Brag

Today I found Haruki Murakami's "Pinball, 1973" at a FOL shop and paid
50 cents! The book was published in 1980 by Kodansha, translated and
published in English in 1985, and my copy is the ninth printing of
1994. My copy has been gently read and its only fault is some scuffing
and edgewear to the colored wrappers.

Murakami's latest book is "Kafka on the Shore" and is now being
reviewed in the newspapers, but "The Wind-Up Bird" and "Norwegian
Wood" would be known to most readers of this newsgroup.

Murakami's second book is "Pinball, 1973", and from what I've learned
via Internet searches, Murakami has forbidden his first two books from
being published in English, so this little PB is the only English
edition in existence..

The only reason I bought this book is because it had been discussed at
length in 2003 in r.c.b, and fortunately a Japanese pinball book stuck
in my mind (and also the high price this book seems to bring).

I reread those postings today on www.deja.com (just search for "Haruki
Murakami Pinball") and there is a good discussion about this book, but
also a fascinating tale of book collecting and scouting in Japan.

Bookfinder lists an inexpensive University of California photocopy
edition, but otherwise only two copies are for sale at $400-$750. Wow!

Who else has something to brag about?

DKM


To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE_KAY_EMM AT EarthLink.net. [For example .]

Doug McClure wrote:


Who else has something to brag about?


I don't often brag because most of the books I collect are not generally
high-valued but I was pleased with this one. It's "Does the Earth
Rotate? NO!" by William Westfield, 2nd Edition 1919. It's a loopy flat
earth tract full of great illustrations and really dumb elementary
errors of understanding of astronomy. (For example, he manages to
compute that the Pole Star is only about 6000 miles away.) There's only
one other copy listed online, priced at $100. I won mine on eBay for GBP
5.51, roughly a tenth that. It's in very good condition and a top book
all round.

--
Alfred Armstrong

"Alfred Armstrong" wrote in message
...

I don't often brag because most of the books I collect are not generally
high-valued but I was pleased with this one. It's "Does the Earth Rotate?
NO!" by William Westfield, 2nd Edition 1919. It's a loopy flat earth tract
full of great illustrations and really dumb elementary errors of
understanding of astronomy. (For example, he manages to compute that the
Pole Star is only about 6000 miles away.) There's only one other copy
listed online, priced at $100. I won mine on eBay for GBP 5.51, roughly a
tenth that. It's in very good condition and a top book all round.



Is this a solitary acquisition or does it fit into a collection of, e.g.,
scientific quackery? I think the latter would be a marvelous area for
someone to pursue: nostrums, Flat Earth, phrenology, mesmerism/animal
magnetism, spiritualism (to stretch it a bit, although the case of John
Murray Spear makes wonderfully clear the connection between spiritualism and
pseudo-science:

http://www.forteantimes.com/articles...dmachine.shtml )

The Grolier Club hosted a wonderful exhibition on medical quackery a couple
of years ago:

http://www.grolierclub.org/exquack.htm


Good luck and happy collecting.

William M. Klimon
http://www.catholicbookcollector.com

Doug McClure writes:

Who else has something to brag about?

At an NYC shop last weekend, a copy of the 1st edition (UK) of Jasper Fforde's
The Eyre Affair, signed, with a "lost dodo" promotional photo laid in. Ten
bucks. Not a bad find for an out-of-towner.


Bob
Print Matters! Used & Rare Books
http://www.abebooks.com/home/printmat

William M. Klimon wrote:
"Alfred Armstrong" wrote in message
...


I don't often brag because most of the books I collect are not generally
high-valued but I was pleased with this one. It's "Does the Earth Rotate?
NO!" by William Westfield, 2nd Edition 1919. It's a loopy flat earth tract
full of great illustrations and really dumb elementary errors of
understanding of astronomy. (For example, he manages to compute that the
Pole Star is only about 6000 miles away.) There's only one other copy
listed online, priced at $100. I won mine on eBay for GBP 5.51, roughly a
tenth that. It's in very good condition and a top book all round.




