And here’s Howard just after that bout.

P1000046

Andrew Porter, now free of the terrible burden of publishing a semi-prozine.

P1000048

Pat Murphy, back again.

P1000050

Ex-NASA employee Al Jackson.

P1000051

Ex-Austinite Maureen McHugh.

P1000052

Kim Stanley Robinson, back from whatever frozen locale he’s visiting this time. Possibly Iapetus.

P1000054

Gardner Dozois at full rant.

P1000055

Gardner Dozois at full rest. The two modes are deceptively similar.

P1000058

In 2012, Pat Cadigan asked me to take down one of her pictures. So this year I made sure that this picture with Robert Silverberg was 100% flattering.

P1000059

I think this is a very good picture of Dwight Brown.

P1000060

Rich Simental, who spent much of the con in his room working on a completely different con.

P1000062

Ben Yalow. Or possibly one of those hundreds of Ben Yalow impersonators you hear so much about.

P1000067

Max Merriwell, in a very clever diusguise.

David Kyle

David Kyle, who I think has passed the late Forrest J. Ackerman for Most Worldcons Attended.

I’m sorry that I didn’t get pictures of Alastair Reynolds, David Brin, Jack McDevitt, Joe and Joy Haldeman, and Lois McMaster Bujold (among others I missed), who were all kind enough to come by the Lame Excuse Books booth.

Shoegazer Sunday: Eluvium’s “Don’t Get Any Closer”

December 8th, 2013

I was in the mood for mellow, and Eluvium‘s “Don’t Get Any Closer” (which has a definite ambient film score tinge to it) fits the mellow bill.

Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark

December 6th, 2013

Thanks to the keen eye of SF Signal’s John DeNardo, we have word that the auteurs at The Asylum or offering their homage to Terror of MechaGodzilla: Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark.

It looks like pretty much everything we’ve come to expect from The Asylum…

Library Additions: Dan Robertson’s The Ideal, Genuine Man inscribed by Stephen King

December 2nd, 2013

While it’s gotten much harder to find undiscovered gems in used bookstores thanks to the Internet, there are still bargains to be had if you know what you’re looking for.

Take, for example, this:

Robertson, Dan. The Ideal, Genuine Man. Philtrum Press, 1987. Second Printing of the first edition hardback (numberline starting with 2 and “Distributed by the Putnam Group” on the copyright page), a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a slight indention and 1/16″ closed tear along spine. Signed by Robertson and inscribed by introduction author Stephen King: “1/29/88” then further down: “To Lady Pat and/Sir Barr/all best,/Stephen King”//.

Ideal Genuine

Ideal Genuine Sig

Friends tell me that King used to regularly attend SCA events on the east coast (which is where his cameo in Knightriders came from), and the inscription suggests that this might have been inscribed to someone King knew in that context.

Philtrum Press, of course, is Stephen King’s own press, and he did initially tour with Robertson (a writer King long admired) to promote the book. So I always check copies when I come across them. This one I found at the Half Price Books on outer Westheimer in Houston for $18, minus roughly 25% off thanks to a coupon for the day after Thanksgiving.

This is, I think, the 6th book signed Stephen King book in my library, but the first I’ve found cheap in a used bookstore…

William Shatner’s Annual Warning Not To Set Yourself On Fire Frying a Turkey

November 27th, 2013

Just as I’ve done the last two Thanksgivings, I bring you a public service announcement from William Shatner: try not to set yourself on fire while frying a turkey.

For those with low Shatner thresholds, the advice is:

  • Don’t overfill the pot with oil.
  • Turn off the flame when lowering the turkey into the oil.
  • Always fry your turkey away from your house.
  • Properly thaw the turkey before cooking.
  • Use a grease-approved fire extinguisher.
  • If you’re going to fry a turkey, this is pretty sound advice.

    The remix!

    Shoegazer Sunday: Golden Garden’s “Ghostwood”

    November 24th, 2013

    I was in the mood for something mellow, and Golden Garden‘s “Ghostwood” admirably fits the bill, even if the video comes in almost entirely on the cheap side of the “cheap but arty” continuum.

    Lead singer Aubrey Rachel Violet Bramble (if in fact that’s a single person’s real name and not a real name + fake name combo) has the most obvious “little girl” voice this side of Alison Shaw of Cranes.

