Check this out:

[oldcharliebrown.livejournal.com]

Even though this collection is in competition with my own edition of Klarkash-Ton's work, I am still happy to see it published because it has received tremendous interest (and orders) from brick & mason bookstores such as Borders and Barnes and Noble, and as such will help bring Smith to a wider audience. Currently there are collections of Smith stories available from Night Shade Books, Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press, Chaosium, and now Prime Press. This astounds me when we remember that just a few years ago there was no Clark Ashton Smith book in print in English.

Sean Wallace, honcho at Prime Press, tells me that Booklist is also giving the collection a good review.

Scott

I rejoice, and I weep when I remember the penury under which Clark lived - nevertheless, whatever joy came into his life he relished to the fullest - if it was a simple .25c bottle of Loomis Burgundy, he enjoyed it as though it were from a fine private cellar, and had no regrets when it was gone. I am happy to say that while I knew him and worked in the Fruit Sheds of Placer county 100 plus hours a week for anywhere from .75c to a max of $1.75 (the highest wage in the place) over a 10 year period, Clark never lacked for loomis Burgundy - the last gallon I brought him was .69c - "o quae mutatio rerum" -- that he would be going into B & N in a routine manner, brings tears to my eyes. When Don and I launched "Sword" with a reading by both of us (audience of about 30), that may have been the first time he ended up on the shelves of B & N - I had 6 unsold books they placed on their shelves - I wonder if they discovered the salability of those works and passed that info on to corporate? No way of knowing of course. Thanks Scott for all you and Ron do - Reserved seats for the final act in the Pleides for you both.