zoom

Grotesques and Fantastiques
Clark Ashton Smith. Saddle River, NJ, Gerry de la Ree, 1973.

40 pp. (8vo) black cloth lettered in gilt, original wrappers bound in. No. 15 of 50 copies thus bound from an edition of 600 copies

A Selection of Previously Unpublished Drawings and Poems. This copy prepared for noted collector Forrest J. Ackerman.

zoom

Pierrot! A Story
by Stacpoole, Henry de Vere. John Lane, London, 1896.
Illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley.

Original ivory-coloured pictorial cloth depicting a Pierrot clown selecting books in a library in red; red spine titles; red pictorial device to rear. Decorative endpapers; 163pp + 16pp rear catalogue (most of catalogue is uncut and unopened), all edges untrimmed.

A scarce novel of the supernatural involving a blurring of sexual boundaries. John Lane obviously liked this book immensely because it launched his ‘Pierrot Library’ series which also included Stacpoole’s other novel of weird decadent supernaturalism, ‘Death, The Knight & The Lady’. The author was a gifted novelist and although his later works sold in significantly greater numbers, his two early novels are for me wonderful examples of beguiling ‘fin-de-siecle’ supernaturalism.

zoom

Dark Carnival
Bradbury, Ray (b. 1920),. Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1947

First edition with first issue dust jacket over gilt-lettered black boards, 8vo, (very minor edge chipping and spotting to jacket and very light fading, else fine).

B-A Note: I posted recently about a limited-edition release of this book, but this is the first-issue dust jacket and the artwork is great.

zoom

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson. Centipede Press, 2012 
Limited Edition Hardcover.

The classic novel of personality transference is an acknowledged masterpiece and one of the most influential novels ever written. Now with a new introduction by Patrick McGrath, a stunning suite of fifteen wood engravings by Barry Moser, a front cover by James Bama, gorgeous endpapers by Aeron Alfrey, a back cover by Basil Gogos, a fascinating typographical treatment that destabilizes the text, a handful of Stevenson’s best horror short stories, and a fantastic cover gallery of old film posters in full color. The book is presented in our oversize format, 8 × 12 inches, the same as the other books in our Gothic series.

The wood engravings by Barry Moser are exquisite. They were originally published in small size by the University of Nebraska Press. Mr Moser personally retouched all of the engravings for this edition, and he also created three new wood engravings just for this new edition. One of America’s most renowned artists, Mr Moser’s work has graced some of the finest and most collectible limited editions ever published, including books from the Arion Press and Moser’s own acclaimed Pennyroyal Press.

Each numbered copy is signed by Patrick McGrath, Barry Moser and Aeron Alfrey. The edition is limited to 200 copies for sale. The books are bound in cloth with printed front and rear panels with printed endpapers, ribbon marker, and a slipcase.

Image and Text from Miskatonic Books

zoom

spiffybiffy:

B-A Note: Gorgeous! I haven’t read this yet - need to fix that.

Source: Zombiequadrille (Joe Broers) on Deviantart.

From Wiki:

“The King in Yellow is a collection of short stories written by Robert W. Chambers and published in 1895. The stories could be categorized as early horror fiction or Victorian Gothic fiction, but the work also touches on mythology, fantasy, mystery, science fiction and romance. The first four stories in the collection involve an imaginary two-act play of the same title.”

Sample book cover for reference:

zoom

Die Verwandlung.
Franz Kafka. Kurt Wolff Verlag, Leipzig: 1915]

First edition of “Metamorphosis”, 8vo (210 x 128mm.), 3 leaves of publisher’s advertisements at end, dust-jacket illustrated by Ottomar Starke (dated 1916 as usual), rebound in marbled boards preserving upper wrapper, binding worn, spine detached

zoom

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson. London, Longmans, Green & Co.1886

First issue with “5” in 1885 ink changed from “6” by hand from the publisher. Also, an ad for the second edition of “A Child’s Garden of Verses” at rear. This wrapper bound issue precedes the cloth issue by about a week. “Like Shelley’s Frankenstein, this is an updating of the Faust theme which speculates on the dangers of science out of control…Stevenson’s theme of the human mind fragmenting into mutually exclusive, mutually destructive bits has been treated by countless later writers” – Lilly 21; Prideaux 17; Beinecke 349; Bleiler, Science Fiction (Early Years), pp.706-07; A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.

