#61 = Volume 20, Part 3 = November 1993 |
Robert Reginald
A Requiem for Starmont House (1976-1993)
When Starmont House, Inc., ceased operations on March 1, 1993, the event marked the end of a publishing era. For almost seventeen years, Starmont published some of the best work of both established and new SF critics, in addition to reprinting a number of previously uncollected pulp classics. Its passing means the loss of a major outlet for innovative nonfiction books about fantastic literature.
Starmont House was founded by Thaddeus Maxim Eugene ``Ted'' Dikty (1920_1991). Dikty had received his editorial baptism by becoming managing editor of the then-new specialty house, Shasta Publishers, in 1948, and by working on that company's first book, E. F. Bleiler's pioneering bibliography, The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. For the next five years Shasta issued dozens of significant books in the field, but eventually collapsed after trying to expand too quickly into mainstream trade publishing. Dikty also edited (with Bleiler) the first ``best SF of the year'' story anthologies, and later worked for a Chicago-area publishing house.
In the early 1970s Dikty and two partners formed FAX Collector's Editions to reproduce selected pulp-era (and earlier) SF stories and novels; their reprints of lesser-known works by Robert E. Howard were commercially successful, but as the Howard boom began to die, Dikty began searching for new publishing ventures.
By then Dikty and his family (including his wife, SF writer Julian May) had relocated to West Linn, Oregon (and later to Mercer Island, Washington). He envisioned a new publishing company, one wholly owned by the Dikty family, that could capitalize on the growing interest in SF criticism. In 1976 Starmont House, Inc. issued its first book, a guide to the work of Robert E. Howard by Robert Weinberg, with a second guide by Lee N. Falconer (i.e., Julian May) being published the following year.
Neither of these works was packaged as part of a series. However, Dikty had seen the first few books in The Milford Series: Popular Writers of Today, and envisioned a similar series of paperbound books devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy writers. To edit the Starmont Reader's Guides, as they were called, he hired a well-known academic critic, Roger C. Schlobin, who was directed to prepare a series format and to begin soliciting manuscripts.
Schlobin proposed a package similar to that of the Twayne U.S. Authors series, but limited the size of the books to about half that of the Twayne standard. The first twenty titles averaged eighty pages in length, although the small typeface used in the guides enabled Starmont to pack 40,000 words or more into some of its books. The guides were attractively packaged into an innovative series format that first featured Stephen Fabian drawings on the front covers, and later substituted author photographs. Cloth bindings were added as an option in 1980, vastly increasing potential sales in the lucrative library market.
The Starmont Reader's Guides became the flagship series for the company, eventually reaching Number 61 in 1992 (although some numbers were skipped). As the series progressed, the average length of the guides grew, with one of the later books (Frederik Pohl, by Thomas D. Clareson) reaching 178 pages, longer than the average page count of a Twayne critique. Editor Schlobin kept tight control over the guides: the series format required a chronology of the author's life and works, an introduction summarizing the subject's biography, coverage of the major books or collections of short stories, detailed primary and secondary bibliographies, and index.
In the early 1980s Starmont added two other series to its list, Starmont Studies in Literary Criticism, intended to feature somewhat longer author- or subject-oriented anthologies and monographs on fantastic literature; and Starmont Reference Guides, which included magazine and publisher indexes and SF bibliographies. More series followed. These later entries to the Starmont list suffered somewhat from a lack of strict editorial guidelines.
In the mid-1980s Starmont acquired its own printing and binding facilities at Eugene, Oregon, using high-speed copiers to produce Starmont's own titles, while soliciting outside work to keep the plant fully operational. In retrospect, this proved to be an unfortunate choice, for the immediate result was a serious dimunition in the production quality of the books, with very little actual savings in cash. When the recession of the early 1990s began hitting specialty and academic publishing, Starmont was affected with the rest, while outside printing jobs also diminished. Ted Dikty's death on 11 October 1991 removed the founder's guiding hand from Starmont at a crucial point in its history; and although his daughter, Barbara Dikty, had already been made President of Starmont House, Inc., she could not stem the tide. When Barbara was herself severely injured in a car accident on 26 December 1992, there was no one left to continue. Starmont had published its last few titles the preceding summer.
