Yes, I have a lettered copy on order. I’ll definitely post pics when it arrives.
Yes, I have a lettered copy on order. I’ll definitely post pics when it arrives.
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
A nice interview with Peter.
Author of The Road to the Dark Tower, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and The Dark Tower Companion. Co-editor with Stephen King of the anthology Flight or Fright.
Does anyone here have (or have you at least seen) a copy of Straub's The Skylark?
[FYI, The Skylark is an early version of A Dark Matter, which was published through Subterranean Press (I believe) in 2011.]
Some sloppy resellers have listings for The Skylark that a few questions reveal to be copies of A Dark Matter (for a few hours I thought I'd located a cheap one in "good" condition (which I'd be happy to accept), but it was not to be), and listings that seem to clearly be correct are (thus far) beyond my budget (I think this is one of those cases where, while the pool of buyers is pretty small, the pool of sellers is even smaller, and no bargains will be found, although I will continue to look for them).
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
You probably already know this, but here goes. Lettered editions sold for $250 and numbered editions sold for $50 through Subterranean Press. There are two for $200 on ABE and three on ebay, the cheapest of which is at $160 but is taking offers. I'd go after that one. I would think you'd be able to get it for a good price given, as you say, there is are a limited amount of Straub collectors out there. The seller has very few sales and would probably be happy to move on from it. I'd go in low.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35356965599...Bk9SR5zJvrTAYA
Thanks.
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
Thanks for the push - after digesting your suggestion for a bit and realizing this would likely be my best shot, I did as you advised and managed to snag this for $120.
I should've been able to generate this plan on my own, but I wasn't thinking strategically, and (mainly) I hadn't yet come to grips with the fact that I was probably never going to find one of these <$100 and had to decide whether I wanted to actually own one or just spend the rest of my days awaiting a bargain that never came.
I'm already perpetually on the sidelines for a few special editions (CD It chief among them) I understand I'll probably never own, but the big difference (aside from the fact that most run well beyond $120) is that whereas I've actually read those novels, I haven't read The Skylark - I actually need it because of what it is and not because it's a special edition. I loved A Dark Matter and the question wasn't "how bad do I want this kickass bauble for my shelf?" but "am I going to go through life not reading The Skylark, or am I going to do something about it?"
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
Bev, since you are familiar with this, I'm hitting you up with this question (anyone else who might have an opinion is of course welcome to chime in):
At some point soon I'm going to read everything Blue Rose-related, and I'm wondering what the best reading order is.
One possibility is publication order, which is (if my detective work is sound):
Blue Rose (1985)
Koko (1988)
The Juniper Tree (1988) [Note: I don't know if Koko preceded TJT or vice versa.]
Mystery (1990)
The Ghost Village (1992)
The Throat (1993)
Bunny Is Good Bread (2000, but original version Fee appeared in 1994, still putting it last).
[If my dates are correct, a short story (Blue Rose) is actually the earliest of the works, which feels incorrect; I just don't know.]
I could also read the trilogy first (treating them as a single entity), then the stories in the order they arrived:
Koko
Mystery
The Throat
Blue Rose (1985)
The Juniper Tree (1988)
The Ghost Village (1992)
Bunny Is Good Bread (2000).
Going with the publication order appeals to me because it's how I would've read them if I'd been on the ball following Straub at the time and not trying to catch up later, but perhaps it makes more sense to process the main work (the trilogy) before the peripherals.
What do you think?
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
For reading order, I would read them chronological by release. The novels don't tie together tightly enough to require reading them back-to-back. Although not *strictly* Blue Rose novels, you could also add lost boy lost girl and In the Night Room to the list.
"Blue Rose" was written before Koko was started; "The Juniper Tree" was written while Koko was in progress. I don't think the order matters too much, but if you're a stickler for the written order, TJT should be read before Koko.
The Ghost Village started as a chapter of Koko, but was heavily revised before publication, so I would read it based on when it was published, not before Koko.
(Oh, and kudos for knowing about Fee; it isn't that well-known. I happened to read that story in an anthology way back, and didn't realize Bunny is Good Bread was the same story until I read it much later).
Congrats on getting The Skylark for $120. That's a solid price. And I completely understand your logic about getting it - it was the first SubPress book I bought new from the publisher, for precisely that reason. I love alternate versions/first drafts of books (qv. The History of Middle-Earth).
HBJ
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
Yes, that looks right.
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
Thanks.
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
I should stress that it doesn't *really* matter, in that these stories are fairly loosely connected, but that's the order I would read them in.
I have to say, you're in for a treat reading these stories for the first time. Some damn fine writing there.
HBJ
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
For anyone who has read Perdido, given that it is described as a "fragment," is it worth (as a read) hunting down?
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
If I'd read it, I'd comment, but I haven't.
HBJ
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
To this I will add: Subterranean Press produced two editions of this:
- a signed, numbered edition (400)
- an unsigned trade edition (print run unknown to me)
In looking around, most copies were the unsigned trade edition (usually selling for around $20), and after seeing a signed/numbered listed for over $200, I wasn't considering seeking one of those out, but then happened to stumble across one for under $20, and that's what I grabbed (I'm not sure these people knew what they had; on the other hand, I sense that the market for Straub collectibles isn't as strong as a fan might imagine).
I don't have many author signatures (none from King) but this will be my 4th from Straub.
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
Nice find!!
WANTED:
Any DT S/L’s #181
Well done.
Straub signed editions seem to be very variable. Some of them seem to go for quite a lot, while others don’t seem to fetch much at all. I do agree that you got this one for a steal, though.
These are my signed Straubs from a few years ago. Hasn’t changed much since.
HBJ
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
Nice collection.
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.
Sorry to hear of Peter Straubs passing…..RIP.
WANTED:
Any DT S/L’s #181
Update 2 days ago from Centipede Press:
"...Ghost Story and Shadowland by Peter Straub are all later in the year."
In the village all the children running home
- they sing hymns that haunt them when they're all alone.