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Title: PBA COMICS Limited Edition Hardcover Catalogue: Sale 717 * One of 15 Copies
Place Published: Berkeley, CA
Publisher:PBA Galleries
Date Published: 2020
Description:

191 + [5] pp. 500 lots of vintage comics, including over 250 lots of Pre-Code Horror and Atomic Age. Fully illustrated in color. (4to) black cloth, full color dust jacket. With special limitation plate stating this to be copy #13 of 15 hardcover copies. As-new condition.

"I found [PBA's comic catalogue] so interesting that I am saving it for the texts that accompany the comics which were put up for auction. This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books. I especially enjoyed the reviews of the post-war horror comics. Great. Priceless." — R. Crumb, in an email to PBA's Director of Comics, July 15, 2020.

PBA produced 15 hardcover copies of our December 10, 2020 catalogue, showcasing 500 lots of pre-Code horror, Golden Age, Silver Age and Underground comic books, and featuring PBA's signature blend of research and commentary. One copy was retained by PBA's Director of Comics and several copies were sent to top consignors. The rest were offered on our website at 200 bucks a pop and quickly sold out, with the exception of a single copy retained for the present sale. The entire softcover print run is long gone, and this is the last copy available in any format. If you missed out on this deluxe edition last time around, don't fret, horror hounds — the postman always wrings twice.

Get a load of what PBA's pantin' public has to say about our catalogues:

— Mr. Obie Greenberg sent an email in which he praised PBA's cataloguing ("Perfect marriage of info and commerce, a scholarly 'zine in the guise of a catalogue"), then panned "the other guys" as "slab-happy funnybook factories" run by "colluding-ass mofos" whose catalogues feature "cookie-cutter-ass blurbs." Mr. Greenberg added words of encouragement ("Run circles around 'em and bean 'em in the eye with your slingshot"), before signing off with an assurance that "This email is mixed with drops of blood from the rock band KISS."

— Mr. Tom Vincent, member of the Facebook Fan-Addict group, responded to a recent request for data on some obscure point of EC interest: "I don't have an answer for you. But I admire how you're always trying to track down in print things that 'people say' or that 'everyone knows.' That's one of the reasons your auction catalogues are such a valuable resource."

— A doctor who prefers to remain anonymous, lest his peers mock his interest in old funnybooks, said of our December 2020 comic book catalogue: "Your descriptions, even of books worth less than $100, are a real contribution to the field... There is a lot of information useful to collectors and scholars. There are going to be many people who wish they had a catalogue, and it may become a valuable book."

— Thommy Burns, prez of the Facebook Fan-Addict clubhouse and EC ace extraordinaire, says of PBA's comic catalogues: "The catalogues that deserve a place on your bookshelf! If [the upcoming catalogue] is anything like the last one, it will definitely be a keeper."

— Fan-Addict Rob Mathis says: "Very excited to bid in your upcoming PCH auction. Please let me know how to obtain a catalogue. Your descriptions in the previous one were very witty and insightful. I find it a very useful reference tool and a highly enjoyable read. Keep up the good work!"

— Underground man R. Crumb gets the final word: "The catalogue finally arrived here yesterday morning. I spent the better part of the whole day reading it. Again, as with the previous catalogue, this makes for great reading about comics somehow. The format of brief reviews of specific comic books is highly entertaining... Your catalogue is in itself so ENGAGING."

A limited edition of 150 softcover and 15 hardcover catalogues is available. 400 lots, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcover $30, deluxe hardcover with dust jacket and limitation plate $200. Ten of the 15 hardcovers are pre-ordered and the rest will go quickly, so reserve yours now. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's December 2021 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.