According to ISFDB, Morrigan Publications in the UK released 11 titles, most of them in both hardcover and trade paperback editions (plus one chapbook), between 1987 and 1991. I consider myself lucky enough to have the three James P. Blaylock books in hardcover editions; I believe these were published as trade and limited editions, with extra material in the latter, but I only have the trade editions.
One of the tiny minority of book auctions that I recently won included the trade hardcover edition of K.W. Jeter’s In the Land of the Dead. I have the paperback edition by Onyx from back in 1989, but the pages are yellowing in that copy, and a nice clean hardcover edition is always easier to read. It’s been several decades now since I read it for the first time, so I’m sure when I re-read it I won’t remember a single thing. But, that makes it all the more special, I think.
Back in the 1980s and 1990, small press publisher Dark Harvest published a fair amount of horror fiction, from novels, to anthologies and collections. At the time I bought a handful of these, but back then hardcovers were a premium in my eyes. I’ve recently started to look for their books that I failed to get, with Alan Ryan’s novel, Cast a Cold Eye the latest find. Originally published in 1984, this is a horror novel set in western Ireland.
I don’t often bid for books on eBay, but recently I’d seen several books there listed a low starting prices, and tossed my hat in for a few of them. In most cases the subsequent bidding exceeded my budget for any book, and I bowed out when that limit was reached. Cast a Cold Eye, to my surprise, was one that I ended up winning (alas, I missed out on another Dark Harvest book, not to mention many, many Arkham House books…).
My copy arrived today, and to my second surprise, this copy was not the trade edition, but the signed/limited edition in a slipcase. My copy is #92 of 200, signed by Alan Ryan, as well as illustrator Jill Bauman. For $15 plus tax and shipping, that’s probably the third surprise. (I will note, to my annoyance, that the copy-reader missed Brain for Brian on the second page, which does not bode well.)
I picked up the latest copy in the series of Little Books from Borderlands Press. A Little Gray Book of Gloom, by Sabine Baring-Gould. This was another unknown author, at least to me, and collects eight short stories, plus a brief introduction by editor John Maclay, who once authored his own little book in the series.
My copy is signed by Maclay, and there’s a statement inside the cover that it’s number 378, with this edition limited to 350 copies. Either the limitation is a mistake, or this is one of those “extras” that gives a lie to the limitation number. Regardless, it’s a collection of stories by a bygone writer of fantasy, and I look forward to see what he wrote.
To be accurate, three of the books recently acquired are under the Arkham House imprint, and one under their mystery books imprint, Mycroft & Moran (even though the dust jacket has Arkham House on the spine).
Recently I’ve turned my eye toward trying to collect more Arkham House books, although I know there are a few that probably will remain out of reach, including the ones from the 1940s, plus some of H. P. Lovecraft’s books (which I may well skip, anyway). I don’t have the exact number of books they published, but I believe that it’s close to 200 (this may include pamphlets and other association material). Despite the value of the name, Arkham House, the owners of this brand have failed it, given that nothing’s been published since 2008, and less than 10 books have appeared since 2000.
First published in 1966, Seabury Quinn’s The Phantom Fighter collects ten of his Jules de Grandin stories. This is the first time I’ve bought a Quinn book, or read any of his stories. Apparently he was quite popular among Weird Tales readers, but has faded somewhat in modern times, at least compared to Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard.
Portraits in Moonlight, by Carl Jacobi. Published in 1964, and along with the next book mentioned below, the oldest of my Arkham House books. Collects 14 stories, many of which originally appeared in Weird Tales magazine. My first Jacobi book, although I’d tried for years to find his Fedogan & Bremer book, Smoke of the Snake, to no avail.
Tales of Science and Sorcery, by Clark Ashton Smith. Also published in 1964, this book contains 14 short stories, and a memoir by E. Hoffmann Price. Perhaps I’ve already read these stories elsewhere, as I own a fair amount of non-Arkham House CAS books. This is only my third Arkham House book, the other two being a collection of letters and a book published in 1988. Most of his other AH books date back much further than what I have.
Eight Tales, by Walter de la Mare. Another book from an earlier era, published in 1971. A slim volume of never collected early tales. This book also includes an interesting introduction by Edward Wagenknecht, where he discusses different writers and their thoughts on their early fiction. Some writers want to forget, hide, or revise their early works, as, looking backward with what they’ve learned they see the embarrassment of their earlier attempts at writing. I’ve never read anything by de la Mare (much like Quinn and Jacobi), so this will be an interesting dip into the past. It does appear, at least from an initial glance, that de la Mare at least allowed his earlier works to once more see the light of day. It would be interesting to compare these to more mature tales.
