12/31/05 SAT:
---Added most of current covershot JPEGs to JPEG directory, finding that image total tops 8500 now.

12/27/05 TUE:
---Here today from Stark House:

Appel, Benjamin BRAIN GUY / PLUNDER, Stark House Modern Classics, 11/05, 1st edn thus, (hard-boiled; author's first and eighth novels; intro by author's daughter, Carla Appel), new 19.95

---Stark House’s series of double novels reprinting noir classics and pb originals, with interesting introductions, is becoming quite impressive.

12/25/05 SUN:
---Finished off a new batch of paperback listings for packing inserts:

11 • • NEW ARRIVALS (& re-arrivals): 10/5/2005—12/25/2005 • •
Avon 19810 Adams, Richard WATERSHIP DOWN, 4/75, (a hopping good tale), vg+ 3.00
Sphere 1160 Anderson, Poul THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS, '74, vg-f 3.50
Bal 465K Blish, James SO CLOSE TO HOME, ('61), (orig; stories), g-vg 3.00
Pap Lib 52804 Bond, Nelson EXILES OF TIME, 5/65, (runaway comet threatens civilization), vg 4.00
Ace F- 190 Burroughs, Edgar Rice A FIGHTING MAN OF MARS, nd, g 2.50
Bal F701 Burroughs, Edgar Rice A PRINCESS OF MARS, 1/63, (Mars #1), g-vg 2.50
Ace F- 156 Burroughs, Edgar Rice AT THE EARTH'S CORE, nd, (Pellucidar), vg 3.00
Ace pb 04638 Burroughs, Edgar Rice BACK TO THE STONE AGE, 13th(5/85), (Pellucidar #5; =Three Worlds to Conquer), vg-f 3.50
Ace F- 247 Burroughs, Edgar Rice CARSON OF VENUS, nd. (An Earthman in a world of unearthly perils), vg+ 4.00
Ace pb 35807 Burroughs, Edgar Rice I AM A BARBARIAN, 5th(10/85), (historical adventure), vg-f 4.00
Del Rey 27844 Burroughs, Edgar Rice JOHN CARTER OF MARS, 9th(4/79), (Mars #11), vg+ 2.00
Ace F- 206 Burroughs, Edgar Rice JUNGLE TALES OF TARZAN, nd, vg+ 4.00
Ace pb 47002 Burroughs, Edgar Rice LAND OF TERROR, 7th(6/85), (Pellucidar), vg-f 3.50
Ball 23587 Burroughs, Edgar Rice LLANA OF GATHOL, 5th(10/73), (Mars #10), vg 2.00
Ace F- 221 Burroughs, Edgar Rice LOST ON VENUS, nd, (Carson Napier), vg 3.50
Ace pb 75136 Burroughs, Edgar Rice SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR, 11th(11/82), vg+ 2.50
Ball 23585 Burroughs, Edgar Rice SWORDS OF MARS, 6th(11/73), (Mars #8), vg 2.00
Ball 23586 Burroughs, Edgar Rice SYNTHETIC MEN OF MARS, 6th(11/73), (Mars #9), g-vg 1.50
Bal U 2022 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND "THE FOREIGN LEGION", 3/64, (#22), g 1.75
Bal U- 2010 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE ANT MEN, 2nd(11/63), (#10), g-vg 2.00
Ace F- 205 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE CITY OF GOLD, nd, (Peril in the lost land of the lion-gods), vg+ 4.50
Four Square 261 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION, 2nd(7/61), g 3.00
Ace F- 204 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR, nd, (The jungle secret of the Lost Atlantis), vg+ 4.50
Bal U 2016 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE LEOPARD MEN, 3/64, (#18), vg 2.50
Ace F- 212 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE LION MAN, nd, (The Lord of the Jungle meets his double), vg 3.50
Ace F- 169 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE LOST EMPIRE, nd, (Tarzan to the rescue), vg 3.50
Bal U 2023 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AND THE MADMAN, 2/65, (#23), vg 3.00
Ace F- 180 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE, nd, vg 3.50
Ace F- 189 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN THE INVINCIBLE, (battles the Reds in Africa), vg+ 5.00
Bal U 2007 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN THE UNTAMED, 2nd(11/63), (#7). vg 2.00
Ace F- 194 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN TRIUMPHANT, nd, (lost people in a trackless jungle), vg+ 5.00
Bal F772 Burroughs, Edgar Rice TARZAN, LORD OF THE JUNGLE, 9/63, (#11), fr-g 1.50
