Collecting & Collections: The PAN LOZENGE SCIENCE FICTION Livery -The Ultimate 'A' Format SF Design?

The author of '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels' looks in depth at his collection of Pan SF paperbacks published between 1975 and the early 1980s, discussing the iconic 'lozenge' livery and speaking informatively about the writers whose works appeared in this most beautiful of 'A' format imprints. #sciencefictionbooks #bookcollecting

[@PoeticArson]

Shame these Pan lozenges seem so difficult to come by, at least here in the US. I'd love to have a copy of Other Days, Other Eyes regardless of the edition.

[@beefymario88]

44:51 “Presents things as they actually would be”. Very ominous for our country.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Have a read of the book- it is available in paperback from Gollancz these days, slightly revised with a new introduction, it will surprise you with its prescience...

[@localmo88]

Another great vid Steve, Clarke is a bit hit or miss for me too. Read several, Fountains of Paradise was a tad dull. Thoroughly enjoyed City and The Stars and Childhood's End. I have a few good Pan's in my Collection, saw Indoctrinaire the other day in Pan format, might have to go back for that one based on your recommendations.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thank you. The best of all, aside from Priest- The Bester, 'Dark Side of the Earth'- there is a review video of it on the channel, check it out, amazing collection.

[@grahambray5517]

Hey Steve, a great video -as ever! Managed to find some more 'lozenges' to add to your list: Orson Scott Card 'A Planet called Treason'; Richard Cowper 'Road to Corlay' and 'The Custodians'; Robert Holdstock 'Earthwind' and 'Eye Among the Blind'; Frederick Pohl 'Day Million'; Theodore Sturgeon 'Case and the Dreamer'; James Tiptree Jr 'Up the Walls of the World'. Graham.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks GB I used to own the Holdstocks (but still have the Faber hardcovers), the Pohl, 2 Vonda Mcintyres, both Cowpers and the Tiptree. The Sturegeon I've always wanted but never found a decent copy of. The Card is an uncommon one, I think. One day I'll recompile the complete list and get the missing ones, though as you know, condition is an issue! There are other Clarkes too...

[@sd-ho8uu]

Just like to say aside from great video that there is a lozenge cover of Dick's Preserving machine stories. Bought it back in the 70s and still have it.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yeah, I know. It's very uncommon especially in good nick. I have a 1980s Granada which I bought new. It's a great collection, right, like a Best of PKD.

[@JulesBurt]

Fantastic in every way, thanks Stephen. Awesome stuff mate👍🙂

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Glad you relished it old chum!

[@SciFiScavenger]

This popped up in my feed today. I'm a fan of the Pan lozenge livery. I've never counted up how many I have, less than 20 I'd say, plenty still to get...

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

There are around 60. I have at least forty, used to have more and dropped some, now looking for any I don't have, but only in Fine condition.

[@SciFiScavenger]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I now feel compelled to scour my shelves and count them...

[@piynubbunyip]

The cover of The Werewolf Principal is Ian Miller - same artist that did the Galactic Pot Healer

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yep, I momentarily forgot his name- I have a lovely hardcover M John Harrison graphic novel illustrated by him signed by Mike. IM did lots of SF work in the late 80s too.

[@piynubbunyip]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal he is a unique artist.

[@agogojira]

Just rewatched this video while trying to compile a list of all the Pan lozenge books. If I managed to get them all there's 80 different titles. Thanks for all the great videos covering the more unusual and nowadays sadly obscure authors like Shaw, Coney, Malzberg, Bishop and others. I hope you'll do more of these videos, focusing on specific (British) publishers and/or liveries. Since I started picking up SF books from used bookshops in the mid-90s, I've had a soft spot for British paperback editions from the 1970s-80s, especially Panther/Granada/Grafton, Sphere, and Orbit.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

There will be more like this, as you'll see!

[@JulesBurt]

@interphase Could you contact me with this list please? Just leave a comment on one of my videos and i'll message back with my email address, thanks!

[@JulesBurt]

Just to add I've searched extensively online and have found 79 different books...

[@agogojira]

@@JulesBurt Hey, I sent you a mail through the email I found on your youtube page. If that's not working just ping me here again and we'll work it out somehow :)

[@agogojira]

@@JulesBurt 79 is the number on my own list as well. I think I had a title duplicated in the list back when I claimed it was 80 titles.

