Lenny
03-13-2010, 06:32 PM
Hello everyone. My name is Lenny and I am from Alabama. Not exactly a mecca for book collecting. In fact I am the only collector I know here. I'm new to posting here but I have been lurking and reading for sometime now and decided to quit being anti-social and start posting :P
I have been collecting since 1991 when I read my first Stephen King book while in college. The first book was The Stand uncut. Needless to say that one hooked me. My collection started with the first edition of that book and I still have it. From their I went on to IT. Yes I like large epic novels.
Like I said book collecting here in Alabama leaves a lot to be desired and back in 1991 the internet was not what it is today. So I had to aquire my books from actual book stores. This actually fed my collecting desire. I would go to every book store I could find hunting for first editions. To this day I don't know how I knew the importance of finding the first editions. I didn't know anyone else who collected and the book stores in my area didn't seem to have collectors, the owners were just people pushing product. What I did know was I loved the books once I started and I loved the hunt.
I started with The Stand uncut and set off to find the first editions of all the ones before. I managed to get first editions all the way back to Firestarter. Not a great accomplishment now but back then with the no money, no help and not a lot of stores around...I was feeling pretty good.
So thats how I got started and of course I started buying every book King released. The first new book I bought was Needful Things when it was released in 1991. At the time I didn't know a thing about S/L editions. Which is good because like I said I was in college and had zero money. Also I would not have known where to buy them. Those kinds of books certainly weren't showing up in the mom and pop book stores I had available to me. So as far as I knew having a first trade edition was the end all be all.
After a few years of hunting and being mostly happy (I say mostly because I could never come across first editions of the first 6 books) a friend asks me if I had read the The Dark Tower books. :orely: Umm...the what? For some some reason I had never heard of these books which at the time there were only 3. Never saw any paperbacks and certainly didn't see any hardcovers while on my hunts. Well my friend just so happen to have the 3 books in paperback and gave them to me. Bet you can guess what happened next.
The knowledge of those books and the fact they were NO WHERE to be found thrown on top of the fact only God and King knew when book 4 was coming out liked to have killed me. So I searched and I waited and I searched and I waited. Until one day while surfing the net via AOL I heard mention of Wizard and Glass coming out in 1996. We had just got a Books-A-Million where I lived so I went and camped out. No chance in hell I was missing out. The day came and I bought EVERY COPY THEY HAD. All 2 of them. Got in my car drove to the next town I knew that had a Books-A-Million and bought all their copies as well. All 2 of them. I think I peed in my pants a little I was so happy.
Fast forward, 2003 I get my first non-trade first edition Stephen King book. The artist edition of Wolves of the Calla. Learned a hard fact about life then. If you didn't own a S/L of W&G there is no chance you are getting DT-5. Anyway I ended up with artist editions of the rest and that is where my collecting stopped. Completely. DT-7 completely turned me off from books. I quit reading, I quit collecting, I quit any and everything concerning books.
Up until 7 came out I read the entire DT series once every year. I LOVED that damn story. I knew it by heart. I wore out every book I got (paperbacks, never touched my hardcovers). Then when 7 came out...It killed me. No I'm not talking about the ending, I knew that was coming by the time I finished book 6. I'm talking about the whole book. To me it just seemed like King cheated. Like he just hurried up so it would be done. Anyway enough of that, thats for a different forum.
So from 2004 until November 2009 I didn't touch a book. Didn't even step foot in book store. Yes I was pissed. Then one day my wife and I are out shopping and she drags me into B-A-M and the first thing I see, Under the Dome...and its huge...did I mention I love epics. Well needless to say...here we go again.
So that's my story and this is my collection. The story had to be long because my collection is small. Well not where I live. Here everyone thinks I'm a Super Collector, but being a member of the forumn I know the truth :( But I love my collection. Most of it was attained the old fashion way, I had to find them myself under piles of other books stashed away on a book shelf in the back of a mom and pop store. I can tell you a story about each one because I remember finding each one in some out of the way store in some out of the way town. They are a little like my children and I love each one.