Ace F- 258 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE CAVE GIRL, nd, (The savage beneath the skin), vg+ 5.00
Ball 23582 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE CHESSMEN OF MARS, 7th(6/76), (Mars #5), vg 2.00
Ace pb 14247 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE DEPUTY SHERIFF OF COMMANCHE COUNTY, nd, (long out of print sought-after adventure classic), vg 4.00
Ace F- 234 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE ETERNAL SAVAGE, nd, (orig: The Eternal Lover; return to the Stone Age), vg+ 4.00
Bal U 2048 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE LAD AND THE LION, 9/64, g-vg 3.00
Ace F- 232 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE LAND OF HIDDEN MEN, nd, (=Jungle Girl), vg $3; vg+ 4.00
Ace F- 235 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE LOST CONTINENT, nd, (=Beyond Thirty), vg 3.50
Ace F- 181 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE MASTERMIND OF MARS, nd, (super-surgery or super-villainy?), vg+ 4.00
Ace pb 54460 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE MUCKER, 6/74, (first Ace edition), vg+ 3.50
Ace pb 65946 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT, nd, (Now a big adventure spectacular from American International Pictures), review slip laid in, vg+ 2.50
Ace F- 193 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE SON OF TARZAN, nd, (Tarzan's only rival--Korak the Killer!), vg+ 4.00
Bal F711 Burroughs, Edgar Rice THE WARLORD OF MARS, 3/63, (Mars #3), fr-g 1.25
Bal 279K Cooper, Edmund TOMORROW'S GIFT, ('58), (orig; stories; 7 of 10 are originals), vg 4.00
Ace pb 11479 de Camp, L. Sprague, Lin Carter & Björn Nyberg CONAN THE SWORDSMAN, 4/87, (Conan #13), g-vg 2.25
Beacon 242 Jones, Raymond F. THE DEVIATES, nd, (=The Secret People), vg+ 20.00
Signet 17709 King, Stephen DOLORES CLAIBORNE, 12/93, (reality-based horror), vg+ 3.00
Lancer 75464 Kuttner, Henry ROBOTS HAVE NO TAILS, nd, (Gallegher stories; C.L. Moore intro), vg 5.00
Ace N- 6 Lupoff, Richard A. EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: Master of Adventure, ('68), (revised and enlarged), vg+ 5.00
Berkley 02317 Offutt, Andrew J. MESSENGER OF ZHUVASTOU, 3/73, (orig; heroic fantasy), vg 3.00
Ace sp 01016 Panshin, Alexei RITE OF PASSAGE, ('68), (orig; not just another starship book), vg+ 5.00
Pinnacle 00003 Pendleton, Don CATACLYSM: The Day the World Ended, ('69), (near-future: 1972), vg+ 4.00
Pinnacle 00006 Pendleton, Don THE GUNS OF TERRA 10, ('70), (orig), g-vg $2; vg 3.00
Dell pb 6864 Petaja, Emil THE PATH BEYOND THE STARS, 3/69, (orig), vg 3.00
Ace F- 342 Piper, H. Beam LORD KALVAN OF OTHERWHEN, ('65), (orig; Paratime Police), vg+ 3.00
Ace F- 225 Piper, H. Beam SPACE VIKING, ('63), (orig; interstellar adventure), vg-f 3.50
Berkley X1470 Platt, Charles GARBAGE WORLD, 11/67, (orig), vg 4.00
Playboy 16110 Playboy (eds) FROM THE "S" FILE, ('71), (orig; Sheckley, Slesar, Sturgeon, Sladek, etc.), vg $3; vg-f 4.00
Playboy 16126 Playboy (eds) MASKS, ('71), (psychological SF from Playboy), vg 3.50
Playboy 16114 Playboy (eds) THE DEAD ASTRONAUT, ('71), (orig; space flight SF), vg+ 3.00
Playboy 16102 Playboy (eds) TRANSIT OF EARTH, ('71), (orig), vg 3.50
Perma P145 Pohl, Frederik (ed) BEYOND THE END OF TIME, ('52), (a glimpse of tomorrow today; 414 pages), vg 5.00
Perma P236 Pohl, Frederik (ed) SHADOW OF TOMORROW, 7/53, (dateline: tomorrow), vg 5.00
Bal U 2178 Pohl, Frederik DIGITS & DASTARDS, 6/66, (orig; SF and fact), vg+ 5.00
Bal 439K Pohl, Frederik DRUNKARD'S WALK, ('60), (orig; satiriical SF), vg $3; vg+ 4.00
Bal 325K Pohl, Frederik TOMORROW TIMES SEVEN, '59, (stories), vg+ 5.00
DAW 78 Rackham, John BEANSTALK, 11/73, (orig), vg+ 2.50

