Post Your Latest Purchase

[Martin]

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I got into the The Collected Short Fiction of R.A. Lafferty series from Centipede Press rather late, jumping on with the signed editions at Book 5 "The Man Who Walked Through Cracks". I got lucky and picked up an new unsigned copy of Volume 4 direct from Centipede from their "Scratch and Dent" page, but missed on Volume 3 they also had listed. The aftermarket prices on the early books in the series have skyrocketed for both the signed and unsigned versions to the point that while I had made peace with having a mixed unsigned and signed set, I was unsure if I'd ever fill in the collection due to prices. I just didn't see plopping down $500+ for Volume 2 and $250 plus for Volume 3.

Well, one day I was browsing Amazon and saw that a seller had an unsigned copy of Volume 3 for sale at $150. While not cheap, it's definitely on the lower end of the spectrum so after confirming that they would ship in a box, I pulled the trigger. I was a little nervous as I'd never purchased a limited edition book from Amazon Marketplace and was worried about what I'd get. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. There is a very minor crease in the book jacket on the top right hand corner, but otherwise in great shape.

Then about a week later, the same seller listed a copy an unsigned copy of Volume 2 for $199.00. Still not cheap, but so much better than the $500 and up prices I'd seen that I had to jump on it. And same great results for Book 2.

Now I only have Book 1 to track down, but that might be challenge. If anybody gets a good lead on a copy, let me know!



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Those covers are fantastic!

[RonClinton]

Mike, thanks for the reminder -- there are at least four book/biblio-related non-fiction books from Tartarus that are now available in tpb that I need to pick up.

S. M., congrats on the rash of sweet deals on the Lafferty series...very exciting and satisfying, I imagine, to fill in so quickly what looked to fated to be an incomplete set. Good luck on #1! Just goes to show, even with Centipede, sometimes perseverance and patience pays off.

[Sock Monkey]

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I got into the The Collected Short Fiction of R.A. Lafferty series from Centipede Press rather late, jumping on with the signed editions at Book 5 "The Man Who Walked Through Cracks". I got lucky and picked up an new unsigned copy of Volume 4 direct from Centipede from their "Scratch and Dent" page, but missed on Volume 3 they also had listed. The aftermarket prices on the early books in the series have skyrocketed for both the signed and unsigned versions to the point that while I had made peace with having a mixed unsigned and signed set, I was unsure if I'd ever fill in the collection due to prices. I just didn't see plopping down $500+ for Volume 2 and $250 plus for Volume 3.

Well, one day I was browsing Amazon and saw that a seller had an unsigned copy of Volume 3 for sale at $150. While not cheap, it's definitely on the lower end of the spectrum so after confirming that they would ship in a box, I pulled the trigger. I was a little nervous as I'd never purchased a limited edition book from Amazon Marketplace and was worried about what I'd get. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. There is a very minor crease in the book jacket on the top right hand corner, but otherwise in great shape.

Then about a week later, the same seller listed a copy an unsigned copy of Volume 2 for $199.00. Still not cheap, but so much better than the $500 and up prices I'd seen that I had to jump on it. And same great results for Book 2.

Now I only have Book 1 to track down, but that might be challenge. If anybody gets a good lead on a copy, let me know!



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[mhatchett]

This came in yesterday. The thing I love about the Tartraus titles is that you actually learn something when you read them and they send you scampering off looking for strange titles and shadowy authors. in this case, Temple Thurston, the Man in the Black Hat. I'm glad the I picked these up. Tartarusa.jpg

[slayn666]

That’s what I was thinking, about waiting for the bubble to burst. We are definitely seeing some very high prices on the secondary market. Is there a consensus that we are in the middle of a bubble that’s destined to burst?

I never buy books based on the market’s perceived value, though I do look out for what I believe are good deals and try to maximize my book-buying dollars. Books seem to be infinite, while the money I have to spend on them is not. My barometer is simply “am I okay with paying this price?”, which has served me well.

It's hard to look at the skyrocketing prices of books by publishers such as Suntup, Centipede, and SubPress, and the near-instant sellouts of essentially everything they publish (there are exceptions, especially with SubPress) and not come to the conclusion that we're in a bubble. Not that books have never sold out or gone up in value, but we're seeing sellouts happen in a matter of hours or even minutes, and prices are immediately going up by 50% or more before the books are actually published.

[Martin]

That’s what I was thinking, about waiting for the bubble to burst. We are definitely seeing some very high prices on the secondary market. Is there a consensus that we are in the middle of a bubble that’s destined to burst?

I never buy books based on the market’s perceived value, though I do look out for what I believe are good deals and try to maximize my book-buying dollars. Books seem to be infinite, while the money I have to spend on them is not. My barometer is simply “am I okay with paying this price?”, which has served me well.

You and share the same barometer on book purchasing decisions.

[Sock Monkey]

I hadn’t seen any artwork for it yet, so based on your comment I went over to the site and looked, and found the posted preliminary cover. And, yeah, I see what you mean…car looks nice, but the wash of blood-red color, cartoonish figures, and title font suggest more of a Fast & Furious blockbuster vibe than what is supposed to be a serious exploration (in crime-fiction clothing) of race, poverty, and familial legacy. Disappointing, really seems to miss the mark.

You’re assessment of the cover hits the mark. I had seen the artwork prior to any knowledge of the book and dismissed it. It was only after reading the comments about the book on this forum that I looked into it further and saw how highly the book is praised. With this cover art, I’m leaning toward passing on a limited and picking up a paperback. We’ll see.

I will say that the art that I’ve seen from their other books look really nice.

[RonClinton]

I’ve heard good things about BLACKTOP WASTELAND, but the preliminary art showcased did little for me. I did sign up for their newsletter.

I hadn’t seen any artwork for it yet, so based on your comment I went over to the site and looked, and found the posted preliminary cover. And, yeah, I see what you mean…car looks nice, but the wash of blood-red color, cartoonish figures, and title font suggest more of a Fast & Furious blockbuster vibe than what is supposed to be a serious exploration (in crime-fiction clothing) of race, poverty, and familial legacy. Disappointing, really seems to miss the mark.

[Sock Monkey]

Very pleased with my first MidWorld Press purchase. The book is substantial and well put together. Nice Art, I like it. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thanks for posting your opinion about this. I was pretty curious as to how the book would turn out.

[Sock Monkey]

Good to hear, because that limited of BLACKTOP WASTELAND is on my pre-order radar, and I was curious how their debut (?) release looked.

I’ve heard good things about BLACKTOP WASTELAND, but the preliminary art showcased did little for me. I did sign up for their newsletter.

[Sock Monkey]

You could try to wait out the bubble, because it is going to burst at some point. The catch is that it might not have a significant impact on Centipede titles.

That’s what I was thinking, about waiting for the bubble to burst. We are definitely seeing some very high prices on the secondary market. Is there a consensus that we are in the middle of a bubble that’s destined to burst?

I never buy books based on the market’s perceived value, though I do look out for what I believe are good deals and try to maximize my book-buying dollars. Books seem to be infinite, while the money I have to spend on them is not. My barometer is simply “am I okay with paying this price?”, which has served me well.

[mhatchett]

I'm getting that one too Ron, as soon as it is listed.

[RonClinton]

Very pleased with my first MidWorld Press purchase. The book is substantial and well put together. Nice Art, I like it. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Good to hear, because that limited of BLACKTOP WASTELAND is on my pre-order radar, and I was curious how their debut (?) release looked.

[mhatchett]

[mhatchett]

Very pleased with my first MidWorld Press purchase. The book is substantial and well put together. Nice Art, I like it. Looking forward to the rest of the series.