DEAD TITANS, WAKEN! by Donald Wandrei

Just announced:

DEAD TITANS, WAKEN! by Donald Wandrei (Signed Limited Edition Hardcover)

(Click on book cover below to get more information and to reserve your copy)

Dead Titans, Waken! was an early draft of The Web of Easter Island, but also a significantly different version. Here published for the first time with an afterword by S.T. Joshi, this also includes Wandrei’s dazzling novel Invisible Sun, also published for the first time.
Includes an afterword by Joshi and several color interiors by Beksinski, plus color art by Jon Armstrom and black & white interiors by Rodger Gerberding. This is an original publication: two previously unpublished novels.
Each numbered copy signed by S.T. Joshi, Rodger Gerberding, and Jon Arfstrom. The edition is limited to 300 copies for sale.

•     Limited to 300 copies, each signed by S.T. Joshi, Rodger Gerberding, and Jon Arfstrom.
•     Introduction and notes by S.T. Joshi.
•     Printed cloth front cover.
•     Illustrated endpapers.
•     A bonus novel, Invisible sun, never before published.
•     Head and tail bands, two ribbon markers, top edge stain, clear Mylar dustjacket.

A Blast from the Past (Charles Grant)

Do you remember when… ? Unless you are over 40, probably not. There once was a publisher abbreviated by the initials, DAW. This was named after veteran publisher Donald A. Wolheim (1914-1990). Within that publishing empire was another man with a long name that belied his warmth and humanity: Karl Edward Wagner (1945-1994). DAW tapped KEW to do a series of horror anthologies singling out the best dozen or so stories of the previous year. We single out Series Ten, (1982) and Wagner’s choice of Charles L. Grant (1942-2006).

Karl says of Grant, “… born in New Jersey in 1942 … his first story published in 1968, while he was working as a high school teacher. He turned to writing full time in 1975 … Grant draws on the familiar setting of northeastern suburban society … quiet horror.”

The stand out short story was named Every Time I Say I Love You, and had prose you rarely see today. “The sunset bled from shades of blood to shades of dying. … Just before midnight a hand feathered to his shoulder. … Grief had been immersion in freezing clear water. … the grey, the red, the black-an-yellow, the scarlet, the purple … the mass of sludge on the floor rippled …”.

This was the kind of thoughtful, reflective, hard work that Grant put into a short story. Part poetic, part prose, and utilizing language to immerse the reader into all five – and sometimes six senses, it was the type of story kids wanted to read in the late 1970′s and into the 1980′s.

DAW was primarily a vehicle to promote science fiction, a passion for Donald Wandrei from his earliest teenaged years, but he also had a passion for horror. In those early days of the 1930′s, fans fought to keep babes, ray-guns, and bug-eyed monsters out of the stories, and have real characters and real emotion in their fantastic fiction. Science Fiction was all about the future and despite the terror of atomic warfare starting in the 1940′s, there was an air of optimism that we would triumph over our baser nature and survive and triumph to better humanity. However, for the darker pleasures, horror moved further away from gothic and Poe and even Lovecraft and closer to Robert Bloch and Shirley Jackson’s decision to portray horror not from the Id or from the other, but from right next door or in one’s own family.

Grant went on to edit his own award-winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991, as well as being involved in the political life of fantasy with stints in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and as president of the Horror Writers Association.
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From this blogger's collection, original cover with Michael Whelan art

‘Through the Walls’ – Ramsey Campbell
‘Touring’ – Gardner Dozois, Jack Dann & Michael Swanwick
‘Every Time I Say I Love You’ – Charles L. Grant
‘Wyntours’ – David G. Rowlands
‘The Dark Country’ – Dennis Etchison
‘Homecoming’ – Howard Goldsmith
‘Old Hobby Horse’ – A.F. Kidd
‘Firstborn’ – David Campton
‘Luna’ – G.W. Perriwills
‘Mind’ – Les Freeman
‘Competition’ – David Clayton Carrad
‘Engaro’ – M. John Harrison
‘On 202’ – Jeff Hecht
‘The Trick’ – Ramsey Campbell
‘Broken Glass’ – Harlan Ellison

For a list of all the in stock Charles L. Grant titles we have in stock click the link below:

Charles L. Grant titles in stock at Miskatonic Books

Some Rare Arkham House Titles at Miskatonic Books!

Some Rare Arkham House Titles at Miskatonic Books!

We only have one of each of these in stock and they will go on a first come first serve basis.

Remember that we have Layaway!

