The Collectible Dean Koontz
Didn't see a thread here on Koontz. I've picked up a lot of cool inscribed Koontz books and have just started in on some of the S/L Koontz. I have loads of signed Koontz now - as he's pretty easy to get at low prices on ebay and abebooks, but the ones I like the most are these ones - signed Dark Harvest/Phil Hales books and a 1st of "Lightning" with a lightning bolt. I love collecting Koontz books with funny or witty or even silly inscriptions as well. :) I also picked up recently a 1st of "Watchers" with a signed illustrated bookplate. A few pics below.
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Dean Koontz Lightning S/L
I believe the Lightning Limited edition is the first Koontz S/L edition which was issued by Ultramarine Publishing Company, Inc., in 1988 in two states: one limited to 200 numbered copies bound in 1/4 leather, signed by Dean R. Koontz and another, 26 copies lettered A-Z, bound in full leather and signed by Dean R. Koontz. Note: Author's original title was LIGHTNING ROAD. I just have the S/L:
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Dark Harvest S/L editions
Published by Dark Harvest between 1988 and 1990, these are the five "Leigh Nichols" titles in the limited edition state. The limited and lettered editions are both signed by Dean Koontz and the illustrator, Phil Parks. The lettered editions contain a full page color drawing by the illustrator, Phil Parks. The books are: The Servants of Twilight (1988-550/52); The House of Thunder (1988-550/52); The Eyes of Darkness (1989-400/52); The Key to Midnight (1990-550/52); and Shadowfires (1990-600/52). Additionally , there exist 20 signed copies of each of the Dark Harvest novels in proof format which are extremely hard to find and expensive.
I have signed limiteds of Eyes of Darkness and Key to Midnight, but still need to get the others.
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Blood Test (Koontz intro)
Another hard to find Koontz is the signed limited of Blood Test by Jonathan Kellerman published by Dark Harvest in 1993 and limited to 400 slip cased copies. Koontz wrote the introduction for the book and signed the limitation page with Kellerman.
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Dean Koontz Putnam S/L editions
In addition to The Bad Place published in 1990, Putnam offered a series of four Dean Koontz signed limited editions from 1991 to 1993: Cold Fire (1991-750); Hideaway (1992-800); Dragon Tears (1993-700); and Mr. Murder (1993-700). The dust jacket and slipcase were illustrated by Don Brautigan and the interior illustrations by Phil Parks. Very nice looking signed limited editions and like most of Koontz's books still very reasonably priced.
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Dean Koontz Cemetery Dance S/L editions
From 1995 to 1999, Cemetery Dance published four signed, limited edition Dean Koontz books in both numbered and lettered editions: Strange Highways (1995-750); Fear Nothing (1998-698); Seize the Night (1998-698); and False Memory (1999-698). The lettered edition are limited to 52 copies each and lettered A to ZZ. Each of the editions are signed by the author, Dean Koontz, and the illustrator, Phil Parks. I don't have Strange Highways, but do have the other three in numbered form.
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Dean Koontz Charnel House S/L
Joe Stefko of Charnel House (charnelhouse.com) started producing stunning versions of Koontz signed limited editions beginning with Beastchild in 1992 which was limited to 750 numbered and 26 lettered editions signed by Koontz and the illustrator, Pamela Lee. I have the numbered edition.
195 pages 6X9 inches
First hardcover Edition
The text has been typeset from the authors restored original manuscript with a new authors preface.
The illustrations are printed on Lustro Gloss and the limitation sheet has been printed letterpress on Fabriano Ingres.
When Dean checked the proofs for this book he wanted to know why Charnel House felt the need to rewrite his twenty year old novel. It turned out that the publisher of the paperback original did and it was this source that was used as manuscript that the proofs were made from. Eventually Dean's paper trail led to his original manuscript and Beastchild was for the first time whole and published as it was written.
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Dean Koontz Charnel House S/L
One of the most sought after of the Koontz S/L editions published by Charnel House is The Book of Counted Sorrows which also happens to be the largest printing of the Charnel House Koontz editions at 1250 numbered and 26 lettered. The Book of Counted Sorrows contains the collection of epigrams frequently contained in the beginning of Koontz books. The numbered edition was printed with custom fonts on Mohawk Superfine & Frankfurt White, bound in linen with a pictorial front board and slip cased. The numbered edition originally sold for $100.00 and the lettered for $2,000.00 each.
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Leigh Nichols (Dean Koontz) proofs
Leigh Nichols was a pseudonym used by Dean Koontz for five US titles and 6 UK titles. All of the initial US releases were in paperback only, and one BCE, Shadowfires, which was also Koontz's last US release using a pen name. The first publication of The Key to Midnight was in 1979 by Pocket as a US paperback. Interestingly, the proof is not paperback sized, but rather sized normally for a standard proof.
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Source: "Collecting Dean Koontz" by James T. Seels, Firsts(Oct. 1993)
The Door to December proof depicted below is the proof for the 1988 Inner Circle UK hardback published in 01/1988. The Door to December US release was in 1985 under the pen name, Richard Paige (Koontz's only use of this pseudonym). The Door to December most likely would have been released as a Nichols book in the US, as well, had it not been for Koontz being in the process of switching paperback publishers.
Source: The Koontz Project
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