GrasshopperFF

On 3/26/2024 at 6:19 PM, Black Cactus said:

A very good mail day today!

I can’t stop looking at the fanny on Lesbo Beach! I srsly believe these are smart investments. 

On 3/22/2024 at 9:41 PM, Surfing Alien said:

This one is straight up your alley Beau 

(Not my copy, it's buried and too many pics on my phone to dig through )

About the "Girls" taking to selling Magazines, and a little more

I read it about a year ago and recall it actually has a lot of background about the magazine selling business and a good page turner. Hitt wasn't quite at the "Gold Medal" writer level but his best could have been for sure.  I saw a credit for Frank Uppwall as the cover artist on the webs but looks like Dodd (or Nappi)  to me. Almost every Beacon from this time was reprinted from an earlier Universal related mag or digest but I don't know this one without digging into it.

She’s peddling magazines — and Passion! Love it. 

On 3/21/2024 at 5:33 PM, jimjum12 said:

I almost always pull up eBay or www.abebooks.com to compare prices before I pull the trigger on a transaction. It sometimes saves me a ton. I'm picky and don't mind paying an extra 10 or 20, but none of us are made out of money. PBs still remind me of the old days of comics, when stuff didn't leave me with the anxiety of buyer's remorse. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

I try to do the same. Hey, wait a minute, are you getting the sense that I’m overpaying?? 

On 3/21/2024 at 5:23 PM, jimjum12 said:

The first one I bought was probably close to 4x what it could've been, but it is VERY nice. PB's aren't like overpaying on a comic, which can be a month's pay or more. I actually got another one, even a little nicer, for less than 200. I figured they'd average out one day... and I do love it. I've only paid strong money for a handful of them in my life, and only after sleeping on it. PB's are so much more "low pressure". Some of them still can be "once in a lifetime" books. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

This is good advice and I agree. Timely too, as I’m still lurking around your current sales thread. Some nice books there!

On 3/21/2024 at 5:12 PM, johnenock said:

I think I got a good deal on this one, dunno for sure though. It is unread but there are a few spots of shelf wear.

My hunch is that you won’t regret it. Take it from the rookie!

What is a good way to show/store PBs? As I begin to collect I want to have them out — to be seen. But to also be protected. 

On 3/21/2024 at 11:34 AM, jimjum12 said:

I'm fond of this one.

Please add this to my pile. 

On 3/20/2024 at 9:20 PM, jimjum12 said:

Take please. 

On 3/20/2024 at 8:51 PM, jimjum12 said:

Take please. 

On 3/20/2024 at 1:53 PM, Surfing Alien said:

No, it's my brain needs a revision 

I'm pretty sure there was only one print but I could be wrong

My copy of this price guide arrived yesterday — Jimjum’s recommendation.  Should I order this one too? 

On 3/16/2024 at 9:22 PM, jimjum12 said:

I've got this one and am looking for the other two in similar shape, to no avail. They're out there, just not the pretty ones. To use your AF 15 analogy, why sell for $150 when the coolness of it far exceeds that? My problem is, disposable income is at an all-time low for me, but I do have more time to look ... recipe for frustration  I'm tempted to get decent ones and upgrade, but sure enough, the right copy will pop up as soon as I'm tapped out. I know, first world problem. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

... it's real pretty, but gloss isn't total, but not bad. 

Want list updated. 

On 3/16/2024 at 9:03 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Thanks I got my set of Army Romances in other places. I NEED an upgrade of No. 3, mine has a sub crease but it's just rare as hell. One of the type things I flew to the LA show to look for. When no copies show up anywhere, for years, you know you gotta get what you can get when you can get it

LoTR sets are fairly plentiful, but they are very high demand. I consider them a bell-weather set for the hobby, kind of like AF15 for Silver Age comics. Plenty of them out there, but everyone needs a set and the higher the grade the price keeps inching up. The set pictured is my 4th set, always upgrading each individual book. I don't think a higher grade set could exist but I could be wrong, there's virtually no flaws and they are very thick books and were highly read so very difficult to get (and keep) nice. I sold my undercopies to these recently for $650 on the bay. They only lasted a couple of days on there. That's nothing $-wise in comic world but I remember when you could get a real nice set for $100. I probably shouldn't have sold them but I keep telling myself I can't keep everything and will use the money to fill other holes. The Hobbit is the Ballantine file copy. The centering is so tough on that book, my heir will have to sell that one

Those Tolkiens. Drool. 

On 3/16/2024 at 7:42 PM, Surfing Alien said:

 I wouldn't advise anyone to "bet the farm" on any collectible, you might wind up the proud owner of crates full of Beanie Babies and no food 

As James mentioned, I don't see any chance of a meteoric rise in prices for pbs, but there has been a steady uptick since I started buying again 7 years ago, moreso recently. As with most things, it's the higher grades and better books for the most part.

I don't agree that pbs were saved more than comics were though. They were passed around and were throwaways when printed as well and, unlike comics, never had word out in the non-collector world whereas comics have been hoarded by condition conscious  collectors at least since the 1960's and by the 1980's, as my friend RD says, (paraphrasing here) every grandma in an antique stall in Podunk had her VG copy of Dippity Duck #392 in a Mylar and priced at $55.

