Shoegazer Sunday: Static Daydream’s “Drift Away”

April 19th, 2020

Here’s a pleasant one off the Saint Marie Records Static Daydream sampler.

Would You Believe William Shatner As Archie Goodwin?

April 17th, 2020

Seeing is believing:

That’s the unsold pilot for a 1959 Nero Wolfe TV show, with Shatner as Goodwin and Kurt Kasznar (probably known best, most unfairly, for a role in Land of the Giants) as Wolfe.

I could definitely see myself watching this on METV…

(Hat tip: Don Webb.)

Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s In Memoriam Gardner Dozois

April 13th, 2020

Sometimes things just show up in my mailbox:

Swanwick, Michael and Sean Swanwick. In Memoriam: Gardner Dozois 1947-2018. Dragonstairs Press, 2020. First edition chapbook, #60 of 70 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. Came in the mail with a “with the Compliments of the Press” notice laid in. Originally appeared in the Philcon 2018 program book.

I’ll have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.

Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of Robert Silverberg’s Reflections and Refractions

April 8th, 2020

Here’s something else I missed when it came out:

Silverberg, Robert. Reflections & Refractions: Thoughts on Science Fiction, Science and Other Matters. Underwood Books, 1997. First edition hardback, #180 of 300 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in decorated boards and Fine slipcase, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection of essays, most (but not all) from his “Reflections” series of columns in Amazing and Asimov’s. Bought off eBay for $25, exactly half off the original list price of $50.

Another Industrial Book Piracy Site

April 6th, 2020

It looks like we have another massive book piracy site, https://full-english-books.net.

Here’s the WhoIs information:

Domain Name: FULL-ENGLISH-BOOKS.NET
Registry Domain ID: 2298584626_DOMAIN_NET-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.namesilo.com
Registrar URL: http://www.namesilo.com
Updated Date: 2019-06-10T04:26:19Z
Creation Date: 2018-08-17T17:40:19Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2021-08-17T17:40:19Z
Registrar: NameSilo, LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 1479
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abuse@namesilo.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.4805240066
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Name Server: ARNOLD.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
Name Server: ZITA.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned

Among the writers they appear to have ripped off are:

  • Neil Gaiman
  • William Gibson
  • Joe Haldeman
  • Elizabeth Hand
  • Stephen Jones
  • Stephen King
  • Joe R. Lansdale
  • George R. R. Martin
  • J. K. Rowling
  • Charles Stross
  • Bruce Sterling
  • Lisa Tuttle
  • Among many, many others.

    I’m no longer a member of SFWA, but those who are may want to pass this on to the legal committee…

    Library Additions: Two Manly Wade Wellman Firsts

    April 6th, 2020

    Closing in on a complete Manly Wade Wellman collection, and picked up two of his more obscure works:

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. Many Are The Hearts: a play in one act. North Carolina Confederate Centennial Commission, 1961. First edition chapbook, a Near Fine- copy with small wrinkle on rear cover near head, touches of wear, some sun-fading around the edges, and rust bleed-through on the two staples. One act play about a confederate North Carolina artillery detachment. Even includes a detailed diagram of a 6-pounder field gun at rear; good luck to any theater company trying to get their hands on one of those! I think this is only the second copy I’ve seen offered for sale this decade. Currey, page 513. Bought for $38.25 off a fellow Biblio dealer.

  • Wellman, Manly Wade. Mystery at Bear Paw Gap. Ives Washburn, 1965. First edition hardback, a Very Good Ex-Library copy in the Hercules library binding, with pockets and interior stamps, with wear at head and heel, a 1″ very light stain to bottom page block, a couple of pinprick spots to top page block, and blunting of points, but no external stamps, sans dust jacket, as expected for the library binding. One of Wellman’s more difficult YA novels. Currey, page 513. Bought for $29.99 off eBay.
  • Library Addition: Ward Moore’s Lot & Lot’s Daughter

    April 2nd, 2020

    Sometimes books just come out at the wrong time. I wasn’t reading Ward Moore in 1996 when this came out, so by the time I was collecting Moore the hardback state had disappeared and gotten pricey. So only recently did I find a nice hardback copy in my price range:

    Moore, Ward. Lot & Lot’s Daughter. Tachyon, 1996. First edition hardback, #52 of 100 numbered, leatherbound hardback copies (the only hardback state), copies signed by introduction author Michael Swanwick, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with touches of wear at points and elsewhere. Two linked nuclear holocaust stories. Bought off eBay for $40.

    Library Addition: Signed, Limited Edition of George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood

    April 1st, 2020

    Martin, George R. R. Fire and Blood. Subterranean Press, 2019. First signed, limited edition hardback (the Bantam and Harper Voyager trade hardbacks precede by a year), #619 of 750 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and Fine slipcase. A novel set some 300 years before A Song of Fire & Ice proper. A handsome production.

    Library Addition: J. G. Ballard’s The Terminal Beach

    March 31st, 2020

    Closing in on a complete Ballard collection:

    Ballard, J. G. The Terminal Beach. Gollancz, 1964. First hardback edition (preceded by the Berkley paperback), a Near Fine copy with small owner’s name on FFE, small Australian bookstore sticker at bottom inside front cover near gutter, uniform dust soiling to top and side edges, and slight bumping at head and heel, in a Very Good+ price-clipped dust jacket with a 3/16″ chip at heel, shallow chipping at points, slight dust staining to spine and edges. A fairly nice copy of a key Ballard short story collection, including the title story and “The Drowned Giant.” Goddard & Pringle, J. G. Ballard: The First Twenty Years, 54. Currey, page 23. Bought at auction for A$500 plus shipping. Replaces an Ex-Library copy.

    Shoegazer Sunday: Ringo Deathstarr’s “Cotton Candy Clouds”

    March 29th, 2020

    Ringo Deathstarr is a Shoegaze band that on paper I should like more than I do. An Austin band with redheaded female bassist? I should be all over that. But for some reason they’ve never really clicked with me.

    But they just dropped a new, self-titled album, and this track sounds like a homage to not only Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” but also The Beatles at their most psychedelic.