Clearwater Books

DOUGLAS ADAMS. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 4. Pan Books, London 1984. First edition. This copy inscribed by the author on the title page with a brief Christmas greeting and dated the year of publication. 8vo. 191pp. A tiny bump to the head of the upper board, and four inkstamped numerals to the base of the front free endpaper. Very good indeed in price-clipped dust wrapper with the inset holographic decoration to the front panel; the wrapper lightly rubbed and dust soiled, with a tiny indeterminate splash of white to the base of the spine. The fourth volume of the author's increasingly misnamed Hitch Hiker’s Trilogy. £275

DOUGLAS ADAMS. Mostly Harmless. Volume five of the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. Heinemann, London 1992. First edition. 8vo. 219pp. Some toning to the paperstock and a tiny nick to the edge of a single text leaf, impacting no text. A very good copy in virtually fine dust wrapper. The final Hitch Hiker's book penned by Adams, and the last book published in his lifetime. £10

KINGSLEY AMIS. New Maps of Hell. A Survey of Science Fiction. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1961. First edition. 8vo. 161pp. Backstrip ends gently bruised, else a fine copy in lightly rubbed, marked, toned and dust soiled dust wrapper with two short tears to the natural folds. A witty study of science fiction’s utopias and dystopias, based on Amis’ spring 1959 Princeton University lectures. £20

BRIAN ASH. Who's Who in Science Fiction. Elm Tree Books / Hamish Hamilton, London 1976. First edition. 8vo. Covers slightly bumped at tips of two corners. Partially erased pencil marked to tip of front endpaper. A bright copy in very good dust wrapper. £10

ISAAC ASIMOV contributes his stories Trends and Bridle and Saddle (the first bookform appearance of any of his celebrated Foundation stories) to the pioneering science fiction anthology Men Against the Stars. Edited by Martin Greenberg and with a seven-page introduction by Willy Ley. Grayson & Grayson Ltd., London 1951. The scarce first UK edition. 8vo. xv, 253pp. A sliver of discolouration to the cloth at the head and base of the backstrip, else in fine state with edge worn pictorial dust wrapper, chipped at the head of the spine panel and with several small areas of loss to the extremities and some chafing to the natural folds. This copy from the library of science fiction novelist Lionel 'Lan' Wright, with his neat signature to the half-title. An anthology of eight science fiction stories with other contributions by A.E.van Vogt (Far Centaurus), Lewis Padgett (The Iron Standard), Robert Moore Williams (The Red Death of Mars), E.M.Hull (Competition), Manly Wade Wellman (Men Against the Stars) and L.Ron Hubbard (When Shadows Fall). Most uncommon. £250

Originally published in the US in 1950 by Gnome Press (Martin Greenberg was the co-founder), this was the very first "theme" anthology in science fiction, with all the stories about a common idea, setting, or concept. It was also of particular note for being the first bookform appearance of any of Asimov's Foundation stories (Bridle and Saddle subsequently appeared under the title The Mayors as the third part of his celebrated Foundation novel) This UK issue appeared a year later in a slightly reduced version with four of the original contributions absent and with differing dust wrapper artwork.

ISAAC ASIMOV. The Genetic Code. [The Story of DNA]. John Murray, London 1964. First UK edition. 8vo. 161pp. Small bump to the tip of one corner. A nice crisp copy in dust wrapper, rubbed and chafed at spine ends and tips of corners, and sunned and a little dust marked at unprinted rear panel. Bold former owner name to front endpaper alongside the ghost of another partially erased pencilled name. £15

J.G.BALLARD. The Drowned World. Victor Gollancz, London 1962. The first UK and first casebound edition of the author’s second novel (his first, The Wind From Nowhere, he later disowned as “hackwork”). 8vo. 175pp. Edges spotted, and with some fox-spotting throughout, primarily impacting a dozen or so preliminary and concluding leaves, and also the majority of the margins. A small area of discolouration to the base of the backstrip and some tanning to the slightly substandard paperstock. Former owner details inked to the front pastedown, partially obscured by the wrapper flap. A good copy in good dust wrapper (priced at 15/-), a little marked, rubbed and nicked, with several tiny fractions of loss from the spine ends and a short tear to the rear panel-spine panel fold. Three letters inked to the head of the front panel. A decent copy of the author’s most uncommon post-apocalyptic classic, and one of the founding texts in climate fiction (it was preceded by a US edition, but that was only issued in paperback format). £350

