Book Collection: harrison ryan's Thrifty Acquisitions

[harrison ryan]

I've looked at a lot of great, expensive collections on the boards in the last few weeks, so I wanted to start a collection thread of my own. However, since I am a (somewhat) starving artist and used bookstore employee who doesn't make a lot of scratch, my collection thread will showcase the cheap paperbacks and more common finds that are both affordable and just downright fun for me to collect. I realize this thread may be a bore to the advanced collector but I enjoy taking pictures and presenting them here too much to let that deter me. Hopefully, anyone who takes the time to browse can find something interesting herein.

Here's my humble collection, my ever-growing cache of thrifty acquisitions:

[biomieg]

Bring it on!

[harrison ryan]

This is the one that kind of kick-started my current collecting. I've been a huge King fan for years, buying each new novel and short story collection as it was released, but I've never considered myself a serious collector. Still don't. But this bargain baby led me to keep an eye out for the older paperbacks in good condition. I love the cover art and design schemes of King's older work from the 70s and 80s, and a lot of the other stuff Signet/NAL released from the same time period.
Condition: Good+

[harrison ryan]

When I saw these come into the store, I had to have them, even though I already owned the same stories in updated designs. They were all in excellent condition, which is somewhat rare for my place of employment.
Condition: VG/VG+

[harrison ryan]

From what I gather, this was released by the BOMC in conjunction with On Writing. This one has the white boards, which (I think) means it is a first edition. They get points in my book for including The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet, one of my favorite King short stories.
Condition: VG+/NF. Fornit some Fornus!

[biomieg]

Keep 'em coming! By the way, I have a nice collection of New English Library paperbacks - very cheap stuff but I love them (great artwork). Check them out in my collection thread.

[jhanic]

You've got a decent collection started there, Ryan. I'm anxious to see more!

John

[carlosdetweiller]

I'm staying tuned to this channel to see what comes next.

[harrison ryan]

Thanks, Collecting Friends! They are cheapies, but I love 'em. Hmmm....what's next? How about:



This is the first Signet printing of 'Salem's Lot. The spine is quite creased, and there is some water damage to the bottom of the book. The water didn't damage the story, though!
Condition: Poor. Update: I managed to purchase a copy in better condition, then I gave the old one to a friend.





Next is the twenty-fifth printing. It has the TV miniseries logo and info on the back cover, and lists Cujo on the "author of" line, so that puts it post-'81. There is some creasing to the spine, and general yellowing of the pages, but the covers are in pretty decent shape (with the exception of the corners on the front there).
Condition: Good.


I rescued this one from the dumpster. Thirty-fourth printing. They've re-worked the cover again to suit a new overarching design scheme for paperback reprints. Unsure of the date, but the $4.50 cover price probably puts it in the early to mid-nineties.
Condition: Poor. Update: I moved mid-way through last year, and think I ended up giving it back to the dumpster.

[harrison ryan]

I should note that I'm restricting this thread to items I've purchased in the last six months or so, when the discovery of that old copy of Roadwork (see above) kind of ignited an interest in augmenting and re-working my existing collection of King and similar authors. There's no real rhyme or reason to the order I'm posting, but it's roughly chronological to the date of acquisition and I'm keeping multiple copies of the same book to a single post. Next!



Last October I sold one of these to a customer while I was manning the register, and was very jealous that I didn't see it first! With a little waiting and hoping, another one soon arrived and I eagerly snapped it up. I read it that night and LOVED it. I think I've seen Bev Vincent's name attached to a few posts on this very message board, too, if I'm not mistaken!
First Printing. Condition: VG.



This one came in at the same time, a kind of added bonus. The pictures of the Bangor Standpipe and other locations that inspired the city of Derry alone make it worth buying.
First printing. Condition: VG.

[harrison ryan]

Great interviews with a variety of horror authors, circa '85. Of course, the King is one of them!
First trade paperback edition. Condition: Good.



This little paperback reprints Fangoria's King articles and interviews from a number of years. Not very special, but I had fun reading it!

[harrison ryan]

Richard Matheson is an author I was turned onto by seeing numerous references to his work in King's writing. I'm fairly certain he's mentioned a bit in Danse Macabre, for one.



First Berkley printing. Condition: Very Good.



First Berkley printing. Condition: Very Good.



First Berkley printing. Condition: Very Good.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

Nice pictures! I also love collecting paperbacks and I also collect Richard Matheson, who is one of my favorite authors.

