Rocketship Books
Titles For Sale - Fall/Winter 2019 - 2020



#1502. (SCIENCE FICTION)
Dynamic Science Stories. Volume 1, Issue 2. April 1939. Cover by Norman Saunders. Short-lived SF Pulp w/ stories by Eando Binder, L. Sprague de Camp, Manley Wade Wellman, et al. VG+. $12.00

#5267. (SCIENCE FICTION/HUMOR) Adams, Douglas.
The Complete Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Voyager Company, Santa Monica (CA), 1991. The 2nd Expanded Book released by the Voyager Company, a pioneer in electronic books and interactive media. It is, in fact, scarcer than either state of the the UK first edition of H2G2. This electronic edition, on a 3.5" diskette, contains the first four books in what would eventually become a 5 volume 'trilogy.' It's designed to be read on a Macintosh computer with Hypercard installed and a 3.5" floppy drive. There are emulators which will run this on modern Macs (we recommend SheepShaver with hypercard.sheepvm) Or you could just look at it, since it's also signed by Douglas Adams and contains a delightful thank-you note from Douglas to a technician named 'Paul' regarding the PowerPlate and a few other technical matters. The cardboard holder shows some signs of wear and fading. The disk is in near mint condition. A delightful and unique association piece $250.

#10724. (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING/MILITARY) Anderson, George Lucius (1849-1934). Handbook for the Use of Electricians in the Operation and Care of Electrical Machinery and Apparatus of the US. SEACOAST DEFENSES / Prepared under the direction of the Lieutenant General Commanding the Army. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1902. 156 pp + index. Original hardcover 1/2-leather bound from the Commanding Officer's Office at Fort H. G. Wright on Fisher's Island, 2 miles off the coast of Connecticut. Fort H. G. Wright was part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound. With many illustrations, diagrams, and schematics. Pen notations on page 137. Overall VG condition in a period 1/2-leather binding with marbled covers. This is the only original copy listed online. $180.

#1520. (CHILDREN'S/SPANISH) Anderson, Hans Christian.
Cuentos de Anderson. Editorial Juventud. Barcelona (SPAIN). translated by Alfonso Nadal. illustrated by Arthur Rackham (3 color plates, 55 b&w illustrations). 303 pages. 4th edition, Sept. 1947. VG+ condition / (no dust jacket). Spine slightly cocked, and edges rubbed, paper is toned. No dust jacket. Otherwise clean and sound. Scarce title. No copies listed on WorldCat, ABE, Bookfinder, Amazon, Alibris, etc. $85.

#1515. (POETRY/RAFTING) Bell, Lydia S.
The Truckee River Experience. High Wheeler Press, Tahoe City (CA), 1975. Photos and free verse recollections of the author's experiences rafting on the Truckee River, which flows from the mountains south of Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake in the Great Basin. With photo contributions by Roderick Nash, Shad Meshad, Bob Franco and Bob Ponce. 45 pages w/ a black and white map of the river on pages 44 & 45. 7.5" x 9" blue-printed wraps. Minor faults - slight bend to lower right corner, small crease and ink stamp for "MOUNTAIN AIR SPORTS RAFTING" on back cover. No copies listed in Worldcat or Library of Congress. $15.

#8051. (MILITARY HISTORY) Brady, Cyrus Townsend.
American Fights and Fighters: Stories of the First Five Wars of the United States, from the War of the Revolution to the War of 1812. McClure, Phillips and Co., New York, 1900. VG-NF condition with a minor professional repair to the top of the spine. No dust jacket.$45.

#7815. (PIRATES/GERMAN LANGUAGE) de Chalon, Pierre (pseud. Sheer, K. H.).
Der Kurier des Sonnenkonigs Balow-Verlag, Balve, Germany, 1947. An attractive (VG+) 1st edition (stated on the verso) of the fifth book in the "Herr deer Meere" pirate series written by K. H. Sheer under the pseudonym 'Pierre de Chalon.' Minimal wear - downgraded from Near Fine for whiteout of name ink-stamped in multiples on front and rear paste-downs. This title is quite scarce, with no copies except for the 1980s reprints listed on any of the search engines, including ZVAB. Reprints are typically offered for $60 - $80. $110.

#9172. (SCIENCE FICTION) De Camp, L. Sprague.
Divide and Rule. Fantasy Press, Inc., Reading, PA. 1948. Two novellas by a well-recognized master of science fantasy. This volume includes 'Divide and Rule' and 'Stolen Dormouse'. First trade edition. Good+ condition in like jacket. Reading Copy.$35.

#1503. (FANTASY/HORROR) Derleth, August (ed.).
Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy & the Macabre. Arkham House. 1947. 1st edition, 1st issue jacket (green titles). VG/VG (price-clipped). Selected poems by Allingham (Wm), Blake, Burns, Poe, Scott, Coleridge, et al. $75.00

#1505. (COMPUTERS) Engineering Research Associates, Inc.
High-Speed Computing Devices. McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1950. 1st edition (so stated). Discusses, among many other things, 'new' components like the transistor and "punched-card computing systems." Previously delivered as a report to the Office of Naval Research. Owners name stamp on front flyleaf and page ends. Near Fine in VG jacket (unclipped). $175.