J.G.BALLARD contributes his short story The Subliminal Man, its first UK appearance in book-form, to the science fiction anthology Window on the Future. Edited by Douglas Hill. Rupert Hart-Davis, London 1966. First edition. 8vo. Top and fore edge lightly spotted and with some occasional very light fox blemishing to margins of several preliminary leaves. A very crisp and bright copy in slightly dust marked dust wrapper, lightly rubbed at head and base of spine panel. An anthology of seven science fiction stories which includes contributions from John Brunner, E.C.Tubb and Brian Aldiss. Ballards’s The Subliminal Man was first printed in the SF magazine New Worlds in 1963 and subsequently appeared in the US paperback collection Terminal Beach. This anthology printing marks its first casebound appearance. £25

J.G.BALLARD. War Fever. Collins, London 1990. First edition. 8vo. In fine state with fine dust wrapper. Ballard’s first collection of short fiction for nearly ten years, fourteen short stories, most previously published in periodicals with one appearing in print here for the first time. £15

RAY BRADBURY. The Silver Locusts. Rupert Hart-Davis, London 1951. First UK edition – originally issued in the US a year earlier under the title The Martian Chronicles, and with some textual alterations made to this British issue (one story added, and another shortened to make room for it). 8vo. 232pp. Edges lightly spotted and with some uneven browning to the free endpapers alongside several small instances of tape residue marking.  Former owner gift inscription to the front pastedown, partly obscured by the wrapper flap, and also a tiny dealer plate. A very good copy in pictorial price-clipped dust wrapper, a little rubbed, chafed, spotted and dust soiled. Twenty-six interlinking stories detailing the Human colonization of Mars. £155

PETER BRYANT [i.e. Peter George]. Two Hours to Doom. A Novel of Suspense. T.V.Boardman, London 1958. First edition, preceding the US edition which was issued as Red Alert under the author’s real name, Peter George. 8vo. 192pp. Boards very lightly marked and with just a hint of spotting to several preliminary and concluding leaves. A very good copy in pictorial dust wrapper with an inch of loss from the head and base of the spine panel and several further tiny fractions of extremity loss. A thriller based in-part of the Welsh author’s R.A.F. experiences (he as a flight lieutenant and navigator during WWII, serving with No. 255 Squadron flying night fighter missions over Malta and Italy). Famously the book was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s film Dr. Strangelove; the screenplay was penned by George alongside Kubrick and Terry Southern (and was nominated for an Academy Award), although the tone of the movie was considerably altered from the original source material. Most uncommon. £500

JOHN CHRISTOPHER. The Death of Grass. Michael Joseph, London 1956. First edition of the author’s second novel. 8vo. 230pp. Tip of one corner bumped, edges lightly spotted and with just a trace of additional spotting to several preliminary leaves. A very good copy in pictorial dust wrapper featuring a handsome design by Trevor Denning, lightly chafed at head of spine panel and tips of several corners, and just a little dust marked at predominantly white rear panel. A super copy of the author’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel (re-titled No Blade of Grass for the US edition, in order for it to sound less “like something out of a gardening catalogue". £350

ARTHUR C.CLARKE. Prelude to Space. Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1953. The first UK and first casebound edition of Clarke’s first published science fiction novel (first issued in 1951 as a cheap science fiction paperback by Galaxy Science Fiction, and here quite heavily revised). 8vo. Cloth fractionally rubbed at tips of corners and head and base of spine. Former owner name and date inked to front endpaper and small dealer plate to front pastedown. Tiny stain to lower margin of ten leaves but no text impacted. A very crisp and bright copy of a scarce volume, in pictorial dust wrapper, creased and a little dust marked, with two short jagged tears and some loss to spine extremities and from the head of the rear panel. £50

