Ace Science Fiction Book Haul - collecting vintage SF

‪@outlawbookselleroriginal‬ Check out my friend Stephen E. Andrews' channel for more videos about Ace Science Fiction Specials series 2 and 3!
Host: Richard Rempel
Channel: ‪@vintagesf‬
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vintage science fiction sf scifi recommendations review book haul ace books collecting

[@mikesnyder1788]

That Aldiss paperback with the Leo and Diane Dillon cover art is a treasure! I remember them most for their many illustrations of children's books so thanks for the reminder of their amazing contributions to the realm of science fiction art.

[@vintagesf]

I’d like to find some of their children’s books. Someday I want to post a video solely about the Dillons.

[@mikesnyder1788]

@@vintagesf Yes, they would very much be worth a special video on their contributions. I first discovered them in the 1970's when they illustrated Verna Aardema's "Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears." That book won the coveted Caldecott award for best children's book illustration. Regards...

[@salty-walt]

Sexy Specialty Book Haul! Just look at those! Especially Series two! (Alright, the "Space Graph-paper" look of that 3rd series never worked for me - It was kitschy already when it came out, but I respect your love for Ace, and those are quality copies of what they are, so, Rock on.) More power to you for collecting what you love & Sharing/ showing it off so well. Besides, I think a number of those series three books might not have seen print anywhere but there, so getting/reading those rules.

[@vintagesf]

Thanks Walt. I have to agree with you regarding series three. I remember when they first came out in the 1980s thinking they were ugly. That graph look reminded me of 1977 computer graphics for the Death Star run in Star Wars. Also, why did Ace return to featuring art in a tiny square on the cover. Ah well, they look very distinctive today.

[@andrewhelm2813]

I do have "Endless Voyage" by Marion Zimmer Bradley featured in the video; Ace later published a revised and expanded version of this book retitled "Endless Universe" in April 1979 - I'm left wondering if any other books put out by Ace were similarly updated. Arrow Books in the UK seem to have been the British distributor of Ace Books, reprinting books by such authors as MZB, E C Tubb, Harry Harrison, Thomas M Disch, David Garnett, James Blish, Barry N Malzberg, and D G Compton. It's something I've only made note of recently from reading the "Other Arrow Books of interest" section at the back of the books, and watching your videos.

[@vintagesf]

Interesting, both about the revised book and Arrow getting the rights. Might be something to ask the outlaw bookseller about. Thanks for the info.

[@paulcooper3611]

Looks like a great haul of books, Richard. I read You're All Alone by Fritz Leiber when it came out but do not remember a thing about it, so I don't think it was one of his best works. On the other hand, a number of his best works are available on Project Gutenberg, if you are interested. Thomas Burnett Swann died of cancer at the age of 48. Lady of The Bees and The Tournament of Thorns were both published the year he died. They show signs of his decline in health. He was a very fine fantasy writer and worth looking at. I believe The Day of the Minotaur and The Forest of Forever both had Ace editions. You don't get a lot of stories set in pre-Roman Etruscan Italy. The Tides of God was Ted Reynolds's only novel. One of its background features is a people who are in diaspora throughout the world, their own land having been taken away from them. They are the Palestinians, which seems kind of prescient given current circumstances in the Middle East. Reynolds wrote a number of very good short stories which are, alas, very difficult to find and very worth reading. Howard Waldrop is, like R.A. Lafferty, a short story writer, with a devoted following, whom no-one has ever heard of. Stories like "The Ugly Chickens" and "Night of the Cooters" are both available on-line, with an audio version. You might want to give them a listen before you read The Tides of God. It is Waldrop's second novel. His first one, The Texas-Israeli War: 1999, written with Jake Saunders is practically impossible to find. The Tides of God is a very dark book with three interlinked stories, set in different times, about people facing the end of civilization. (And Mormons.) My wife stayed up until 3:00 in the morning to finish it. She cried as it ended. After the book was reviewed by the New York Times, author Chad Oliver wrote the Times and suggested that they have somebody who understood science fiction do their book reviewing instead of the guy who completely missed the point of this book. In case it isn't obvious, I am one those people who worship Howard Waldrop.

[@vintagesf]

Some interesting reading ahead. Time will tell if Waldrop affects me in the way it has you and your wife. As always, appreciate your wealth of background information.

[@et6794]

We need to see a library tour! 😊

[@vintagesf]

I’m thinking of a library tour in January. By then I’m hoping to complete my Ace collection.

[@et6794]

Awesome collection, thank you for sharing!

[@vintagesf]

Thanks for watching!

[@SFVintageCollector]

Another great video and always learning. Thanks for sharing

[@tomflynn2912]

I spent all of high school algebra, geometry and a few other classes with a sci fi paperback snuck into the middle of my class book. Read Dune instead of Algebra 2. Hehe

[@vintagesf]

Not easy to hide Dune inside a textbook. Well done sir!

[@sfwordsofwonder]

I love these videos, great job putting all this together Richard.

[@vintagesf]

Thanks Ira.