#3140. (POETRY/BOHEMIAN/CALIFORNIA) French, Nora May (1880-1907).
Poems. The Strange Company, San Francisco, California, 1910. 91 pages. 1st edition. Scarce collection of poems by a tragic poetess from the Carmel, California Bohemian colony, and a close friend of Jack London and George Sterling. Strikingly bound in silver silk with silver titles on the front boards and silver type on the title page. The text of the book is printed on watermarked Italian laid paper by the Stanley-Taylor Company of San Francisco. The author's photo is tipped in on an endpaper between the half-title and the title page, and her signature is reproduced in facsimile beneath it. A member of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, much of her verse celebrates themes of the California coast, but also delves into the struggle to throw off social conventions and live an unencumbered creative lifestyle. Ms. French committed suicide in 1907, and this volume was produced by her friends as a memorial. Limited to 100 copies - none listed online. Conservatively graded in very good to near fine (VG-NF) condition with light water damage to the tops of the front pastedown and both endpapers, and minimal edge-wear. NOT A REPRINT. $200.

#3133. (JUVENILE/SCIENCE FANTASY) L'Engle, Madeleine (1918 - 2007). A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1962. 211 pp. 39th printing, Inscribed  by the author on the front free end paper. First book in the Time Quintet and winner of the 1963 Newberry Award for most distinguished contribution to literature for children. Later printing in an unclipped dust jacket with the Newberry medal on the front cover. $140.

#4681. (SCIENCE FICTION) Lem, Stanislaw.
SOLARIS. Walker and Company. 1970. 1st English-language edition (previously published in Polish in 1961). Fine/NF. A truly exceptional copy of this intriguing book about astronauts who encounter a sentient and apparently telepathic planet. Made into three movies, first by Boris Nirenburg in 1968, second by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, and third by Steven Soderbergh in 2002. $1,600.

#1504. (SCIENCE FICTION) Lethem, Jonathan.
Gun with Occasional Music. Harcourt, Brace & Co.1994. 1st edition, first printing (designated by line A B C D E and 'First edition' on copyright page). Fine in Fine crisp unclipped jacket. Author's first book. Pulp-era hard boiled detective fiction meets genetic engineering science fiction in this surreal not-so-distant future. $40.00

#9173. (SCIENCE FICTION) London, Jack.
Selected Science Fiction & Fantasy Stories. Fictioneer Books, Ltd., Lakemount, GA, 1978. Selection of five short stories . Science fiction began exerting its influence upon Jack London at the end of the 19th century. He digested H. G. Wells, Darwin & Marx and crafted stories, first in 1899 and several in the years that followed. This book collects 5 stories, paired with starkly surreal illustrations by Philip Craig Russell. Near Fine in VG+ dj.$40.

#9174. (SCIENCE FICTION) Padgett, Lewis (pseud. Henry Kuttner). Tomorrow and Tomorrow & The Fairy Chessmen. Gnome Press, New York, 1951. 2 curious novellas. 1st ed. (per Currey bibliography). VG/VG-. Small dimple to edge of front board. $25.

#10111. (POETRY) Petrarch, Francis.
Eighteen Sonnets of Francis Petrarch Done into English Verse by Various Translators. Kahoe & Company, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 1929. 1st printing of 125 copies. Lacking slip case. Neat period gift inscription on the front free end-paper. Covers soiled and edge-bumped. Good condition. $20.

#9175. (SCIENCE FICTION) Russell, Eric Frank. Deep Space. Fantasy Press, Inc. Reading, PA, 1954. Nine engaging short stories by an early patriarch of science fiction. Reading Copy. Good in a Good dj.$35.

#9176. (SCIENCE FICTION) Taine, John. Green Fire. Fantasy Publishing Co., Inc. Los Angeles, 1952. Originally published in 1928. The world of 1990 is controlled by one company, aptly named 'Consolidated Power.' A team of scientists witness a strange green fire which seems to be causing a new malady and other bizarre connected worldwide events. Reading Copy. VG in a Good dj. $25.

#3148. (HUMOR) Thackeray, Wm. M. (writing as Mr. M(ichael) A(ngelo) Titmarsh).
Doctor Birch and His Young Friends. Chapman and Hall, London, 1849. A charming first edition of this Christmas title. Full of fanciful recollections of a fictional school by the Assistant School Master, Mr. Marsh. From the library of and containing the roster of the Newark Book Society (pasted on the inside of the front board). The Newark Book Society, located in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, was established in 1771. This example bound in a clean 1/2 leather binding with matching marbled ffep and rear end papers. Period 3" pencil head-and-shoulders sketch of a young gentleman on a rear free endpapers. $245.

#7187. (AZTEC/ALTERNATE HISTORY) Ramirez, Oscar (Xiu) and Valtierra, Emmanuel.
CODEX VALTIERRA. 2017. An illustrated recounting of an alternate Aztec history, if the Spanish Crown had been defeated. This story is told in illustrations on one side of the manuscript and in words on the reverse. All pages folded, accordian-style, and held within a 11-3/4" x 6" gilt-titled and decorated slipcase. $60.

Last Revised 10/20/2019