Description
Author: John Jakes
Publisher: DAW Books, Inc. (Donald A. Wollheim, Publisher / No. 244 / UE1302)
Year: 1977
Edition: True First Edition / First Printing (June 1977 / Full Number Line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)
Format: Mass Market Paperback (A DAW Books Original)
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
Condition: Good to Very Good (Structurally Sharp Specimen with Vintage Provenance)
A rare, true first printing celebrating the roots of a legendary storyteller.
Before John Jakes became a household name and an international chart-topper with epic historical masterworks like The Kent Family Chronicles and North and South, science fiction was his first love. The Best of John Jakes stands as a crucial, definitive milestone curation prepared at the author's own request. Edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander, this volume compiles the outstanding novelettes and short stories that cemented his reputation among speculative fiction circles throughout the 1950s and 60s, featuring standout tales like "Political Machine," "Machine," and "Here Is Thy Sting."
This premium offering is a True First Edition, First Printing, published in June 1977 as a coveted DAW Books Original, meaning it never had a prior hardcover release. Vintage paperback collectors will immediately recognize the value of the iconic, deeply atmospheric cover art painted by Hugo Award-winning legendary illustrator Jack Gaughan. Presenting a striking montage of cosmic landscapes, armored figures, and prehistoric terror, this paperback is an absolute essential for collectors tracking the evolutionary crossovers of mid-century American authors.
Condition Notes
- Overall Profile: Good to Very Good (G/VG). A highly robust, visually distinct vintage specimen that retains fantastic structural rigidity while carrying authentic historical character.
- Cover: The vibrant front cover art by Jack Gaughan displays crisp color fields and sharp, clear graphics. Mild, uniform edge rubbing and light corner shelf wear are present, consistent with a well-preserved 1970s DAW paperback block.
- Spine: Structurally flat and firmly squared. The binding completely avoids vertical split-cracking or roll, ensuring the text block remains perfectly stable for long-term archiving and display.
- Interior: Page signatures are tight, clean, and completely sound. The inner front endpaper bears a clear, vintage handwritten civilian name and address ("Crabtree / 534 maple / Woodland Estates") in blue ink, offering an authentic glimpse into the book's decades of care. The text pages feature clean, crisp reading fields with a rich, uniform golden-amber age-toning typical of 1970s pulp paper stocks.