02/28/06 TUE:
---Getting my orders to PS Publishing straightened out, or as straight as I can, given their pace of production. So that is taken care of--at least for now.
---Re-shelving the PS books I have in hand I find a bit of an overstock on some titles. To try to get this under some sort of control, while they last I will offer these at 30% discount (instead of the usual 20% I give):

Aldiss, Brian W. SANITY AND THE LADY 45 less 30%, you pay only $31.50
Baxter, Stephen MAYFLOWER II 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Baxter, Stephen RIDING THE ROCK hc 40 less 30%, you pay only $28
Bradbury, Ray R IS FOR ROCKET boxed 150 less 30%, you pay only $105
Bradbury, Ray S IS FOR SPACE boxed 150 less 30%, you pay only $105
Burns, Cliff RIGHTEOUS BLOOD 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Di Filippo, Paul YEAR IN THE LINEAR CITY 14 less 30%, you pay only $9.80
Erikson, Steven BLOOD FOLLOWS 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Erikson, Steven DEVIL DELIVERED 18 less 30%, you pay only $12.60
Erikson, Steven DEVIL DELIVERED hc 45 less 30%, you pay only $31.50
Erikson, Steven FISHIN' WITH GRANDMA MATCHIE 18 less 30%, you pay only $12.60
Erikson, Steven HEALTHY DEAD 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Erikson, Steven HEALTHY DEAD hc 40 less 30%, you pay only $28
Ford, Jeffrey THE COSMOLOGY OF THE WIDER WORLD 18 less 30%, you pay only $12.6
Gallagher, Stephen OUT OF HIS MIND 50 less 30%, you pay only $35
Gentle, Mary UNDER THE PENITENCE 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Greenwood, Gary JIGSAW MEN 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Greenwood, Gary JIGSAW MEN hc 40 less 30%, you pay only $28
Jones, Stephen (ed) DON'T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS 50 less 30%, you pay only $35
Jones, Stephen (ed) DON'T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS boxed 90 less 30%, you pay only $63
Lebbon, Tim CHANGING OF FACES 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Lebbon, Tim CHANGING OF FACES hc 40 less 30%, you pay only $28
McAuley, Paul J. LITTLE MACHINES 50 less 30%, you pay only $35
Park, Paul NO TRAVELLER RETURNS 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Roberts, Adam JUPITER MAGNIFIED 16 less 30%, you pay only $11.20
Swanwick, Michael PERIODIC TABLE OF SCIENCE FICTION 45 less 30%, you pay only $31.50

---Most of these I have only one or two copies available at this price. Check the PS website for more about the contents of these titles.

02/20/06 MON:
---Not much for the blogmail this week so far. Just uploaded the latest batch to my biblio listings, bringing the alphabet now through Ster- (from Mic-). Shooting for monthly and the middle of the month--missing by a few days this month--next batch will bring the alphabet through Strieber.

---See if I can’t make nice with Night Shade. A number of people still want to get some of their titles through me--and I know Night Shade must be beleaguered trying to keep up their hectic pace. So I will try to email again the order they say they never received--and see if I can at least get the titles people want.

02/14/06 TUE:
---Not much to send to the blogmail list, but I don’t want to be so overwhelming anyway.

02/11/06 SAT:
---Here today from Tartarus:

Welch, Denton WHERE NOTHING SLEEPS: The Complete Short Stories (and Other Related Works), Tartarus '05, 1st, one of 500 copies, 2 volumes, (definitive collection, suffused with author's paradoxical appeal; James Methuen-Campbell [ed]), BOXED, new in djs 140.00

02/08/06 WED:
---Here today from Mythos Books:

Cannon, Peter THE LOVECRAFT CHRONICLES, Mythos ('04), 1st edn, (specious memoirs), new 15.00

CRYPT OF CTHULHU #107, Eastertide/01, (Tales of the Derleth Mythos), new 4.50
---Probably a back-in-stock item. I thought there might be a #108 available, but didn’t get one in this shipment, although I am sure I ordered it.