My pride and joy. Completed last month when I bought my most expensive book to date from Betts. The Gunslinger.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/131.jpg?t=1268534026
The entire collection. Sorry for the bad photo
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/133.jpg?t=1268531424
Some close ups
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/136.jpg?t=1268531495
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/138.jpg?t=1268531524
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/140.jpg?t=1268531548
All my King books...The first 5 are book clubs but I promised myself I would finish my first editon collection this year...please don't tell my wife though.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/124.jpg?t=1268531608
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/125.jpg?t=1268531757
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/126.jpg?t=1268531784
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/127.jpg?t=1268531821
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/129.jpg?t=1268531858
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/150.jpg?t=1268531936
These are just the regular editons of The Colorado Kid but for some reason I love these 3 little books. Not necessarly the story, just the books them selves. Collectors make NO sense sometimes.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/154.jpg?t=1268532083
Here is my Joe Hill collection. It was bad enough just collecting King...I'll probably end up divorced.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/123.jpg?t=1268532506
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/115.jpg?t=1268532623
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/113.jpg?t=1268532654
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/116.jpg?t=1268532682
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/118.jpg?t=1268532714
Ordered 2 signed copies of the New Dead and Horns from River Run on the first night of Joe's Horns tour. Collecting is so much easier this way, not as fun mind you but easier.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/110.jpg?t=1268532305
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/111.jpg?t=1268532422
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/120.jpg?t=1268532462
I do have the S/L's of Horns and the next Locke & Key on order. When they come in I will share those as well
Hated comic books growing up. Picked up Joe's because they are Joe's...fell in love with them.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/106.jpg?t=1268532151
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/108.jpg?t=1268532180
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/109.jpg?t=1268532212
That's all my favorite stuff. Here is the rest of my bookshelves. Some pretty cool things but mostly books I justed enjoyed reading. These are all first editions with the exception on one or two.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/142.jpg?t=1268532838
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/143.jpg?t=1268532933
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/144.jpg?t=1268533000
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/145.jpg?t=1268533029
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/146.jpg?t=1268533053
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/147.jpg?t=1268533114
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/149.jpg?t=1268533148
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/153.jpg?t=1268533182
Oh oh one last thing before you go. My wife bought these for me at a flea marcket. They are miniature Shakespeare books from 1904. The complete set is 20 volumes in this little book case, I only have ten of them. She paid $98 for this. I have been doing some research on these and so far I have only found one complete set with the original book case. It is for sale for $1500. Not bad for $98 bucks. So now I have something else to hunt for.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/102.jpg?t=1268533798
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/103.jpg?t=1268533835
Well that's my collection. Thanks for looking at it. It was fun sharing this with all of you. Sorry for the length of this but you guys are the only people I know that can appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it.
I have been collecting since 1991 when I read my first Stephen King book while in college. The first book was The Stand uncut. Needless to say that one hooked me. My collection started with the first edition of that book and I still have it. From their I went on to IT. Yes I like large epic novels.
Like I said book collecting here in Alabama leaves a lot to be desired and back in 1991 the internet was not what it is today. So I had to aquire my books from actual book stores. This actually fed my collecting desire. I would go to every book store I could find hunting for first editions. To this day I don't know how I knew the importance of finding the first editions. I didn't know anyone else who collected and the book stores in my area didn't seem to have collectors, the owners were just people pushing product. What I did know was I loved the books once I started and I loved the hunt.
I started with The Stand uncut and set off to find the first editions of all the ones before. I managed to get first editions all the way back to Firestarter. Not a great accomplishment now but back then with the no money, no help and not a lot of stores around...I was feeling pretty good.
So thats how I got started and of course I started buying every book King released. The first new book I bought was Needful Things when it was released in 1991. At the time I didn't know a thing about S/L editions. Which is good because like I said I was in college and had zero money. Also I would not have known where to buy them. Those kinds of books certainly weren't showing up in the mom and pop book stores I had available to me. So as far as I knew having a first trade edition was the end all be all.
After a few years of hunting and being mostly happy (I say mostly because I could never come across first editions of the first 6 books) a friend asks me if I had read the The Dark Tower books. :orely: Umm...the what? For some some reason I had never heard of these books which at the time there were only 3. Never saw any paperbacks and certainly didn't see any hardcovers while on my hunts. Well my friend just so happen to have the 3 books in paperback and gave them to me. Bet you can guess what happened next.
The knowledge of those books and the fact they were NO WHERE to be found thrown on top of the fact only God and King knew when book 4 was coming out liked to have killed me. So I searched and I waited and I searched and I waited. Until one day while surfing the net via AOL I heard mention of Wizard and Glass coming out in 1996. We had just got a Books-A-Million where I lived so I went and camped out. No chance in hell I was missing out. The day came and I bought EVERY COPY THEY HAD. All 2 of them. Got in my car drove to the next town I knew that had a Books-A-Million and bought all their copies as well. All 2 of them. I think I peed in my pants a little I was so happy.
