Latest Updates - James Blish

---

Comment by annaloog:

23skidoo, my copy is the 15th printing. One of these days I'll add the image scan which shows the printing history up to that edition.

---

Comment by 23skidoo:

@annaloog. Thanks for the dating! It says something that this book went through 6 printings in only 9 months!

---

Comment by ppint.:

contents:

common time (short story) science fiction quarterly vol.2 #4, 8/1953
testament of andros (ss) future vol.3 #5, 1/1953, the cover story, art by milton luros
the art of the sneeze (ss) f&sf vol.63 #5, 11/1982
statistician's day (ss) in "science against man" ed. anthony cheetham (1970), q.v.
who's in charge here? (ss) f&sf vol.22 #5, 5/1962 (credit mis-stated, given as "none so blind", which is also a blish ss (1962): it is not the same story retitled)
how beautiful with banners (ss) (uncredited) in "orbit 1" aka "orbit one" ed. damon knight (1966), q.v.
this earth of hours (ss) f&sf vol.16 #6, 6/1959 (miscredited: given as published in thrilling wonder stories 1959); venture atlas bre #15, 11/1964
there shall be no darkness (novella) (uncredited) thrilling wonder stories vol. xxxvi #1, 4/1950; magazine of horror vol.5 #1, 1/1969
a work of art (ss) science fiction stories (u.s.) vol.7 #1, 7/1956 as "art-work"

---

Comment by ppint.:

severn house first printing, first edition
severn house ltd. 9-15 high street, sutton surrey sm1 1df
(severn house inc. merkin office 475 fifth avenue, ny ny10017)

reprint collection of eight short stories and a novella assembled by frances lyall

cover (d-j) art unsigned, uncredited
cover (d-j) price £13.99, u.s. $19.00
192pp. including eight unpaginated pp. titles, indicia, table-of-contents etc, nf introduction by frances lyall, no blank end pp, sewn in signatures, bound with endpapers between black cloth-covered boards, author's surname, title and severn house logo in gold on spine

---

Comment by annaloog:

The 6th printing is dated Sep 1967, date added.

---

Comment by ppint.:

avon books mmpb third printings sharing merkin-printed covers

cover art by richard powers (cropped from that of first avon mmpb printings, typography etc. now on white (unprinted) background)
cover price 50¢
128pp. (check) including titles, indicia, nf forward by the author, etc.

refer to indicia publishing history to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be, both state third avon printing, july, 1965
and which also gives the month and year date of the first printing; one of which has evidently been implicitly retrospectively deemed to have been the second printing

---

Comment by ppint.:

faber & faber first printing, first h/cvr edition, first uk edition

cover (d-j) art by john c. griffiths
cover (d-j) price 13/6d
160pp. (check) including titles, indicia, nf forward by the author, bound with endpapers between cloth-covered boards

refer to indicia publishing history to check for presence/absence of line(s) noting (at least) two subsequent impressions (printings from the same typesetting):

second impression 1963 (existence & date noted in the publishing history of the third impression)
third impression 1968 (i)sbn (0-)571-05126-X cover price c. 18/-; may have been increased by publisher's price gun label during the lifetime of the impression.

---

Comment by ppint.:

avon mmpb first printings sharing merkin-printed covers, first p/b edition

cover art by richard powers (unsigned, uncredited; attributed in ''the art of richard powers'' powers, jane frank (2001), q.v.)
cover price 40¢
128pp. including titles, indicia, nf forward by the author, etc.

refer to indicia publishing history to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be

---

Comment by ppint.:

london weekend television hutchinson group arrow books first printing, not first uk p/b edition

cover art by chris foss (unsigned, uncredited; attributed in ''hardware: the definitive sf works of chris foss'' (2011), q.v.)
cover price 95p, $3.20 australia, $3.75 new zealand, $3.25 canada
224pp. (check) including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

indicia publishing history miscredits the associated severn house h/cvr (1978) as the first uk edition

---

Comment by ppint.:

london weekend television hutchinson group arrow books first printing, not first uk p/b edition

cover art by chris foss (signed with his f, uncredited)
cover price 60p, 65c malta, $1.80 australia, $1.75 new zealand, $1.75 canada
224pp. (check) including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

---

Comment by ppint.:

godfrey phillips, possibly also new american library, four square books p/b first printing, first uk p/b edition

cover art by edward mortelmans (signed mortelmans, uncredited)
cover price 2'6
160pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

---

Comment by ppint.:

severn house first printing, first h/cvr edition, not first uk edition

cover (d-j) art (unsigned photo, possibly african tribal mask or fantastic version of, somewhat blue°)
cover (d-j) price £3.95
128pp. (check) including titles, indicia etc, bound with endpapers between covered boards


° - should any bookcatter possess or come across the d-j of this, please check the flaps for any credit; i didn't record any, but nor that there was none.

