SST Publications

[RonClinton]

Lansdale's short fiction holds a special place in my reading heart as Writer of the Purple Rage was one of my first horror short story collections--and first Lansdale, I think--and it variety of stories and breadth of imagination just blew me away. It really opened up my eyes to what horror could encapsulate.

Interestingly, one of my early influences on the same topic was also a Lansdale collection, though mine was BY BIZARRE HANDS. Until that book in '89, I'd dabbled in a few Dark Harvest titles and a couple McCammons and whatnot -- and, of course, Stephen King -- but it really wasn't until BY BIZARRE HANDS that my I had my reading and bookbuying opened to all sorts of new avenues of horror beyond the narrow path I'd kind of kept to until that point. So, yes, his short fiction holds a special place in my reading heart as well.

As far as Gresham's NIGHTMARE ALLEY, absolutely, that's a great read, and deserving of the acclaim it continues to receive long after its publication in the 1940s. On a related note, while the original B&W is pretty good, I really dug the 2021 adaption directed by Guillermo del Toro...just a beautiful piece of work.

[Sock Monkey]

Yeah, that SST four-volume set is pretty sweet. I passed on it when it was offered since I have pretty much all of the Lansdale collections already, but it was very tough to do as I think it's neat having all the stories grouped by type. I also agree that an SST volume of More Better Deals would rock! I'd also love SST to do the Hap & Leonard series. Only a few of those books ever got the LE treatment and were spread among various publishers. I think it would be super cool to have a uniform set!Â

I bought the four-volume set specifically for that grouping. What I would really love is a comprehensive set of all of Landsale's short fiction in something along the lines of Centipede's Lafferty series. Lansdale's short fiction holds a special place in my reading heart as Writer of the Purple Rage was one of my first horror short story collections--and first Lansdale, I think--and it variety of stories and breadth of imagination just blew me away. It really opened up my eyes to what horror could encapsulate.

And I second your thoughts about a Hap & Leonard set from SST. I was hoping that's where they were going when they did their two collections of Hap & Leonard short fiction, but that has come to pass yet. And now we've veered off into a new line of "classic" Lansdale books, starting with Cold In July, which I'm excited about, by the way. Maybe they'll do Freezer Burn that Ron mentioned and that'll kill two birds with one stone for me!

And just on a slight tangent, I'm going to plug, once again, the movie adaptation of Cold In July. I've never read the book, but I've read a decent amount of Lansdale and after my wife and I finished watching it, I told her that it hit the tone and feel of Lansdale's work perfectly. And it has the ever-reliable Michael C. Hall, the underrated Sam Shepard, and probably one of the best performances by Don Johnson hands down. Highly recommended!

[Sock Monkey]

If that's your jam, don't miss Lansdale's FREEZER BURN, another great noir and set in a traveling freak show / circus. It doesn't get near the amount of love it should.

And, yeah, that overlap in his collections is tough to contend with if value is the barometer. That said, SST did God's Work when they did their four-volume set of his short stories a while back. No, they don't have ALL his stories, but it's an exhaustive representative and might even be the lion's share (haven't explored and counted to know for sure).

So I'm familiar with the Freezer Burn title, but never looked into it much. However, your description of a noir set in a traveling freak show/circus sounds like something I need to add to by TBR pile post-haste. Maybe pair it with Gresham's Nightmare Alley?

[sholloman81]

If that's your jam, don't miss Lansdale's FREEZER BURN, another great noir and set in a traveling freak show / circus. It doesn't get near the amount of love it should.

And, yeah, that overlap in his collections is tough to contend with if value is the barometer. That said, SST did God's Work when they did their four-volume set of his short stories a while back. No, they don't have ALL his stories, but it's an exhaustive representative and might even be the lion's share (haven't explored and counted to know for sure).

Yeah, that SST four-volume set is pretty sweet.  I passed on it when it was offered since I have pretty much all of the Lansdale collections already, but it was very tough to do as I think it's neat having all the stories grouped by type. I also agree that an SST volume of More Better Deals would rock!  I'd also love SST to do the Hap & Leonard series. Only a few of those books ever got the LE treatment and were spread among various publishers. I think it would be super cool to have a uniform set! 

[RonClinton]

I hadn't even heard of MORE BETTER DEALS until your post. A quick search came up with it as a "60s-set crime noir." SOLD.

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If that's your jam, don't miss Lansdale's FREEZER BURN, another great noir and set in a traveling freak show / circus. It doesn't get near the amount of love it should.

And, yeah, that overlap in his collections is tough to contend with if value is the barometer. That said, SST did God's Work when they did their four-volume set of his short stories a while back. No, they don't have ALL his stories, but it's an exhaustive representative and might even be the lion's share (haven't explored and counted to know for sure).

[Sock Monkey]

I'm a Lansdale fanatic, but I have to say I wasn't bowled over by THE DONUT LEGION...probably my least favorite Lansdale in some time. As such, I didn't feel the need to pick up the SST deluxe edition of it. I did pick up MOON LAKE, however (and others). I'll probably moan over passing on it years down the road when my completist(ish) self realizes what I've done, but right now it feels right to pass.