[@allanlloyd3676]

Hello Steve, I enjoyed that trip around your Pan collection very much. I own a few that you didn't show, including Priest's anthologgy "Anticipations", though, as a Priest completist, I'm sure you own it. I also have Robert Holdstock's early sf novels, and also Tiptree's first collection "10,000 Light Years from Home", though that is a bit tatty now and needs upgrading if I see a better copy. Also, "Again, Dangerous Visions" was released as a pair of Pan lozenge editions. I have Sturgeon's "Case and the Dreamer" in Pan as well. While I am here, I wonder if I could ask for a bit of advice. I have been collecting good sf since the 1960s and don't like to work out how many books I own, many quite valuable. The trouble is I am having a few intimations of mortality! I am now 73 and very fit, but I have started to worry about what will happen to my collection when I go. Do you, as a much more serious collector than me, have any plans for the disposal of your books? I could have mine sent to a dealer in Hay, but they don't know much about collectable paperbacks, or I could sell to Fantastic Literature or Cold Tonnage, or leave them all to the Science Fiction Foundation. You must know many more collectors than me. Is this ever discusssed, and if so, what plans do people have? Allan

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Hi Allan - in my time I've owned all those Lozenges you cite. I have a signed dedicated 'Anticipations' in hardcover (same with the Holdstock books), which is probably why I let my lozenges go (space and cash shortages). I must reacquire them. As for the legacy question, I know what you mean - collectors in their late fifties like me are even thinking about this, and with the fact that the best dealers are getting older, it's a vexing question. My partner knows that should I disappear early, that the books would go to CT or FL, but as we all age and the dealers age with us, who can say? Then there's the pension, plan, which is of course to sell them off while one is still around and use the money, but I suspect many of us, as we grow older, find the past increasingly significant. It also seems that few of us have younger relatives/friends to pass out collections on to- it's a difficult question, right?

[@sciencefictionreads]

I never noticed the difference in the title before between the Pan copy of Stableford's 'Halcyon Drift' and the Daw copy that I have where its titled: "The Halcyon Drift", which I like less lol. I also prefer the Pan cover art that all depict the Hooded Swan whereas the Daw's have no unifying theme or connection in art style even. Stableford is great though, his Daedalus series is also good. I'm slowly collecting everything he had published in the old Daw yellow spines.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yep, it's better without the 'The', I know what you mean. Those two Stableford series are great, Hooded Swan probably my fave Space Opera - met him once, good guy, he wrote a fantastic book on the sociology of SF.

[@sylvanyoung]

Beautiful collection. I have read and collected most of the writers here. Love Aldiss..but as a very young 😏 reader could not stomach ' the Saliva tree.' 😏 . The thing about " falling in love " with some writers is you must get a certain story or book as your first read...For me Elisons ' Repent Harlequin said The Tic tock man' was my first i was hooked even if others were harsh . Read Heinlein..sorry was never a fan.. and after ' Friday' well...But thats just me and my likes and dilikes. Stableford..love the warewolf books. Love , love Simak ' City ', ' Project Pope '..and others .Shaw 👍, Priest 👍. Thank you..a reread is due on some

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yep, there are some good ones here. I only like some Heinlein, much of his work leaves me cold. Ellison, Aldiss, Shaw and Priest, all excellent, right?

[@sylvanyoung]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal 👍👍

[@arringtonmckinney2606]

Excellent video thanks Joel

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks! Please subscribe if you casn, check out my other book collecting videos here, lot more to come!

[@kennyrh9269]

Thanks for another entertaining and informative video Stephen. You have inspired me to start collecting these because, like yourself, I love the aesthetic of this livery and I'm always up for a new collecting project. Hope you don't think me too presumptious but do you by chance have a complete list of the "lozenge" editions and, if so, how could I get it. Is there a list online for instance? Anyway please keep up the good work and continue to educate us SF fiends.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

No, though I did make a complete list once. There are around another twenty besides these. I would say check isfdb (an online resource) and look at the cover scans, as not all Pan SF in this era were lozenges, just the majority. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@kennyrh9269]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal OK thanks for the tip. I just checked all my newer Pan's and found a few non-lozenge which was disappointing. By the way I'm always fascinated by your anecdotes re publishing practices and bookselling. Have you ever considered doing a video given over to these. I think an awful lot of collectors like myself have this unquenchable thirst for collecting books but know very little about those industries.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@kennyrh9269 A clip on terminology will come up soon, but I probably could do something about how books are sold to bookshops etc, yes.

[@kennyrh9269]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal OK Stephen, good to hear. Look forward to it.

[@JulesBurt]

I have checked quite a bit online and have found 79 different.....

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3-laoalgK2XZrs -Time for some Moorcock, perhaps?

[@rickkearn7100]

Can't say it enough times, how much I'm enjoying going through the OB archive since becoming a subscriber last year. Excellent adventures all, this one included! Cheers.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well Rick, because you have been SO generous here, you're credited as Executive Producer on the latest Grumpy Old Men video, you're a solid man!

[@rickkearn7100]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Top shelf! About to watch....Cheers.