MICHAEL CONEY. The Ultimate Jungle. Millington, London 1979. First edition. 8vo. Some tanning to paperstock else a nice crisp copy in dust wrapper, lightly rubbed at bottom and top edge and with a single short internally repaired tear. Former owner blind-stamp to front endpaper. £15

THOMAS D.DISCH. The Genocides. A novel. Ronald Whiting & Wheaton, London 1967. The first UK edition of the author’s first book, and also the first casebound issue (originally published in the US in 1965, but only as a paperback). 8vo. 192pp. Red and black patterned boards lettered in silver at the spine. A touch of light staining to the top edge and some very light partial browning to the free endpapers, accompanied by a sliver of near-invisible spotting. Some further very light spotting to the upper margins of occasional text leaves and just the tiniest slant to the binding. A very good copy in very good pictorial dust wrapper, with just a hint of toning to the predominantly white rear panel and several tiny areas of internal discolouration. £350

“Majestic indeed…as credible a menace as I ever came on” – Brian W.Aldiss.

FANTASY REVIEW. Fantasy Review. Subsequently Science-Fantasy Review. Incorporating Scientifiction and To-Morrow. Edited by Walter Gillings. Six non-consecutive issues of the S.F. periodical, from Vol. 1 No. 6 (Winter 1947/48) to Vol. 4 No. 17 (Winter 1949/50). Wrappers, in crisp state. Contributors include Arthur C.Clarke, Everett Bleiler, David H.Keller, Frank Edward Arnold, an interview with E.E.Smith and letters to the editor from August Derleth and Robert Bloch. £20

PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER. Flesh. A novel. Rapp & Whiting Ltd., London 1969. The UK issue of the revised and expended second edition. 8vo. 212pp. Former dealer price inked (!?) to the tip of the front free endpaper, else a fine copy in lightly rubbed and chafed dust wrapper, with the original price printed to the base of the front flat struck-through. A very nice copy of the author’s second full-length publication. Originally published as a paperback in the US in 1960, the revised and considerably expanded edition was published in 1968, with this UK edition following a year later. £15

J.E.FLECKER. The Last Generation. A Story of the Future. The New Age Press, London 1908. First edition. Small 8vo. vii, 56pp + viii publisher’s advertisements. Pictorial wrappers, very lightly rubbed and nicked at the yapped edges, and with just a trace of toning to the margins of the rear wrapper. A touch of spotting to the half-title and title page, and to the fore edge, encroaching a little to the margins of very occasional leaves. A very good copy of this short science fiction tale: Flecker’s first book of prose. Mercer 3. £75

DAVID S.GARNETT. Mirror in the Sky. Robert Hale, London 1937. The first UK and first casebound edition of the author’s first book, a space opera novel originally issued in the US as a paperback in 1969. Small 8vo. 160pp. A near-invisible trace of spotting to top edge, else in fine state with lightly dust mark and chafed dust wrapper designed by Laurence Cutting. £20

WILLIAM GIBSON. Idoru. A novel. Volume two of the Bridge Trilogy. Viking, London 1996. The first UK edition, which was issued the same year as the US edition but which remains considerably more uncommon. 8vo. 292pp. A tiny hint of dust soiling to the top edge, else a fine copy in just very good dust wrapper, with just a trace of rubbing to the base of the spine panel and to the upper edge. A super copy of the middle volume of the author’s acclaimed cyberpunk Bridge Trilogy, preceded by Virtual Light (1993) and followed by All Tomorrow’s Parties (1999). £20

WILLIAM GIBSON. Zero History. A novel. G.P.Putnam’s Sons, New York 2010. First edition. 8vo. 406pp. Just a trace of minor wear to the spine ends and a tiny bump to the tip of one corner. Former owner name label to the tip of the front free endpapers. very good indeed in dust wrapper, marred only by a touch of corresponding wear to the spine panel ends and with a single tiny tear to the base of the front panel-front flap fold. The final volume of the author’s Blue Ant trilogy, preceded by Pattern Recognition (2003) and Spook Country (2007). £12