Lovecraft, H.P. & C.J. Henderson THE TALES OF INSPECTOR LEGRASSE, Mythos '05, 1st edn, (further adventures inspired by Lovecraft's seminal tale 'The Call of Cthulhu'; Robert M. Price intro), new 20.00

Schwader, Ann K. THE WORMS REMEMBER, Hive ('01), 1st edn, (Lovecraftian poetry; steeped in the Cthulhu Mythos; Robert M. Price intro), new 12.95

Szumskyj, Ben (ed) ROBERT E. HOWARD: The Power of the Writing Mind, Mythos '03, 1st edn, (pieces by and about REH, including Glenn Lord interview, autobiographical sketches, obscure stories, etc.; 8.5x11"; illustrated), new 15.00

Thomas, Jeffrey UNHOLY DIMENSIONS, Mythos '05, 1st edn, (twenty-seven excursions into the Lovecraft Mythos through the author’s Mind’s Eye), new 20.00

---Most of these Mythos books seem to be POD editions, so although “First Edition” is stated on the copyright page.

02/07/06 TUE:
---Email sent to Night Shade:

Dear Jason:
Better cancel my Jan 20 order, if you haven't already.
Thanks!

Yours,
Chris

---It looks like Night Shade might be headed as far as my relationship with it is concerned the way of Cemetery Dance Publications and Subterranean--where the publisher seems to prefer dealing with customers directly rather than through book dealers. This is perfectly understandable and I have no problem with it, except that I can’t be buying books at the same or less discount than customers can get by buying direct. Plus there are the added bonus chapbooks and books that customers get if they buy from publisher or subscribe to their books. So I say buy from Night Shade and not me. A special sale email showed up in my inbox today:

Hey all,

It's been a busy few months, and we've released a boatload of new titles in that time. Which is a happy thing, especially since we seem to be selling more books than ever. However, it means we're running out of space in the warehouse, and we've got a whole truckload of Hammer's Slammers arriving shortly.

So, our space shortage is your gain! In order to delay the acquisition of more space, and the inevitable grunt work of having to move inventory, we're running a sale.

Until 11:59pm Friday night (PST), you can get 50% off of your order by using the coupon code NSB0250. In order to take advantage of the coupon, you'll have to order a minimum of four books. The coupon is good for both in-stock and forthcoming titles.

So get to buying!

Jason Williams
1470 NW Saltzman Road
Portland, OR 97229
503-643-5824
www.nightshadebooks.com

02/06/06 MON:
---Heard from Tartarus that copies of their newish slipcased two-volume Denton Welch set are now on the way. Being a big-ticket ($140) item, I guess I was supposed to re-affirm my standing order, or I might already have had the book in stock. (My discount on Tartarus: 15%).

02/05/06 SUN:
---Batch of used books catalogued:
hardcovers:

Ashley, Mike ALGERNON BLACKWOOD: An Extraordinary Life, Carroll & Graf '01, 1st US edn, (full biography; notes, bibliography, index), remainder mark, f in dj 15.00
Berlitz, Charles WITHOUT A TRACE, Doubleday '77, 1st edn, (new look at the celebrated “Triangle” by author of The Bermuda Triangle; filled with abundance of evidence and information never before available), remainder speckling, vg+ in dj $7
Clement, Hal NOISE, Tor, 9/03, 1st edn, (planetary adventure), f in dj 12.00
Gogol, Nikolai THE DIARY OF A MADMAN and Other Stories, Amereon House, nd, (“to aid catalogers and collectors, this title is printed in an edition limited to 80 copies”), f (no dj: as issued?) 15.00
Kaye, Marvin (ed) MASTERPIECES OF TERROR AND THE UNKNOWN, St. Martin's '94, 1st, (treasury of bizarre tales old and new; 573 pages), f in dj 12.00
Lumley, Brian BENEATH THE MOORS and Darker Places, Tor, 2/02, 1st edn, f in dj $15
Matheson, Richard DUEL, Tor, 1/03, 1st edn (hc variant), (terror stories), f in dj 18.00
Salmonson, Jessica Amanda 21 EPIC NOVELS, Tabula Rasa '95, #22 of 300 INITIALED copies, extremely small book (measuring 2”x3” only), f no dj (as issued?) 20.00
Vande Velde, Vivian TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM and the SISTERS WEIRD, Jane Yolen/Harcourt Brace '95, 1st edn, (fractured fairy tales), f in dj 10.00

misc. softcovers:

