Surfing Alien

Thanks to all of you   I'm going to take a break to do some grilling for the wonderful Mrs.     I plan to get back and finish this run around 6PM EST so stay tuned...

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey    Signet Books No. T2240  1st Printing February 1963     $40  SOLD to Goldust40

Finding the 1st printing of this is like finding a needle in the haystack of a zillion printings that were done. Finding it without creases is even tougher.

Fine Plus/VF minus.  Tough black cover is square, tight and bright. Has little bits of edgewear, mostly on the spine edges, but no big creases or other defects

The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer   Crest Book No. 238   PBO  1958      $20  SOLD to OuterBoroGuy

That red hair Brewer's guys always fall for these crazy beeshes and they take him down...every...single...time

Unread copy with very little wear. It has an uneven dust shadow that I am marking down for.  Still displays well.

On 4/28/2024 at 3:17 PM, goldust40 said:

Take

She's top shelf for sure

A Lady Named Lou by Donald Henderson Clarke   Avon Special (NN) #2  1949     $75  SOLD to Goldust40

Ray Johnson stripper in the spotlight cover on this rare digest. One of my favorites. I really shouldn't be selling these Avon Big Girl digests but I can't keep everything.

Fine minus/Fine.   Tight and bright with clean staples (rare!) Small split to lower spine, a bit of wear around the edges but a nice looking example overall.

The Youngest Harlot  by Jay Carpenter  Newsstand Library U130   PBO 1960      $40  SOLD to OuterBoroGuy

Another killer sleaze title, this one JD related. Headlights cover not signed like Shanty Girl, but likely Bonfils as well.

VF minus/VF   Tight, glossy and new looking. No creases, just a few tiny bits of edgewear, slight curl to the book at spine from storage.

Shanty Girl by Hal. R. Moore     Newsstand Library U135    1960   PBO    $40  SOLD to crassus

Robert Bonfils sleaze cover art modeled on Brigette Bardot (see reference photo below, thanks to my pal Steve at Flickr)

VF minus/VF. Unread, square, glossy and tight. Has a couple of nicks to the upper covers

Take Your Last Look by Matt Brady   Gold Medal No. 376   PBO    1954   $15  SOLD to OuterBoroGuy

Cool Ray Johnson cover art of a hard boiled tough guy with an inviting damsel at the door.

Fine plus. Square and solid. Has very light creasing on front, small sticker shadow on back, a bit of edgewear.

 Nude In Mink by Sax Rohmer   Gold Medal 105.      PBO       1950    $40  SOLD to johnenock

Classic cover and title.  One of the 1st Gold Medal PBO best sellers. This weird one by Fu-Manchu and Sumuru author Sax Rohmer.

Fine Plus/VF Minus. Solid square with nice spine, has a small tear to the spine paper, glossy bold covers. No creases, the lamination only has a few issues. A nice copy

Dark Intruder by Vin Packer   Gold Medal No. 250    PBO First Print  August 1952    $15  SOLD to Goldust40

Amos Sewell GGA cover art with some hillbilly loving about to happen.

Square, tight and glossy. No creases to speak of. A bit of a crunch at the bottom front, light edgewear

The Captain's Doll by D.H. Lawrence    Berkley G-43    1957    $30  SOLD @30% off to crassus

Nice copy of a real pretty Maguire cover

Fine Plus.  Square, tight and bright, no creases on the front, a light one on the back, some light spine/edgewear, a bit of discoloration on the back.

I had a little time so I updated the Recap and cleaned up the thread. I should get back to some listing around 2PM EST. Probably have time to list a bunch then do a final session this evening

On 4/26/2024 at 1:20 AM, Darwination said:

I've never bought a single magazine, pulp or comic in a slab and feel like I navigate the waters just fine in terms of condition. 

The very same magazine on eBay might be listed as "good" by an amateur or conservative grader, VG by actual grade, and Fine by those who don't know better or volume dealers who know they can get away with calling a book that.  There are girlie pulp sellers I buy from regularly that will call a book Fine or even VF that I don't think gets too far past good.  I just don't pay more than my estimate of a book's grade (exceptions will be made, ha!).  That's what pictures are for. And a lifetime of looking at books.  And, hell, you often actually get 10 or 20 pictures of a bunch of different aspects of a magazine on eBay instead of just the front and back cover like you do with a slab.  Comics are graded a little tighter, but I'm sure we all know eBay sellers that are consistently over by one if not two whole grades.  I've been around this place long enough to know that 9 out of 10 of our members can look at 2 or 3 pictures and have a great sense of what they are looking at.  Personally, I don't feel like I need to give agency to a third party or pay fifty or one hundred bucks more for some supposed security about what I'm getting.  If I bought higher priced books I probably would, though, and I get that people like to feel safe in a transaction with a seller they don't know. 

Getting into paperbacks lately I will often contact a seller for a picture of a front cover of a "VG" on Abebooks to get a better feel which makes me happy you at least get mandatory pictures on eBay. 

When it comes to pulps, any grade of fine is automatically suspect, especially very fine.  When the books are actually that grade, though, they tend to have this color and freshness that's a whole 'nother cut above.

Anyways, I do see CGC coming to the game likely leading to more grading accuracy in pulps and more disclosure of restoration (even if it's not going to be as much of a factor outside of maybe color touch) which is great.  Since I've been on the forums here, I've gained more of an appreciation about the exactness and nuances of grading standards, even as I see that the best graders around this place can be way off in their guesses from an actual grade in the PGM area or the grading contests. 

