Mr. Ottinger is currently collecting an updated list. Submissions will be accepted until August 16, 2009. If you run a blog or web site that reviews SF/F/H books and would like to be included you can register your site using the form on the GftW post SF/F/H Book Reviewers Linkup Meme, 2nd Edition Submissions. The original list appears at the bottom of the post.

Complete article here.

An era passes.  A moment of silence please.

As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, one of the things that attracts collectors is the beauty of books as objects apart from their content.  The publication of books as works of art continues to be a potent motivation for many collectors and it is generally the small press publishers that are most active in this field.

One such publisher is Aio Publishing.  Developed in 2003, Aio specializes in speculative fiction creating books that, as stated on their web site, “… will be a pleasure to hold and see, and will provide thought long after they’re put back on the shelf.” 

Aio is headed by Editor and Publisher Tiffany Jonas.  An interview with Jonas appeared on Xark! earlier this month.

Win two tickets to the Nebula Awards ceremony and banquet in New York!

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and AbeBooks.com have teamed up to give a pair of lucky speculative fiction fans the chance to attend the Nebula Awards ceremony and banquet on May 11-12 2007 in New York. Enter the contest here. [via AbeBooks]

An imprint of Harlequin Books, the Laser Books series was published between 1975 and 1977. Following the successful formula of its romance line, Harlequin produced the series on a strict schedule releasing three books a month all with a distinctly similar design, each featuring a cover illustration by Kelly Freas. A series subscription was offered in addition to the normal distribution to booksellers.

The series was not popular with readers of the time most probably because of inconsistency in quality and a general sense of it being too “institutional” in its production. It is however, rather famous in science fiction fan circles for the phenomenon surrounding the appearance of premier title, Thomas F. Monteleone’s first novel, Seeds of Change.

In an effort to get widespread exposure for the series Seeds was given away in large quantities as a free promotional “collector’s edition”. Large quantities of the book were distributed to attendees of a number of science fiction conventions. The result was less than ideal.

Unfortunately the book was not very good and immediately attracted the mockery of a large number of convention attendees. I happened to attend the Equicon SF convention in Los Angeles that year. By Saturday night of the con, groups of fans were gathered around on the upper balconies of the hotel publicly mocking the text as it was read aloud. As each page was finished it was ceremoniously ripped out of the book and flung out over the balconies to the convention floor below. It was a scenario that was repeated at several conventions that year.

Regardless of its rather ignominious introduction the series continued until February of 1977 ultimately totaling 58 titles. Of interest to collectors is the fact that all the titles in the series are paperback originals, among them books by Jerry Pournelle, Kathleen Sky, David Bischoff, Raymond F. Jones and Dean Koontz under the pen name Aaron Wolfe. Especially notable are early works by then unknowns Tim Powers and K. W. Jeter. Aficionados of Hugo Award winning artist Kelly Freas as well as collectors of exceptional genre cover art will also find the series well worth collecting.

Many of the titles are available inexpensively though a handful of titles such as the Koonz, Powers, Jeter and the last two titles of the series, which were only available by subscription, command higher prices.

A series title checklist of the Laser Books series is available on the collectingsf.com site.

These guys have been doing this show for almost 30 years and often offer a very interesting show.  Unfortunately I don’t get the show broadcast in my area and have to rely on the MG3 archives which only go back to October of last year. Their previous broadcast on Science Fiction and Fantasy was aired last month and can be found on the archive page.

Recovery is not complete but progressing so here, to kick things off again are a few items of note and a random thought.

• Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie has a growing collection of great SF art by stellar artists, many on plates used by notable authors.  See his Feb. 3 & 07 entries.  Looking forward to more, Lewis!

• Currency of Souls by Kealan Patrick Burke got the nod from Publisher’s Weekly saying, “…a gripping horror novel whose motley cast of characters drink the evening away in a seedy bar, Eddie’s Tavern, in a dying town called Milestone. Each is stained by–and may even have caused–an ugly death that still haunts him or her… At the haunting conclusion, escape proves only a brief respite from damnation.” Subterranean Press is offering the limited edition at $40.00 and the lettered edition at $250.00.
• Matthew Cheney reports that finishing touches are being completed on the first Best American Fantasy, edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer.  Pre-orders are available from Amazon† and Clarkesworld Books.
• Locus Online has posted its Recommended Reading List for 2006.  Oddly, they included Tim Power’s superb Three Days to Never as a fantasy title.  At least it made it on the list.

Now riddle me this, Batman: Shelf Awareness reports that a bookshop in Hudson, Ohio is offering free food to anyone who comes in and reads for half an hour as part of a county wide program to get people to read for 30 minutes this Valentine’s Day.  It’s bad enough that there has to be a city, county or state sponsored “special event” to get people to read (and 30 minutes one day a year is hardly what I call reading), but now the offer of free food has to be proffered to entice people to participate.  Is reading that much of a lost pastime? Sometimes I despair.

ABE Books just open two new specialty sections of their site (they call them “rooms”) dedicated to Science Fiction and Fantasy. Currently offered are an interview with specialty bookshop owner Barry Levin, interviews with authors Elizabeth Bear and George R.R. Martin and a list of the top 10 most expensive SF & F books sold on AbeBooks in 2006.

1. 1984 by George Orwell ($8,258.40)

2. (Tie) Neuromancer (2), Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson ($7,500)

2. (Tie) The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King ($7,500)

3. (Tie) I, Robot by Isaac Asimov ($4,500)

3. (Tie) The Healer’s War by Elizabeth Scarborough ($4,500)

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ($4,025)

5. The Ship That Sailed to Mars by William Timlin ($3,995)

6. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm ($3,975)

7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ($3,250)

8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ($3,000)

It’s interesting to read the descriptions of each item sold.  Orwell wins hands down but I wonder at the collection of four Gibson books sold as a lot.  Does that really qualify as tying with the sale of the single King book?  Hmm…

Each “Place” you add creates it’s own blog-like comment stream so visitors can add their thoughts.  The comments are moderated for spam control so you must approve each incoming comment. 

The Platial web site is a full community aggregate with all the expected features of buddy lists, searchable tag words, internal email and personal profiles.  The site supports imports from Flickr and YouTube so pictures and video are easy to add to the blog of any particular Place.

The company is just over a year old and claims that over 15,000 maps have been created by it’s members.

I’ve started a map marking bookstores and sellers that feature an excellent selection of science fiction, fantasy or horror on the Collecting SF Books site.  Use the button on the sidebar to add your favorite bookshops!

• The Website at the End of the Universe has posted their free downloadable 2007 calendar as a PDF. A simple 12 page design with birth dates of sci-fi folks and with lovely pictures of space women in revealing outfits. Previous years (2004, 2005 and 2006) are also available. [From Bibliophile Bullpen. Thanks Joyce!]

• Businessweek has a piece on home libraries. At the end of the article is a link to a slideshow of a number of fabulous examples. It sure puts my cheap press-board cases to shame.

• Green Man Review has best-of-the-year lists from literally dozens of people, starting with Neal Asher and Kage Baker. [From SFBC.com]