Centipede will be releasing.....

[Sock Monkey]

…aaannd I was able to snag a new copy for not much over original cover price. Patience pays off once in a while.

Nice!

[RonClinton]

Ron, I’d thought you might have learned from my lesson in passing on these Centipede Press books after I missed out on the first four and paid silly aftermarket prices to get ahold of them.

My motto is “Always, Always buy the Centipede Press book.”

…aaannd I was able to snag a new copy for not much over original cover price. Patience pays off once in a while.

[Sock Monkey]

Well, shoot, now that I'm after a copy, that wave of -- as I recall -- cheap $35 to $50 copies that Jerad was blowing out at the end -- and people were reselling for about the same -- have all vanished and now it's in the three figures, $100+. Looks like another snooze-and-lose proposition for me.

Ron, I’d thought you might have learned from my lesson in passing on these Centipede Press books after I missed out on the first four and paid silly aftermarket prices to get ahold of them.

My motto is “Always, Always buy the Centipede Press book.”

[RonClinton]

I'd recommend seeking out a copy of Centipede Press' Bram Stoker: Library of Weird Fiction. Dracula was included in full in that and it's a nice production, like always.

Well, shoot, now that I'm after a copy, that wave of -- as I recall -- cheap $35 to $50 copies that Jerad was blowing out at the end -- and people were reselling for about the same -- have all vanished and now it's in the three figures, $100+. Looks like another snooze-and-lose proposition for me.

[Sock Monkey]

"Finally, we are anticipating The Spirit of the Place by Elizabeth Walter by end of August to mid September. A massive career retrospective, you won’t want to miss this collection of chilling and genteel tales." I love that Jeard champions the work of underappreciated, lesser known authors. I am really looking forward to this one.

Review


Elizabeth Walter (1927-2006) was a British novelist, short story writer and editor of the Collins Crime Club for over thirty years. As an author she has penned many stories in the field of supernatural and ghostly fiction as well as of "quiet" horror. Walter's uncanny tales have appeared in famous anthologies such as The Pan Books of Horror Storiesand The Fontana Books of Great Ghost Stories. She has published five collections of short stories: Snowfall & Other Chilling Events (1965), The Sin-Eater & Other Scientific Impossibilities (1967), Davy Jones's Tale & Other Supernatural Stories ( 1971), Come And Get Me & Other Uncanny Invitations (1973), Dead Woman & Other Haunting Experiences(1975).

Now all the thirty-one stories previously appeared in her collections have been assembled in one hefty, attractive volume by the excellent small imprint Shadow Publishing, with an introduction by Dave Brezskj and a fascinating, haunting cover artwork by Edward Miller.

Walter's body of work is an extraordinary example of nice plotting, great characterization, and enticing storytelling, dark and unsettling atmospheres and the ability to grip the reader's full attention even when employing old clichés or revisting time-honoured classical themes.

To comment upon all the stories would be tedious and impossible, but I'd like to mention some of the more accomplished and rightly famous pieces.

"The Sin-Eater" is an outstanding, suspenseful example of supernatural horror where a terrible vengeance hits a murderer from beyond the grave, while "The Island of Regrets" is a very disturbing tale taking place in a haunted island in Britanny.

In the classical, tense "Snowfall," Caribbean horrors are relocated in a snowy Welsh landscape, and in the vivid "The Tibetan Box" the tragic effects of black magic are at loose.

"Hushaby Baby" is a very clever tale of witchcraft, starting with a switching of babies and ending in sheer tragedy.

Odd family traditions come alive in "Telling the Bees," a deliciously dark story of foresight and death, while military horrors, a talkative parrot and blackmail are the ingredients of the ghostly "Come And Get Me."

"The Lift" is an offbeat tale where a man running from his dangerous pursuers discovers the terrible strength of betrayal, while "In the Mist" is a deceiving ghost story featuring a young RAF pilot trying to reach his camp.

Walter's astonishing storytelling ability is particularly evident in some of her "minor"stories such as "The Travelling Companion," an enticing piece of insightful fiction despite its rather predictable ending, and "Prendergast," a dark story of child killings and vampirism with a nasty twist in the tale.

In short, a wonderful volume collecting all the eerie and uncanny tales of a real mistress of dark fiction. (Horrorreview.com)

Thanks for this! I always assume that if Centipede is publishing it, it’s worthwhile to check it out but this definitely helps.

[RonClinton]

Yes, I’m looking forward to the Walter collection. I have an older mass-market paperback collection of her stories, and it’s great.

[mhatchett]

"Finally, we are anticipating The Spirit of the Place by Elizabeth Walter by end of August to mid September. A massive career retrospective, you won’t want to miss this collection of chilling and genteel tales." I love that Jeard champions the work of underappreciated, lesser known authors. I am really looking forward to this one.