With these four titles, I now own 40 Arkham House books and two Mycroft & Moran books. That’s a decent number, but still less than 25% of their published works. I think that I might be able to acquire another 30 or 40 or so books, before I encounter those volumes that are insanely rare or expensive. If I’m able to collect all of the books published since 1970, or maybe 1960, I think that I’ll stop there (though now that I have a few from the 1960s, it tempting to add that decade to my goal). I really wish that they had made an effort to continue to publish books under their name. What a waste of a great imprint.
Rx Murder and Rx Mayhem are two books from F. Paul Wilson. Originally they were written under the pseudonym of Nina Abbott. The copies that I have are trade paperback editions published by Gordian Knot Books (an imprint of Crossroad Pass), and state on the cover “F. Paul Wilson writing as Nina Abbott.” The books were published in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and center around a young doctor in a small family medical practice near Baltimore.
Wilson originally wrote Rx Murder back in 2003, coming off a dark Repairman Jack novel. He trunked this book, deciding that it just didn’t work. Then, amidst the Covid-19 lockdown he returned to the book. He’d just retired from his medical practice, and found an angle that he thought now worked with the novel. A supernatural angle, ie. a ghost.
Rx Murder centers around Noreen Marconi, a 32-year old doctor fresh off her residency. She’s returned close to her home town outside Baltimore, and joined a practice with two senior partners. Then she’s visited by the ghost/spirit of her dead father. This happens after she’s forced to move back to her childhood home after a flooding in her condo. She ends up in the middle of a murder investigation when one of patients dies from a peanut allergy, and in the course of the investigation meets up with a former high school crush who’s now a local cop. Together they try to investigate the death of her patient, while she also gets roped into a quest from the ghost. Although the murder is dealt with in the first book, the mystery of the ghost lingers through the second book.
Rx Mayhem takes place immediately following the events of Rx Murder, but focuses more on the quest imposed on her by this ghost: find out what happened to her father’s best friend, who vanished one night, abandoning his wife and daughter. The sequel gets darker and darker, and all is not what it seems. Noreen, aka Norrie, also has to deal with one of the senior partners going to through a cancer diagnosis, the other partner’s penny-pinching ways, a weight-loss drug and it’s odd side-effects, and a stripper neighbor who keeps hinting that Norrie would make a great older stripper, plus more. At times it seems that Wilson is trying to include quite a few stories from his own medical practice, with one weird patient after another.
Overall, I’m not sure I bought the stories. The books are told from Noreen’s point of view. The involve a lot of medical practice material, likely pulled from Wilson’s own experience. There are several loose ends still dangling after the second book, almost as if Wilson planned a third novel. As both books are told from Norrie’s first person perspective, and it gets annoying at times.
In terms of cozy mysteries, or romantasies (a genre I saw advertised at a local chain bookstore this past weekend), maybe I’m not the target audience for these books. The clues are at times heavy-handed, the sexual tension between Norrie and her childhood friend-now cop simmers perhaps too long. The penny-pinching partner story fizzles out, and the ghost almost too easy to deal with. Maybe—I kept thinking as I read the books—these really aren’t Wilson’s genres either. He’s been great with darker books, and these were almost too whimsical. Anyway, as a huge fan of his fiction, I still think it’s a tough situation that he no longer is writing, due to his recent stroke. I know he has more ideas, but the type of stroke he’s dealing with makes writing next to impossible.
Have I now read all of FPW’s books? Aside from a pair of collaborations, I think so (and this doesn’t count the first two volumes of the Compendium of F, as I have those short stories in other collections).
The first F. Paul Wilson book that I read, An Enemy of the State, was an eye-opener when I read the paperback back in 1986. Now, almost 40 years later, it’s been a wild ride. My bookshelf if stacked with his books, including all the Repairman Jack Gauntlet editions (whoa there, I’m missing one Young Jack book in that format…). From SF to horror to thriller, mysteries, and other weird tales, it’s been a great experience to read his books (Yes, I even have the Weird Tales magazine special FPW edition). I remember many a night spent hidden in a room until past 2am just to finish a book, my wife thinking I was crazy for staying up late for that reason.
I also remember meeting Wilson and having him sign some books in person. We’ve disagreed on movies, corresponded via email at times, but I wish I’d made more of an effort to get to know him in person; it’s hard to talk to your heroes. So many of the literary heroes of mine that I used to know in person are now gone—it’s tough, it’s demoralizing, and almost none of them are left now. But, such is life, alas. I know he’ll never read this, but F. Paul Wilson – thank you for everything.