In toto Starmont House, Inc. issued 131 volumes, many of them the first extended examinations of their particular subjects, plus two art folios and a fantasy map. Starmont's authors included such leading critics as Thomas D. Clareson, Donald M. Hassler, Gary K. Wolfe, Michael R. Collings, S. T. Joshi, Gorman Beauchamp, Kenneth J. Zahorski, Randall D. Larson, Joan Gordon, Hoda M. Zaki, Marshall B. Tymn, Tony Magistrale, Robert M. Price, Darrell Schweitzer, and Sheldon Jaffery, among many others. One Starmont book (Isaac Asimov, by Donald M. Hassler) was honored with the Eaton Award as best critical monograph of 1991, and Dikty himself received the 1985 Milford Award for his contributions as editor and publisher. The demise of Starmont House, Inc. means the loss of both a major market for nonfiction works in the field, and the permanent absence of a strong editorial voice. It will be missed.
A Starmont House Bibliography . A comprehensive, descriptive bibliography of the printing and binding states of Starmont House books is probably impossible, given the diversity of styles and formats used throughout its existence, particularly in its last five years. The following chronological list gives pagination, series number, and binding(s), plus occasional notes.
Series and Series Numbers. Starmont House assigned many series numbers to books that were never actually published. Some of these manuscripts will be issued by other publishers; others were never completed, or will fail to find a home elsewhere. The abbreviations used below for the series and the actual numbers used in the various series are as follows:
CW: Contemporary Writers 1-2
FF: Facsimile Fiction 1-3, 6, 12-14
HC: Hardcover Collection 1-4
PCS: Popular Culture Studies 1-3, 6, 8-11, 13, 16
PF: Popular Fiction 0-2, 4-5
P&DN: Pulp and Dime Novel Studies 1-4
RG: Reader's Guides 1-16, 18-37, 39-40, 43-44, 47-50, 54, 58, 61
RefG: Reference Guides 1-5, 8-9, 18 [12-13 misassigned]
SLC: Studies in Literary Criticism 1-4, 6, 8-14, 16, 22, 24-27, 30-33, 35-38, 44
1976
The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard's Sword & Sorcery, by Robert Weinberg. viii+152. Paper (cloth 1980).
1977
A Gazeteer of the Hyborian World of Conan, Including Also the World of Kull and an Ethnogeographical Dictionary of the Principal Peoples of the Era, with Reference to The Starmont Map of the Hyborian World, by Lee N. Falconer [i.e., Julian May]. xiv+119. Paper (cloth 1980).
The Hyborian World of Conan: Being Here Newly Researched and Embellished for the Information and Edification of the Faithful, and Including All Locales Set Forth in the Immortal Saga, As Well As in Divers Works of a Comical Nature, and in Certain Incunabula Attributed to the Master, Robert E. Howard, Juliana ux. Thaddei Maximi fecit [i.e., by Julian May]. Colored map (77 x 103 cm). Printed on glossy paper, and mailed rolled in a tube.
1978. No titles published.<
1979
Arthur C. Clarke, by Eric S. Rabkin. RG 1. 80p. Paper (cloth 1980).
Portfolio, by Stephen E. Fabian. [8] leaves of colored art housed loose in a portfolio case.
Roger Zelazny, by Carl B. Yoke. RG 2. 111p. Paper (cloth 1980).
1980
Arthur C. Clarke, Second Edition, by Eric S. Rabkin. RG 1. 80p. Cloth, paper.
Fabian in Color, by Stephen E. Fabian. [8] leaves of colored art housed loose in a portfolio case. Paper folio. A few copies were also released in a deluxe cloth rebinding.
Frank Herbert, by David M. Miller. RG 5. 70p. Cloth, paper.
Fritz Leiber, by Jeff Frane. RG 8. 64p. Cloth, paper.
Joe Haldeman, by Joan Gordon. RG 4. 64p. Cloth, paper.
Philip José Farmer, by Mary T. Brizzi. RG 3. [ii]+80. Cloth, paper.
1981
The Science Fiction Reference Book: A Comprehensive Handbook and Guide to the History, Literature, Scholarship, and Related Activities of the Science Fiction and
Fantasy Fields, edited by Marshall B. Tymn. viii+536. Cloth, paper. Probably the best-selling book of the entire Starmont list.
Theodore Sturgeon, by Lahna Diskin. RG 7. 72p. Cloth, paper.
1982
Alfred Bester, by Carolyn Wendell. RG 6. 72p. Cloth, paper.
Brede's Tale, by Julian May. 1982. [23]p, 2 x 3". Deluxe leather-bound edition and special edition. A miniature book housed in a box, limited to 300 copies signed and numbered by May and the illustrators, of which 100 copies were bound in leather. Without a doubt the most collectible of the Starmont books.