---A lot of ERB there with the Frazetta covers. Check out the covershot JPEGs on my Catalog Data CD-R, if you get the chance. They will be in the “Catalogued 12-25-05” folder, although not all the above will be in that same folder.

12/24/05 SAT:
---Here today from PS Publishing:

Bradbury, Ray R IS FOR ROCKET, PS, 9/05, revised & illustrated trade edn, (Ray Harryhausen foreword; Michael Marshall Smith intro), new in dj 45.00
---another copy of the preceding, one of 200 SIGNED copies (800 total), BOXED, new in dj $150
---S IS FOR SPACE, PS, 9/05, revised & illustrated trade edn, (Arthur C. Clarke foreword; Tim Powers intro), new in dj 45.00
---another copy of the preceding, one of 200 SIGNED copies (800 total), BOXED, new in dj $150

Campbell, Ramsey SECRET STORIES, PS, 8/05, 1st edn, SIGNED, (Jeremy Dyson intro; 419 pp), new in dj $45

Hill, Joe 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS, PS, 9/05, 1st edn, (not all are horror stories; Christopher Golden intro), {SIGNED hc edn available @$45}, new 25.00

Morris, Mark NOWHERE NEAR AN ANGEL, PS, 9/05, 1st edn, (tense, terse and tantalising horror novel; Stephen Gallagher intro; 368 pages), new in dj 45.00

12/23/05 FRI:
---Here today from PS Publishing:

POSTSCRIPTS #5, aut/05, (Joe Hill, Stephen Baxter, Ramsey Campbell, Juliet E. McKenna, Chris Roberson, Zoran Zivkovic, etc.), as new 10.00

12/18/05 SUN:
---Finished another batch for upload to biblio.com listings, bringing catalog there through Slusser in the alphabet (starting with Mic-). It is slow going, but if I keep at it maybe eventually everything will be there and I will be able to include the bit more expansive listings the Internet allows. Sometimes, though, I almost prefer the terser. It can be almost like Zen, trying to find the best two words that fit without bumping the listing onto another line.
---Next batch of listings will be through Spinrad and include Spectra paperbacks. Fortunately I already did Signet--by themselves a while ago, because that figured to be a few. A few less than Tor was, but kind of tedious anyway, especially for someone too dumb to figure out a macro to do the job for me.

12/16/05 FRI:
---Covershots 6 is now full enough to comprise a CD-R and Covershots 7 is well under way. Still not too much I’m sure to completely fill up a DVD-R--all six plus the Catalog Data (which also contains quite a few covershots). I’ve fallen behind in keeping up with the JPEG Directory. The file-search feature on my computer can find the images easy enough for me, so the directory hasn’t proven as useful as I thought. But it would be interesting to see how many total images there are. At least 8,000, I’m sure.