Whereas old paperbacks were just that. Junk, thrown in a corner of the stall where the brittle spine glue dried up further until it cracks when you open the cover and the pages flutter unfettered about the stall 

Not saying there haven't been plenty of die hard collectors all along. Just nowhere near the preservation base due to lack of value and knowledge. 

I've only ever bought pbs with side money, steadily though, and over the years you can put together some nice runs of things.

Lowell! I ain’t got the words. 

On 3/15/2024 at 10:11 PM, MattTheDuck said:

Red Harvest is a great read.  I've called out "back to Philly, Al!" in all kinds of crowd situations just for fun.

It’s now in my Audible library. Several murders in a corrupt Montana mining town… Lots of good street cred on this one. 

On 3/15/2024 at 8:09 PM, OtherEric said:

As for the others:  The Pockets are both Stated Pocket 1st.  The Ellison wasn't part of the batch, just something else the store had today.  I've seen the Pyramid version plenty of times but the Ace doesn't turn up nearly as often.

I’ve just started a want list. From books that I read in college seminars to classic old movies. To include some sci-fi and historical themes I’ve seen here.  I’m sure some of the books I’ll be hunting for are not cheap. This thread has lit a fire!

On 3/15/2024 at 8:06 PM, OtherEric said:

So, my local book store called me and told me he had gotten a box of (mostly) 50's paperbacks and comics, the paperbacks fairly decent and the comics ranging from "bits & pieces" up to about VG.  I wound up getting a bunch of books and comics for more than what he paid for the box, but better than I could have expected for the material in general.  We'll start with the Hammett.  The Pocket Red Harvest is a stated Pocket 3rd, the Reader's League has no printing info, and the Maltese Falcon is a stated Perma Books 1st.

I’d jump on the Maltese Falcon (without looking anywhere else — how rare is it?). I’ve watched the movie a dozen times. 
 

edit: And it looks to be in nice condition!

This is a timely thread because I am really new to the PB hobby. I’m more interested in first editions — the more rarity the more interest. Anything that is rare, and that has a coolness factor or historical significance, garners my attention.  And I love to read. Books and ideas in them hold special value to me. I won’t be reading any first edition purchases because I am not gentle enough. I hope to find either a beater to read or find it on Audible or Spotify. 

I really like the historical books — Natzi’s / KKK hoods / books with a “banned” nature — not because I believe in their outlandish ideas, but because we need to remember the history. No whitewashing or blurring truth. Those books, in first editions, get my interest. 

I also like the tough-guy detective scene. Philip Marlowe and company. The PB’s with beautiful, scantily-clad women are fun to see on the boards, and I’d pick up the more rare, tasteful covers, but I need to pass on having my kids discover a stack of naughty ladies of the night laying around! 

Of course, I may look back on this post and realize my interests have changed. These are my initial interests — guttural attractions. The boardies have been a great help, so far. Surfing Alien’s knowledge and willingness to help has been great! Same with JimJum12. 

On 3/10/2024 at 2:39 PM, Surfing Alien said:

*Update* Blazed through the second half yesterday. "Wow" is the word. Seldom do these noirs sustain such an even pacing throughout. Lots of tough turns of phrasing and memorable truths about life, death and love. All the elements of great plotting are here. The climax (perfectly captured by Copeland on the second paperback edition) is quite memorable and the fall and resolution not the usual throw aways. Highly recommended.

Next up in the Audible cue:

On 3/8/2024 at 6:32 PM, OtherEric said:

 

I’ve been humming this tune ever since I listened to this yesterday. I can’t get it out of my head!

On 3/8/2024 at 10:38 PM, Surfing Alien said:

There and ebay are definitely the largest aggregators of sellers but much top material exchanges without the public getting a whiff 

Really like the sound of no public whiffing. Rule #1: Ask here first. Got it. And it makes sense!

On 3/8/2024 at 9:42 PM, GrasshopperFF said:

Done. 

Just so we are clear — I did not make this purchase! I guess I was wondering where yall go to make such purchases? Part of the learning curve — the true and sacred advice. 

On 3/8/2024 at 9:38 PM, Surfing Alien said:

 

Done. 

On 3/8/2024 at 9:02 PM, Surfing Alien said:

One reason it's so rare and $$$ is there were no modern printings for 60 or so years so anyone who heard the buzz about it had to dig up a 1st or 2nd. The modern noir renaissance is your friend   

Now a nut like me, since I'm really liking it, is going to have to go all out to find a real nice copy of the 1st, because I have to have nice 1st pbs of books I love 

Now I see the madness. The fun. Seeds are planted for that one rare book — those awesome rarity of books and nostalgia. Some with pretty women whose boobs point straight up and they look so nice. Some with gangsters — because we know crime is a part of it all. Plant the seeds, boys. And I shall do my part to secure what I can! 

On 3/8/2024 at 8:19 PM, Darwination said:

I'm a huge Beatles fan (fave album: Abbey Road followed by the White Album), but I have some serious PTSD from a bar I inhabited in younger days where the entire bar would break out in a drunken rendition of Yellow Submarine about closing time once a month

Cobain is solidly of my generation (X, grew up in a punk/hardcore scene too hip for Nirvana but caught on).  Thought of them this week when I heard this one for the first time ever (visiting lots of late 70s early 80s punk/new wave these days that I missed out on the first time around):

 

Yeasss!!