OUTSIDER AND OTHERS by H. P. Lovecraft (1st Edition Hardcover)

This is the first hardcover collection of Lovecraft’s work and the first book published by legendary publisher Arkham House.  Own a piece of history!

The Outsider and Others is a collection of stories by author H. P. Lovecraft. It was released in 1939 and was the first book published by Arkham House. 1,268 copies were printed. The volume is named for the Lovecraft short story “The Outsider”.

The stories for this volume were selected by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei. The dust jacket art was a montage of drawings by Virgil Finlay for Weird Tales magazine, of which only one or two had originally illustrated Lovecraft stories.

The Outsider and Others contains the following tales:

•     “Howard Philips Lovecraft: Outsider”, by August Derleth & Donald Wandrei
•     “Dagon”
•     “Polaris”
•     “Celephais”
•     “Hypnos”
•     “The Cats of Ulthar”
•     “The Strange High House in the Mist”
•     “The Statement of Randolph Carter”
•     “The Silver Key”
•     “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”
•     “The Outsider”
•     “The Music of Erich Zann”
•     “The Rats in the Walls”
•     “Cool Air”
•     “He”
•     “The Horror at Red Hook”
•     “The Temple”
•     “The Picture in the House”
•     “The Festival”
•     “The Terrible Old Man”
•     “The Tomb”
•     “The Shunned House”
•     “In the Vault”
•     “Pickman’s Model”
•     “The Haunter of the Dark”
•     “The Dreams in the Witch-House”
•     “The Thing on the Doorstep”
•     “The Nameless City”
•     “The Lurking Fear”
•     “The Call of Cthulhu”
•     “The Colour out of Space”
•     “The Dunwich Horror”
•     “The Whisperer in Darkness”
•     “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”
•     “The Shadow out of Time”
•     “At the Mountains of Madness”
•     “Supernatural Horror in Literature”

Book is in near fine condition with sharp corners and foil stamping, very light toning due to age else fine.  The dust jacket has some small chipping and closed tears at the heel and head and a few small folds else fine. One of the best copies I’ve seen!

THE DARK BROTHERHOOD AND OTHER PIECES by H. P. Lovecraft (1st Edition Hardcover)

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces is a collection of stories, poems and essays by American author H. P. Lovecraft and others, edited by August Derleth.

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces contains the following pieces:

1. “Introduction”, by August Derleth
2. “The Dark Brotherhood” by H. P. Lovecraft and August Derleth
3. “Suggestions for a Reading Guide”, by H. P. Lovecraft
4. “Alfredo”, by H. P. Lovecraft
5. “Amateur Journalism: Its Possible Needs and Betterment”, by H. P. Lovecraft
6. “What Belongs in Verse”, by H. P. Lovecraft
7. Six Poems, by H. P. Lovecraft
* “Bells”
* “Oceanus”
* “Clouds”
* “Mother Earth”
* “Cindy”
* “On a Battlefield in France”
8. Three Stories by C. M. Eddy, Jr.
* “The Loved Dead”
* “Deaf, Dumb, and Blind”
* “The Ghost-Eater”
9. “The Lovecraft “Books”: Some Addenda and Corrigenda”, by William Scott Home
10. “To Arkham and the Stars”, by Fritz Leiber
11. “Through Hyperspace With Brown Jenkin”, by Fritz Leiber
12. “Lovecraft and the New England Megaliths”, by Andrew E. Rothovius
13. “Howard Phillips Lovecraft: A Bibliography”, by Jack L. Chalker
14. “Walks With H. P. Lovecraft”, by C. M. Eddy, Jr.
15. “The Cancer of Superstition”, by C. M. Eddy, Jr.
16. “The Making of a Hoax”, by August Derleth
17. “Lovecraft’s Illustrators”, by John E. Vetter
18. “Final Notes”, by August Derleth

Book is in fine condition in a fine dust jacket

THE EYE AND THE FINGER by Donald Wandrei (1st Edition Hardcover)

The Eye and the Finger is a collection of Fantasy, Horror and Science fiction short stories by author Donald Wandrei. It was released in 1944 and was his first book published by Arkham House. 1,617 copies were printed.