12/14/05 WED:
---Here today:

TALEBONES #31, win/05, (A Magazine of Science Fiction & Dark Fantasy; Ken Scholes feature story; Carrie Vaugn, Christopher East, G.O. Clark; reviews by Edward Bryant; Sharon Lee & Steve Miller interviewed by Ken Rand), new 6.00

12/13/05 TUE:
---Word from American Fantasy:

A Reminder: AMERICAN FANTASY has a new title for this Christmas.

INVISIBLE PLEASURES
by Mary Frances Zambreno
Cover Art by Douglas Klauba
ISBN: 0-9610352-4-2
Retail Price: $25.00
Hardcover
241 Pages
Publication Date: December 2005 (Now Shipping)

INVISIBLE PLEASURES is Mary Frances Zambreno’s first short story collection. One of the original Writers of the Future contest winners, she sold stories to _Pulphouse_, _MZB’s Fantasy Magazine_ and numerous anthologies. This book gathers the best of them together along with four new tales. While her schedule teaching (she holds a PhD in Medieval Literature), allows her little time to write, her few novels and these stories have received wide acclaim. This is a special event for us, our first short story collection, and we think we are starting on a high note.

Jane Yolen writes in her introduction: “I have been following Mary Frances Zambreno’s publishing career for some time and find myself—like her own Dame Alice de Bryene—standing before the altar whispering a spell. Only my spell goes like this: ‘Write more, damn it!’ MFZ’s stories are pithy, chockablock with munchy bits, and often wise. They are full of the medievalist's love of bright shining objects but also wired into the dark underbelly of change. Her strong women transcend the times in which they live, whether it’s the difficult past—or even the more difficult future. So once again, I say: ‘Write more, damn it!’ Please.”

Queens, healers, witches, adventurers, students, young girls and others are the focus of these tales. Zambreno’s protagonists are always pushed to the limit, finding their individual strength and resolve though adversity. At their heart, her stories are puzzles whose clever resolutions surprise and amaze the readers who have grown to love them. With a deft hand she misdirects, teaches and astounds in stories that flow as easily as water.

The fantastic cover was done by Douglas Klauba. This incredible artist has been doing work for Old Earth Books (CITY, ¡LIMEKILLER!) and Moonstone Publishing. His piece, MERCURY JACK, was included in the recent Spectrum show at the Museum of American Illustration--only 200 pieces were selected from the hundreds that have been published in Spectrum’s 11-year history. MERCURY JACK was there, beside those pieces by Whelan, Maitz, Frazetta, etc. Check out his website at www.douglasklauba.com. He just won Best of Show at this year's World Fantasy Convention in Madison, Wisconsin. A major talent to watch.

In other words, this is another fine publication from American Fantasy Press. On our website you will find a bio and photo of MFZ ready for download. A link to order dustjackets from us to display in your store, and more. We'll be posting a list of retailers that carry the book. And as reviews come in, you'll see them as well. Contact us if you need more to sell this special collection.

Happy Holidays.

--------------------------

STILL AVAILABLE:

We have copies of DARKSIDE by Dennis Etchison, THE DREAMTHIEF'S DAUGHTER LTD ED., MIDNIGHT MONSTER and THE BROECKER SAMPLER. We are looking to reprint A WALKING TOUR OF THE SHAMBLES next year, if we get permission from the authors and artists.

------------------------
If you have any questions, please contact us

Bob and Nancy Garcia
American Fantasy Press
www.american-fantasy.com

12/13/05 TUE:
---Another two-weeker for blogmail going out. It is getting to be a habit I should maybe acknowledge by calling it bi-weekly. But then I might slide further from there.

12/12/05 MON:
---Great to see a new Roger Lasley guitar CD. Not that you wouldn’t be better off getting it from CD Baby, but Roger sent me a few to list anyway:

Lasley, Roger ADOBE, RL ('05), (more great acoustic guitar--this time with a new guitar?; Roger made it onto the top artists folk radio playlist [at least] three months in a row), CD, new 15.00

---A batch of used--some nominally--books catalogued:
hardcovers:

