June 22nd, 2014
For your Sunday dose of Shoegaze, here’s another shot of SPC ECO with “Fallen Stars.”
This is off their new album Sirens and Satellites, which I liked enough to buy. The overall sound features very pretty, very spacey background synthesizer washes with poppy tunes and understated female vocals somewhere between Florence + The Machine, Sarah McLachlan, and Tori Amos, with a dash of Yoko Kanno. The emotional feel of the album is a lot like Malory’s Outerbeats.
Tags: Music, Shoegazer, SPC ECO, video
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June 18th, 2014
OK, this was moderately amusing, especially the chicken…
Tags: silly, video
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June 15th, 2014
How long has it been since I featured an obscure Japanese Shoegazer band? Well that’s too long!
Here’s Bertoia‘s “Snow Slide,” which proves once again that low-rent costumes and dreamquest fantasies are a fine hook to hang a music video on…
Tags: Bertoia, Japan, Music, Shoegazer, video
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June 13th, 2014
Additions to my non-fiction reference library continues apace. Here are three science fiction reference works I picked up recently:
Del Rey, Lester. The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture. Garland, 1980. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight crimping at head and heel, sans dust jacket, as issued. A history of science fiction fandom by someone who witnessed it.
(Heinlein, Robert A.) Thorner, J. Lincoln. A Guide Through the Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein. Gryphon Books, 1989. First edition trade paperback chapbook original, a Fine- copy with touches of wear along the spine. 48 pages critical guide, including a small bibliography of reference works in the back.
(Wolfe, Gene) Borski, Robert. Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe’s BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. iUniverse, 2004. First edition hardback (no additional printings listed, though I believe iUniverse is a POD outfit), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Critical guide to Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Supplements a trade paperback edition in my library. Bought for $20 off an Internet bookseller.
Tags: Books, First Edition, Gene Wolfe, Lester Del Rey, reference works, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction
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June 9th, 2014
I recently picked up eight hardbacks in the Starmont Reader’s Guide line. For many authors, these were the only critical companions to their work ever published, and I get the impression that the hardback book runs for the critical titles were pretty miniscule (Chalker/Owings The Science Fantasy Publishers estimates 75-80 hardbacks) and mostly sold to libraries. Starmont was distributed by Borgo Press, and sometime you’ll see these titles listed under the Borgo imprint or with Borgo price stickers affixed.
Some of these state First Edition and some don’t, but I’m assuming these are first printings unless they state otherwise (the Silverberg states Second Printing). All are essentially Fine- copies with slight rubbing, sans dust jackets, as issued.
(Bester, Alfred) Wendell, Carolyn. Alfred Bester: Starmont Reader Guide 6. Starmont House, 1982. Signed by Wendell.
(Clement, Hal) Hassler, Donald M. Hal Clement: Starmont Reader Guide 11. Starmont House, 1982. Signed by Hassler.
(Delany, Samuel R.) Weedman, Jane Branham. Samuel R. Delany: Starmont Reader Guide 10. Starmont House, 1982. Signed by Delany: “Samuel R. Delany/Madison/2006”.
(Farmer, Philip Jose) Brizzi, Mary T. Philip Jose Farmer: Starmont Reader Guide 3. Starmont House, 1980.
(Haldeman, Joe) Gordon, Joan. Joe Haldeman: Starmont Reader Guide 4. Starmont House, 1980. Signed by Haldeman (and also an unreadable signature that I take to be either Gordon’s or the cover artist).
(Silverberg, Robert) Clareson, Thomas D. Robert Silverberg: Starmont Reader Guide 18. Starmont House, 1983. Signed by Silverberg. Second Printing.
(Pohl, Frederik) Clareson, Thomas D. Frederik Pohl: Starmont Reader Guide 39. Starmont House, 1987. Signed by Pohl. By this time the press had moved to what Chalker/Owings called the “Ditky-Newcomer” printing process (basically high quality Xerography) with the characteristic flocked edges that would appear on Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine a year later.
(Tiptree, Jr., James) Siegel, Mark. James Tiptree, Jr.: Starmont Reader Guide 22. Starmont House, 1986.
As the seller said: “They never bound any two books the same way.” As you can see from the picture, some have the trade paperback cover affixed to the front, while others are simply cloth with the title, author and series number printed on the spine.
Paid a total of $246.40, which went to SF writer Julian May, who is: A.) Still alive, and B.) The widow of Starmont House founder Ted Ditky.