Baxt, George SCHEME AND VARIATIONS: A Christmas Story, Mysterious Bookshop '94, (22-page Holiday Gift booklet), vg-f 5.00
Blackwood, Algernon THE LOST VALLEY, Stark House, 7/03, (ten tales of magic & mystery; Simon Clark intro), f $10
Bradbury, Ray A GRAVEYARD FOR LUNATICS, Bantam, 1/92, (nostalgic magnum opus; draws on author’s intimate, firsthand experience of Hollywood in the 1950s to create an unforgettable novel of the wonder, mystery, and magic that have become the Bradbury trademark), vg-f 6.00
Bradbury, Ray DEATH IS A LONELY BUSINESS, Bantam, 1/92, (detective novel that only Ray Bradbury could conceive), vg-+ 6.00
Bramah, Ernest THE WALLET OF KAI LUNG, Wildside Fantasy Classic ('01), vg-f $14
Brown, Eric THE EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE OF JULES VERNE, PS, 5/05, 1st edn (pb variant), one of 800 SIGNED copies, (Ian Watson intro; 137 pages), vg-f $15
Brunvand, Jan Harold THE TRUTH NEVER STANDS IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY!, Illinois '01, 1st pb, (in-depth exploration of urban legends; with a chapter on the Heroic Hacker by Erik Brunvand), f 12.00
Campbell, Ramsey TWILIGHT TALES FROM MERSEYSIDE read by the author, Necronomicon Audio ('95), (running time: 1hr. 30 min.), cassette, probably f $8
Carter, R.J. (ed) ALICE'S JOURNEY BEYOND THE MOON, Telos '04, 1st, (truly extraordinary tale; presented as a lost Lewis Carroll manuscript, complete with annotations & illustrations), f 8.00
de Camp, L. Sprague & Fletcher Pratt THE COMPLEAT ENCHANTER, Millennium '00, (The Magical Misadventrures of Harold Shea; 533 pages), f 12.00
Dick, Philip K. COUNTER-CLOCK WORLD, Vintage, 11/02, (theologically probing SF), f 8.00
Dick, Philip K.EYE IN THE SKY, Vintage, 6/03, f 8.00
Estleman, Loren D. SHERLOCK HOLMES vs. DRACULA by John H. Watson, M.D. as Edited by..., iBooks, 10/00, (or, The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count), f $8
Gerrold, David THE MAN WHO FOLDED HIMSELF, BenBella, 7/03, (revised, 21st Century Edition; Sawyer intro), vg-f 8.00
Gores, Joe HAMMETT, Crime Masterworks '02, (tough, wry, brilliant book in the great tradition of Hammett himself; orig published in 1975), vg-f 12.00
Haldeman, Joe WORLDS, Gollancz Collectors' Edition, (incredibly detailed future world). vg-f 12.00
Harms, Daniel & John Wisdom Gonce III THE NECRONOMICON FILES: The Truth Behind the Legend, Weiser '03, Revised & Expanded Edn, vg-f 16.00
Jones, Stephen (ed) SHADOWS OVER INNSMOUTH, Del Rey, 9/01, (macabre stories inspired by the most famous tale from the Master of Horror, H. P. Lovecraft; British writers), vg-f 8.00
Joshi, S.T. LOVECRAFT'S LIBRARY: A Catalogue, Revised & Enlarged, Hippocampus ('02), 2nd edn, (comprehensive info on nearly 1000 books), f $12
Lovecraft, H.P. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITINGS, Necronomicon, 10/92, 1st, (Joshi [ed]; 38 pages), f $8
Lovecraft, H.P.FUNGI FROM YUGGOTH: A Sonnet Cycle, Fedogan & Bremer ('87), (read by John Arthur; music by Mike Olson), cassette tape, probably fine 8.00
Lovisi, Gary SOUVENIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: Collected Articles on the Canon and the Pastiches, Gryphon, 12/02, 1st edn, (articles that run the gamut of Holmes collectables in book form), f 10.00
Merritt, A. THE METAL MONSTER, Hippocampus ('02), 1st edn thus, (reprints for the first time the tale as it was originally published in Argosy in 1920, restoring close to 10,000 words of text the author cut for later reprinting; Dziemianowicz intro; in Lovecraft's Library series), vg-f $8; new 15.00
Murphy, Kevin A YEAR AT THE MOVIES: One Man's Filmgoing Odyssey, HarperEntertainment, 3rd('02), (by Mystery Science Theater 3000's Tom Servo), vg-f 8.00
Ovason, David THE SECRET ARCHITECTURE OF OUR NATION'S CAPITAL: The Masons and the Building of Washington D.C., Perennial '02, (fascinating divagations), vg-f 10.00
Ovason, David THE SECRET SYMBOLS OF THE DOLLAR BILL, Perennial Currents '05, (a closer look at the hidden magic and meaning of the money you use every day), remainder mark 4.00
PAPERBACK PARADE #59, 4/03, (Ann Bannon, Jim Thompson, Mexican vintage pbs, Peff; News; Letters; Ads; More!) • ---#60, 10/03, (Goodis, Casebeer & Popp, Day Keene, Ward Lock), f each, 6.00
Price, Robert M. (ed) THE NECRONOMICON: Second Edition, Chaosium, 10/02, (Expanded & Revised; Selected Stories and Essays Concerning the Blasphemous Tome of the Mad Arab; Call of Cthulhu Fiction; 543 pages), f 16.00
Rozan, S.J. THE GIFT OF THE MAGI: A Christmas Story, Mysterious Bookshop '00, (19-page complimentary Holiday Gift booklet), vg-f 5.00
Server, Lee ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PULP FICTION WRITERS, Checkmark '02, 1st (pb variant), (essential guide to more than 200 pulp pioneers and mass-market masters; illustrated), vg-f 18.00
Silverberg, Robert SON OF MAN, Gollancz Collectors' Edition '03, (intense and profound speculation), vg-f 12.00
Strugatsky, Arkady & Boris Strugatsky THE UGLY SWAN, Collier '80, (witty, economical, and provocative SF), vg+ 6.00
Vance, Jack THE BLUE WORLD, Gollancz Collectors' Edition '03, (King Kragen), vg-f 12.00
Verne, Jules THE CHASE OF THE GOLDEN METEOR, Bison '98, (unabridged edition offset from the original 1909 Grant Richards edn; Gregory A. Benford intro), f 10.00