ROBERT A.HEINLEIN. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Stories. With an introduction by John W.Campbell Jr. Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1953. The First UK edition, issued three years after the US edition. 8vo. 256pp. Time-line illustrated endpapers. A small crease to the base of the backstrip, and a tiny dent to the upper and lower edges of the front board. A very good copy in dust wrapper, chipped with a little loss at the spine ends and at several corner tips, with a little dust soiling to the rear panel, and a small area of surface abrasion to the spine panel. The wrapper is not price-clipped, but a small Australian dealer plate has been pasted over the original price. A two-page preface by the author and a four-page introduction by John W.Campbell Jr. precede six short stories (the same content as the US edition, but the order of the stories rearranged for this UK edition). £95

RUSSELL HOBAN. Riddley Walker. A novel. Jonathan Cape, London 1980. First edition. 8vo. 220pp. A fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper, with none of the usual fading to the red spine and front panel lettering, and with a New Fiction Society sticker to the base of the spine panel. The author’s fourth adult novel, a dystopian classic, winner of the1982 John W.Campbell Memorial Award and nominated for the Nebula Award. £95

ROBERT HOLDSTOCK. Earthwind. A novel. Faber, London 1977. First edition. 8vo. 245pp. Half a dozen tiny pinpricks of spotting to the fore edge, else a fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper. The author’s second novel. £10

W.H.HUDSON. A Crystal Age. T.Fisher Unwin, London 1906. The colonial edition of the second edition (a variant not noted by Payne). 8vo. 316pp + [iv] publisher’s advertisements. Half-title absent (possibly as required for this colonial edition, removing as it does an advertisement for eight further Hudson titles which may well not have been made available). Top edge dust marked and spine ends and corner tips lightly rubbed and chafed. Backstrip a little darkened and exhibiting several tiny areas of staining. Endpapers spotted, and title page and final advertisement leaf browned. A printed notice on the title page (“Colonial Edition, for circulation in the British Colonies and India only”) has been partially obscured by an ornate inkstamp. Quite a crisp and bright copy. No dust wrapper, as issued. See Payne A2b - who overlooks this colonial issue. £25

Hudson’s second novel, a quasi-utopian “science fiction milestone” (G.K.Hall), was originally issued anonymously in 1887 and Hudson’s name did not appear with the text until this 1906 second edition, which is extensively revised and includes a new preface by the author.

DAMON KNIGHT. Turning On. Fourteen Stories. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1967. First UK edition, issued a year after the US edition. 8vo. 159pp. Top edge lightly spotted. A virtually fine copy in lightly rubbed, scuffed and toned dust wrapper, with the publisher’s metric price sticker affixed over the original imperial price printed to the base of the front flap. £10

URSULA LE GUIN. The Other Wind. An Earthsea novel. Harcourt Inc., New York 2001. The correct first edition – this US edition issued a year before the UK edition. 8vo. 246pp. Paper-covered boards. With one colour map, drawn by the author. A near-invisible speckling of spotting to the top edge, else in the fine with fine dust wrapper. The fifth and final volume in the author’s celebrated Earthsea sequence. £20

ANN LECKIE. The Raven Tower. A novel. Orbit, London 2019. First UK edition. 8vo. 416pp. Illustrated with one double-spread map and with a series of repeated raven silhouette motifs in the text. A hint of bruising to the base of the backstrip, else a fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper, with a trace of corresponding creasing to the base of the spine panel. The author’s fifth novel and her first foray into fantasy, based on the story of Hamlet and shortlisted for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel (but withdrawn from the ballot by the author). £10

STANISLAW LEM. The Chain of Chance. A novel. Translated from the Polish of Katar by Louis Iribarne. Secker & Warburg, London 1978. The first UK edition. 8vo. 179pp. A fine copy in dust wrapper, with some fading to the publisher’s blue spine panel colouring. The uncommon English edition of this Lem science fiction novel, published the same year as the US edition but considerably more uncommon. £25

KEN LIU. Broken Stars. Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation. Translated and edited by Ken Liu. Head of Zeus Ltd., London 2019. First UK edition, issued the same year as the US edition. 8vo, 479pp. A fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper. Sixteen Chinese science fiction stories, six of which are hitherto unpublished in English, followed by three essays exploring the history of Chinese science fiction publishing and fandom. Includes stories by Liu Cixin, Hao Jingfang and Tang Fei. £20

