Search Results: Authors starting with J from Uncommon Sense

First Johnny Dixon mystery/horror./suspense YA novel. This book is where Bellairs really hit his stride with his YA books set in the 1950s -- the first of his mysteries featuring Johnny Dixon and Professor Chlldermass. Gorey had illustrated his earlier THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, but they become inextricably connected here: Gorey continued to illustrate Bellairs' books even after he died. This is a one-owner copy (until you buy it) -- I'm a fan of both author and artist, and bought this when it came out. Jacket has original price of $11.95; lower jacket corner is clipped, where the library price would have been. The jacket shows very slight wear and small closed tears on the spine and back cover. Spine is lightly bumped, consistent with it having been in a bookstore and not meticulously preserved: hey, I read my books! A scarce book, as well preserved a copy as one is likely to find.

First printing of the second Johnny Dixon book from Bellairs. Slight foxing on top of page block, lower corner of jacket flap cut off (by publisher, removing library edition notes), clean and tight -- one owner copy. Nobody else does 1950s middle-grade horror the way Bellairs did: he created a little cozy-horror niche and inhabited it fully. And who better to inhabit with him than Edward Gorey? Scarce in nice condition.

YA cozy thriller by the author of the Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barmavelt novels. At this point, Bellairs had definitely hit his style: period middle-grade mystery/suspense with a young hero, a middle-aged helper, and very solid story-telling. This one lacks the fantasy element that makes most of his stories pleasantly creepy; it also lacks the Edward Gorey illustrations that became a mainstay of his later books, capitalizing on the success of THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS. A clean, tight, one-owner copy -- tiny ding in the upper right rear dw, which is unclipped. I believe this is a first printing: publishers are inconsistent in how they mark such, so I include a photo of the verso of the title page to allow yShipping ou to make your own decision. This book is scarce in this condition. Shipping to countries other than the US may be much higher than Biblio's default: please ask for a shipping price quote if you are not in the US.

Third of the Johnny Dixon/Professor Childermass books. There's a trope here: once something supernatural happens to someone, more supernatural things will happen to them. The world doesn't go back to being normal. That may be true (from my experience, it seems so); does your world look like that?A nice one-owner copy of this book, lower jacket flap clipped to remove library binding information; a clean first trade impression, not ex-lib and hard to find thus. More pix available upon request.

New York: Ballantine Books, 1986. First edition. Mass Market Paperback. Fine. One of the scarcer paperbacks from a major publisher in the 1980s. Barnaby was a wonderful cartoon of the 1940s, Ballantine reprinted the strips in the 1980s, in six volumes -- they did not sell well, despite the efforts of some booksellers to get them into the hands of those who would appreciate them. The problem with the current price on these volumes is that new folks won't get the chance to read them and discover the joys of this kindly strip. Go out and buy the two hardbacks from the 40s; then come back and round out your collection with the Ballantines, the later ones of which reprint otherwise unavailable tales. This is an excellent copy, with slight browning of the paper and only the very slightest of reading creases, invisible except in a strong side-light. tw

First English translation, from the Victorian era, of what is probably the best known classical Chinese novel. An exceedingly scarce book: this copy is complete, though the paper cover is barely holding on and the spine is quite bare. This is volume 1 of a two-volume set. I wish I had the second volume! Page 379 is an errata sheet, which features three hand-corrections in pen: I am told that all copies appear to have these corrections. Front cover missing a few pieces and somewhat discolored; edges somewhat worn, spine in only fair condition, but the body is overall quite clean and free of markings. Further pictures available on request.Not available for overseas shipping without prior arrangement. Actual cost of shipping is likely to be around $250 outside the US via a secure shipper.