Courtesy of a recent town fair, I now have in my possession the following books, each purchased for the princely sum of $1:Bulfinch's Mythology, a modern abridgment by Edmund Fuller (covers mythology from classical Greece and Rome, as well as Northern Mythology, Arthuriana, and legends of Charlemane and the Middle Ages)
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, as retold by Joseph Bedier (a retelling of the famous story, free of anachronisms)
The Well of the Unicorn, Fletcher Pratt (I've never read anything by Pratt, though I've read much good written about him).
Imaro, Charles Saunders (I've somehow managed to avoid reading Saunder's epic jungle hero novel, despite all the praise heaped on it by my former Cimmerian comrades. I hope to rectify that soon).
Brak vs. the Sorceress, John Jakes (it will probably suck, but I couldn't resist)
At the Earth's Core, Edgar Rice Burroughs (a recent read of Tarzan fueled this purchase)
Conan the Rebel, Poul Anderson (I'm not much for Conan pastiches, but "woot" because it's Anderson!)The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman (now I get to see what all the fuss is about...)
The Works of Sir Walter Scott, Vol. IX, Ivanhoe (I have a tattered paperback copy of Ivanhoe; this is a nice hardcover, old but date unknown)
Sir Thomas Malory, Tales of King Arthur Illustrated, edited and abridged with an introduction by Michael Senior (I've got the real deal already, but this has some great B&W and full color illustrations).
Now all I need is time...
That's quite a haul.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested in seeing what you think of Imaro. I think its good, but in some ways I feel more for its potential than what it realized.
wow, I've never come across a Charles Saunders book before.. congrats on that.
ReplyDeleteThe Brak books were surprisingly good. But he's no Conan. He's earnest and naive in ways that are endearing. Sort of a Town Mouse - Country Mouse kind of thing.. Unlike Thongor.. who boasts constantly and really comes across as a bit of a jerk.
Apparently theres a new non Jakes penned Brak book coming out sometime in the future that will finally clear up the cliffhanger Jakes left it on.
I have the Brak vs. Sorceress but haven't read it yet, I am intrigued though.
ReplyDeleteFor a pastiche I thought Conan the Rebel was pretty good, even if it is curiously slipped between chapters of Queen of the Black Coast.
Congrats on the finds!
ReplyDeleteA great haul! I liked the Brak short stories better than the novels, but that's just my take. There's a collection called Fortunes of Brak. I highly recommend Imaro, so glad to see you found one of those. Not a fan of Pratt's solo work though I like the Harold Shea stuff he did with de Camp. I think you'll like Poul Anderson's Conan pastiche. I didn't find it very Howardian, but still a good S&S adventure. At the Earth's Core is one of my favorite ERB books, so I hope you enjoy it. All and all, great finds.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested in seeing what you think of Imaro. I think its good, but in some ways I feel more for its potential than what it realized.
ReplyDeleteI will be writing a review at some point, that's for sure.
Apparently theres a new non Jakes penned Brak book coming out sometime in the future that will finally clear up the cliffhanger Jakes left it on.
Interesting... I thought Brak was a long dead line and a relic of post-REH swords and sorcery.
For a pastiche I thought Conan the Rebel was pretty good, even if it is curiously slipped between chapters of Queen of the Black Coast.
Hmm, I didn't know that's where it fit in the timeline. Mostly I bought it for the author.
Congrats on the finds!
Thanks, Charles and Aaron. I found some of them in a church booksale, the others were bought from a bookdealer who was also selling old comic books, old SF and F periodicals, and other goodness. Imaro is in great shape and at $1 it was a no-brainer.
I've got Imaro on my list now, too. Probably won't get to it until Christmas break, though.
ReplyDeleteThe font used on the cover of "Imaro" is nearly identical to that of the official Jurassic Park logo (google it and see). When did this edition come out?
ReplyDelete1981.
ReplyDelete