ANNE MCCAFFREY. Decision at Doona. Rapp & Whitting, London 1970. The first UK and first casebound edition (originally issued in the US a year earlier, but only as a paperback). 8vo. 245pp. A touch of spotting to top edge, and a little quite light staining to occasional text leaves, in almost every instance confined to the margins. A tiny sliver of chafing to the upper edge of the front free endpaper. A very good copy in slightly edgeworn dust wrapper, internally reinforced at spine ends. Several lengthy vertical creases to the front wrapper flap. The author’s third novel, and the first volume of the author’s (eventual) Doona trilogy, followed by Crisis on Doona and Treaty at Doona, the concluding volumes co-written with Jody Lynn Nye and published in 1992 and 1994 respectively. £50

CHARLES ERIC MAINE. The Tide Went Out. A novel. Hodder & Stoughton, London 1958. First edition. 8vo. 190pp + [i] publisher’s advertisement. Top edge spotted and a little very light creasing to the base of the rear board. Tiny dealer plate to the front pastedown (obscured by the wrapper flap). A very good copy in chipped and toned dust wrapper with four or five quite small areas of edge-loss. An uncommon science fiction novel: a series of mistakes made by atomic scientists results in the possible destruction of the world. £35 

GEORGE R.R.MARTIN. A Storm of Swords. The third volume of the author’s A Song of Fire and Ice sequence. Bantam Books, New York 2000. Eighteenth impression – this copy signed by the author on the title page. Large 8vo. 973pp. Paper-covered boards. Map-illustrated endpapers. Head and base of spine lightly bruised and spine lettering very slightly defective in several places. A minor production fault finds the base of front pastedown lifting just a fraction. Very good indeed in virtually fine dust wrapper, just fractionally rubbed at head and base of spine panel. £200

RICHARD MATHESON. I Am Legend. A novel. David Bruce & Watson Ltd., London 1974. The fugitive first UK edition, issued four years after the American edition and even more uncommon than that rarity. 8vo. 122pp. Top edge lightly spotted. The tip of one corner bumped and with just a trace of bruising to the backstrip ends. A very good copy in dust wrapper designed by Bill Botten, lightly chafed and edgeworn. A very nice copy of the author’s most celebrated novel; the basis for three cinema adaptations. £500

SAM J.MILLER. Blackfish City. A novel. Orbit, London 2018. First UK edition. 8vo. 328pp. A fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper, marred only by a tiny area of creasing to the upper edge. The author’s second novel, winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. £15

JOHN MUNRO. A Trip to Venus. A novel. Jarrold & Sons, London 1897. First edition. 8vo. 254pp + [xviii] publisher’s catalogue at rear. Blue smooth weave cloth lettered in gilt and red, and decorated with gilt-stamped stars. Publisher’s monogram blind-stamped to rear board. David Gascoyne’s copy, with his name and the date 1943 inked to the front endpaper. Cloth discoloured at backstrip. Front hinge tender at half-title yet binding perfectly sound thereafter. Some darkening to endpapers and pastedowns. A lovely crisp copy of an extremely uncommon science fiction novel: an account of a journey to an idyllic utopia on Venus, with a brief excursion to Mercury, written by a Bristol-based mechanical engineer. The first chapter, A Message from Mars, for originally published as a stand-alone short story in Cassell magazine (1895), and was subsequently revised into this current form. £350

CLAIRE NORTH. The Sudden Appearance of Hope. A novel. Orbit, London 2016. First edition. 8vo. 468pp. Boards very lightly marked and with a touch of wear to several extremities. A very good copy in dust wrapper, fractionally rubbed at the upper edge. The author’s fourth pseudonymous science fiction novel, winner of the World Fantasy Award. £20

CLAIRE NORTH. The End of the Day. A novel. Orbit, London 2017. First edition. 8vo. 403pp. A fine copy in fine dust wrapper. The author’s fifth pseudonymous science fiction novel. £15