---

Comment by ppint.:

fix-up of:
the snake-headed spectre (novelette) virginia kidd, jungle stories summer/1949 as by v. k. emden
serpent's fetish (short story) james blish, jungle stories vol.4 #3, winter (1948-9)

---

Comment by ppint.:

london weekend television hutchinson group arrow books first printing, not first uk p/b edition

cover art by chris foss (unsigned, uncredited; attributed in ''hardware: the definitive sf works of chris foss'' (2011), q.v)
cover price 80p, $2.50 australia
128pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

---

Comment by ppint.:

contents:

preface (nf) james blish
dreaming is a private thing (short story) isaac asimov, expanded from shorter version in the saturday review of literature, 28/5/1955; expansion first published in f&sf vol.9 #6, 12/1955
a work of art (ss) james blish science fiction stories vol.7 #1, 7/1956
the dark night of the soul (ss) james blish, as ''genius heap'' galaxy vol.12 #4, 8/1956
portrait of the artist (ss) harry harrison f&sf vol.27 #5, 11/1964
the country of the kind (ss) damon knight, f&sf vol.10 #2, 2/1956
with these hands (novelette) c. m. kornbluth galaxy vol.3 #3, 12/1951
a master of babylon (ntte) edgar pangborn , as ''the music master of babylon'' galaxy vol.9 #2, 11/1954; galaxy strato bre #25, 4/1955 (set in the same world as that of ''davy'' but unconnected with the novel)
a man of talent (ss) robert silverberg , as ''the man with talent'' future science fiction #31, winter/1956; science fantasy #24, 8/1957

---

Comment by ppint.:

ballantine books mmpb first printing, first edition

cover art by richard powers (signed, signature may be guillotined off cover in production, uncredited)
cover price 50¢
192pp. (check) including titles, indicia, table-of-contents etc, end pp. advertising

---

Comment by ppint.:

random house group ballantine books mmpb simultaneous first printings, first edition

cover art by h. r. van dongen (signed, credited)
cover price $2.50 canadian-carcassed copies intended for distribution north of the parallel
cover price $1.95 wholly merkin-printed copies for general distribution
384pp. (check) including titles, indicia, table-of-contents etc, end pp. advertising

refer to indicia publishing history to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be, bothe state first edition: august 1979

---

Comment by ppint.:

dell mmpb first printing, first edition

cover art unsigned, uncredited; attributably by paul lehr from the style, my judgment; full painting is likely signed
cover price 95¢
cat# 7244
128pp. (check) including titles, indicia, critical preface: to be skipped by friends of fiction (nf) blish, etc.

---

Comment by ppint.:

expansion of ''beep'' (novelette) galaxy vol.7 #5-A, 2/1954, galaxy strato bre #16, 7/1954;
both with four b+w illustrations by ed emshwiller

n.b. the version in the reprint anthology ''space police'' ed. andre norton (1956), q.v. has had all references to the drinking of alcohol deleted.

---

Comment by annaloog:

Additional images uploaded; acknowledgment to davie gordon.

---

Comment by ppint.:

new american library signet mmpb simultaneous printings sharing merkin-printed covers, first thus
half a signet double with one front cover, contents the same way up

cover art by paul lehr (signed, heavily cropped, reduced, from ''galactic cluster'' (signet S1719 1959), q.v.)
cover price $3.50 canadian-carcassed copies intended for distribution north of the parallel
cover price $2.95 wholly merkin-printed copies for general distribution
½ 336pp. (160pp. & 176pp.) (check) including titles, indicia etc, end pp.

refer also to indicia publishing history printing number line to distinguish canadian-carcassed copies which drop the first digit ''1'' leaving
first printing (double science fiction edition), march, 1983/23456789
formally identifying them as the second printing, though not in date of publication


doubled with ''galactic cluster'' james blish (1959), q.v.

---

Comment by ppint.:

new american library signet books mmpb first printings thus
half a signet double with one front cover, contents the same way up

cover art by paul lehr, (signed, cut down and reduced from ''galactic cluster'' (signet S1719 1959), q.v.)
cover price $3.50 canadian-carcassed copies intended for distribution north of the parallel
cover price $2.95 wholly merkin-printed copies for general distribution
½ 336pp. (160pp & 176pp.) (check) including titles, indicia etc, end pp.

refer also to indicia publishing history printing number line to distinguish canadian-carcassed copies
which drop the first digit ''1'' leaving
first printing (double science fiction edition), march, 1983/23456789
formally identifying them as the second printing, though not in date of publication


doubled with ''the seedling stars'' (1957), q.v.