Bleiler, Everett F. & T.E. Dikty (eds) SCIENCE FICTION OMNIBUS: The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949, 1950, Garden City ('52), vg (no dj) 10.00
Caldwell, Ian & Dustin Thomason THE RULE OF FOUR, Dial, 20th, INSCRIBED (to Susan), (perfect blend of suspense and a sensitive coming-of-age story; mysterious coded manuscript; authors' debut), vg-f in dj with 2" tear internally repaired 10.00
Harding, Lee THE FALLEN SPACEMAN, Harper & Row '80, 1st US edn, (juvenile for ages 8-12; Schoenherrs illus), vg+ in dj $15
Harrison, Harry WARRIORS OF THE WAY, SFBC, nd, (2-in-1 edn; collects Hammers and the Cross & One King's Way; Vikings conquer England and forge a new society based on their pagan gods; 794 pages), vg-f in dj 10.00
Knight, Damon (ed) NEBULA AWARD STORIES 1965, Doubleday '66, 1st edn, (four award winning stories and four distinguished runner-ups), ex-libr else g in glued-down dj (excellent reading copy) $4
Knight, Damon (ed) ORBIT 2, Putnam's ('67), (1st), (10 Great Stories in Print for the First Time), ex-libr else g in glued-down dj 5.00
Le Guin, Ursula K. THREE HAINISH NOVELS, SFBC, nd, (collects Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile & City of Illusion), g-vg in dj 6.00
Moorcock, Michael THE ELRIC SAGA Part IV, SFBC, 8/05, (3-in-1 edn; collects The Dreamthief's Daughter, The Skrayling Tree & The White Wolf's Son; 857 pages), f in vg+ dj 12.00
Saturday Evening Post (editors) THE POST READER OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, Doubleday '64, 1st edn, vg (no dj) 6.00
Wolfe, Tom A MAN IN FULL, FSG '98, 1st trade edn, (outstanding novel), vg-f in dj $10

book club ($5 each):

• Harrison KING AND EMPEROR (Hammer & the Cross #3)

book club ($3 each):

• Asimov NIGHTFALL & Other Stories

misc. softcovers:

Dann, Jack THE MEMORY CATHEDRAL: A Secret History of Leonardo da Vinci, Bantam, 5th, (masterpiece of historical fantasy), f 8.00
Isaak, Elaine THE SINGER'S CROWN, Eos '05, 1st edn, (riveting fantasy in the tradition of Mercedes Lackey), PR laid in, f 6.00
Zebrowski, George (ed) SYNERGY SF: New Science Fiction, Five Star, pre-9/04, ADVANCE READING COPY, SIGNED by editor, (return of acclaimed original anthology), f 12.00

---And I almost forgot:

3 BLONDES IN HIS LIFE, Sinister Cinema, (orig: 1960; Maltin: **: "occasionally tangy"), DVD-R 5.00

---This looks like it might be worth a look, but Netflix keeps me so busy keeping up with what they send--with distribution facility in Des Moines now and the class-action lawsuit to make them stop dragging their feet sending out DVDs to customers with quick turnarounds, it is just about a movie every night, even with only their three-at-a-time plan. But now I am getting to see everything I read about in the NY Times and Village Voice and elsewhere--unlike when I had a ten mile drive to the nearest Blockbuster (with woeful selection) and no cable TV. Still no cable, so Netflix makes eminent good sense to me--except it does limit my workday sometimes. Plus it would be better to spend the evening curled up with a book sometimes too.

---Word from Earthling:

Hi Chris,

Can I hook you up with some copies of SONG OF KALI:
20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION, slipcased and signed by Dan
Simmons? $75 each retail.

More info below:
http://www.earthlingpub.com/ds_kali.htm

They're beautiful books... and one of the scariest
novels ever written... something you've GOT to have
for your store ;)

Looking forward to hearing from you. I hope all's
well.

Best,
Paul

12/06/05 TUE:
---Here today from Fedogan & Bremer:

Jones, Stephen (ed) WEIRD SHADOWS OVER INNSMOUTH, Fedogan & Bremer '05, 1st edn, (authors put their own spin on the dark history of Innsmouth and the batrachian followers of Dagon; includes a major new Lovecraftian novella by Brian Lumley, written especially for this volume), new in dj 35.00

---Discount: 30%