Book Guy

'Long Galleys' for THE BEST OF PHILIP K. published as a paperback by Bantam, I believe and my favorite PKD short story collection. All winners! Long Galleys are in-house printings by the publisher used to check the text for errors etc before publication. Sometimes they are given out for review, but mostly not. They are often found marked up by the Editorial staff. They are called Long Galleys because they are printed on extra long sheets of paper usually without page numbers etc. 5 or 6 pages might be printed on one sheet. They are normally printed on one side only. Scarce

Who wouldn't be enamored of her?

Lots of Comics, including a surprising number of '4 figure' ones! But also tons of cheaper books. Always at least a few paperbacks-lots more last time. Always a few Pulps-lots more last time. Not a far walk from the North Berkeley BART Station.

You bought one from me about a month ago (Morton Cooper?)! I don't have many Pulps though. Also sold a sleaze paperback to a different Board member a couple of weeks ago. I've been waiting for photos to appear!

If you've ever gone to the Berkeley Comic Show you've been across the street from the house he and Kleo lived in for a number of years in the early-mid 1950's.

Great Copy!

Been and back already! This is what I got. They had a wood-fired oven pizza truck parked outside! Ya' shoulda' come! Thanks to all who put it on.

A great Book! If you liked this try DAY OF THE LOCUST or MISS LONELYHEARTS by Nathanael West. Not nearly as grim, but also top notch '30's 'Noir-like' Novels.

As I don't keep up with more modern prices I'm sure any guesstimate by me as to the $$ value of his sales were would be pathetic. Anybody else want to take a swing? I know he sold over the course of a big rise in prices so copies sold in 2016 will likely be a lot less than similar copies in 2021. Also we don't know what % were truly Sold and how many were simply shill bidding exercises. Still, take a shot! Anybody got a $$ range?

A couple of questions: Are there any logical explanations for the multiple sales on the SAME Book except that the sale was cancelled by the buyer/went unpaid or that the 'sale' was an attempt to drive up the price of the Book, so that next time he sold it or sold another copy the price would be higher? Has anybody searched in Asia based Auction Services, presuming they exist, for other suspicious sales/sellers? I know you can buy Vintage Guitars on Japanese sales and auction sites so why not CGC comics. Presumably the same opportunity exists in China and the rest of Asia. Alibaba maybe? If there are such venues I am unfamiliar with them. We are familiar with the MO of switching out lesser copies and have having them reholdered. Not quite on topic but what is to prevent someone from forging whole mint comics and sending them in to CGC or use your Chinese acquired holders, wells, sonic welders and maybe forged facsimiles of legitimate CGC labels and selling the whole enchilada? I know there are holograms on more modern labels but older ones wouldn't have them. Remember those single copies of Gold and Silver keys that someone was selling on eBay earlier this year. They looked pretty good in the photos. If organized crime was involved in any large way, this seems the channel they would use.

They seem to be different. Note the tiny white spots at the top above the V in Marvel and R in Group at the top in the Heritage listing. The tic on the left by Hulk's foot. Obviously the difference in the white area all along the left edge. Note the stains at the rear top on the Mavin copy...

Some low probability possibilities: Perhaps the Green Hulk was submitted by the suggested culprit using a different CGC account. It was mailed the same day from the same location in a different package than the Blue Hulk but by the same shipper and arrived the same day and went through the process at the same speed and just happened to be graded the same day which might happen a lot if he submits from more than one CGC acct at the same time. Perhaps submissions done this way are usually processed within a day or two of each other and sometimes the same day. I agree that an insider seems more likely-a clued in lookout is waiting. "A small package of great value will come to you shortly" to quote the very old Jefferson Airplane song! Why to submit a Green label Hulk is more problematic. If it was shipped in a Blue Label slab with a reholder request perhaps someone actually did due diligence and opened the inner well. Perhaps the inner well was cracked during shipment or at CGC and they were forced to re grade it. Maybe it went accidently to someone else other than 'the insider' who noticed the condition differences and acted. If it was shipped as a reholder and was actually regraded, would it still get the original Serial number from the (substituted) blue holder or would it have been given a new number at that point? I'm unsure when the culprit actually bought the green Hulk and yes my mind is spinning trying to keep this all straight.

A naked Mike isn't enough crack for @greggy? My God! What an animal! I know neither Mike nor @greggy, but this opportunity to issue my own wise crack was just shooting fish in a barrel! I had to take the shot! BTW jsilverjanet I've always enjoyed yr comments as well as your profile pic!

I think Books published by 'LA' Bantam Books were sold exclusively through vending machines in the Los Angeles area. I remember being told years ago that someone down there had an example of one of the machines. In my many years of Estate & Yard Sales, Antique Shows etc I've never seen a paperback vending machine either!

When I started collecting in the early/mid 70's I picked up via osmosis that books from the earliest American Comic Book (MOTION PICTURE FUNNIES from 1937?) to 1946 were Golden Age Books. Silver Age began with the reboot of the Flash. The years in between were somewhat indeterminate as far as era name. I heard mostly 'Fifties Books' even though half of that time is comprised of the late '40's. Some people claimed the GA went to 1950. I never heard Atom Age until much later. I always liked the name and that's how I think of Books between 1946 and 1956. The Golden Age reflect the Pre-War and especially Wartime years and those from '46-'56 certainly mirror the Post War changes in America and deserve the honor of a separate 'era'!. As far as when the Silver Age ended some said 1969, others 1970 and others whenever Marvel and DC prices changed from 12 cents to 15 cents. All are fine with me! I agree that books in all the eras sometimes seem more like books from a different era as far as subject matter, general tone, art work etc, but we're really trying to hash out a simple structural time line, so exceptions are not what's important here. When Comic Code Issues appear also seem to mark a natural break in eras.