I sure wish SST would do a limited ofLansale's MORE BETTER DEALS. Goddamn, but I love that book.

I hadn't even heard of MORE BETTER DEALS until your post. A quick search came up with it as a "60s-set crime noir." SOLD.

To be honest, I know that I say that I keep passing on Lansdale limiteds, but if SST just decided to do a complete Lansdale library, I'd be compelled to buy them all, I think. With this in mind, maybe one of my reasons for holding off on Lansdale limiteds is that there is a ton of overlap in his short fiction collections, which makes collecting them--if one is not an absolute completist--kind of difficult.

[RonClinton]

I passed on The Donut Legion I think due to the ever-shrinking budget, but as always when I pass on a Lansdale book, I'm having second thoughts. I still need to pick up Moon Lake as well.

I'm a Lansdale fanatic, but I have to say I wasn't bowled over by THE DONUT LEGION...probably my least favorite Lansdale in some time. As such, I didn't feel the need to pick up the SST deluxe edition of it. I did pick up MOON LAKE, however (and others). I'll probably moan over passing on it years down the road when my completist(ish) self realizes what I've done, but right now it feels right to pass.

I sure wish SST would do a limited ofLansale's MORE BETTER DEALS. Goddamn, but I love that book.

[Sock Monkey]

Totally get the budget thing, but for me Lansdale's a must-read author. Also, IMO, SST probably has the best prices versus quality when it comes to their limited-edition books. If you're able to snag Moon Lake at a good price, I would do so as it's a very enjoyable read.

I love Lansdale, but I have this weird thing where I'm not overly compelled to buy his limited editions. Maybe it's because there are so many of them. That being said, I've been trying to rectify that by picking up most of SSTs Lansdale offerings. As far as SST, I absolutely agree. I love all the super-duper fancy books we're getting now, but there is still a market for solid, reasonably priced limited editions and SST is a great template for how to do that. I always feel like I get more than my money's worth with SST. Thanks for the recommendation on MOON LAKE. I've been meaning to buy since it came out, but I keep putting it off.

[sholloman81]

I passed on The Donut Legion I think due to the ever-shrinking budget, but as always when I pass on a Lansdale book, I'm having second thoughts. I still need to pick up Moon Lake as well.

Totally get the budget thing, but for me Lansdale's a must-read author. Also, IMO, SST probably has the best prices versus quality when it comes to their limited-edition books. If you're able to snag Moon Lake at a good price, I would do so as it's a very enjoyable read.

[Sock Monkey]

Just received my copy of The Donut Legion. Shipped to me 05/22; so, this was pretty quick!

Also took advantage of their latest advance pre-order email (since I already own the rest of the books in the series, it was a no-brainer for me to purchase the last book/match my number)

I passed on The Donut Legion I think due to the ever-shrinking budget, but as always when I pass on a Lansdale book, I'm having second thoughts. I still need to pick up Moon Lake as well.

[sholloman81]

Just received my copy of The Donut Legion. Shipped to me 05/22; so, this was pretty quick!

Also took advantage of their latest advance pre-order email (since I already own the rest of the books in the series, it was a no-brainer for me to purchase the last book/match my number)

[TacomaDiver]

That's great! Oddly, I've been seeing a bunch of folks showing off their DONUT LEGION's this past week or so- and I just got my shipping notice today; via Royal Economy, so, we'll see how long this one takes.ÂÂ Â

*Edited To Add*: No sooner than when I hit "save" on the above post 5 mins ago and I hear my dog barking: the book is on the doorstep. Crazy.Â

That's why SST is always a surprise. You never know when it's going to arrive. Glad you got your copy!

[sholloman81]

That's great! Oddly, I've been seeing a bunch of folks showing off their DONUT LEGION's this past week or so- and I just got my shipping notice today; via Royal Economy, so, we'll see how long this one takes.ÂÂ Â

*Edited To Add*: No sooner than when I hit "save" on the above post 5 mins ago and I hear my dog barking: the book is on the doorstep. Crazy.Â

Sweet! Hope to see a shipping notice soon for my copy soon

[swintek]

I just got another SST delivery on Monday - How to Sell a Haunted House and Donut Legion. Oddly enough, Paul sent these via FedEx and it took five days to arrive. Not sure if he upgraded my shipping based on last time, but it was nice to see them arrive so quickly.

That's great! Oddly, I've been seeing a bunch of folks showing off their DONUT LEGION's this past week or so- and I just got my shipping notice today; via Royal Economy, so, we'll see how long this one takes.  

*Edited To Add*: No sooner than when I hit "save" on the above post 5 mins ago and I hear my dog barking: the book is on the doorstep. Crazy. 

[TacomaDiver]

I just got another SST delivery on Monday - How to Sell a Haunted House and Donut Legion. Oddly enough, Paul sent these via FedEx and it took five days to arrive. Not sure if he upgraded my shipping based on last time, but it was nice to see them arrive so quickly.