Tags: Alfred Bester, Books, Fantasy, Frederik Pohl, Hal Clement, James Tiptree Jr., Joe Haldeman, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Silverberg, Samuel R. Delany, Science Fiction, science fiction criticism
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June 8th, 2014
Here’s “Faded Hearts,” another track from School of Seven Bells’ Put Your Sad Down EP. When I first listened to the EP, I kept skipping it because I didn’t like the sound of the first 15 seconds or so. But once you get past that it’s a really engaging song. And Alejandra Deheza still has a great voice.
The music for both this and “Put Your Sad Down” are both sort of pop-electronica on the surface, but lyrically and emotionally, both are dealing with the same affecting subject matter: how to convince someone who’s dying to keep living.
Tags: Music, School of Seven Bells, Shoegaze, Shoegazer
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June 7th, 2014
This is pretty awesome.
Basically, Stephan Pastis, the man behind the Pearls Before Swine comic strip, managed to strike up an email conversation with the Bill Waterston, the famously reclusive creator of Calvin & Hobbes.
The end result was that Watterson secretly drew panels in Pearls Before Swine strips.
Start here and keep scrolling forward through today.
(Hat tip both Michael Swanwick and Ted Cruz, who each shared it on Facebook…)
Tags: Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes, comics, Michael Swanwick, Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis, Ted Cruz
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June 3rd, 2014
From the annals of inexplicable crimes, here’s news that two 12-year old girls tried to murder a friend as a sacrifice for Slenderman.
You know, the entirely made-up CreepyPasta horror character.
It’s bad enough to be offered up as a human sacrifice to a real dark god, much less an Internet meme. It’s like a deranged bassist attempting to murder Harry Shearer so he can take Derek Smalls’ place in Spinal Tap…
(First video yanked, replacement inserted.)
Tags: creepy, CreepyPasta, crime, Horror, Slenderman
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June 2nd, 2014
L.W. Currey had another $10 sale, so I bought several signed books at that price, and a few that were slightly more expensive.
Card, Orson Scott. The Folk of the Fringe. Phantasia Press, 1988. First edition hardback, #140 of 400 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a trade copy. Bought for $10. (Original list price was $75.)
De Camp, L. Sprague and Fletcher Pratt. Wall of Serpents. Avalon, 1960. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with some bending at head and heel in a Very Good+ dust jacket, with crimping and rubbing at head and heel and slight dust staining to back cover. Signed by De Camp. Supplements an unsigned copy. Bought for $17.50
Pohl, Frederik. The Early Pohl. Doubleday, 1976. First edition hardback, a Near Fine copy with remainder speckling at heel in a Fine dust jacket. Inscribed by Pohl: “To Fred—/Cordially/Fred Pohl/(No relative!)/Fred Pohl/198-” Bought for $10.
Shepard, Lucius. The Jaguar Hunter. Kerosina, 1988. First edition hardback thus (contents differ from the Arkham House edition), #128 of 250 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed copy of the Arkham House first edition. Bought for $22.50. (Originally issued at £40.00.)
Shepard, Lucius. The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter. Mark V. Ziesing, 1988. First edition hardback, a #104 of 300 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10.
Silverberg, Robert. Thebes of the Hundred Gates. Axolotl Press/Pulphouse, 1991. First edition hardback, a #78 of 300 signed numbered hardbacks, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $10. Pulphouse wildly overproduced a number of titles, including this one, but $10 (down from the initial list price of $35) seems about right…
Simmons, Dan. Prayers to Broken Stones. Dark Harvest, 1990. First edition hardback, #329 of 500 signed numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase, new and unread. Supplements a signed trade copy. Bought for $37.50. (Originally issued at $75.)
Tags: Books, Dan Simmons, Fantasy, First Edition, Frederik Pohl, Lucius Shepard, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, Science Fiction
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June 1st, 2014
Jay Lake lost his long, well-documented fight with cancer today. He was 5 days shy of his 50th birthday.
I saw Jay at the San Antonio Worldcon. When he rolled up in his scooter, I went “Jay, you know the same conversation you’ve already had with every one of your friends this weekend? Let’s just pretend we already had that conversation.”
He was a swell guy and a good writer who will be missed.
I’m actually about to go off and visit a relative recovering from cancer in the hospital, which is one reason this is so brief…
Tags: cancer, Jay Lake, Obituary, Science Fiction
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