Book Guy

Last bunch. I think I like ONE FOR THE ROAD for its very 'American' feel. ANGELS has an obvious Richard Powers imitation cover! MADBALL is almost an exact reprint of the Gold Medal Edition with some cover text removed and a British title page.

Here's some more.

Some UK Fred Brown Mysteries from a recent Collector's Estate buy. They don't turn up a lot here in the USA!

I don't think I've posted this before, apologies if I have. I ran across it today. It's a piece of Clark Ashton Smith original art, The 2nd pictures is some text from the photocopy of a letter that accompanies it.

Lastly, here are my unsigned really NICE copies of the paperback Firsts and most of his Magazine appearances. I don't have them all and need to finish off that part of the collection. They cost a lot more now than they did then...

I have all the hardcover Firsts, once again mostly signed, but I'm too lazy to drag them all out.

The 'hardest' of the American hcs for me to get back in the early '80's was STIGMATA. I think that was just random though. The hardest American trade hardcover to get now is a non-Library First of MAZE OF DEATH. That was the Book Doubleday pulped almost as soon as it was released. Also a large portion of the print run was sold to a Rental Library Company and those copies are what you usually see offered. "Evidence of Bookplate removal', 'Seems to be a Library Copy but with few markings', 'end papers restored (or 'refreshed'). If the description says something like that it's probably a Rental Library Copy. Luckily most of those didn't get a lot of reading wear and they are often nice copies. ANDROIDS in pre BLADE RUNNER days commanded no price premium over the other harder to get Doubleday hardcovers. Now...that's a different story!

The hardest items to acquire are the oddball ones, not the Books. PKD contributed to some fanzines, though he was not really an active Fan. Those can be tough as the print runs are always small sometimes as low as 25-50 copies. I've turned up several examples that weren't in the PKD bibliographies. The Small Press Poetry Magazine  A CHILD'S HAT has some PKD poems. Very tough to find. I bought mine years ago from Bill Blackbeard!

You see a lot of 'Signed' copies on eBay. Many of them are in fact signed by PKD, but I've seen a number of dubious examples. If there isn't a good provenance attached to the Book, be careful!

Hope you enjoyed these!

These are some ERTL Toys issued to coincide with the release of BLADE RUNNER. The absolutely failed! Some local store had them as closeouts at a laughably low price. Like 29 cents each or something. I bought a ton of them and later traded most to a collector, but for what I don't recall! I kept some and an example of the shipping/display box. I think I have an example of the 4 cars in a box set too, but I don't know where it is. They sell on eBay for a lot more than 29 cents now!

Not really paperbacks, but what the heck...

Here's some uncommon stuff.

GRYPHON is a Small Press Poetry Magazine published by Phil's 3rd wife Anne's 1st husband. Anne was married to Phil when he wrote MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE etc.

Anne also had a jewelry business and these are some of her pieces. Phil helped out with the welding etc, but I have no idea if these were handled by him. I bought them years ago on eBay. There's always some of her jewelry listed there. I met her several times and she was always very nice. In the Books Phil wrote during their marriage Anne was often used, thinly disguised, as a character. The shrewish overbearing wife. I found her to be nothing like that. I asked her if she was aware he used her as a model in his Books and she said Yes! and seemed proud. Her Book is worth reading if you're a PKD fan. I think it is Print on demand now, but it was published by 'Bricks and Mortar' Publisher back in the day and she later updated it. I'm thanked in the credits!

The Record belonged to Phil! It has his Berkeley street address at the time on the shipping package. The address is across the street from the esteemed and World Famous Berkeley Comic Con which you read about on this very website. I usually go. The mustard yellow 'gingerbread' house as I recall. This LP set was what NBC sent out to local Radio Stations for them to play during the NBC Show X MINUS ONE. Phil had 2 stories Radio Dramatized. I think this set is for COLONY. This was Phil's 'Author's Copy'.

As I mentioned earlier PKD was my number 1 Collecting Target way back when (Probably tied with another writer, but what the heck!).

I was most active in the 1970's and 8's. Things were a LOT cheaper then, so bear that it mind. Of course I had almost no money then either!

First here's bunch of my paperbacks. Common enough you say! The kicker-they are all Signed and/or Inscribed by Phil! I had friends that knew him and they got Books signed for me. As well, after he died they sold their collections and I bought a bunch. Just luck to be at the right place and time with the appropriate interest. In the 1980's in my career as a Book Seller, I did 3 PKD lists selling Firsts, unusual items, Signed dupes etc. I still see some of 'my' Books show up on eBay.