---

Comment by ppint.:

contents:

to pay the piper (short story) if vol.6 #2, 2/1956
this earth of hours (ss) f&sf vol.16 #6, 6/1959
common time (ss) science fiction quarterly vol.2 #4, 8/1953; in ''shades of tomorrow'' ed. frederik pohl (1953), q.v.)
beep (novelette) galaxy vol.7 #5-A, 2/1954; galaxy strato bre #16, 7/1954, both with four b+w illustrations by ed emshwiller
beanstalk (novella) in ''future tense'' ed. kendell foster crossen (1952), q.v.; (original) science fiction stories vol.6 #4, 1/1956 as ''giants in the earth'', with b+w illustration by (frank) kelly freas
a work of art (short story) (original) science fiction stories vol.7 #1, 7/1956 as ''art-work''

---

Comment by ppint.:

the science fiction book club first printing, first thus though not first uk h/cvr edition
available to club members only, by mail-order on an opt-out subscription basis, then as an option whilst stock lasted

reprint anthology of four short stories, a novelette and a novella
contents differ from the faber & faber h/cvr uk first edition by dropping a novelette, adding a short story

cover (d-j) art by john griffiths
cover (d-j) price
236pp. (check) including titles, indicia, table-of-contents etc, end pp, bound with endpapers between cloth-covered boards

---

Comment by ppint.:

contents:

common time (short story) science fiction quarterly vol.2 #4, 8/1953
a work of art (ss) (original) as ''art-work'' science fiction stories vol.7 #1, 7/1956
to pay the piper (ss) if vol.6 #2, 2/1956
nor iron bars (novelette) infinity vol.3 #1, 7/1957, incorporates ''detour to the stars'' (ss) infinity vol.1 #6, 12/1956, with a b+w illustration by ed emshwiller
beep (ntte) galaxy vol.7 #5-A, 2/1954; strato bre #16; both with four b+w illustrations by ed emshwiller
beanstalk (novella) in ''future tense'' ed. kendell foster crossen (1952), q.v.,(original) science fiction stories vol.6 #4, 1/1956, as ''giants in the earth'', with a b+w illustration by (frank) kelly freas

---

Comment by ppint.:

faber & faber first printing, first uk and first h/cvr edition
contents differ from the merkin mmpb edition, and those of uk sfbc and p/b editions differ further

reprint collection of three short stories, two novelettes and a novella

cover (d-j) art by john griffiths
cover (d-j) price 15s.
236pp. (check) including titles, indicia, table-of-contents etc, end pp, bound with endpapers between cloth-covered boards

---

Comment by 23skidoo:

The cover art was originally used by NBC to promote the series in 1966.

---

Comment by ppint.:

serialised in amazing stories vol.34 #6, #7; 6/1960, 7/1960
each part with a b+w illustration by virgil finlay

---

Comment by ppint.:

transworld publishers corgi books imprint first printing, first uk p/b edition

cover art by anthony (tony) roberts (unsigned, credited on back cover)
cover price 40p, $1.30 australia, $1.30 new zealand
160pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

---

Comment by ppint.:

faber & faber (though there was only ever the one) h/cvr first printing, first uk edition

cover (d-j) art by judith ann lawrence
cover (d-j) price £1.90
208pp. (check) including titles, indicia etc, end pp, bound with endpapers between covered boards

---

Comment by ppint.:

revision° of the short novel/novella published in dynamic science fiction vol.1 #4, 8/1953

° - yr hmbl srppnt.'s not compared the texts to say whether expanded, or by how much, if so

---

Comment by ppint.:

avon books simultaneous mmpb first printings sharing merkin-printed covers, abridged edition
states ''specially abridged by the author'' on cover, as required by the FTC, and on the title page

cover art unsigned, uncredited, still as-yet sfaik unattributed
cover price 35¢
192pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

refer to indicia printing history to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be, both state only the 1958 copyright year
year of publication taken from donald h. tuck, ibid.

---

Comment by ppint.:

''serialized'' as ''sword of xota'' in two complete science-adventure books #3, summer (8/1951), q.v.

---

Comment by ppint.:

london weekend television hutchinson publishing group arrow books p/b first printing, first uk p/b edition

cover art by chris foss (signed with his f in a line-drawn box, uncredited)
cover price 95p, $3.20 australia, $2.95 new zealand, not for sale in canada
160pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

a 1978 primarily public libraries-aimed uk h/cvr by severn house was licenced by the hutchinson group, but i've not seen a copy of this - so far

---

Comment by ppint.:

lancer books simultaneous mmpb first printings sharing merkin-printed covers, first mmpb edition, not first p/b edition

cover art by armand weston (signed weston, uncredited; attribution by william j. denholm iii, ibid.)
cover price 60¢
160pp. including titles, indicia etc, end pp. advertising

refer to indicia printing history to see if carcass of copy held was canadadian- or merkin- printed
no priority established nor liable to be, both state a lancer book • 1967

---

Comment by ppint.:

galaxy publishing corp. galaxy novels digest format p/b first printing, first edition

cover art by paul callé (signed, possibly credited)
cover price 35¢
128pp. including titles, indicia etc, possibly including covers (check)