Don’t waste your time rooting around on ebay for Harlan Ellison stuff. Download the brochure below to make Harlan himself your one-stop shopping destination for Ellison collectibles. Check out some of the material Harlan is selling that spans the entirety of a remarkable career. Feel free to spread the word as much as possible.
Also, here’s the man himself to discuss the scope of the endeavor, reprinted from his website with permission. Ladies and gentleman, attend Mr. Ellison:
Twice, in the past 25 years, my wife has gone through the vast, extensive vaults, spaces, nooks, storage bins, drawers, cubbies and subterranean chambers here at Ellison Wonderland; and she has offered up for sale or auction, books and assorted memorabilia of my career. PURGE III is apparently underway. It will be the last, if I have anything to say about it.
I will not lie to you: I hate it when she does this. I have been hiding…I sneak into the living room, chilled-steel night, and liberate bedsheet-size mint copies of Knight Magazine with Dillon art emblazoning my stories. I hide out, here in the manse. At night, I sneak out like a coyote and whittle down the stacks of goodies she has pilfered. One of a kind stuff never intended for other eyes than mine, dammit! As we guys say to our mothers when they “neaten” our closet and throw away all those nice copies of Fantastic 4 #1 or Action Comics 1-thru-50, dammit, it’s MY stuff! !!! Well, she did it anyhow: she put together a gigantic catalogue, 14 pages of rare offerings w/photos, and she titled it
THE BIG BIG LIST OF HARLAN’S GOODIES
and she preferentially sent off about 1100 copies to those who are members of The Harlan Ellison Recording Collection–HERC, as we calls it–because those are her most loyal and steadfast readers of her HERC newsletter, RABBIT HOLE. Most of those mailings, save to overseas members, will have reached their targets by her birthday, in a few days. Now, she has chivvied me here to tell you. If you’re not a HERC member, you can get a full catalogue by sending a stamped (61 cents), self-addressed (kindly print clearly) envelope. Our good Webmaster, Mr. Wyatt, has been sent a disc of the catalogue, and he will be posting it, in its entirety, somewhere conspicuous here at harlanellison.com. Do not ask me where. I is mere a tool in this unseemly process. I just sign them.
I will not lie to you. This is all intended to make us money. All bûllšhìŧ about Posterity, and “he won’t be with us forever,” and Let’s Get This Rare Stuff Before the Dealers Do, well, it’s all rationale and mawkish pleading by those who want to part you from your pelf for monetary gain. Mendicants and con-artists. As Bertolt Brecht whined, “Every day I venture to the marketplace where Ideas are sold. Hopefully, I take my place among the sellers.” I will not lie to you. Even using the word “hopefully” properly.
Had I my way, they would inter all these nifty items–including a “late entry” on orange paper I conjured last week–with my carcass. But I love my woman more than the evanescent light of day, and so I have taken my place in the agora along with every other creative intellect, high or low, who finds — at twilight — when evasions are ashes — that we all work for a buck. I will not lie to you.
She’s set up a cell-phone number exclusively for orders. The great lash-up and beef-slaughtering is set for
TUESDAY / WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY of 6 / 7 / 8 JULY.
All questions you might ask, and punctiliously detailed instructions are in the BIG BIG BOOK. (Oh, and for Neil Gaiman aficionados, my friend has donated a linked-pair of rarities ever so swell.) So, if you are piqued, if you wish to update or vastly enrich your collection, if you are morbidly interested, if you wish to drop a true coin into my beggar’s bowl…just get to the catalogue, or the links provided. And if you will kindly post this advisement anywhere and everywhere it might be seen by some Insightful Collectibles Dealer, or even one greedy little e.bay’r who will lick chops and say, “THIS oughtta be worth a farthing! I can resell Ellison’s old dental molding for a huge FORE-choon,” I will be grateful. Or, if you are a genuine Ellison Completist, most of what she’s dragooned is way cool, comma, dude; and comes moist with my tears of loss.
Hopefully, Harlan Ellison
• 
I hope you got my message about not mixing prescription pain killers and the works of Neil Gaiman. Someone tried to warn me about that once and I didn’t listen. To make a long story short slightly more comprehensible, I’ve never thought about beavers the same way since.
Some of the items that will NOT be on the PURGE list are copies of All Star Comics #3, #5,#24, & 27. In 1982 Harlan & I bargained for an afternoon, but were not able to consummate a trade of the comics for an airline ticket to London that he was not going to use (the airline company would not transfer the ticket). From time to time I wonder if Harlan remembers that afternoon, obviously I do (example: when I was asked what I would like for lunch, and I answered anything would be fine, Harlan’s quizzed “How about a maggot & mayonnaise sandwich”. I believe my retort was “I don’t eat mayonnaise”. Harlan & his wife liked that one.) Ahh, to be young again! BTW: I still have the All Stars.
Trop facile? Maybe.
But I couldn’t help think this was the last guy we’d see selling out.
What the hëll does that even mean? He has material that he himself has written and now, like stocks, he’s choosing to liquidate some of that stock into cash. On what possible dumb-ášš principle would you find some moral low-ground in a writer earning money off material he himself has produced?
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PAD
PAD, the term “selling out” is never based on any kind of principle.
Please tell me you’re kidding there?
He’s selling stuff to clear out his home.
Selling out?
I can’t believe I had to explain it.
If you meant that to be a poor attempt at humor, then fine. The fact that you had to explain it indicates how poor it was.
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PAD
It certainly was not intended as an insult (I have several of Harlan’s novels/short story collections) and I sincerely apologize if it offended some people. However, no one bats 100 at humour, so let’s not get carried away here.
“If you meant that to be a poor attempt at humor, then fine. The fact that you had to explain it indicates how poor it was.”
I got it. I don’t think it needed to be explained. It was a bad joke, but that’s what people do on this blog.
Yeah; I took it as a joke, too.
Not a great joke, but I’ve been guilty of worse. As well as of making “jokes” so obtuse that I don’t think anybody got them. Them’s the risks which attend attempts at humor.
The only thing thats strikes me as being odd, (and maybe a bit more that just clearing away some clutter and getting a few bucks at the same time), is the fact that he is selling a birthday present from Neil Gaiman. That seems… unnecessary or at least it should be.
George, I had to do a double-take on the items from Neil, as to me they seemed a little extra-personal in nature for such a sale. Of course, I suppose a decision to sell such items is ultimately a matter between himself and Mr. Gaiman.
Wow!! I’m not sure but, I dont think PAD posted this for your opinions on the whats and whys of the sale but as a heads up on the opportunity to own some one of a kind Ellison material and you know to help a friend.
I’m looking at the cookbook very close. I like to collect obscure cookbooks for some odd reason. The Nero Wolfe cookbook has some great recipes in it.
Wow!! I’m not sure but, I dont think PAD posted this for your opinions on the whats and whys of the sale but as a heads up on the opportunity to own some one of a kind Ellison material and you know to help a friend.
You’re right but I can’t help noticing what I noticed. Maybe I shouldn’t have posted it but I can’t be the only person who found it strange. Looking over the list, many of the items I can afford I already have, like paperback collections and even a number of hardbacks. I’ve been reading his stuff since the late ’60s. The higher priced items are a bit beyond me right now but I hope he does well.
Ðámņ! Looked through the lists, and didn’t see even one copy of “The Last Dangerous Visions”!
Considering that i first saw the link to this from Neil’s twitter. i’m pretty sure he’s ok with what’s being sold.
also there goes my budget.