[8], 141, [1 blank] + [1] ad pp. 18x11.5 cm. (7x4½”), original buff wrappers rebacked with early matching paper, front cover stamped in blue and red, glassine wrapper, custom maroon drop-back box. First English Edition, earliest binding state, first issue.

zoom

The Shadow Over Innsmouth
H.P. Lovecraft. Everett, Pennsylvania: Visionary Publishing Co., 1936.

Original black cloth, front and spine panels stamped in silver.. Spine panel a bit creased at spine ends, else a fine copy in very. good pictorial dust jacket with shelf wear and slight loss at spine. ends and corners, several short tears at upper edges of spine and. front panels with internal tape mend, and general dust soiling to. front, spine and rear panels.

A superior copy of this book with. distinguished provenance. (#114482). First edition. A highly important presentation copy with a signed inscription by Lovecraft to August Derleth on the front free endpaper: “To Auguste- Guillaume, Comte d’Erlette, / whose encouraging opinion of this / tale is responsible for its present / appearance in (mis) print. / A reasonably corrected copy, with / the grateful compliments of the / perpetrator — / H. P. Lovecraft / Christmas, MDCCCCXXXVI.”

Lovecraft’s first published book, preceded by THE SHUNNED HOUSE (1928) that was printed, but not circulated beyond a tiny circle of Lovecraft’s friends. Publisher William H. Crawford has stated that approximately 400 copies were printed, of which about 200 were bound, the remainder destroyed at a later date. Binding and typography were dreadful and a handful of the earliest copies had corrections in Lovecraft’s hand. This copy has a dozen or so corrections by Lovecraft, including a line of missing text handwritten on page 72.

zoom

Terror By Night
E.F. Benson. Ashcroft, BC: Ash-Tree Press, 1998.

Octavo, 21.5 x 13.5 cm. xviii 161 pp. Limited edition of 600 copies. Original maroon cloth-covered boards stamped in gilt. Red endpapers. In a pictorial dustjacket.

zoom

Dark Carnival
Ray Bradbury. Springfield, PA: Gauntlet Press, 2001.

First limited edition, Leatherbound hardcover edition in traycase. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Collects the twenty-seven short stories that comprised the original 1947 Arkham House release. With an Afterword by Clive Barker. Includes a new introduction by Bradbury, two short afterwords written by Bradbury (in addition to the Barker afterword), a one page essay titled “The Winged Bat,” in which Bradbury tells how he came to write Dark Carnival and “A Child’s garden of Terror,” a proposal Bradbury wrote to himself for Dark Carnival. Numerous other bells and whistles, including an audio CD interview of Bradbury talking off the cuff about events which took place over fifty years ago.

SIGNED lettered edition limited to 52 copies, this being letter YY. Signed by both Bradbury and Barker on a special limitation page.

An as new copy situated in a beveled leather traycase with a drawer and handle with the original U.S. and U.K. covers inset on the front and back of the traycase.

A truly historic collection and representation.

zoom

Genius Loci and Other Tales
Clark Ashton Smith. Sauk City: Arkham House, 1948.

First edition / First printing, Octavo, Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket.

Jacket art by Frank Wakefield. Jaffery, Horrors and Unpleasantries #35. Black cloth marked, spine stamping dull. Front panel of jacket bright and clean, spine a bit dull with very minor wear at top and bottom. A very nice copy.

zoom

I Am Legend
Richard Matheson. New York: Walker and Company, 1970.

First hardcover edition, Octavo, Hardcover. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Classic science fiction by one of the masters, about the lone survivor of a bacterial pandemic living among “vampires” in futuristic Los Angeles. A unique blend of horror and science fiction, which revived the vampire genre.

zoom

The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson. New York: Viking Press, 1959.

First edition / First printing, Octavo, Hardcover. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Considered one of the finest literary ghost stories ever published. Basis for two film adapations titled “The Haunting” - the 1963 Robert Wise film starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom, and the 1999 film starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen WIlson, Bruce Dern and Lili Taylor.