As far as 'wakeness' being a problem if retailers say their customers are complaining then it is a problem, no matter whether it's important or unimportant to me or you. However, if 'Awakened' comics are drawing more new customers in that they are driving out then it might be a net plus. My guess is that quantifying the difference would be tough...At any rate it seems it is a problem of some sort. I still buy floppies, but rarely Marvel or DC. I mostly buy indies, but mostly the more mainstream titles like Hellboy, Ed Brubaker titles etc. I did buy the 12 Issue Kamandi Jam Series a couple of years ago and enjoyed that. Also some Batman Books which came out about the same time. The Kamandi Series ended, but I stopped buying Batman because they cost too much, though I liked the stories and the art. With Marvel and DC there is simply too much product and I don't have an obvious entry point into the current happenings in either domain. Many of the Indie titles are limited series that have a planned story arc and I find that more satisfying than jumping into the middle of a neverending Serial which is what both the Marvel and DC Universes are. I agree that the big 2 should move to a more graphic novel system of publishing. It opens the market when Comics are published in Book form. You get a complete story arc (sometimes) and often the Trade Paperbacks are reasonably priced. As an Ed Brubaker fan I like the way his Books are published now-as stand alone volumes. A personal peeve on my part is that I don't like the slick paper most moderns are printed on and sometimes would prefer the old fashioned newsprint. On some titles the slick paper and very vivid colors work, so this technical change is a mixed blessing. Even the majors began a mass distribution program aping what we remember from our youth (Comics in racks at 7-11s, Drug Stores etc) and published at a low price point on cheap paper etc I doubt they could bring back mass consumption of floppies.

I have a nice copy of ILLUSTRATED WORLD some I'm rooting for it!

Nobody is making Pulp Magazines anymore and they are currently very hot. Probably too hot, but who's to say... With Comics and Pulps and LP Records and hardcover First edition Books, people are buying the OBJECT not the EXPERIENCE. They will read or listen to the content on their phone (probably) and if it jazzes them enough they will look to buy the Object. The digitalization of content has vastly expanded the potential audience, making it worldwide and certainly the audience for Comics 'Content' (including Films, Games etc) is the largest it has ever been, EVER! Some of those people will want to own the Object and so they will pay whatever they have to to get it. I just had the experience last summer of dealing with a house with 40,000 Books in it. Probably that's a pretty accurate guess as to the number. It was fairly well organized, but it still reminded me of King Tut's Tomb! Books were stacked 10 feet high etc. Overwhelming. Some great stuff, but that's a different story... I called in a friend who owns a brick-and-mortar Bookstore to help deal with the situation as the time was limited and during some down time we talked a bit about younger Book Collectors and the future of Book Collecting. He noted that younger collectors only really wanted High Points but they were willing to pay whatever it took to get them. They were not the equivalent of 'run collectors' in Comics, but only looked for the most classic titles, Hugo Winners, Books Made Into Movies, THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD etc. 'Iconic' cover and 'Key' Issue collectors in Comic Book terms! I also did a Record Fair a while ago and spent some time talking to a friend of mine who is quite expert on that field and very dialed in to the market, including the top end. He made an interesting observation that digital generation collectors were very focused on showing off their collections online, Facebook, Instagram etc and that status was often a major motive for collecting. Bragging Rights... I think both observations are true and apply equally or more so to comics. People continue to be attracted to the fields and hence the Objects and human nature takes over from that. Since they aren't making 'em any more I think long term values will hold up. I think almost everybody on these boards would look upon a serious downturn in prices as a once-in-a-lifetime buying opportunity, BTW. I think many doomers are really just 'talking their Book' and hoping they can buy what they want at a lower price. Having said that, might main focus of buying which recently has been 50's and early 60's DC Sci Fi titles like STRANGE ADVENTURES etc have backed off price wise. Maybe not super high end copies, but say at 6.5 or a little better. I buy mostly on eBay. Other more quirky interest of mine show the same pattern. So there is weakness.out there. I wonder about the very high prices for things like AF15 which we all know is a fairly common Comic. A serious Financial/Economic event would almost certainly effect the prices of more common Keys that have reached nosebleed prices. Just IMHO as they say!

I posted some Weird Tales photos in the WT thread that belonged to a friend of mine. He also had this piece of Paul Lehr Art. The image is covered w/ a plastic sheet so it looks better in person. He's an artist I've grown to like more over the yearss.

Last one for today at least. Price sticker is on the bag.

The plastic bag makes the covers somewhat dull. This was a very bright and clean example. A Superior Copy! What has this gone for recently? The ripples are from the bag. It's a beautiful, flat and bright copy. Great spine etc. None of these are for sale, BTW/ He'll die with 'em!

Visited a friend last week who is an avid Weird Tales Collector with a second common friend to catch up on things and view his collection. Was served a great spaghetti dinner and was allowed to handle the Mags! Here are some shots of a few mid-30's highlights. These were formerly Frank Robinson's under copies and are very nice indeed. Better than the pictures show. He also had a number of the 'bed sheet' issues and many from the 1920's. It was fascinating to see the evolution of WT through the years through actual copies spread out in front of you. I had not seen many of the bed sheet issues before. Definitely the Brundage era covers are the best, though there are outstanding covers from all eras. WT is something I was interested in collecting, back in the day, but never quite managed to grab more than a couple of copies and now that ship has sailed! Enjoy!