02/04/06 SAT:
---Heard from Morgan Wallace, of 'The Spectre Library', acknowledging my order for a few copies of his book, mentioned in blog entry last week.

02/03/06 FRI:
---From Hippocampus:

Dear Bookseller,
Hippocampus Press have released our first three titles of the year, in paperback. These paperbacks are ready for immediate shipment, although the Limited Cloth editions will not appear for six more weeks. Full blurbs are below. Please advise quantities desired. Thanks!

Best,
Derrick Hussey

Hippocampus Press
==============================================
COLLECTED ESSAYS OF H. P. LOVECRAFT, VOLUME 3: SCIENCE

Limited Cloth: ISBN 0974878979: $40.00 (forthcoming)
Paper: ISBN 0974878987: $20.00

A self-proclaimed "mechanistic materialist," Lovecraft took an unremittingly scientific view of reality. This perspective informed the whole of his literary output, but is nowhere so clearly seen as in this assemblage of his writings on science. Beginning with the scientific journals, treatises and astronomy columns of his early years, and continuing throughout his life, these writings illuminate Lovecraft's thought in a unique, and until now, largely unappreciated way. As a bonus, almost two-dozen of HPL's hand lettered star maps are reproduced. **Please note that while the paperback of COLLECTED ESSAYS 3 is immediately available, the Limited Cloth hardcover edition of this title will not be ready for about six more weeks.**

COLLECTED ESSAYS OF H. P. LOVECRAFT, VOLUME 4: TRAVEL
Limited Cloth: ISBN 0976159201: $40.00 (forthcoming)
Paper: ISBN 097615921X: $20.00