David Lindsay, by Gary K. Wolfe. RG 9. [ii]+64. Cloth, paper.
H.P. Lovecraft, by S. T. Joshi. RG 13. 83p. Cloth, paper.
Hal Clement, by Donald M. Hassler. RG 11. [ii]+64. Cloth, paper.
Philip K. Dick, by Hazel Pierce. RG 12. 64p. Cloth, paper.
Samuel R. Delany, by Jane Branham Weedman. RG 10. [ii]+79. Cloth, paper.
Stephen King, by Douglas E. Winter. RG 16. 128p. Cloth, paper.
1983
C.S. Lewis, by Brian Murphy. RG 14. 95p. Cloth, paper.
Patterns of the Fantastic: Academic Programming at Chicon IV, edited by Donald M. Hassler. SLC 2. [vi]+105. Cloth, paper.
Piers Anthony, by Michael R. Collings. RG 20. 96p. Cloth, paper.
Robert Silverberg, by Thomas D. Clareson. RG 18. 96p. Cloth, paper.
Shadowings: The Reader's Guide to Horror Fiction, 1981_1982, edited by Douglas E. Winter. SLC 1. x+148. Cloth, paper.
Urania's Daughters: A Checklist of Women Science-Fiction Writers, 1692_1982, by Roger C. Schlobin. RefG 1. xiv+79. Cloth, paper.
1984
Jack London, by Gorman Beauchamp. RG 15. 96p. Cloth, paper.
1985
America's Secret Service Ace: The Operator 5 Story, by Nick Carr. P&DN 2. 63p. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1974 Robert Weinberg edition.
The Annotated Guide to Fantastic Adventures , by Edward J. Gallagher. RefG 2. xxii+170. Cloth, paper.
Discovering Modern Horror Fiction, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. SLC 4. [iv]+156. Cloth, paper.
Discovering Stephen King, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. SLC 8. 219p. Cloth, paper. An expanded and reworked version of Essays Lovecraftian, originally published by T-K Graphics in 1976.
Gangland's Doom: The Shadow of the Pulps, by Frank Eisgruber, Jr. P&DN 1. 64p. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1974 Robert Weinberg edition.
J.G. Ballard, by Peter Brigg. RG 26. 138p. Cloth, paper.
James Tiptree, Jr., by Mark Siegel. RG 22. 89p. Cloth, paper. Dated January 1986 on the copyright page.
The Many Facets of Stephen King, by Michael R. Collings. SLC 11. [vi]+190. Cloth, paper.
Marion Zimmer Bradley, by Rosemarie Arbur. RG 27. [ii]+138. Cloth, paper.
Naked to the Sun: Dark Visions of Apocalypse, by Michael R. Collings. [x]+75. Cloth, paper. Poetry.
Patterns of the Fantastic II: [Academic Programming at ConStellation], edited by Donald M. Hassler. SLC 3. [vi]+90. Cloth, paper.
The Shorter Works of Stephen King, by Michael R. Collings and David Engebretson. SLC 9. [vi]+202. Cloth, paper.
Stephen King as Richard Bachman, by Michael R. Collings. SLC 10. [vi]+168. Cloth, paper.
1986
Anne McCaffrey, by Mary T. Brizzi. RG 30. [viii]+95. Cloth, paper.
The Annotated Guide to Startling Stories , by Leon Gammell. RefG 3. [iv]+90. Cloth, paper.
The Annotated Guide to Stephen King: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography of the Works of America's Premier Horror Writer, by Michael R. Collings. RefG 8. [vi]+176. Cloth, paper.
Brian Aldiss, by Michael R. Collings. RG 28. [iv]+115. Cloth, paper. Cover title reads: Brian W. Aldiss.
Charles Williams, by Kathleen Spencer. RG 25. 104p. Cloth, paper.
E.E. ``Doc'' Smith, by Joe Sanders. RG 24. [viii]+96. Cloth, paper.
Far Below and Other Horrors, edited by Robert E. Weinberg. 151p. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1974 FAX Collector's Editions hardcover; a later printing of the Starmont version relabelled the book ``Starmont Popular Fiction #0'' [sic].
The Films of Stephen King, by Michael R. Collings. SLC 12. [vi]+201. Cloth, paper.
Gene Wolfe, by Joan Gordon. RG 29. iv+116. Cloth, paper.
H.G. Wells, by Robert Crossley. RG 19. 79p. Cloth, paper.
