VIRGIN by James Patterson

Virgin by James Patterson. McGraw Hill, 1980. Quarto. Quarter bound in navy cloth, textured white paper boards. First edition noted by McGraw Hill's rather odd number line sequence beginning with '1.' Jacket paper is rather tin and prone to chipping, tearing and damage. Colors have held up fairly well, though. Patterson's 4th novel shows that he was still searching for an audience, as McGraw Hill followed Crown and Little, Brown as his publishers. It wasn't until Along Came A Spider introduced Alex Cross that he began to acquire a loyal readership. Virgin is also known as Cradle and All.

A little of this...

Good day bookies. Stand by for news.

*** Churchill bribed Franco's generals? I like that image, Winnie with a cigar clenched in his teeth offering 100 pound notes to a Spanish general, maybe while sipping whiskey. Cool. INstead, however, we are told that he used an intermediary. Or, at least, that's the gist of a new book, Juan March: The Most Mysterious Man in the World by Pere Ferrer. The review listed below makes one wish for time to read this, as it looks fascinating. Like most WW2 buffs/scholars, I have always believed that the cagey Franco was smart enough not to get sucked in by Hitler's tempting request to join the war in return for Gibraltar. But maybe there was more to it than that.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4944902.ece

*** Reports from the Frankfurt Book Fair indicate a rather mundane, business-like affair. It's October, they probably just can't wait to hit the beer halls.

*** The Man Booker Prize was won by Aravind Adiga for his debut novel The White Tiger.

*** There are reports in every news service I've seen about Maureen McCormick's biography, focusing mainly on the titillating news that she traded sex for drugs. It will probably sell a gazillion copies.

*** According to preliminary estimates from the Census Bureau, bookstore sales rose 5.4% in August. Huh. College book sales may have helped here, or maybe people are turning to the cheapest (and still the best) form of entertain-per-dollar available: books.

*** Ridley Scott has signed on to film Joe Haldeman's classic SFF novel, The Forever War. Having read (and enjoyed) the novel lo, those many years ago, it seems that Scott is likely the right man for the job. At least it isn't Paul Veerhoven completely re-writing and destroying Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers.

Once again, bookies, if you have any book news, suggestions or comments, please let the man behind the curtain know.

Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane

Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane. Morrow, 1996. First edition slug with full number line to '1' on Copyright page. Like most Morrow offerings of this period, the book's construction leaves something to be desired. Full green paper covers, no cloth at all. Wear will show easier on paper covers and so Fine copies will be at more of a premium as time goes by. Jacket is on good stock and should hold up well. Lehane's signature, as seen here, is an early version. I've seen later ones that aren't so legible as actually being a name and look more like a scrawl. With as many books as he signs, that shouldn't come as a shock.

FLORIDA ROADKILL by Tim Dorsey

Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey. Morrow, 1999. Dorsey's first book is a standard Morrow issue for the period. Green paper spine backstrap and orange-red paper covers. First edition is identified by the First edition slug and a number line complete to '1'. Dorsey's signature may appear to be a frantic scrawl, but compared to later examples this is quite restrained. The jacket front is not quite so psychedelic as it appears here, the flash combined with the mylar protector make for a colorful show. In reality it's more of a uniform metallic orange.

Squares and Fairs

Good morning Bookies! Stand by for news.

*** Here's The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice by Maureen McCormick. That's right, today is the day the entire world can find out the truth about Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Was she really the wholesome girl next door, the squarest of the square, or was she secretly into sex, drugs and big brother Greg, as the gossips have been saying for years? Well, according to her, she was secretly into sex, drugs and big brother Greg. (In reality, Barry Williams, who also has a biography out there somewhere) Okay, that kind of makes your stomach queasy, but they are more or less the same age and all. What's really gross, however, is that apparently she dated Hugh Hefner, too. That's a mental image I did not want.

*** Your friendly neighborhood bookseller notes that the Frankfurt Book Fair opens tomorrow in, of all places, Frankfurt. The hot topic this year appears to be e-books. One need not turn to politics to find signs of the apocalypse, one need only look at the hell-spawned e-book to consider that the end may be near. What's next, a virtual book fair? Wouldn't that be fun? Can't you see authors holding virtual book-signings for your e-books?

*** Cashing in on fame is really what winning the big awards is all about. The Booker, for example, could easily be re-named the Bucker, except the slang 'Bucks' really doesn't work for Euros and Yen and Rupees. But you get my drift.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081013/en_nm/us_books_booker;_ylt=Amv8Ob_i0WsF3DQrzKaU6sFREhkF

*** BoucherCon was last weekend in Baltimore. Yes, BBG would have loved to have gone. Life intrudes, however. As many Bookies know Baltimore is the city of Tess Monaghan, PI hero of Laura Lippmann, surely one of the nicest, hardest working authors out there. I've had the pleasure of meeting her on several occasions and she is never less than funny and gracious.