Review


Elizabeth Walter (1927-2006) was a British novelist, short story writer and editor of the Collins Crime Club for over thirty years. As an author she has penned many stories in the field of supernatural and ghostly fiction as well as of "quiet" horror. Walter's uncanny tales have appeared in famous anthologies such as The Pan Books of Horror Storiesand The Fontana Books of Great Ghost Stories. She has published five collections of short stories: Snowfall & Other Chilling Events (1965), The Sin-Eater & Other Scientific Impossibilities (1967), Davy Jones's Tale & Other Supernatural Stories ( 1971), Come And Get Me & Other Uncanny Invitations (1973), Dead Woman & Other Haunting Experiences(1975).

Now all the thirty-one stories previously appeared in her collections have been assembled in one hefty, attractive volume by the excellent small imprint Shadow Publishing, with an introduction by Dave Brezskj and a fascinating, haunting cover artwork by Edward Miller.

Walter's body of work is an extraordinary example of nice plotting, great characterization, and enticing storytelling, dark and unsettling atmospheres and the ability to grip the reader's full attention even when employing old clichés or revisting time-honoured classical themes.

To comment upon all the stories would be tedious and impossible, but I'd like to mention some of the more accomplished and rightly famous pieces.

"The Sin-Eater" is an outstanding, suspenseful example of supernatural horror where a terrible vengeance hits a murderer from beyond the grave, while "The Island of Regrets" is a very disturbing tale taking place in a haunted island in Britanny.

In the classical, tense "Snowfall," Caribbean horrors are relocated in a snowy Welsh landscape, and in the vivid "The Tibetan Box" the tragic effects of black magic are at loose.

"Hushaby Baby" is a very clever tale of witchcraft, starting with a switching of babies and ending in sheer tragedy.

Odd family traditions come alive in "Telling the Bees," a deliciously dark story of foresight and death, while military horrors, a talkative parrot and blackmail are the ingredients of the ghostly "Come And Get Me."

"The Lift" is an offbeat tale where a man running from his dangerous pursuers discovers the terrible strength of betrayal, while "In the Mist" is a deceiving ghost story featuring a young RAF pilot trying to reach his camp.

Walter's astonishing storytelling ability is particularly evident in some of her "minor"stories such as "The Travelling Companion," an enticing piece of insightful fiction despite its rather predictable ending, and "Prendergast," a dark story of child killings and vampirism with a nasty twist in the tale.

In short, a wonderful volume collecting all the eerie and uncanny tales of a real mistress of dark fiction. (Horrorreview.com)

[RonClinton]

I'd recommend seeking out a copy of Centipede Press' Bram Stoker: Library of Weird Fiction. Dracula was included in full in that and it's a nice production, like always.

Excellent idea, thanks — I may just do exactly that!

[Splync]

Ron, yes, I was aware it wasn’t the novel DRACULA, but for some reason I was under the — apparently mistaken — idea that this volume included both the novel proper and this unabridged alternate version. Looking now back at the Centipede page, that doesn’t seem to be the case… I’m not sure now where I got that idea that both books would be included. I’m disappointed, but the mistake was all mine. As far as PoD being written by someone else, I don’t believe that’s been conclusively determined; a strong case has also been put forth that it was Stoker’s work with perhaps (or perhaps not) some minor additions by others.

I have of course read DRACULA, but have no collectible/archival HC in my collection…not sure why, just was never a priority, I guess, which was why I was additionally excited when I thought that this Centipede PoD would include it. There’s certainly no shortage of available additions of DRACULA to choose from, but I appreciate the ones you threw out for consideration. I actually do love woodcuts, so I’ll have to check that Books of Wonder edition out.

I'd recommend seeking out a copy of Centipede Press' Bram Stoker: Library of Weird Fiction. Dracula was included in full in that and it's a nice production, like always.

[RonClinton]

I know you know this, Ron, but it can't be overstated (it seems) that this book is hugely not DRACULA. It's a rewritten (sometimes, bizarrely, apparently) adaptation- by someone else entirely- of Bram Stoker's timeless classic. That's me point- I don't get the hype. I get it's interest to folks who have an affinity to the source material and are Drac enthusiasts and collectors, but- I just don't think that most of the 500 frenzied buyers Sunday morning were really in that category. There was something else going on. Eh, moving on. Except to say that I don't share the opinion that this will be a "hot" book to flip -allowing for the initial wave of left out buyers, of course, but once that dies down- down the years. There's just too many of these, and it's too "niche", imo.