Olaf Stapledon, by John Kinnaird. RG 21. 107p. Cloth, paper.
Robert Bloch, by Randall D. Larson. RG 37. [iv]+148. Cloth, paper.
Suzy McKee Charnas, Octavia Butler, Joan D. Vinge, by Marleen S. Barr, Ruth Salvaggio, Richard Law. RG 23. 52+44+72. Cloth, paper.
1987
Discovering H.P. Lovecraft, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. SLC 6. xiv+153. Cloth, paper.
Don't Bite the Sun, by Tanith Lee. HC 1. 158p. Cloth. A facsimile reprint of the 1976 DAW Books edition. The book was printed in paperback, but rebound and sold only in cloth editions with the paperback covers laminated into the hardcover binding; some paperbound copies exist.
Force Fields, by Andrew Joron. viii+55. Cloth, paper. Poetry.
Frederik Pohl, by Thomas D. Clareson. RG 39. x+173. Cloth, paper.
Future and Fantastic Worlds: A Bibliographical Retrospective of DAW Books (1972-1987), by Sheldon Jaffery. RefG 4. xiv+297. Cloth, paper.
Grand Army War Songs. [ii]+157, 7 x 10". Cloth, paper. One of two non-category books published by Starmont; a facsimile reprint of the 1886 edition; part of the last section of the book was accidentally omitted in the Starmont version.
The Return of the Time Machine, by Egon Friedell. HC 2. 127p. Cloth. A facsimile reprint of the 1972 DAW Books edition. The book was printed in paperback, but rebound and sold only in Cloth editions with the paperback covers laminated into the hardcover binding; some paperbound copies exist.
Robert E. Howard, by Marc A. Cerasini and Charles E. Hoffman. RG 35. [vi]+156. Cloth, paper.
Shanghai Year: A Westerner's Life in the New China, by Peter Brigg. [x]+115. Cloth, paper. One of two non-category books published by Starmont.
The Stephen King Phenomenon, by Michael R. Collings. SLC 14. 144p. Cloth, paper.
The Weirds: A Facsimile Selection of Fiction from the Era of the Shudder Pulps, edited by Sheldon Jaffery. PCS 1. [ii]+173. Cloth, paper.
1988
The Corpse Maker, by Hugh B. Cave, compiled and edited by Sheldon Jaffery. PCS 2. xii+156. Cloth, paper.
Discovering Modern Horror Fiction II, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. SLC 16. [iv]+169. Cloth, paper.
Ira Levin, by Douglas Fowler. RG 34. viii+87. Cloth, paper.
Mary Shelley, by Allene Stuart Phy. RG 36. 124p. Cloth, paper.
Peter Beagle, by Kenneth J. Zahorski. RG 44. [iv]+124. Cloth, paper.
Phoenix Renewed: The Survival and Mutation of Utopian Thought in North American Science Fiction, 1965_1982, by Hoda M. Zaki. SLC 22. [viii]+151. Cloth, paper. Became I.O. Evans Studies in the Philosophy and Criticism of Literature, No. 18, published by The Borgo Press, September 1993.
The Pulp Magazine Index, First Series, by Leonard A. Robbins. 2,152p in 3v, 8.5 x 11". Cloth.
Pulp Man's Odyssey: The Hugh B. Cave Story, by Audrey Parente. PCS 6. xiv+146. Cloth, paper.
Ramsey Campbell, by Gary William Crawford. RG 48. [vi]+74. Cloth, paper.
Roald Dahl, by Alan Warren. CW 1. vi+105. Cloth, paper.
Science Fiction: A Teacher's Guide and Resource Book, edited by Marshall B. Tymn. RefG 5. x+140. Cloth, paper.
"Seven Men," by Theodore Roscoe. PF 1. viii+136. Cloth, paper.
The Shattered Goddess, by Darrell Schweitzer. PF 5. [iv]+183. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1982 Starblaze Edition.
Sudden Fear: The Horror and Dark Suspense Fiction of Dean R. Koontz, edited by Bill Munster. SLC 24. x+182. Cloth, paper.
The Super Feds: A Facsimile Selection of Dynamic G-Man Stories from the 1930s, edited by Don Hutchison. PCS 8. [viii+158]. Cloth, paper.
Toughest in the Legion, by Theodore Roscoe, edited by Sheldon Jaffery. FF #3. 144p. Cloth, paper. The first printing lacks pages 5_6 (the second and third pages of Roscoe's original introduction); the later printing (blue and red cover) restores the full text.
