Weird tales

Wish I had come across these for Halloween, but here they are the day after Thanksgiving instead. Happy Black Friday. All are from past Heritage auctions, so I missed the boat on them. I particularly like the jacket of "The Great Fog".

Franklin Gregory. The White Wolf. New York: Random House, [1941]. First printing.

Edward Shanks. The Dark Green Circle. Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, [1936]. First edition.

Islwyn Williams. Dangerous Waters. 1952.

Curt Siodmak. Donovan's Brain. New York: Triangle Books, 1944.

Harry Harrison Kroll. The Ghosts of Slave Driver's Bend. Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, [1937]. First edition.

+Heritage Auctions

First edition Dr. Seuss books

I wish I had my old Dr. Seuss books now, but alas, they went the way of most abandoned childhood things. So, I'm thinking of re-acquiring some. Here are some first editions. They're pricey now, so if you collect, seek out some slightly later editions. That's what I do with most books I collect, often going with later editions or later printings of firsts. Lots of early editions can be found on eBay. Heritage Auctions has some interesting editions, some signed by the author.

"New socks. Two socks. Whose socks? Sue's socks." Fox in Socks. Beginner Books, A Division of Random House, 1965. First edition. — "New socks. Two socks. Whose socks? Sue's socks." Fox in Socks. Beginner Books, A Division of Random House, 1965. First edition.

"I’ll load up five boats with a family of Joats / Whose feet are like cows, but wear squirrelskin coats, / And sit like dogs, but have voices like goats— / Excepting they can’t sing the very high notes." If I Ran the Zoo. Ne… — "I’ll load up five boats with a family of Joats / Whose feet are like cows, but wear squirrelskin coats, / And sit like dogs, but have voices like goats— / Excepting they can’t sing the very high notes." If I Ran the Zoo. New York: Random House, [1950]. This one sold for $1314. on Heritage Auctions

Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat. [New York]: Random House, [1957]. First edition. Signed by the author in blue ballpoint via

"In the places I go there are things that I see / That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. / I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends. / My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!" Dr. S… — "In the places I go there are things that I see / That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. / I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends. / My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!" Dr. Seuss. On Beyond Zebra. New York: [1955]. First edition, first issue dust jacket. via

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” How the Grinch Stole Christmas. New York: [1957]. First edition, first iss… — “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” How the Grinch Stole Christmas. New York: [1957]. First edition, first issue dust jacket. Sold for $437

Here's a really early one that I wasn't familiar with. "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" New York: The Vanguard Press, 1937. sold for $1195 on Heritage Auctions — Here's a really early one that I wasn't familiar with. "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" New York: The Vanguard Press, 1937. sold for $1195 on Heritage Auctions

Dell Mapbacks

These mystery and crime paperbacks from the 40s featured crime scene maps on the back and some wonderful cover illustrations, especially those by Gerald Gregg. There are lots of his covers here on Flickr.

Dark Passage by David Goodis 1948, cover by Gerald Gregg. via ebay

A Halo for Nobody by Henry Kane 1948 via ebay

The Body Missed the Boat by Jack Iams 1949 via ebay

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie 1947 via ebay

Rebecca, Rebecca

I now have 2 copies of the novel since I bought this inexpensive war-time edition published by Triangle Books/Blakston. Triangle books were marketed as affordable editions of popular books. I also have more than one copy of the Hitchcock film. I must really like this story.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier | 1940s edition

Daphne du Maurier | Rebecca 1938 | Jacket design by Hy Rubin

Archives of a publisher

Established in 1952, Wydawnictwo Iskry is one of the oldest publishing houses in Poland and they have painstakingly posted hundreds of really beautiful book covers, year by year on pinterest. Here are just a few.