[@thekeywitness]

Interesting to see the evolution of Ace SF over the '60s, '70s and '80s.

[@vintagesf]

Agreed. I particularly enjoy when series two artwork wrapped around to the back cover on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s book. Wasn’t consistent in the series but was a great design.

[@themojocorpse1290]

Really lovely collection read only a handful of those books . Some I will certainly be on the hunt for . I will be reading green eyes very soon . The Bob shaw you are missing is a very good read .

[@vintagesf]

I’ve read Other Days, Other Eyes at the online archive. It is definitely a good read. The story of the old man and the cottage is so haunting and beautiful.

[@themojocorpse1290]

@@vintagesf that sad story was my favourite . Bob shaw is a great writer .

[@SciFiScavenger]

Top collecting Richard! And they all seem to be in very nice condition too. Great overview. I don’t have an Ace collecting itch (yet!). Surely only a matter of time...

[@vintagesf]

I think they are more of a North American phenomenon, just as Pan or Arrow are UK. Don’t know if Ace had UK distribution rights. Here in the former commonwealth of Canada we get the opportunity to see publications from the UK and USA.

[@SciFiScavenger]

@@vintagesf they can be got here but are often in tatty condition, and it's harder to complete a collection without shipping over from US.

[@JulesBurt]

Great stuff again, I'm about halfway to them all now!

[@vintagesf]

Fun to be collecting them the same time as you and Stephen. Looking forward to seeing your collection as it develops. BTW, congratulations on your partnership with Whatnot. I think you are an excellent host and spokesperson for their company.

[@JulesBurt]

@@vintagesf Thanks Richard, much appreciated My Whatnot sponsorship is over now but I found the whole process a lot of fun and am definitely considering selling books through the app in the future. Thanks for your continued Ace coverage 🙂

[@wordfullyyours]

I love the look of old sf books.

[@vintagesf]

I think it goes beyond nostalgia. There are some exciting artists and graphic designers at work in the golden age and into the 60s and 70s. There was a raw, unphotoshopped quality to it. I think our amazing graphics and minimalist design elements of today have us appreciating the often flamboyant covers of the past.

[@wordfullyyours]

@@vintagesf I think that's exactly it. The old cover art had a feel of the artist's hand that the new art is missing. You could pick up a book and stare at the cover for a while. And even after you read the book, you still loved to look at it.

[@ashley-r-pollard]

What i found interesting was the authors who have been lost to time, as in never mentioned today. We only seem to remember those authors who are most popular, which I guess is just part of the human condition.

[@vintagesf]

That’s what I find exciting about this vintage SF journey. Never heard of Bob Shaw, James H. Schmitz, Joanna Russ, R.A. Lafferty, etc before this year. A whole world has opened up that doesn’t exist in most bookstores or libraries.

[@duanespurlock5879]

Interesting that Swann is included in the SF series, as I think of him more as a fantasy author. Ace would've been competing pretty strongly against DAW Books by this period; Swann shows up in the DAW catalog as well during the period, I think. Yarbro: I've read the first four of her novels about the vampire Saint Germain, and they are very good historical fantasies. (Actually, the fantasy is a pretty small element, and they work very well as historical romances.) I'm curious about your eventual review of this SF book by her. Who edited the second series?

[@vintagesf]

Interesting to think perhaps the second series was competing with the DAW line. The second series of Ace Specials ran from 1975 to 1977 under the in-house editorship of first Albert Dytch and subsequently Pat LoBrutto. Looking forward to reading all the books!

[@sethball2475]

You're All Alone, by Fritz Leiber has also been published as The Sinful Ones. I'm a little fuzzy on the time-line and details but editions of this book can vary, when it comes to sexual content. I think at some point, publishers decided to "spice" the book up with some bawdier content - I'm not even sure it's as simple as saying You're All Alone is the raunchier version and The Sinful Ones is not...but I read it as You're All Alone - I think it was a 1980s Baen edition - and I would have to say what I read was the sexed up version. The reason to read the book is basically everything but the lewd stuff; the premise of people who can live among us unnoticed, a great Horror/Fantasy variant on invisibility, is cool -and the book links interestingly to The Glamour by Christopher Priest. Orbitsville remains one of my Top Ten Favourite SF novels, even after a risky re-read. Green Eyes is a somewhat slow and moody, but worthwhile, zombie SF novel. I always know that a book is not a true favourite of mine, based on how much of it I can actually remember, and a lot of Green Eyes has not stuck with me, but I recall a well-written , strange experience very focused on a few strong characters...and weird zombie/SF stuff.

[@vintagesf]

You’re All Alone is c1972 so I think this is a first printing. It is really a novella from the 1950s with two short stories. Not sure if it is a fixup. I’ll get to it in a few months. Including the 8 books signed by Terry Carr but without Ace Specials printed on the cover, I have 46 books to read for the first series. I’ve read 22 so I’m almost half way through. Look forward to reading anything Bob Shaw wrote. Have the two sequels to Orbitsville so will most likely read them back to back to back. I’ll start my read through series two after I finish series one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these books!