An Investment, In Good Times
As I teased yesterday, I am going to show you the last thing I bought at the secondhand book store. Now, be warned, ye who read here, this find is so cool that it may cause severe eye rod and cone trauma, as well as cerebral melt-down, and melt-up. This thing was a wicked find, especially for $2.
The author is one who is highly celebrated, read and rich. At the time of publication, April 1980, he only had a few novels to his name. This short story was later printed as a chapter in a novel. The novel then went on to spawn a magnum opus series that was absolutely massive in size, scope and scale. I can remember buying the first novel many years ago and loving it. I bought the second and third in the series and loved them too, but then I had to wait. He had written anymore, even though he planned seven in total. The fourth volume came out and it didn’t take long for me to tackle it, and like it. A few more years passed and then, in a fit of inspiration, he pumped out the last three volumes in relative succession. Are they perfect? No. Are they enjoyable? Yes. To end a series of books, seven novels, thousands of pages, was always going to be a hard task but I still feel that the ending for everything was perfect. There was no other way to do it and I’m sure he tried to think of others.
Anyway.
Here’s the cover to this mystery pulp; Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Yeah, see that name, it took me back too. The Way Station, I didn’t think I had heard of it but then I realised what it was. It’s the second chapter in The Gunslinger, the first book of the Dark Tower. The opening pages, which I hurriedly sent my fingers to, confirmed this.
This is history I hold right here in my hands. Nerd history. I looked and a copy of this is available on the American eBay, starting price, $US50. Me, I’d rather pay $AU2.
The copy is sitting right now next to my copy of The Long Walk by little known author Richard Bachman.
I love secondhand book stores.
Posted on April 15th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: Uncategorized, books
What a score!!!! I doubt there was a 2nd copy there for you to pick up for me?
Well played sir!!
Oh, brother, you know there wasn’t one for you. Nor were there any copies of the other chapters of that same story published around the same time.
And, yes, I am very happy with the addition.