Pawned!

[vilakins]

The local pawn shop has 50s SF paperbacks for sale: Analog, Astounding, Amazing and others, all $5 each. I'd have bought the lot if there hadn't been about 30-40 of them. So my questions are:

1. Which have the best quality fiction? The covers, with green aliens and scantily-clad blondes are not much help.
   
   
2. Which are best to collect / invest in?
   
   
3. Should I just buy the lot?

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I can't answer, but how about asking if there would be a deal on buying the lot?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Good idea, I might do that tomorrow.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

1. Astounding, later renamed Analog, thanks to John W Campbell's editorship from about 1940-1970. Many of the great short stories and novellas first appeared there. Galaxy also had a good reputation.

2. Astounding. Though any magazines from the 1950s in reasonable condition I suspect would be a good investment at that price.

3. Yes. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's been a great help; I didn't realise that Astounding became Analog. I don't recall seeing Galaxy there but I'll look. I shall go in tomorrow morning and make them an offer for a bulk purchase.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

One thing to bear in mind is that novella length stories were often serialised over three or four successive issues. So be prepared for disappointment if you find that you have the issues with the early parts of a story but are missing the final part.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Good point! I shall check.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Just did a websearch, and you might find this site useful:

http://www.andrew-may.com/asf/

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[steverogerson.livejournal.com]

Buy the lot, they'll probably give you a discount.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'll give it a go! I just got a cheque from a cancelled insurance policy so I'm feeling flush.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Buy the lot. Regrets are more expensive than anything else. :^)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You're right! :-)

Did you find that cat in your coloured animal search?

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

No, I took a photo of a cat hiding in a bush a couple of days ago, and fiddled it in Photoshop. Mainly I used hue/saturation, because I wanted a gaudy effect. I did the eyes in a separate layer. (The cat already had weird eyes because the pupils had reflected the flash yellow-green.)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Nice effect! I've seen an icon on a community somewhere where the cat (one with big splodgy body markings) was green and blue. The first time I saw it, it took a while to resolve into a cat. This isn't, I hasten to add, the case here. :-)

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

--The ones with the stupidest covers. Because even if the stories turn out to be shit, at least the covers will continue to amuse.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Hee, there are plenty of those!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And now I have 10GB storage, I'll spam you with them.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

YAY!

And yay for 10GB for me as well! Spammage ahoy!>:)

I know you're busy relaxing during the weekend, but if you could help me with my new Pagan journal lagopus, please let me know if you can help with the coding problems I mentioned here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/snowgrouse/683572.html), on my usual journal...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Today's packed, but maybe tonight or tommorrow? I'm just about to go out and buy the SF books, get a car warrant, buy something for Greg, get my hair done, drop off presents to Jenni who will be at her mother-in-law's and will earbash me till I escape...

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, later is fine:). Don't want to interfere with your free time, like I said!:)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Got back late--with 55 books from the 50s (beat him down to half price!) and evil plans for what to do with the cover art--and bright red streaks and a few blonde ones in my hair. :-D

I'll reply on your LJ though I can't help much.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Silly book and hair joy!:)