The "Joys" Of CASiana Collecting....
Posted by:
Kyberean (IP Logged)
Date: 19 July, 2003 05:39PM
Yesterday, in a fine used/collectors' bookstore in a large city in the Southwestern U.S., I saw, to my astonishment, two Arkham House volumes by CAS under glass. One was Out of Space and Time; the other was Lost Worlds. The clerk told me that these books were signed. I knew immediately that they would be beyond my means, but, just for fun, I asked him to show me the books and to divulge the prices. Because the books appeared to be in fine condition, with fine dust jackets, I guessed that the price range would be between $750 and $1,000--outrageous, to be sure, but in line with the listings I have seen on Bookfinder and ABE*. I nearly went into cardiac arrest, however, when I saw the actual prices: approximately $2,150 for Space and $1,850 for Worlds! The former was simply signed "Clark Ashton Smith", whereas the latter was inscribed to his neighbor, Ethel Heiple, and merely signed, "Clark".
Perhaps this is an unusual case of venality. I hope so, but I doubt it. As an aside, I should add that I do not have enough expletives in my vocabulary to describe my opinion of "collectors' markets", and therefore cannot muster the slightest enthusiasm for the "limited edition" mentality that feeds them. For that reason, it is my policy to boycott any small press that uses "limited editions" (as opposed to small press runs necessitated by limited means--not always an easy distinction to draw, I realize) to puff their wares.
*Once, on ABE, I saw a very strange thing: A copy of The Abominations of Yondo, I believe, inscribed to Forrest J Ackerman! Perhaps "Effjay" revised his opinions of CAS's works, or the two somehow managed otherwise to bury the hatchet."