This was in July of 2005 at Davis Kidd here in Memphis. For a brief overview of the convention, here's a link.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6604701.html

This Saturday at 1 PM, Davis Kidd in Memphis is hosting Tom Graves, author of a new biography of blues Legend/God/Devil Robert Johnson and his influence on American music. I suspect he will draw a good crowd, but Saturday afternoon is a tough time, especially if the weather is nice.

The Thomas Berryman Number

The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson. Little, Brown & Co., 1976. First edition has the slug
T 03/76 under 'First Edition' on the copyright page. Octavo in blue and black paper boards. Jacket price on $7.95 in the upper corner of the front fold. Rear photo of Patterson makes him look like some lovelorn dope who just got gilted by his high school sweetheart.

This copy is ex-library, as it's a difficult book to find in non-library markings. Little, Brown used a heavy stock for the jacket, which means that it resists edgewear better than many first novels of this period. The book, however, being in full paper binding, including the spine backstrap, means that the book does not fare quite so well. Finding a truly Fine copy would be very expensive and difficult.

One option for such a rare book is to buy an ex-library copy such as this, then have it rebound with a high-quality material, such as leather, to not only restore its glory but make it a unique copy.

Books, Bibles and Beasts

Good morning bookies! Stand by for news.

For future reference, NR means Now Reading and JF means Just Finished.

NR: Black Hats by Patrick Culhane, nom de plume for Max Allan Collins, who seems bent on challenging Robert J. Randisi for world's most prolific writer.
JF: Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter. Bob the Nailer is back and not at all happy that someone tried to kill his daughter. Full review will be in the next iloveamysterynewsletter.
And just so Sally, my editor, doesn't panic, yes, I know I'm supposed to be reading Germania. Have faith. And for those of you who have not read ILAM yet, check it out and read my Tana French reviews. The Likeness will, in all likelihood, be my Crime Book of the Year, for which Ms. French will receive an old newspaper with my autograph.

*** Specialists in used and rare books are seeing an upswing in people selling not only individual books, but also collections, to try and make it through a slower economic period. Been there, done that. If you've read any of my history of collecting and selling on this site, you'll know that at one time I had a pretty extensive comic book collection that would be worth a fortune today, but when times were tough food took priority. It happens, no shame. It's why people like me are around, to help those who need to sell their collections to make ends meet. We're altruists.

Anyway, out of North Carolina comes this story of the economy's effects on some collectors.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081011/ARTICLES/810110256/0/ENTERTAINMENT11?Title=Some_willing__to_sell_rare_books_for_gas_money

*** When is a Bible not a good thing? Ever? (It's a rhetorical question. If you're an atheist, fine, I get it, you don't need to reiterate your stance) Over the years there have been a number of Bible editions that seek to draw in disaffected youth, to make it seem relevant to those who might otherwise overlook it. There's nothing new in this. Try owning a Catholic Bible in Elizabethan England and keeping your head; good luck with that. And whenever such a new edition appears it raises hackles and generally irritates a certain segment of believers who believe that their beliefs and method of belief are the 'right ones.' Thus it is with this newest edition of the Bible. Call it a genuine attempt to interest young people in Christianity. Call it cynical marketing. It could be both, or neither.

http://www.illuminatedworld.com/products/

*** A special treat for you SFF fans out there. Rudy Rucker has a short story you can read online at Tor's website. Go immerse yourself in some entertaining high level math.

http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=story&id=6644

*** I really hesitated before filing this next bit. As you may already know, Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It almost seems that if you are a really, really talented humorist from the UK, then you are cursed to a shorter career than you deserve. I'm thinking Douglas Adams here. Anyway, Pratchett has written a piece on what it's like to have this horrible disease. Be warned, however, this is not going to have a happy ending. NOTE: If you want to read the story, use the below link. For some reason you cannot link directly to the story. So type in Terry Pratchett at the search box and it's the first story that comes up in the list.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1070673/Terry-Pratchett-Im-slipping-away-bit-time--I-watch-happen.html

*** Finally, it seems to be a bad period to be a dead Beatle. John Lennon is excoriated as a 'misogynistic beast' in a new biography. I'd like to hear his side of the story.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10122008/news/nationalnews/give_beast_a_chance_133215.htm

Signing off for now.

AOL disconecting life support?

As most bookies know, Sundays do not generally have updates or news. However, it is rumored that AOL is considering obliterating the one last reason anybody would ever have for visiting their site, the message boards. That's right, as bad as the web based boards are compared to the older versions, they are still the same groups of friends coming to the same outdated website. And AOL is tired of this! Can't these people go somewhere else and let AOL die in peace?

