Science fiction novels from the 1950s

The fifties were arguably the golden age of science fiction, and here are a few highly collectible novels from that era by such giants as Isaac Asimov & Ray Bradbury. The first six are from the bookseller L.W. Currey. They have an especially wide range of first edition science fiction and fantasy books. The last two are from my own library.

Isaac Asimov THE STARS, LIKE DUST. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1951 — Isaac Asimov THE STARS, LIKE DUST. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1951

Clarke, Arthur C. THE CITY AND THE STARS. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, [1956]. Cover design by George Salter.

Asimov, Isaac. THE CURRENTS OF SPACE. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1952. Jacket design by George Giusti.

Asimov, Isaac. THE MARTIAN WAY AND OTHER STORIES. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1955.

Robert A. Heinlein. BETWEEN PLANETS. New York:Charles Scribner's Sons, 1951. — Robert A. Heinlein. BETWEEN PLANETS. New York:Charles Scribner's Sons, 1951.

Bradbury, Ray. THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. First British edition. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1952. — Bradbury, Ray. THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. First British edition. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1952.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. 1950. This is my copy. It's a facsimile edition from The First Edition Library. An actual first edition of this novel is really pricey, usually in the thousands of dollars.. — I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. 1950. This is my copy. It's a facsimile edition from The First Edition Library. An actual first edition of this novel is *really* pricey, usually in the thousands of dollars..

Shambleau and Others by C.L.Moore 1953. My "First Edition Library" reprint of the First Edition from 1981.

A couple of great crime yarns

From my library. Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain knew how to capture the seamy underside of the human condition. Here are two of their best that were also the basis of memorable 40s films featuring the steamy pairings of Bogart + Bacall and Garfield + Turner.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler 1939." So she giggled. Very cute. The giggles got louder and ran around the corners of the room like rats behind the wainscoting."

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 1934.  “We’re just two punks, Frank. God kissed us on the brow that night. He gave us all that two people can ever have and we just weren’t the kind that could have it. [I]t’s a big airplane … — The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 1934. “We’re just two punks, Frank. God kissed us on the brow that night. He gave us all that two people can ever have and we just weren’t the kind that could have it. [I]t’s a big airplane engine, that takes you through the sky, right up to the top of the mountain. But when you put it in a Ford, it just shakes it to pieces. That’s what we are, Frank, a couple of Fords.”

Design annuals from the Art Directors Club

Here are three volumes of the Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art from the Art Directors' Club of New York. These were auctioned as a large 17-volume set on Heritage Auctions, and sold for $625. "These issues celebrate the finest in advertising art, featuring such artists or photographers as Arthur Rackham, Norman Rockwell, Edward J. Steichen, Miguel Covarrubias, Diane and Allan Arbus, and Thomas Hart Benton."

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 30 | Art Directors' Club of New York. 1951

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 33

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 34 from the Art Directors' Club of New York. 1955. Jacket design by George Giusti.

+Heritage Auctions

Vintage cook books

If you enjoy looking through cook books, here are some interesting early twentieth century examples. What's fascinating about some of these is how the culture of food changes over the years. While some recipes remain constant, others seem quite bizarre in retrospect. I also love having a few vintage cook books in my kitchen to remind me of my mom and grandmother.

Sunset All-Western Cook Book by Genevieve A. Callahan 1936 via eBay

New York World's Fair Cook Book by Crosby Gaige 1939 via

The New Basic Cook Book 1957 via ABE books

Fish and Seafood Cook Book 1940 via eBay

Hawaiian and pacific foods by Katherine Bazore 1940s

Ronald Searle

British cartoonist and caricaturist Ronald Searle passed away in 2011 at the age of 91. Here are just a few of his witty and beautiful book covers.

"Lampooning the foibles of the English class system as well as clerics, politicians and even other artists, Mr. Searle was often described as a latter-day version of the 18th-century British graphic satirist William Hogarth. His cartoons combined an ear for linguistic nuance with a caustic pen and brush. With just a few well-placed lines, he pierced the facades of his targets without resorting to ridicule or rancor." —The New York Times. Read more here.