Far from being a recluse, H. P. Lovecraft traveled widely -- ranging as far north as Quebec, as far south as Florida and Louisiana, and as far west as Ohio. He wrote interestingly and at length about these expeditions. Collected here are all HPL's formal travelogues, including "Vermont-A First Impression" (1927), "Observations on Several Parts of America" (1928), "Travels in the Provinces of America" (1929), and "An Account of a Visit to Charleston" (1930). Also included is "A Description of the Town of Quebeck, in New France, Lately Added to His Britannick Majesty's Dominions," which, at 75,000 words, was Lovecraft's longest work. As a bonus, all of Lovecraft's hand-drawn maps and illustrations of the regions he visited are reproduced. **Please note that while the paperback of COLLECTED ESSAYS 4 is immediately available, the Limited Cloth hardcover edition of this title will not be ready for about six more weeks.**

MONSTER IN THE MIRROR: LOOKING FOR H. P. LOVECRAFT
by Robert H. Waugh
Paper: ISBN 0976159279: $20.00

During the past two decades, Robert H. Waugh has established himself as a leading scholar on H. P. Lovecraft. Bringing to the study of Lovecraft a remarkable breadth of knowledge in literature, aesthetics, history, and philosophy, Waugh has approached his subject with sensitivity and nuance. In this volume of his collected essays on Lovecraft, the reader will learn of the importance of documents in Lovecraft’s work; his provocative similarities to the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi; and his fascination with underground horror, as exemplified in At the Mountains of Madness and other tales. In a trilogy of substantial essays, Waugh looks at Lovecraft’s seminal story “The Outsider” from a variety of critical perspectives.

A concluding article probes the controverted issue of religion in Lovecraft’s life, thought, and writings. In all, the essays demonstrate that Lovecraft’s multifaceted work is a virtually inexhaustible treasure-trove for the scholar and analyst.

---I am sending an email re-affirming my standing order for these.

---Have had order ready for Wesleyan Univ Press but their fax is not hooked up or something. I need to make a copy and drop it in the mail, I guess.

02/02/06 THU:
---Word from American Fantasy:

Hi Retailers,

In SFRevu, another good review for:

Invisible Pleasures by Mary Frances Zambreno
Review by Sam Tomaino
American Fantasy Press Hardcover: ISBN 0961035242
Date: 01 December, 2005 List Price $25.00

When I got this in the mail to review, I tried to recall if I had read any stories by Mary Frances Zambreno before and could not recall. So I went into this collection not knowing what to expect. Well, this is an excellent collection by one of the best writers of fantasy that I have ever encountered.

Most of these stories are reprints that are between 5 and 20 years old. There are four stories published here for the first time, so I'll review them first. "Fairy Godmothers" is an odd little tale with a distinctly different take on Cinderella. There isn't much actual story here but it is thought provoking. "Aunt Concetta's Cat" is set in Italy, years ago, and is a nice little horror story about some children and their difficulties with their Aunt Concetta and their greater difficulties with her cat. "The Little Girl in the Picture" has no fantasy elements at all. Two schoolgirls try to find out about a little girl in her First Communion dress in an old picture. It's one of the most delightful stories in the volume. "The Bearwalker" makes use of a legend from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a combination of a werewolf and Native American lore. I had never given much thought to that part of the country but this story makes it sound interesting.

Of the remaining stories, there were two I found exceptional, in that I'd nominate them for a World Fantasy Award if they were new. "The Lady of the Mercians" is a story about a real historical person, Aethelflaed of Mercia, the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great. This is a fantasy tale of how she might have repelled an invasion of "Norse Irish". In it, she works against the magic of the invaders but does not betray her Christian faith. Zambreno is a medievalist and gives us what seems to be an accurate portrayal of how people like Aethelflaed might have thought and acted. Another wonderful story in this collection is "The Ghost in the Summer Kitchen". In it, a young girl named Rose is cooking in a summer kitchen (a separate building) and meets a younger girl named Annie who disappears. I won't ruin the story by telling you any more than that but I did love how it ended.

The other dozen stories here are all worth reading. They range from fantasy to horror to science fiction and from medieval times to fantasy worlds to present day to the future. This is an excellent volume that I will put in my Fantasy Award nominations next year. I highly recommend it.

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

Bob and Nancy Garcia
American Fantasy Press
919 Tappan St
Woodstock, IL 60098
www.american-fantasy.com

02/01/06 WED:
---Monthly updating for Catalog Data CD-R.