Science Fiction Collector Diary Episode 19: Gapfilling, Hay-On-Wye Trip, Mini Bookhaul  

You're very kind. Glad to have you aboard!

Yes, I read several of the Millards back in the 70s- last night I nabbed 'A Coffin Full of Dollars' (which I haven't read for at least 42 years) and 'The Devil's Dollar SIgn' (which I didn't read at the time) on ebay last night for under £12 the pair. Cracking!

I would read

There will be an autobiography, but not until I retire, so a few years off yet! Then it will be told!

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I will want to read that, Stephen. You are a gentleman whose life is worth recanting. Cheers!

Cheers my good man!

Cheers Gary- yes, Eric did some nice stuff, real shame he passed so young. Great to hear from you!

Thanks mate- super thanks makes all the difference to survival of this channel!

Thanks. I like shooting outdoors, but this country has appalling weather about 75% of the time, is noisy and crowded as it is so small- but I'll be aiming to capture those elusive good days when I can this spring/early summer. Do watch my Capri, Italy and Paris videos, which are stuffed with literary references.

'Philip K Dick is Dead, Alas' (aka 'The Secret Ascension') is indeed front rank, try and find a copy at all costs!

Yes, super pretty books. They are out there, but not cheap, sadly. If you've not read him, try 'Helix', nice little worldbuilder and still in print in 'A Format'!

Yes, I always regret not buying it- but one day I'll find a mint one...

Beer rocks.

They close on Tuesdays. When I was there in January for three days, they were closed the whole time....

Lucky you. I have had a couple of good experiences with WOB, but they mostly suck, I think- but when a book is uncommon and you just wanna read it.....

Bob's the man!

Yes, I was pleased to get it in that edition again, I was a huge Hesse fanatic in my youth.

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Me too! : )

Gotcha! Best of luck in your quest. I'm currently reading 'The Law In Charity' by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro- the first Western I've read by her- she can pretty much write anything.

Cons are worth avoiding now, not just for the cost. The 'woke factor; is turned up to 11, as is the self-aggrandizement of the self-published nepotists out there. Just take a look at their conduct guidelines, you'd be afraid to speak to anyone....

Yeah, always the Three Tuns. The Blue Boar is a dreadful pub, overpriced, food overrated and the staff...well, say no more. Good food at the Three and it's been beautifully restored in recent years.

Oh yes...tragically, the Snork Maiden is not available in a matching format...

Boucher is good.

No, never got around to it. I bought another of her books a while back, so I'll read one before too long.

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Nice! She seems like another one of those forgotten and underrated authors.

@@zkinak2107 We'll see. I used to sell her stuff in the 80s, when she had a trilogy with Penguin.

I've never found many cut up/fold in novels/stories to be honest- I think you've nailed some key ones there (I like Burns and Quin, who is enjoying a small revival). There are things which are Burroughsian in tone of course, but with sometimes different concerns, like the later novels of Trevor Hoyle and Martin Bax phenomenal 'The Hospital Ship'. I'd say Ballard's 'The Atrocity Exhibition' is closed, but it's condensed- it feels as if sections are removed and pared down, but I'm sure you know this book.

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Thanks Stephen, I just thought I'd ask. I've just orederd two Claude Pelieu books "Kali Yug Express" & "With Revolvers Aimed....Finger Bowls" Cheers man!

I'd say Addyman's - it's also the best by far. Cinema Bookshop has a lot too. Richard Booth used to be pretty good but is awful now- but remember, when you're buying second hand, the bookshops' stock is subject to chance far more than a shop stocking new books. Now, even these shops have a lot of new SF too.

Cheers!

First of all, Hay is in Wales, not England- though one residential part of it creeps over the border. You should avoid the Hay festival like the plague- it happens in May and November- as it has dumbed the town down enormously from being a world class second hand book destination to a place dominated by the chattering classes and their obvious bestsellers. Go outside these seasons to get the real flavour- it is also horribly crowded during the fest. It's a tiny village, after all. Go monday-wednesday outside of UK schooll holidays is best. You will need a car to get there, as by public transport is tough as it is miles from anywhere and there is no nearby railway station. Let me know if you need any detailed guidance.

It really is on the way out. I give it five years max because of Green Ink, Cinema, The Poetry Bookshop and Addyman, but it's a little like a white dwarf that will collapse into a singularity. I hope to be offloading my excess there for another few years yet. And the lack of decent lager doesn't help! Having said all this, I'm wondering how much I can realistically let go again in terms of bulk, not much, I think.... On the other point, we dispose of it once, then rebuy. I don't think I've rid myself of (m)any titles and rebought them more than once- and where I have, when I've ditched the second copy, it's never been purchased again.....