I’m usually more focused on specific authors (aside from a few exceptions, i.e. all books by Golden Gryphon Press, two Pulphouse Publishing series, and an attempt to find all Dark Harvest books, the last effort which is as yet unrealized), rather than anthologies or series. When Centipede Press announced a special price for the latest book in their series, Masters of Science Fiction, by Pamela Sargent, I hesitated—but only for one day.
This series has been around for a few years, and I don’t have any of the previous Masters of Science Fiction titles. Still, I’ve read (and enjoyed) some of Sargent’s stories in her Golden Gryphon collection, Thumbprints, and the price was attractive enough not to pass up. Also, Centipede Press to me, means Quality with a capital Q.
With this copy I now have 17 books from Centipede Press. This is a fraction of their output, I know, but so it goes. Based on their list of forthcoming books, I hope to add a few more, if the opportunity presents itself. Until 2017 I only owned one Centipede Press book (Michael Shea’s The Autopsy and Other Tales, published and bought way back in 2008—a much treasured volume that now fetches many times more online than I paid for it back in 2008). From 2017 through 2021 I only bought books from them by a single author (Fritz Leiber). Onlyl recently did I branch out and buy some of their other books, and then just one in their long-running series of “weird fiction” and science fiction. I kick myself these days regarding the decision to ignore their other publications.
All the prior books in this series of Masters in Science Fiction are long out of print. If you search online for copies, the prices escalate into the hundreds and beyond. The further you go back in terms of the publication date, the higher the price. In order words, I probably won’t be collecting any of the earlier books in the series. They do have a Howard Waldrop book scheduled, and despite having all of Waldrop’s books, that’s one that will sell out quickly.
My copy is #350 of 500 signed and numbered copies. It’s signed by Sargent, artists Bob Eggleton, and Pat Cadigan, who wrote the introduction. Clocking in at 846 pages, and collecting 31 stories spanning her career, this is an impressive book. The wrap-around dust-jacket painting by Eggleton is amazing, as the the production quality of the book. Also, for each story, Sargent has written a short afterword. If I have any quibble about this book in terms of the title, it’s the lack of a proper bibliography. It will take some time to go through all 31 stories, but these are moments to savor.
Joe R. Lansdale has written a vast number of books. Subterranean Press has published a fair number of those books. Recently I picked up just my fourth and fifth copies of Lansdale books published by Sub Press—a minuscule number of those books, for sure. The reasons? First: Most of these were published many years ago, and now fetch prices well above the initial listed price. Second: the initial listed prices tended to start around $40, even for copies available in the thousands, vs. hundreds, in terms of “limited editions.” Therefore, I went with the more mass-market publishers when it came to Lansdale’s books. But, if I’m lucky enough to find any within my narrow price range, then why not?
For a Few Stories More, Volume 4 in the Lost Lansdale series, Subterranean Press, 2002.
Initially listed at $40, I paid $22 for this book. Used. Online. From a dealer. Apologies to Mr. Lansdale, who didn’t get a penny from me on this one; I have bought many of your books retail, however, but sometimes there are books offered at prices beyond what I can pay. And, I came late to the party on this one, 23 years late, to be exact.
For a Few Stories More, is the fourth (and last) in a series of “Lost Lansdale” books and short stories. So far I’ve only read the introduction, which is a good one. After I got this book, I looked for books one through three, but those are listed at well beyond what I paid for this one, so I’ll stick with this book for now. My copy is #373 of 1000 signed and numbered copies. I plan on reading these stories shortly. Lansdale’s short fiction packs a punch, and I expect that even his early stories have some weight behind them.
Next up, a book that kept showing up everywhere when I was scrolling through online catalogs and offerings. This copy popped up at a surprisingly low price, so I went for it.
Jane Goes North, Subterranean Press, 2020
Jane Goes North is an amusing road trip of a book. Also originally listed at $40, I was able to get this one for $20. My copy is #88 of 2000 signed and numbered copies. The protagonist, Jane, lives in East Texas. She’s just been fired from a low-paying job, and gets invited to a sister’s wedding just outside Boston. Determined to make it to the wedding despite being almost broke, she teams up with a stranger, Henrietta aka Henry, an anti-social woman with a wandering eye. Henry has a working car, and Jane is willing to drive.
Along the way they meet up with a collection of bizarre people, including a pair of dollar store thieves, some back-woods slavers, and a country musician who now makes her living playing in bars along the east coast, while fighting off sexism and owners reluctant to pay her anything. In typical Lansdale fashion, characters over-share information, but Jane preservers. She has grit, determination, and I ended up rooting for her despite all her dubious decisions. The ending surprised me somewhat, and perhaps there’s a sequel in there somewhere.