More importantly- why the hell do you not have a proper edition of this seminal book on your damn shelves?!! That is incredible to me. It's my favorite book. Even if it's not yours, you are a Horror Guy! When you consider all the pluses and delights- and creeps!- in it, and add the immense weight of time-tested and immeasurable influence- I just think it's one of the best novels ever made. May I suggest 2 highly affordable editions that I find are essential?:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dra...=9781454944218
This is a Barnes & Noble edition that they have repackaged numerous times over the decades, but it's always the same "guts", and, in addition to the wonderful Gorey Illos has a goodly amount of notes, bibliography and other addendum.


https://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Books.../dp/0688139213

This Books of Wonder edition is just a gorgeous way to read this story. If Barry Moser woodcuts sound like your thing- and why wouldn't they?!- this is a must have book on the shelf. Heck, it's practically free (used) all over the place if you look! (Their War of the Worlds, Mic-Droppingly illustrated by Tom Kidd is even more essential: https://www.amazon.com/War-Worlds-Bo.../dp/0688131379)

Ron, yes, I was aware it wasn’t the novel DRACULA, but for some reason I was under the — apparently mistaken — idea that this volume included both the novel proper and this unabridged alternate version. Looking now back at the Centipede page, that doesn’t seem to be the case… I’m not sure now where I got that idea that both books would be included. I’m disappointed, but the mistake was all mine. As far as PoD being written by someone else, I don’t believe that’s been conclusively determined; a strong case has also been put forth that it was Stoker’s work with perhaps (or perhaps not) some minor additions by others.

I have of course read DRACULA, but have no collectible/archival HC in my collection…not sure why, just was never a priority, I guess, which was why I was additionally excited when I thought that this Centipede PoD would include it. There’s certainly no shortage of available additions of DRACULA to choose from, but I appreciate the ones you threw out for consideration. I actually do love woodcuts, so I’ll have to check that Books of Wonder edition out.

[slayn666]

I think this one is just sitting at some weird confluence between folks honestly interested in it for whatever reason and sharing their excitement, the general excitement for any new CP title and the relatively fast speed that (at least) signed copies sell out, and speculators being speculators.

[swintek]

My reasoning is that I don’t currently have a copy of DRACULA in my collection, believe it or not, and needed to remedy that..

I know you know this, Ron, but it can't be overstated (it seems) that this book is hugely not DRACULA. It's a rewritten (sometimes, bizarrely, apparently) adaptation- by someone else entirely- of Bram Stoker's timeless classic. That's me point- I don't get the hype. I get it's interest to folks who have an affinity to the source material and are Drac enthusiasts and collectors, but- I just don't think that most of the 500 frenzied buyers Sunday morning were really in that category. There was something else going on. Eh, moving on. Except to say that I don't share the opinion that this will be a "hot" book to flip -allowing for the initial wave of left out buyers, of course, but once that dies down- down the years. There's just too many of these, and it's too "niche", imo.

More importantly- why the hell do you not have a proper edition of this seminal book on your damn shelves?!! That is incredible to me. It's my favorite book. Even if it's not yours, you are a Horror Guy! When you consider all the pluses and delights- and creeps!- in it, and add the immense weight of time-tested and immeasurable influence- I just think it's one of the best novels ever made. May I suggest 2 highly affordable editions that I find are essential?:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dra...=9781454944218
This is a Barnes & Noble edition that they have repackaged numerous times over the decades, but it's always the same "guts", and, in addition to the wonderful Gorey Illos has a goodly amount of notes, bibliography and other addendum.


https://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Books.../dp/0688139213

This Books of Wonder edition is just a gorgeous way to read this story. If Barry Moser woodcuts sound like your thing- and why wouldn't they?!- this is a must have book on the shelf. Heck, it's practically free (used) all over the place if you look! (Their War of the Worlds, Mic-Droppingly illustrated by Tom Kidd is even more essential: https://www.amazon.com/War-Worlds-Bo.../dp/0688131379)

[TacomaDiver]

I'm not sure if I've read Dracula - I know I've read the stage play script while in high school - but I was anticipating this book ever since Jerad hinted about it awhile back.

Luckily I woke up at the exact time it went on sale, and managed to secure a copy. Considering this book is over 800 pages, it was a bargain at the price offered.

While I doubt that I'll ever sell it, it is nice to know that I'll undoubtedly be able to make some money on it if I ever did sell it.

(Oh and slayn666 - I kind of enjoy seeing known flippers not get their books and get all pissy.)

[slayn666]

Speaking only for myself, I was interested because it's something of an historical curiosity.

I'm also curious how many of the folks throwing a fit over in the FB group are legitimately upset they missed out on a book they wanted or are legitimately upset they missed out on what will likely be an easy and profitable flip. At least one of the primary naysayers is a known flipper, so that very well may be tainting my views.

[Sock Monkey]

I find the book to be an interesting curiosity. I'm surprised there is so much interest in the title to result in such a quick sellout, but my speculations on such matters are always off. It seems the things that get me pumped are middling to most collectors and vice versa. I do need to finally getting around to reading the original Dracula so I have a better framework as to base a comparison when I do get around to reading my copy of Powers of Darkness.