FREDERIK POHL. A Plague of Pythons. A novel. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1966. The first UK and first casebound edition, issued a year after the American edition which was only produced in paperback format. 8vo. 158pp. Contemporary former owner gift inscription inked to the head of the front free endpaper, and a little light very occasional soiling to one or two leaf margins. A very good copy in dust wrapper, tanned, dust soiled, torn, nicked and a little chipped with several tiny fractions of edge-loss, but now protected and looking considerably better than this description makes it sound. £20

FREDERIK POHL. Jem. The Making of a Utopia. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1979. First UK edition, issued the same year as the US edition. 8vo. 300pp. The merest hint of spotting to the top edge and a tiny scuff to the tip of the front free endpaper. Very good indeed in dust wrapper with a short crease to the base of the front panel. No price printed to the front flap. The author’s National Book Award-winning standalone science fiction novel. £20

TOM POLLOCK. Our Lady of the Streets. The third volume of the Skyscraper Throne trilogy. Jo Fletcher Books, London 2014. First edition. This copy boldly inscribed by the author on the title page with his printed name struck-through. 8vo. 438pp. A fine copy in fine dust wrapper. The third and final volume of the author’s Skyscraper Throne series, preceded by The City’s Son and The Glass Republic. £25

TERRY PRATCHETT. Soul Music. A Discworld Novel. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1994. First edition. This copy signed by the author on the title page with his typical flourish. 8vo. 286pp. A virtually fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper. The sixteenth Discworld novel. £250

CHRISTOPHER PRIEST. The Space Machine. A Scientific Romance. Faber, London 1976. First edition. A presentation copy, humorously inscribed by the author to his editor: “To Chris Holifield. Can I have your decision on this by tomorrow, please? Lots of Love, Chris Priest, January 1979”. 8vo. 363pp. A small bump to the head of the upper board, the tips of two corners gently rubbed and with a single tiny area of staining to the top edge. Short marginal crease to four adjacent text leaves. A very good copy in just fractionally rubbed dust wrapper. An H.G.Wells-influenced science fiction novel which binds together the plots of The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Winner of the 1977 Ditmar Award. £100

KEITH ROBERTS. The Inner Wheel. A novel. Hart-Davis, London 1970. First edition. 8vo. 203pp. A very nice, bright copy in triflingly marked dust wrapper. The author's fourth novel. £100

KEITH ROBERTS. The Boat of Fate. Hutchinson, London 1971. First edition. 8vo. 351pp. Some extremities of covers slightly bumped. A very nice, bright copy in nicked dust wrapper, with a small internal stain to one edge. £35

KEITH ROBERTS. Anita. Millington, London 1976. First English and first hardback edition – this copy inscribed by the author on the title-page in 1985. 8vo. Head and foot of spine triflingly bumped. A very nice, bright copy in dust wrapper. Publisher's review slip laid-in. The author's third book. £10

KEITH ROBERTS. Kiteworld. A novel. Gollancz, London 1985. First edition - this copy signed by the author on the title-page. 8vo. 288pp. A fine copy in fine dust wrapper. £25

KEITH ROBERTS. The Lordly Ones. Stories. Gollancz, London 1986. First edition. 8vo. 160pp. A hint of spotting to top edge else in fine state with dust wrapper, just a little creased at the head of the spine panel. Seven stories. £20

F.HORACE ROSE. The Maniac's Dream. A Novel of the Atomic Bomb. Duckworth, London 1946. First edition. 8vo. Covers a little faded at some edges. A good copy in torn, chipped and repaired pictorial jacket. Inscription of former owner. Bleiler p.170 A very early example of A-bomb fiction. £35

CLIFFORD D.SIMAK. Cosmic Engineers. An Interplanetary Novel. Gnome Press, New York 1950. First edition. 8vo. 224pp. First state binding of blue cloth lettered in yellow at the spine and upper board with a small rocket-ship vignette. Top edge very lightly spotted and with just a touch of bruising to the backstrip ends. A virtually fine copy in dust wrapper, with a little chafing to the spine panel ends, several corner tips and to one or two of the natural folds. The author’s first full-length novel, expanded from a ‘short novel’ originally serialised over three issues of Astounding Science Fiction between February-April 1939. 6,000 copies were printed, 1,000 of which were bound into wrappers for an armed forces edition. £75