    Reader Requested Book Scan: Joe R. Lansdale’s Molly’s Sexual Follies

    November 22nd, 2013

    Over on my post about the first hardback edition of Texas Night Riders, reader Jason Bovberg asked for a scan of Joe’s rarest book, the pseudonymous porn novel Molly’s Sexual Follies, since he had never seen one before. I checked online, and indeed there seem to be no scans of this book’s cover, so here’s a scan of my copy.

    Lansdale, Joe R. with Brad Foster (as Mark Simmons). Molly’s Sexual Follies. Beeline Books, 1982. First edition paperback original, a VG- copy with considerable creasing and 1/2″ of separation between front cover and spine at heel.

    Molly's

    Molly's Title

    Any other rarities from The Person Collection (he said vaingloriously) people want to see?

    The Complete Monty Python Reunion Press Conference

    November 21st, 2013

    In case you hadn’t heard, Monty Python’s Flying Circus is reuniting for a live show at London’s 02 Arena next July 1st.

    Because I like Monty Python, and because I’m not above blatant click-bait, here’s a video of the entire press conference announcing the reunion.

    Random Notes:

    1. The sound seems screwed up after about 5 minutes, but you can still hear them.
    2. Love the wrong names.
    3. Love Gilliam’s Mr. Bill shirt.
    4. Carol Cleveland looks really, really good for her age.

    Finnish Bread Ad, As by Ingmar Bergman

    November 19th, 2013

    Don Webb alerted me to this Finnish bread ad which is so depressingly grim that it’s hilarious:

    Translation to the only dialog: “Well are you hungry or not?”

    On Don’s Facebook page, Marc Laidlaw suggested that the father and son might be the same actors who were in Rare Exports, and I think he might be right.

    I worked with a Finn once, and he said Finnish National Health care didn’t bother with such frivolities as Novocaine when they were drilling your teeth when he was growing up. No wonder they kicked the Soviet Union’s ass in the winter war…

    Library Additions: A Random Collection of Signed Books

    November 18th, 2013

    Some more library additions, with no particular theme except books signed by the author.

  • Bear, Greg. Early Harvest. NESFA Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #173 of 250 signed, numbered copies (800 print run total), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and slipcase. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought off the Internet for $37.50.
  • Bradbury, Ray. Driving Blind Avon Books, 1997. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Bradbury: “Marilyn! /Onward!/Ray Bradbury/Oct. 18, ’97”. Bought for $20 off eBay.
  • Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately the Milk…. HarperCollins (UK), 2013. First edition hardback (the UK and U.S. edition were evidently simultaneous), slipcased limited edition (“with exclusive bookmark”) sold by UK bookstore chain Foyle’s signed by Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddle, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued, still in shrinkwrap. I think this state came out about a month after the trade edition. Young adult novella. Bought for £19.99 plus shipping off eBay.

    Gaiman Milk

  • Gibson, William. Zero History. Putnum, 2010. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by Gibson. Bought for $12 (marked down from $20) at a Half Price Books during a coupon sale.
  • Lake, Jay. Dogs in the Moonlight. Prime Books, 2004. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a bit of wear at the tips. Signed by Lake. Missed this when it came out, mainly because Prime was still part of Wildside. Bought for $24 off the Internet.
  • Lake, Jay. Endurance. Tor, 2011. Signed by Lake. Bought for 20% off cover at the San Antonio Worldcon.
  • Pohl, Frederik, with Jack Williamson. The Saga of Cuckoo. Nelson Doubleday (SFBC), 1983. First edition thus and first hardback (a book club omnibus edition of Farthest Star and A World Around a Star, both previously published only in paperback), code “N34” on page 433 (as per ISFDB), a Fine- copy with a tiny bit of crimping at head and heel, in a Fine dust jacket. Signed by both Pohl and Williamson. Bought for $22.50 off eBay.
  • Powers, Tim/James P. Blaylock. The Way Down the Hill/The Pink of Fading Neon. Axoltl Press, 1986. First Edition hardback, #178 of 300 hardback copies by both authors and introducers Ed Bryant and Charles De Lint, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Bought for $30 plus shipping from Heritage Auctions. One of those books I wasn’t sure whether I owned or not, since I had the other Axolotl Press Powers and Blaylock books…