Well, yes, they can. And if they shut down the message boards, they will find other boards. And all the happy little AOL employees can go home and watch TV and start collecting unemployment. One wonders if John Donahoe has decided to destroy AOL during his breaks from dismantling Ebay.

So, how is this book related? Simple. AOL is the home of my book boards, the friends I have had online since at least 1995. In those days, the Hardboiled board was the coolest message board on the net. No less than 33 authors posted there in those halcyon early days, from Anthony Bourdain to Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, James W. Hall, Randy Wayne White, Bob Randisi, Laura Lippmann...the list goes on. Every day you would wake up to posts from these great writers and their friends. Indeed, for one glorious period we had Jim Hall writing a short story every holiday about PI James Holliday and his unlikely adventures. Amazing, a best selling author throwing out hilarious stories just for our benefit.

Until one day, some nameless AOL bot deleted one of Jim's stories as being too racy. (It was only 'racy' because the idiot didn't understand some of the words Jim used and assumed they were forbidden.) And that was that. When it became obvious that any idiotic simpleton could edit the works of some of the best writers of our times, they decided to find greener pastures. The Triumph of the Stupid.

There was also the Heinlein board, which collected SFF writers and readers and was, in its way, every bit as exciting as the Hardboiled board. Steve Stirling posted there occasionally, Harry Turtledove was a regular, Micheal Flynn was (and still is) there...another amazing interaction between fans and authors they will probably never meet face to face, but came to know very well through AOL's message boards.

But even to this day the fans remain, mostly now on the Mystery/Thriller board, although Bob Randisi does, on rare occasions, drop in at the Hardboiled. The Heinlein board has the occasional post. Most are gone already, though, as AOL chose a slow death many years ago when they changed the simple, functional boards for something 'better', which is to see slow, counter-intuitive and clumsy.

When you see companies like Ebay and AOL self-destruct, the real question is who hired these people in the first place?

Ah, well, change comes, is rarely as good as those who clamor for it think it will be and is often much worse. And so it goes.

BBG

MidSouthCon , the Beatles, the Booker, the hooker

Good morning, bookies! Stand by for news. This is the Blog for Saturday, October 11. I have no idea why Blogger is datelining this for Friday. Is time different in Googleland?

First, a request. If you like this blog, please send a link to anyone you think might be warped enough to find it entertaining and/or informative. If you are so inclined, subscribe. Your friendly neighborhood bookseller would certainly appreciate it. The content will grow as time goes by, but this past week has been tough because aged relatives have needed some attention.

*** MidSouthCon is slowly, but surely, filling out their guest roster for next year. Yesterday Stanton Friedman was added to the lineup. If you've ever watched a show on UFOs, Area 51, Roswell or Alien Abductions, you will probably recognize Friedman. The GOH is Mike Resnick and the Artist GOH is Vincent DiFate. A good lineup so far, I suppose. Let's see who else gets added.

For Memphis and Mid-Southerners who are fans of SFF (Science Fiction Fantasy) and don't know what MidSouthcon is...shame on you. Get ye hence to yonder website and put aside your errors!

http://www.midsouthcon.org/

*** Obituary- Peter Vansittart died October 4 at age 88, reports the Guardian. Known for his imaginative historical novels, Vansittart always seemed to stitch the most unlikely epochs separated by centuries into a cohesive whole. His last novel, Secret Protocols, was published in 2006.

*** Heresy or truth? Although not strictly book related, your friendly neighborhood bookseller finds the linked story below interesting. A Cambridge professor opines that the Beatles weren't folk or youth heroes, they were just capitalists cashing in on the hysteria they generated.

I certainly hope so.

I was never a big Beatles fan. I had no ill feelings toward them, but there was always this vaguely uneasy feeling that something wasn't on the up and up. This is why I preferred The Stones, there was never any doubt about their motivation. Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and money. The Beatles always implied they were somehow above all of that, and I never bought it. Apparently I wasn't the only one. You'll need to log in to read the link. If you don't want to log in, ignore the link, the commentators' name is David Fowler, he's an historian at Cambridge University. The quote you need to know is this: "They did about as much to represent the interests of the nation's young people as the Spice Girls did in the 1990s." Perfect.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/09/youngpeople.history

*** The Booker Prize will be awarded in London on Tuesday and there are dozens of articles to choose from previewing the event. I've picked one a bit off the beaten track, highlighting two Aussies who are up for the prize. My reasoning? I like Aussies.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24460816-5001986,00.html

Oh, and there is no hooker. That was just to jazz up the blog title for the day.

Shadow Trade by Alan Furst

Alan Furst's 4th book is another in the series of rare books that only come along once in a blue moon, if not a lifetime, that I will be posting on this blog from time to time. The book a typical US edition of the early 80's, octavo, black cloth backstrap and black paper boards. No decorations to the endpapers. The jacket is not so fragile as some of this era.