Daninsky's Collection

[Brian861]

Dan, the sear volume and awesomeness of your collection is overwhelming. That will always be the case for me moving forward

[Daninsky]

I have a new copy of Undertaker's Moon that I am willing to part with. Let me know if you are still looking.

PM'd

[One eyed cat]

As evidenced in the photos, I have all but ONE of those Ronald Kelly books. The first one in the series, Undertaker's Moon. My shelf is incomplete without it!! If anyone has copy of the Thunderstorm edition of that book, please do let me know. I'd sure love to buy it off of ya.

I have a new copy of Undertaker's Moon that I am willing to part with. Let me know if you are still looking.

[Daninsky]

That's too bad! It looks like a really stellar piece. Quite haunting.

I agree, it is one of my favorite pieces by him. He had several different styles and was completely untrained, so some come off looking quite amateurish while others evoke such a sense of weird otherworldliness that they seem quite well put together. He did hundreds f small sketches and 'doodles' that also find their way into circulation these days, but even they tend to be a bit rare. His actual compositions are almost unicorns, so finding one is a real treat, let alone one as atmospheric and unique as that one.

[Theli]

That's too bad! It looks like a really stellar piece. Quite haunting.

[Daninsky]

Those CAS pieces are very cool, and you've managed to acquire quite a collection of what I imagine must be rare piece indeed...congratulations!

Btw, you must be very excited about the upcoming Centipede Press book: In the Realms of Mystery and Wonder: The Artwork of Clark Ashton Smith edited by Scott Connors. Signed by Connors with a Clark Ashton Smith facsimile signature. 600 copies, 300 signed. Two volumes in a unique binding inside a box. Probably $175 less 15% -- especially given that it combines two of your collecting passions, CAS and Centipede.

I have been waiting anxiously for that book for a good many years, in fact. It seems that it has been in the pipeline forever. A few of these pieces should be in there (at least two were purchased from Scott Connors over the past decade), but several will likely not, which is a shame. The final piece I posted, that eerie landscape, has never been included in any CAS collections and has only sold one time since it was painted in the mid-20's. Smith painted it as a gift to one of his neighbors and it hung on her family's wall until I purchased it from her great-niece a few years ago. I couldn't get quality scans produced and sent to Jerad or Connors in time to get it in the book, alas. Mostly my fault, but its omission from what will likely be the most complete collection of Smith's artwork ever published will gall me for the remainder of my days.

[RonClinton]

Those CAS pieces are very cool, and you've managed to acquire quite a collection of what I imagine must be rare piece indeed...congratulations!

Btw, you must be very excited about the upcoming Centipede Press book: In the Realms of Mystery and Wonder: The Artwork of Clark Ashton Smith edited by Scott Connors. Signed by Connors with a Clark Ashton Smith facsimile signature. 600 copies, 300 signed. Two volumes in a unique binding inside a box. Probably $175 less 15% -- especially given that it combines two of your collecting passions, CAS and Centipede.

[Daninsky]

I hate to sound like a Pollyanna, I've mentioned this in the past, I rarely view book purchases as financial investments. The value of the books will be my kids problem after I'm gone. I usually keep what I buy. There are exceptions, of course. I think in recent years the book market has been extremely volatile and will continue to be in the foreseeable future.

Oh I agree completely. I have traded a few books with other collectors, but I'm not sure I've ever re-sold one for profit. I simply dont have enough room in my library for all the books I want to own and read as well as space for making money. I still feel a little sad sometimes, however, when I see beautiful and intriguing small press books selling on Ebay for half what they were listed for a year earlier. It makes me feel like too few people are actually appreciating the books in question, though of course that may not be true.

[Theli]

I still have to make my way through the 5 volume CAS collection from Night Shade Books.

I'm still missing the last two of the collection.

Nice Thunderstorm collection. I love the way they look on the shelves. They do take the extra step to make their products have great shelf appeal. I would buy more from them but, for me, the authors just aren't what I am looking for. I do have some nice copies of their books though and keep my eyes open for when they do stock something that piques my interest.

[mhatchett]

Valid points, thanks for the input. I guess maybe I'm just a bit spoiled because the bulk of my collecting has been with Centipede and Subterranean Press, both of which seem to hold (and very frequently increase in) value quite reliably, with a few expected exceptions. So I still sometimes wind up surprised and a little sad to see other really good small publishers whose books (I feel) should hold value, but don't.

I hate to sound like a Pollyanna, I've mentioned this in the past, I rarely view book purchases as financial investments. The value of the books will be my kids problem after I'm gone. I usually keep what I buy. There are exceptions, of course. I think in recent years the book market has been extremely volatile and will continue to be in the foreseeable future.

[mhatchett]

That is a very special collection.

[bsaenz24]

Wow. Just wow! I didn't know that Mr. Smith created visual art as well as writing. Honestly I could argue that he was the most proficient writer of the weird circle.

I still have to make my way through the 5 volume CAS collection from Night Shade Books.

[Theli]

Wow. Just wow! I didn't know that Mr. Smith created visual art as well as writing. Honestly I could argue that he was the most proficient writer of the weird circle.

[Daninsky]

Pausing briefly before moving on to the next row of books to address the sculptures featured in an earlier photo. They, along with the other two pictured here and the accompanying paintings and drawings were all created by the same artist. The sculptures, carved of various stones found on his family property in the first half of the 20th century, make their home on my bookshelves while the others hang on the walls of my library.

I have actually put more effort into acquiring these pieces than I have any books in my entire collection. Most took me years of searching to locate and some rather rigorous negotiation to acquire, but they are some of my most treasured possessions and I feel both lucky and honored to be able to serve as steward for them while I live. Their connection to some of the 20th Century's most important fantastic/weird fiction is very intimate and it saddens me immensely how many of his works have been lost over the last century.

All of these are original works by Clark Ashton Smith, late of Auburn, California. He originally sold most of these for under $5.00 each through mail order.

[slayn666]

Valid points, thanks for the input. I guess maybe I'm just a bit spoiled because the bulk of my collecting has been with Centipede and Subterranean Press, both of which seem to hold (and very frequently increase in) value quite reliably, with a few expected exceptions. So I still sometimes wind up surprised and a little sad to see other really good small publishers whose books (I feel) should hold value, but don't.

Yep, after I posted I realized that your view might be a bit skewed due to having a nearly-complete Centipede collection. I'm half convinced Jerad is a wizard.