The Early RJ trilogy, consisting of Secret Histories, Secret Circles, and Secret Vengeance, were books I bought in the Tor hard cover editions a year or two after the last book in the series appeared—the books were published between 2008 and 2011. After some research, I see that I bought my copies some time in 2012. For some reason, after the first book in the series, Tor’s marketing department changed the cover designs for the next two books; while the latter two bear similar designs, these differ wildly from the first one.
I didn’t plan to buy the limited editions of these books. These were published by Gauntlet Press, which usually price their FPW books at $60. Then again, I’d recently bought the other RJ trilogy covering his first years in New York in their limited editions, even though I had the Tor books, and the same for the ICE-trilogy (how irony, given the current ICE acronym as a government agency).
Still, when I came across the first in the series listed online for far less then $60, I pulled the trigger and bought it. My copy of Gauntlet Press’s edition of Secret Histories is signed and numbered as #9 of the 500 limited copies. This book came with a slipcase, which I thought was only meant for the lettered editions.
A few months later, I saw a copy of the second book, Secret Circles, listed for around the same price, and went ahead and bought it as well. This copy is numbered 202 of 500 copies, but didn’t come with a slipcase. At least Gauntlet Press didn’t go all wonky again and change the numbers in the editions, as they’ve done with other series—good luck collecting all books if they are in editions of 500, 450, some random number, vis-a-vis the “City” trilogy, or even the Nocturnia trilogy.
The covers in the Gauntlet editions are far better than the Tor editions, that’s for sure. The spines are almost identical in design, thought the covers use different fonts and placements of the subtitles and Wilson’s name. “Arg!” I said when I saw this. Can we have some consistency in design?
Now, if I can just find the last book at a reasonable price, it will complete the set. Then I’ll have to find a way to buy FPW’s last two novels, as Gauntlet released the first of these just recently, and will release the second shortly. It’s madness, I know. I’ve already read them, as I bought the trade editions, which I thought would be the only editions. So it goes.
Jules Verne (1828 – 1905) was a French writer. His most famous stories are Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872), all classic “science fiction” books. Back then, the term science fiction didn’t exist, but he’s since been hailed as one of the first science fiction writers. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read the orignal books, though I know the stories well. Somehere in my library I do have a copy of A Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Borderlands Press, continuing it’s mission to publish stories from past masters of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, recently published A Little Blue Book of Icy Perils, which collects three of Verne’s stories, plus a (bonus) sonnet. Edited by Tom Connair, and limited to 500 signed and numbered copies, it joins the ever-growing stack of such books in my library. The copyright date states 2024, but I believe it was offered for sale in early 2025. At least, that’s when I saw it offered for sale, and then bought a copy.
I much prefer the rougher cloth bound versions of these books, at least compared to the smooth bindings. The various bindings and sizes means that these books aren’t 100% uniform, but it is what it is. The series continues, at least for now. If I were the editor in charge, I might pick other writers, but the fact that I’m not the editor in charge means that I’m always surprised, and that’s a good thing!
I also learned from the introduction, that there was no balloon ride in Around the World in Eight Days. My perception of this book had been clouded by various movie versions, where balloon rides were de rigeur. It was strange, then, to read in the first paragraph of the first story about balloon rides. C’est la vie. Verne these days, then, is more well known for cinematic interpretations than his actual words. Quelle surprise.
As a long-time fan of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books, when Centipede Press started re-releasing the books in hardcover, I had to have them. Leiber published seven books in the series, starting with Swords and Deviltry and ending with The Knight and Knave of Swords. As Leiber aged, so did his heroes. They endured loss, hardship, delight, love, pain, and injuries along their adventurous lives.
Robin Wayne Bailey, an accomplished writer in his own right, was asked by Leiber to write a book with these two characters. He finished one of three contracted books, but various publishers involved with the books folded, and so there’s only one completed book. Swords Against the Shadowland was published in April 2025 by Centipede Press in a signed an unsigned version. As all my copies are unsigned, as is this one. The book comes with a gorgeous wrap-around cover. After a brief introduction from the author, we dive right into the story. Interestingly, it’s a sequel of sorts to the first book in the series, Swords and Deviltry. The pair are transported back to Lankhmar, a city they vowed never to re-visit after the tragic events they experienced there in the first book.
Centipede Press publishes a wide variety of books. These books are always professionally done. The exterior, the binding, and the interior are carefully crafted. The contents are comprehensive, and illustrated throughout. The books are virtually works of art, more so than a book you’d read. Most of their books sell out quickly, and subsequently fetch a premium on the secondary market. In my case, I bought the first book direct from the publisher back in 2017. Each year since, I’ve plonked down my coin for the next book. I own the first six in Ace paperback editions, and the seventh as a hardcover, but to have these is a crown jewel sort of feeling.