The Eye and the Finger contains the following short stories:

•     “Introduction”
•     “The Lady in Gray”
•     “The Eye and the Finger”
•     “The Painted Mirror”
•     “It Will Grow on You”
•     “The Tree-Men of M’Bwa”
•     “The Lives of Alfred Kramer”
•     “The Monster from Nowhere”
•     “The Witch-Makers”
•     “The Neverless Man”
•     “Black Fog”
•     “The Blinding Shadows”
•     “The Scientist Divides”
•     “Earth Minus”
•     “Finality Unlimited”
•     “The Crystal Bullet”
•     “A Fragment of a Dream”
•     “The Woman at the Window”
•     “The Messengers”
•     “The Pursuers”
•     “The Red Brain”
•     “On the Threshold of Eternity”

This is a near find copy in a near fine dust jacket. book has some very light toning, and rubbing due to age. Dust jacket as one very very small tear at the heel else fine. This is the finest copy I’ve ever held of this edition.

WHO FEARS THE DEVIL by Manly Wade Wellman (1st Edition Hardcover)

Who Fears the Devil? is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by American author Manly Wade Wellman. It was released in 1963 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,058 copies and was Wellman’s only book released by Arkham House. The collection consists of all of Wellman’s Silver John stories that had been published at the time.

Who Fears the Devil? contains the following tales:

•     “John’s My Name: O Ugly Bird!”
•     “Why They’re Named That: One Other”
•     “Then I Wasn’t Alone: Shiver in the Pines”
•     “You Know the Tale of Hoph: Old Devlins Was A-Waiting”
•     “Find the Place Yourself: The Desrick on Yandro”
•     “The Stars Down There: Vandy, Vandy”
•     “Blue Monkey: Dumb Supper”
•     “I Can’t Claim That: The Little Black Train”
•     “Who Else Could I Count On: Walk Like a Mountain”
•     “None Wiser for the Trip: On the Hills and Everywhere”
•     “Nary Spell: Nine Yards of Other Cloth”

This edition has some light bumping to corners else fine, the dust jacket has some light rubbing at the corners else fine.
OTHER DIMENSIONS by Clark Ashton Smith (1st Edition hardcover)

Other Dimensions is a collection of stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1970 and was the author’s sixth collection of stories published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 3,144 copies.

Other Dimensions contains the following tales:

•     “Marooned in Andromeda”
•     “The Amazing Planet”
•     “An Adventure in Futurity”
•     “The Immeasurable Horror”
•     “The Invisible City”
•     “The Dimension of Chance”
•     “The Metamorphosis of Earth”
•     “Phoenix”
•     “The Necromantic Tale”
•     “The Venus of Azombeii”
•     “The Resurrection of the Rattlesnake”
•     “The Supernumerary Corpse”
•     “The Mandrakes”
•     “Thirteen Phantasms”
•     “An Offering to the Moon”
•     “Monsters in the Night”
•     “The Malay Krise”
•     “The Ghost of Mohammed Din”
•     “The Mahout/ The Raja and the Tiger”
•     “Something New”
•     “The Justice of the Elephant”
•     “The Kiss of Zoraida”
•     “A Tale of Sir John Maundeville”
•     “The Ghoul”
•     “Told in the Desert”

This is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

THE SURVIVOR AND OTHERS by H. P. Lovecraft and August Derleth (1st Edition Hardcover)

The Survivor and Others is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by August Derleth, inspired by some of H. P. Lovecraft‘s notes left behind after his death.

The Survivor and Others contains the following tales:

•     “The Survivor” (Weird Tales 1954)
•     “Wentworth’s Day”
•     “The Peabody Heritage”
•     “The Gable Window” (Saturn 1957)
•     “The Ancestor”
•     “The Shadow Out of Space”
•     “The Lamp of Alhazred”

This book has a light bump to the top front board else fine. The cover has some smudging to dust jacket else fine.

The Young Donald Wandrei

A short review from 1931

Donald Wandrei (20 April 1908 – 15 October 1987) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Albert and Jeannette Adelaide Wandrei, and he had three siblings: David, Howard, and Jeannette (Alberta).

Wandrei attended the University of Minnesota, was a contributor to the Minnesota Quarterly and a member of the editorial board of the Minnesota Daily. He sold his first story, “The Red Brain” to Weird Tales in 1927.  Wandrei published his first book of poetry, Ecstasy and Other Poems, in his senior year. He graduated in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Wandrei was a close friend to Lovecraft, and had a rocky relationship with his long time partner, August Derleth forming Arkham House with him.  A brilliant writer, he produced some classics in the field and is remembered fondly by those who got to meet him, and by fans of his work everywhere.

Ecstacy is one of those rare W Paul Cook printed gems.  (Athol, Mass.: The Recluse Press, 1928. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 9-40, cloth) It is reported to have been limited to 322 copies.  Precious few still exist.

A rare Wandrei ephemera - with his name written upon it.