[harrison ryan]

Nice pictures! I also love collecting paperbacks and I also collect Richard Matheson, who is one of my favorite authors.

I hope the pics aren't too big...I like Matheson, too, but I haven't gotten around to reading a lot of his stuff yet!

[harrison ryan]

Here are the Kurt Vonnegut paperbacks I amassed over a period of a couple weeks about a month ago or so. Much like the King stuff, I prefer the vintage design scheme used on the ones from the mid-70s. You'll notice I have two versions of Sirens of Titan. The first one (first row, second from left) is the first Dell paperback printing from 1966. My copies of Breakfast of Champions, Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons, Galapagos, Hocus Pocus, and The Eden Express (by Kurt's son, Mark Vonnegut) are first paperback printings.
Condition: Varies.



This is the first paperback printing of Venus on the Half-Shell, by Vonnegut's fictional sci-fi author Kilgore Trout. It was actually an early work by Philip Jose Farmer. Farmer fooled many less-discerning readers into believing the novel was written by Vonnegut himself. Vonnegut was not pleased.
Condition: VG-



Book club version. I wish I hadn't bought it. If I see a nice paperback, I'll replace it and re-sell. BCE's suck.
Condition: VG.



One of Vonnegut's few plays. It's a trade paperback version, a little fewer and farther between at the store. Condition is somewhat appalling, but for bargain basement prices, you can't always be too picky. Eighth printing.
Condition: Poor.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

Nice books. (By the way, I ALSO collect Vonnegut). Great minds think alike, don't you agree?

[harrison ryan]

First paperback printing. This novel was the inspiration for the similarly-named movie. I'm pretty sure this was a paperback original, but I'm not certain. I thought I did pretty well on it when I saw them going for upwards of $40 on ebay (though that doesn't always say a lot). My copy is in such excellent shape I highly doubt it's ever been opened.
Condition: NF.

[harrison ryan]

Nice books. (By the way, I ALSO collect Vonnegut). Great minds think alike, don't you agree?

Yes, indeed!

[harrison ryan]

We'll get back to King in just a bit. But first:



It's a fourth printing from July 1979. I don't collect Anne Rice, but I have read most of her Vampire Chronicles stuff, so I couldn't pass this one up. I like the typical paperback romance-type cover, but I don't think it relates particularly well to the contents inside. A co-worker pointed out that you could tell it was older simply from the small font used on the author's name! At this point, Rice had no other credits to her (own) name.
Condition: VG.

[harrison ryan]

Fourth printing. I needed one with the die-cut cover. I read a post on the board a few days ago where someone (was it you, carlosdetweiller?) pointed out that it's harder to find copies where the eyes line up properly with the die-cut holes. I immediately thought of my misaligned copy!
Condition: VG.

[harrison ryan]

Thirteenth printing. Movie tie-in version.
Condition: G-.



Thirty-ninth printing. Condition: Good+ (no creases on spine).

Update: I still need a Signet first!
Updated Update: I've got one!

[harrison ryan]

Fifteenth printing. Movie tie-in version.
Condition: Good+.
Update: I snagged a better copy, then gave this one away.



Fortieth printing. Condition: VG.

Here's my Dead Zones as they stand now:

[harrison ryan]

Now for some of my proudest new acquisitions, though certainly not the thriftiest!



First NAL/US printing. Condition: NF.



First NAL/US printing. In my research, I discovered that The Long Walk was the only Bachman paperback original to have multiple printings, three to be exact. I noticed from ebay auctions that the third printing has a UPC barcode on the lower back cover, whereas the first printing has a smaller version of the front cover art. This cemented my decision to go after a first. Does anyone know if the second printing has the UPC or the art?
Condition: VG+.



The crown jewel of my meager collection. This is a US first, completing my set. Thank you, stockerlone!
Good+.

[harrison ryan]

Grant first trade editions. Another bookstore acquisition. I originally bought them just as they were released, but those copies have been "well-loved", having been read several times and lent to friends. I acquired these extra-nice versions last week, and--as is the way of things--it has led me to seek out first trades of the rest of the series, with the notable exception of DT1 (where I went for a second edition). Thanks to the members of this board, I have nearly completed my set! Expect an update on this very soon!
Condition: NF.
Biomieg pointed out in a post the other day that the Artist Editions are the true firsts. Oy vey, here we go again!

[Ric]

Thirteenth printing. Movie tie-in version.
Condition: G-. Cost: 50¢

There it is again! My first ever King Book!

BTW, that Rage is in superb shape! Nice score there!