Well, dear readers, I get alerts about online book fairs, which I find kind of dopey, as the point of a book fair is camaraderie, being with fellow book nuts, and perusing booths, looking at the books one is interested in, none of which happens online. I also get alerts about book auctions and those are fascinating for many reasons, most of which have to do with my “instincts” about what I choose to collect or take chances on. For example, ever since I became a collector of first editions, which was say back in 1970, I loved books that were the basis for films and some of which were very elusive even back then. Over the years, I amassed three or four major collections and I still have most of the books turned into movies volumes. A very well-known book dealer once said to me, “I watch what you buy and invariably within a year or so, the prices start going up and up and up.” I thought that was pretty interesting. I’ll give you a few examples. I love the movie Once Upon a Time in America. It took me a while to realize it was actually based on a book called The Hoods by Harry Grey. So, back in the late 1990s I decided I needed to have it and I found a great copy for about forty bucks. During one of the purges where I sold a few things, I sold it to a dealer for $400. He sold it to another dealer for double that. That dealer, who at that time was just finding his way into the movie/novel thing that I’d been doing for decades, and especially movies like Once Upon a Time in America, listed it for $3,500 and sold it. But I’m pretty good at ferreting out other copies and I found one for $200 and bought it. I eventually sold that one, too, at a considerable profit. It hasn’t quite held the high-end of its value, though, and I knew that would happen because instincts are a two-way street. Then there was a favorite noir film called I Wake Up Screaming, based on a book by Steve Fisher. I found a great copy in a really nice dust jacket for maybe $150. I sold it for $700 sometime later and regretted it immediately. That same dealer ended up with it and sold it for $5,000. To say that I loathe that dealer to this very day would be a great understatement. I’ve never found another copy for under that price in a decent jacket nor would I EVER pay that price for that book. There is, at this moment, one fairly ratty copy on the ABE for 4K.
Recently, I’ve seen some listings that have astonished me. About ten years ago, I wanted the book that was turned into the movie Mirage, a favorite of mine. Turns out the book had a different title, Fallen Angel, and was by an author I’d never heard of named Walter Ericson, who turned out to be author Howard Fast. I quickly found a really nice copy on the ABE for sixty bucks. Just three days ago, I saw two copies currently on eBay, one listed for $3,500 and one for $2,900. I don’t think they’ll sell at that price, but I can guarantee you that price was set by the loathsome dealer. But I’ve noticed more recently that you can still get copies of books like The Prize, and I mean primo copies in jacket, for twenty or thirty bucks. A decade ago you could get primo copies of Anatomy of a Murder or The Sand Pebbles for that price. These days primo copies of those books go for over $500. So, I always trust my instincts, book-wise. And I always trust my instincts about what shows I want to direct and for those who’ve read Directed by you know that those choices, as much as people tried to talk me out of it, worked out great, including Dial ‘M’ for Murder, Li’l Abner, and 70, Girls, 70. I also had really good instincts about illustration art, but that’s another story for another day.
Speaking of another day, there was yesterday. I got about six hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, went to Gelson’s and got some lox and a few other items, did a quick ATM stop, came home, ordered fresh bagels from Western bagel, they arrived, and I had lox and bagels for food – very good – hadn’t done that in quite a while. Then I just piddled, twiddled, and resolved, watched a few irritating YouTube videos and nodded off before I could choose a movie to watch. I think I was out for a couple of hours, then I went to the bed, plopped down, and was out for a couple more hours. I REALLY don’t like doing that, but I guess I needed it. That was pretty much it and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven at the latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully announce the Kritzerland show if Doug Haverty gets the flyer done, but mostly I’ll be doing some writing, then choosing songs for the show. Of course, I’ll eat something at some point, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same and I’ll try to have all the songs chosen by Wednesday. I have a few meetings and meals, a lunch with someone I haven’t seen for quite some time and that should be fun catching up with said someone, and then doing whatever needs doing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, hopefully announce the Kritzerland show, write, choose songs, check in with the mail place, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What instincts have served you really well over the years? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where my instinct will be to have happy dreams.