THE BEST OF L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP—Intro: Poul Anderson—Doubleday (1978)

Description: THE BEST OFL. SPRAGUE DE CAMPIntro: Poul AndersonDoubleday (1978)SFBC 2164 Condition: Jacket is GOOD or better with some shelfwear, a bit frayed at the top. Book is VERY GOOD with old price mark on front flypage. Here’s a description of this book from ISFDB, which is accurate for this copy including the gutter code:Notes: ◦First edition [not stated]◦Exclusive SFBC edition indicated by the Nelson Doubleday imprint◦First printing has gutter code “I03" on page 300, indicates a January 1978 printing◦A February 1978 Selection of the SFBC◦"Book Club Edition" on front flap; SFBC # on rear flap◦"Jacket painting by Richard V. Corben" on rear flap, cover is also signed**◦First printing has taupe boards with blue lettering {**they meant that the artist signed his original painting, but the book itself is not signed.} This contains: Hyperpilosity; Language for Time Travelers; The Command; The Merman; Employment; The Gnarly Man; Reward of Virtue; Nothing in the Rules; The Hardwood Pile; The Reluctant Shaman; The Inspector's Teeth; The Ameba; The Guided Man; Judgment Day; A Gun for Dinosaur; The Emperor's Fan; Two Yards of Dragon; and The Little Green Men. {It also contains a fascinating introduction by Poul Anderson and a “afterword” by De Camp, even more fascinating.} Commentaries on line: I think that the author's work is at its best in the collaborations with Fletcher Pratt. Nonetheless, though the quality of the individual selections is variable, this is a book that those interested in "Golden Age" science fiction will want to have. I find these individually and as a whole very enjoyable—more enjoyable than de Camp’s novel-length fiction, at least so far. They tend to be focused on one or two weird things, and reasonably take into account the secondary effects of the weirdness. these stories are all tongue-in-cheek charming. Daft, maybe, but they're guaranteed to raise a stifled smile It's been awhile since I read any of de Camp's shorter work. Really good to reread some of his stories. I highly recommend this book. I also recommend his novel, "Lest Darkness Fall”. De Camp was a master of a special style of short story that was published in the pulp magazines of the Forties and Fifties. These are humorous stories in which one element of fantasy or speculative science gets introduced into the everyday world and the consequences are logically worked out. For example, what if a virus caused all its victims to grow fur, or what if dryads turned out to be real. I love this type of story, but very few writers attempt this style anymore. This collection was remarkable for the out of the box and humorous nature of the stories. I also especially enjoyed De Camp's dialogue. He takes pains to write in the vernacular of whatever character he's speaking for.Excellent collection of stories, well worth the read. ______________________ (I'll always combine shipping costs and refund any excess shipping charges for multiple-copy book orders.)For all "buy it now" items, please use ADD TO CART if you plan to order more than one item at the same time.______________ WOW! I wrote a book!!! — Come on! Take a look!! ———Just go here:http://www.ebay.com/itm/CTHULHU'S-COUSINS-and-Other-Weirdnesses-W-Paul-Ganley-Wildside-Press-2016-/255154711891?hash=item3ace43fc32 ___________________________________________________________Want to look at my other fantasy & mystery offerings (including Brian Lumley first editions)? CLICK HERE(and if you like what you see there, why not bookmark it for future visits!)

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End Time: 2025-01-11T19:22:59.000Z

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