Surfing Alien

Great story to start with, killer GGA cover by Clarence Doore and real tough in high grade. Everything about it is likeable

Still a stellar copy but tough to grade with that issue. I'd really call that a qualified VF/NM. That's kind of what the 'qualified" grade is for right? Everything about the cover is eye watering, the little bit of wave doesn't bug me at that level, not calling it perfect mint. But the page sticking out does have to detract a bit, unfortunately it is a very common problem with early Ballantines, that glue dries out bad. It does almost look like the back section from that page back might be very slightly uneven? As mentioned above, some of these are disasters waiting to happen if you open them wide without holding them tight at the spine. I've seen a ton of this title broken at the spine. There's a reason the story became a classic bestseller: tons of people read these early printings to death, passed them around etc. Combined with the poor glue and lasting popularity, most copies are pretty beat and nice copies get snapped up into collections.

It's one of those books that I never thought I'd have and am fortunate enough to have one just worn enough that I feel comfortable to pull out every once in a while to read a tale. There's always something extra to reading stories in these old formats.

Speaking of Pyramids, I got one in for the Friday Fun fest No. 15 from 1949, Palm Beach Apartment by Gail Jordan, chalk up another early number for the run. Cover art by George Geygan. Also two more Zeniths. Making good inroads on this short series that is really the end run of Goodman's pb empire started with Lion. Fun fact: they are the last vintage paperback series alphabetically as well, they go from Ace to Zenith ZB17, 1959, Death of the Party by Ruth Fenisong. Cover by Darcy/ Ernest Chiriaka ZB37, 1959. The Girl Who Killed Things by Talmage Powell a PBO. Cool cover art is uncredited. Great title and it looks like a fun read as well. Since I was digging around my Pyramids I threw together a group shot of some of the better titles. Hope you enjoyed this break from reality

THAT is the voice of authority

Online buying and selling is soooo hit or miss. One of the "services" I guess I provide as a seller on the boards is a " filter" for all the c*r*a*p I've bought online that looked high grade but weren't described or pictured right I use comic terms and VF is about my highest grade. That's a real sharp book with very minor flaws. I find the old bookman's terms of Good- Very Good-Fine completely useless for pbs and think they should be roundly kicked to the curb by the hobby as happened with comics eventually but there's no corralling the interwebs into that without more hobby centralization. People use terms like "acceptable" and "mint" and everything in between with no regard. That "More Than Human" is pretty but I have to say I almost fell on the floor when I saw his "Fahrenheit 451" - even with the dark cover inks that looks VF/NM maybe NM to me from the front. If the spine and back are similar it's very rare like that. Better than mine and a real treasure. I don't even know what kind of a price tag I'd put on that for sale as it's such a sought after author/title. A great find wherever you got it from Erich!

Thanks Jim, my thought is that there's more people who would actually care and/or attend who peruse the pulp section. Am I wrong? Do both?

March 1937

So, it's official, I booked flights and hotel room for the LA Vintage Paperback show on Sunday March 17th at the Glendale Civic Auditorium https://la-vintage-paperback-show.com/ It's one of those things I've wanted to go to for several years now, due to Robot Man's reviews, my own curiosity about a somewhat legendary paperback event and the stars aligning this year both time and money-wise that I can swing it. I'd love to meet any West Coast Boardies who might attend such a thing so figured I'd make a post. I'm going to actually make a separate thread in the Pulp section to keep it from getting lost in the sauce in this one but, as this is the PB nerve center in my eyes, I figured I'd let y'all here know first.

Those are gorgeous. Nice copies of Fahrenheit 451 have really dried up in the market and that one looks minty

It won't be your last

Bookery's Guide to Pulps and Related Magazines by Tim Cottrell is the industry standard reference guide. While not as profusely illustrated as the photo journals, he lists virtually every pulp and pulp-like mag and digest. Although the pricing was widely out of date upon publication of the second edition (by his own admission) it is an incredible resource. There's also "The Art of the Pulps" by Doug Ellis, Ed Hulse and Bob Weinberg, "The Adventure House Guide To Pulps" by Doug Ellis, John Locke and John Gunnison and of course, for a pure visual feast, the "I'll Pound You To a Pulp If you Don't Show Yours" thread on these boards which will surely make your eyeballs sore with jealousy over your lack of pulps

That is a beast of a copy. When I was in college at NYU in the 1980's I worked for a while for Eric Kramer at his Fantasy Archives on 8th Avenue in Manhattan and he always had 5 or 6 copies of the Outsider that I was astonished at being able to see/handle. Some real nice ones, he had ridiculous material like L.W. Currey carries (who was his main competitor for top material) I'm happy and blessed to have a copy now. It doesn't look quite like that one!

They already grade digests, but they put the well into the giant magazine holders, which look pretty ridiculous. There's been a few posts about them in various threads in the pulp section, with consensus that they do, indeed look ridiculous in such a giant slab.

Actually, never mind, looks like it was moved to the February 18-20 Auction They did change the description to remove the claim that it was the first copy they ever sold. Wonder if a birdy is reading these boards

Went to check how the slabbed RSG was doing and saw it had been pulled from the auction. Wonder what happened?

You forgot to mention multiple great covers by different awesome artists on the same titles. Marchetti above, Maguire below

Brought another one into the fold - I remember enjoying this volume very much the first time around back in the 1980's. Keller is hard to pigeonhole because he wrote all kinds of stuff. Jacket by Ronald Clyne is pretty cool as well

I'd add Woolrich & PKD to that, Heinlein as well, at least the earliest couple of stories for Heinlein & PKD.

I've found there's simply very few bargains to be found. I bought a lot of pulps back in 2019-2021 but since then it seems like every seller has raised asks 3-10x what books used to list for. MyComicShop, has made a concerted effort to get sellers to lower prices recently and I pick off a few things here and there. It's really a matter of constant scouring for the occasional small seller and random auction to find any kind of bargain. As for DTA & topnotch, they are definitely the same (DTA and his staff). I haven't bought much but, after watching them for many years, and they've been around forever, I have to say they are great predictors of where the market will end up someday, but not usually what I want to pay now. There's been plenty of material I passed up then that I wouldn't mind paying for now at then's prices

Quarter Books NN 1949 A tough "Girl" to get.

Some Friday fun Lizzie (The Bird's Nest) by Shirley Jackson. Signet S1400, April 1957. Really nice Clark Hulings cover art (and a movie tie in edition). A tough Jackson PB in any shape. I haven't read this story yet but am currently reading "We Have Always Lived In The Castle", which is really eerie. And some Bantam love - they don't get enough I love the detail and front t back cover by Harry Schaare on this one. One of those where I'm sure he painted way more than was worth what he got paid. It's also technically a bondage cover on the front and spanking cover on the back Earl Mayan cover on this one Charles Andres on this one, very cool with the Devil "picture in picture". I love the Bantams that had artist blurbs in the front like this one. Such great information in them aside from the artist ID. I'm guessing his face is the Devil?

British books? I don't see any British books? Where?

Thanks - that's much appreciated as ease of access was the intention