Is this a solitary acquisition or does it fit into a collection of, e.g.,
scientific quackery? I think the latter would be a marvelous area for
someone to pursue: nostrums, Flat Earth, phrenology, mesmerism/animal
magnetism, spiritualism (to stretch it a bit, although the case of John
Murray Spear makes wonderfully clear the connection between spiritualism and
pseudo-science:


I collect books in a number of areas of human folly and self-deception,
not in any systematic way generally, but looking to luck. I don't aim at
having a comprehensive collection in part because, to take an example,
if you have any of the "better sight without glasses" books or one of
the UFO abduction report ones, you have them all. One area I am
beginning to collect in a slightly more organised way is physiognomy,
though still concentrating on the odder outgrowths of it, such as breast
analysis and its application as a sales tool. Some of my collection is
"documented" online at http://oddbooks.co.uk

--
Alfred Armstrong

I collect books in a number of areas of human folly and self-deception,
not in any systematic way generally, but looking to luck. I don't aim at
having a comprehensive collection in part because, to take an example, if
you have any of the "better sight without glasses" books or one of the UFO
abduction report ones, you have them all. One area I am beginning to
collect in a slightly more organised way is physiognomy, though still
concentrating on the odder outgrowths of it, such as breast analysis and
its application as a sales tool. Some of my collection is "documented"
online at http://oddbooks.co.uk

--
Alfred Armstrong

I think this would fit in your self-deception catagory. I picked this book
up a couple years ago at a library sale. "it is safe to smoke" (no
capitalization (fits)) by Lloyd Mallan 1966. Among the articles is Smoking
and Expectant Mothers, including - "there was no significant difference in
the rates of stillbirth, abortion or birth complication". The cincher for
the purchase was that someone had written "Idiot" with an arrow pointing to
the author's name on the title page. I laughed out loud.

Rich

"Scrooge" wrote in
:



I collect books in a number of areas of human folly and
self-deception, not in any systematic way generally, but looking to
luck. I don't aim at having a comprehensive collection in part
because, to take an example, if you have any of the "better sight
without glasses" books or one of the UFO abduction report ones, you
have them all. One area I am beginning to collect in a slightly more
organised way is physiognomy, though still concentrating on the odder
outgrowths of it, such as breast analysis and its application as a
sales tool. Some of my collection is "documented" online at
http://oddbooks.co.uk

--
Alfred Armstrong

I think this would fit in your self-deception catagory. I picked this
book up a couple years ago at a library sale. "it is safe to smoke"
(no capitalization (fits)) by Lloyd Mallan 1966. Among the articles
is Smoking and Expectant Mothers, including - "there was no
significant difference in the rates of stillbirth, abortion or birth
complication". The cincher for the purchase was that someone had
written "Idiot" with an arrow pointing to the author's name on the
title page. I laughed out loud.


Rich. that sounds just like the sort of thing I would buy. On similar
lines, back in the early 80s I worked for Molins Tobacco Machinery, who
made machines to roll and package cigarettes. Their inhouse magazine once
featured an article in which the author claimed that people who smoke are
more interesting than those who do not. I wish I still had that, too.


--
Alfred Armstrong
Unusual books unmasked at http://www.oddbooks.com/
"Our nose does not only serve the purpose of respiration,
but the purpose of smelling also." - Frank Nimrod

I don't often brag because most of the books I collect are not generally
high-valued but I was pleased with this one. It's "Does the Earth Rotate?
NO!" by William Westfield, 2nd Edition 1919. It's a loopy flat earth tract
full of great illustrations and really dumb elementary errors of
understanding of astronomy. (For example, he manages to compute that the
Pole Star is only about 6000 miles away.) There's only one other copy
listed online, priced at $100. I won mine on eBay for GBP 5.51, roughly a
tenth that. It's in very good condition and a top book all round.




Is this a solitary acquisition or does it fit into a collection of, e.g.,
scientific quackery? I think the latter would be a marvelous area for
someone to pursue: nostrums, Flat Earth, phrenology, mesmerism/animal
magnetism, spiritualism

I've sometimes thought about collecting Victorian hygiene and
health books. Some of those are very amusing, with wonderful old
illustrations.

Jon Meyers wrote:
"Timdo99" wrote...
Has anyone ever heard of a Gollancz proof or ARC for _Little, Big_?

There are two listed at ABE (or one listed twice--same seller, same
price
($290), small differences in the description). Enter "London" only
(not
Gollancz) for the publisher, and "proof" in Keywords.


--
Jon Meyers
(To reply, lose
your way)

Very interesting - thanks, Jon.

I also see that Incunabula Press is accepting subscriptions for a
limited edition of _Little, Big_ in celebration of the 25th
anniversary. Each copy of the lettered state will feature a 350-word
(max) passage chosen by the subscriber, and hand-written by Crowley on
two pages bound into the finished book.

Regards, Tim