What I don't see happening is people wanting to pay multiples of what a book is worth because it's been graded once the initial thrill wears off.  Seriously, there are books I'm seen in a box in not even very good grades that you can do just a tiny bit of searching for and still find at a good price. And for those who are new to the pulps and want to explore them, how do you even do that when they are in a box anyways?? Just like with the comics, I've got a lot of appreciation for presentable beaters.

I do see certain upsides, though.  A truly valuable presentation only copy should be pretty secure in a slab and face less handling damage, overhang loss, etc.  Weird Menace and Spicy Detectives etc. are a natural for it and probably a lot of higher end Weird Tales, too.  There are cases where you aren't told (or shown pictures of) rusty staples or moisture damage or brittleness (even by the reliable auction houses) and maybe CGC will help some of that go away.  I dunno,  I still wouldn't trade any of it for a bunch of good pictures and especially the ability to handle a book myself before buying which you lose when graded

I can see myself buying graded girlie pulps, but I can't see myself paying 600 dollars for a 200 dollar girlie in a box.  And I sure the hell aren't sticking any of my PC gals in there.  I haven't even been willing to do it to my golden age comics that I've been selling even if there's upside on the resale just as a personal matter. Maybe I'll get over it one of these days

Graded pulps are starting to pour onto the 'bay, many with crazy prices. A look at "sold" listings shows very few greater fools so far from what I can see. 

I guess we'll see if fear crushes greed as happens in exuberant markets from time to time, or vice versa...

On 4/27/2024 at 11:10 AM, jimjum12 said:

This one comes highly recommended by my pal, H.P. and I'm trying to find a nice edition with larger print that I can read. Love the Steele Savage cover, which is a wraparound by the way. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Steele Savage is such a unique artist, as well as name. A little like a Hannes Bok for the 70's generations 

"Swamp Girl" would be hard to top, so I'm going to take the break here and will finish up tomorrow. Thanks for the likes, takes and talks    I've saved a few goodies for the endgame

Swamp Girl by Evans Wall  Pyramid Books No. 39        First  Printing 1951    $80  SOLD to Microbia

One of the top Pyramid books with the famous bondage/whipping cover by Julian Paul.  The 1st print has a more brutal back cover blurb than the later prints.

I recently upgraded my first print so am offering this one here, it's even nice than the 3rd printing I sold last time.

Fine plus/VF minus.   Square, solid tight and glossy. No reader crease, clean spine just a bit of edgewear, light crease and wear on the back.

Shadows Of Lust by Ralph Carter   Croydon Love Novel No. 14    1949     $45  SOLD to NerV

L.B. Cole GGA cover.  A pretty stunner of a copy.

VF minus, square and solid with a near perfect spine. Has a little color rub to upper corner and a faint reader crease that doesn't break color, tiny dig on back.

Terror At Night  Ed. by Herbert Williams    Avon No. 110    1947       $30  SOLD to NerV

Great George Mayers cover art on this nice copy of Avon's first true horror anthology featuring Lovecraft and several other Weird Tales writers.

A much better than average copy with decent centering of the red frame that is usually totally cut off on more than one side.

Fine/Fine Plus. Solid square, bright and tight, has a fair bit of spine wear but very little to the covers

The Secret Of The Spa by Charles Leonard  Thriller Novel Classic No. 30    1944    $18 SOLD to Goldust40

True Golden Age goodness. This hard boiled hypodermic cover was considered classic in the old guide days.

Fine.  Tight and bright. Has some light creases and bends, a bit of edgewear but a very presentable copy overall.

 The Fabulous Clipjoint by Frederic Brown Bantam Book 302 1948                   $15  SOLD to OtherEric
 
1st Paperback edition of the 1948 Edgar Award Winner.     Beautiful Ed Grant GGA Cover
 
Fine/Fine plus.  Tight and bright with great color. Very little wear, lamination is lifting but almost all there.

On 4/27/2024 at 7:16 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Basement Gang by David Williams   Intimate Novels No. 32    PBO  1953     $120

Legendary JD/Drug digest with the famous photo cover of the boy with an e*r*e*c*t*i*o*n that was censored on 4 later usages of the cover photo. It's a battle whether this is better or lesser than my keeper. I'll regret selling it anyway.

A bright VF minus/VF  copy that is super glossy and new looking with no creasing to speak of, just a few bends on the back edge, a touch of wear to the edges, a few of the page tips have minor chipping although the pages are cream/off-white without any brittleness.  A fridge magnet for sure.

SOLD per PM

Basement Gang by David Williams   Intimate Novels No. 32    PBO  1953     $120  SOLD per PM

Legendary JD/Drug digest with the famous photo cover of the boy with an e*r*e*c*t*i*o*n that was censored on 4 later usages of the cover photo. It's a battle whether this is better or lesser than my keeper. I'll regret selling it anyway.

A bright VF minus/VF  copy that is super glossy and new looking with no creasing to speak of, just a few bends on the back edge, a touch of wear to the edges, a few of the page tips have minor chipping although the pages are cream/off-white without any brittleness.  A fridge magnet for sure.

Vampirella #4 Blood Wedding by Ron Goulart.     Warner Books No. 86-088     1976        $55  SOLD to NerV

A killer copy. The first and best I've had to list.

VF/VF Plus - unread. Square and glossy. No reader crease on the tough black cover, just very minor edge wear on this otherwise fresh looking copy. Pages are lightly tanning. Small rubber stamped code to top of page edge.

On 4/27/2024 at 5:27 PM, N e r V said:

“Gay white way”????

Broadway Baybee

This is a good spot for a dinner break. I should be back around 7:00PM EST