Fast forward, 2003 I get my first non-trade first edition Stephen King book. The artist edition of Wolves of the Calla. Learned a hard fact about life then. If you didn't own a S/L of W&G there is no chance you are getting DT-5. Anyway I ended up with artist editions of the rest and that is where my collecting stopped. Completely. DT-7 completely turned me off from books. I quit reading, I quit collecting, I quit any and everything concerning books.
Up until 7 came out I read the entire DT series once every year. I LOVED that damn story. I knew it by heart. I wore out every book I got (paperbacks, never touched my hardcovers). Then when 7 came out...It killed me. No I'm not talking about the ending, I knew that was coming by the time I finished book 6. I'm talking about the whole book. To me it just seemed like King cheated. Like he just hurried up so it would be done. Anyway enough of that, thats for a different forum.
So from 2004 until November 2009 I didn't touch a book. Didn't even step foot in book store. Yes I was pissed. Then one day my wife and I are out shopping and she drags me into B-A-M and the first thing I see, Under the Dome...and its huge...did I mention I love epics. Well needless to say...here we go again.
So that's my story and this is my collection. The story had to be long because my collection is small. Well not where I live. Here everyone thinks I'm a Super Collector, but being a member of the forumn I know the truth :( But I love my collection. Most of it was attained the old fashion way, I had to find them myself under piles of other books stashed away on a book shelf in the back of a mom and pop store. I can tell you a story about each one because I remember finding each one in some out of the way store in some out of the way town. They are a little like my children and I love each one.
My pride and joy. Completed last month when I bought my most expensive book to date from Betts. The Gunslinger.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/131.jpg?t=1268534026
The entire collection. Sorry for the bad photo
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/133.jpg?t=1268531424
Some close ups
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/136.jpg?t=1268531495
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/138.jpg?t=1268531524
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/140.jpg?t=1268531548
All my King books...The first 5 are book clubs but I promised myself I would finish my first editon collection this year...please don't tell my wife though.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/124.jpg?t=1268531608
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/125.jpg?t=1268531757
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/126.jpg?t=1268531784
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/127.jpg?t=1268531821
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/129.jpg?t=1268531858
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/150.jpg?t=1268531936
These are just the regular editons of The Colorado Kid but for some reason I love these 3 little books. Not necessarly the story, just the books them selves. Collectors make NO sense sometimes.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/154.jpg?t=1268532083
Here is my Joe Hill collection. It was bad enough just collecting King...I'll probably end up divorced.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/123.jpg?t=1268532506
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/115.jpg?t=1268532623
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/113.jpg?t=1268532654
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/116.jpg?t=1268532682
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/118.jpg?t=1268532714
Ordered 2 signed copies of the New Dead and Horns from River Run on the first night of Joe's Horns tour. Collecting is so much easier this way, not as fun mind you but easier.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/110.jpg?t=1268532305
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/111.jpg?t=1268532422
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/120.jpg?t=1268532462
I do have the S/L's of Horns and the next Locke & Key on order. When they come in I will share those as well
Hated comic books growing up. Picked up Joe's because they are Joe's...fell in love with them.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/106.jpg?t=1268532151
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/108.jpg?t=1268532180
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/109.jpg?t=1268532212
That's all my favorite stuff. Here is the rest of my bookshelves. Some pretty cool things but mostly books I justed enjoyed reading. These are all first editions with the exception on one or two.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/142.jpg?t=1268532838
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/143.jpg?t=1268532933
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/144.jpg?t=1268533000
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/145.jpg?t=1268533029
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/146.jpg?t=1268533053
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/147.jpg?t=1268533114
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/149.jpg?t=1268533148
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/153.jpg?t=1268533182
Oh oh one last thing before you go. My wife bought these for me at a flea marcket. They are miniature Shakespeare books from 1904. The complete set is 20 volumes in this little book case, I only have ten of them. She paid $98 for this. I have been doing some research on these and so far I have only found one complete set with the original book case. It is for sale for $1500. Not bad for $98 bucks. So now I have something else to hunt for.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/102.jpg?t=1268533798
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae328/Lenny0180/103.jpg?t=1268533835
Well that's my collection. Thanks for looking at it. It was fun sharing this with all of you. Sorry for the length of this but you guys are the only people I know that can appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it.