JOHN T.SLADEK. The Reproductive System. Gollancz, London 1968. The first English edition of his first book. 8vo. Covers just a little bumped at tips of two corners. A near fine copy in slightly rubbed dust wrapper. £35

J.R.R.TOLKIEN. Proceedings of the J.R.R.Tolkien Centenary Conference, Keble College, Oxford, 1992. Proceedings of the Conference Held at Keble College, Oxford, England. 17th – 24th August 1992 to Celebrate the Centenary of the Birth of professor J.R.R.Tolkien. Incorporating the 23rd Mythopoeic Conference (Mythcon XXII) and Oxonmoot 1992. Edited by Patricia Reynolds and Glen H.GoodKnight. The Tolkien Society, Milton Keynes and The Mythopoeic Press, Altadena 1995. First edition. 4to. 458pp. Card wrappers. The rear wrapper lightly marked and with a small area of moisture staining to the base of a dozen or so rear index leaves. Binding cracked in two places where the binder's glue has failed. A good copy.  Scores of scholarly Tolkien essays over eleven themed sections. Together With the programme of the Tolkien Centenary Conference 1992. Edited and designed by Wayne G.Hammond, with handsome double-spread cover art and a title page design by Patrick Wynne. First edition, of which 550 copies were printed. 4to. 41pp + [iv] sponsor advertisements. A tiny cease to the upper corner. Very good indeed. An unobtrusive former owner blind stamp to one preliminary leaf of each volume. £75

A.E.VAN VOGT. The Mind Cage. A Science-Fiction Novel. Simon & Schuster, New York 1957. First edition. 8vo. 220pp. Cloth-backed boards Publisher’s dark top edge stain. Spine ends just a little rubbed and with a touch of spotting to several preliminary leaves. Some tanning to the paper stock, particularly noticeable at the margins. A good copy in slightly chafed and frayed dust wrapper, with several tiny slivers of loss from the spine ends and corner tips. A novel adapted from the author’s 1948 short story The Great Jungle. £25

IAN WATSON. The Jonah Kit. A novel. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 1975. The first American edition of Watson’s second adult book, this copy signed by the author on the title page and dated 1981. 8vo. 221pp. A small area of soiling to the top edge and the occasional finger smudge to leaf margins. A very good copy in very good pictorial dust wrapper (a significant improvement on the garish UK example which Gollancz produced), with several tiny nicks and two creases to the rear flap. £35

JACK WOMACK. Terraplane. Unwin & Hyman, London 1989. First UK edition of the author’s second novel. 8vo. 227pp. Spine ends fractionally rubbed, else a fine copy in virtually fine dust wrapper, with just a hint of corresponding chafing to the spine panel ends. £20

JOHN WYNDHAM and JOHN CHRISTOPHER contribute stories to Gateway to the Stars. A Science Fiction Anthology. Edited and introduced by John Carnell. Science Fiction Club, London 1955. First edition – this copy signed by the editor on the front endpaper and also with his compliments slip laid-in. 8vo. An extremely crisp and bright copy in torn, nicked and chipped pictorial dust wrapper. John Wyndham (under his John Benyon pseudonym) contributes his story Never on Mars (the first bookform printing); and John Christopher his story Conspiracy (again, the first bookform printing of this story). This copy from the library of science fiction writer Lionel ‘Lan’ Wright who also contributes his story Operation Exodus, and with other contributions from J.T.McIntosh, James White, E.C.Tubb and others. £50

ROGER ZELAZNY. Isle of the Dead. A novel. Andre Deutsch / Rapp & Whiting Ltd., London 1970. The first UK and first casebound edition, issued a year after the US edition which only appeared in paperback format. 8vo. 190pp. A little spotting to the top edge, and three tiny indentations to the upper margin of the front board. A tiny area of scuffing to the tip of the front free endpaper. A very good copy in lightly rubbed and marked dust wrapper, with the original printed price struck-through. Remnants of a small sticker to one corner of the front panel. Nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel, and winner of the French Prix Apollo in 1972. £25