We Are All Legends, by Darrell Schweitzer. PF 4. [iv]+189. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1981 Starblaze Edition.
1989
A. Merritt, by Ronald Foust. RG 43. vi+104. Cloth, paper.
The Arkham House Companion: Fifty Years of Arkham House: A Bibliographical History and Collector's Price Guide to Arkham House/Mycroft & Moran, Including the Revised and Expanded Horrors and Unpleasantries, by Sheldon Jaffery. RefG 9. xvi+184, 8.5. x 11". Cloth, paper. An expanded and reworked version of Horrors and Unpleasantries, published in 1982 by Bowling Green State University Popular Press.
Children's Fantasy, by Francis J. Molson. RG 33. [vi]+97. Cloth, paper.
Christopher Priest, by Nicholas Ruddick. RG 50. x+104. Cloth, paper.
The Eighth Green Man (and Other Strange Folk), edited by Robert E. Weinberg. PF 2. vi+171. Cloth, paper.
The Flying Spy: A History of G_8, by Nick Carr. P&DN 3. 160p. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1978 Robert Weinberg edition.
A Grave Must Be Deep, by Theodore Roscoe. FF 1. 120p. Cloth, paper.
The Lure of Adventure, by Robert Kenneth Jones. P&DN 4. [iv]+80+[iv]. Cloth, paper.
Margaret Drabble, Symbolic Moralist, by Nora Foster Stovel. CW 2. vii+224. Cloth, paper.
The Moral Voyages of Stephen King, by Anthony Magistrale. SLC 25. [iv]+vi+157. Cloth, paper.
The Pulp Magazine Index, Second Series, by Leonard A. Robbins. 583p, 8.5 x 11". Cloth.
Ray Bradbury, by William F. Touponce. RG 31. iv+110. Cloth, paper.
The Robert Bloch Companion: Collected Interviews, 1969_1989, edited by Randall D. Larson. SLC 32. [iv]+157. Cloth, paper.
The Unseen King, by Tyson Blue. SLC 26. viii+200. Cloth, paper.
The Waltzing Wizard: Cartoons, by Alexis A. Gilliland. [ii]+116. Cloth, paper.
The Western Pulp Hero: An Investigation into the Psyche of an American Legend, by Nick Carr. PCS 3. 138p, 8.5 x 11". Cloth, paper.
Z Is for Zombie, by Theodore Roscoe. FF 2. 140p. Cloth, paper.
1990
The Adventure Magazine Index, by Richard J. Bleiler. 1,085. in 2 v., 8.5 x 11". Cloth.
Clark Ashton Smith, by Steve Behrends. RG 49. vi+112. Cloth, paper.
Dark Transformations: Deadly Visions of Change, by Michael R. Collings. 95p. Cloth, paper. Short stories and poetry.
The Devil's Notebook: Collected Epigrams and Pensées of Clark Ashton Smith, compiled by Donald Sidney-Fryer, edited with an introduction by Don Herron. PCS 16. xvi+82. Cloth, paper.
Faces of the Beast, by Bruce Boston. 56p. Cloth, paper. Poetry.
H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, by Robert M. Price. SLC 33. [iv]+170. Cloth, paper.
H.P. Lovecraft: The Decline of the West, by S. T. Joshi. SLC 37. viii+155, 8.5 x 11". Cloth, paper.
The Horror of It All: Encrusted Gems from the ``Crypt of Cthulhu,'' edited by Robert M. Price. SLC 31. [iv]+199. Cloth, paper.
Kioga of the Wilderness, by William L. Chester. HC 3. 303p. Cloth. A facsimile reprint of the 1976 DAW Books edition. The book was printed in paperback, but rebound and sold only in Cloth editions with the paperback covers laminated into the hardcover binding; some paperbound copies exist.
Lewis Carroll, by Beverly Lyon Clark. RG 47. viii+96. Cloth, paper.
The Pulp Magazine Index, Third Series, by Leonard A. Robbins. 639p., 8.5 x 11". Cloth.
The Shining Reader, edited by Anthony Magistrale. SLC 30. xii+220. Cloth, paper.
Stanislaw Lem, by J. Madison Davis. RG 32. x+116. Cloth, paper.
Under the Green Star, by Lin Carter. HC 4. 144p. Cloth. A facsimile reprint of the 1972 DAW Books edition. The book was printed in paperback, but rebound and sold only in Cloth editions with the paperback covers laminated into the hardcover binding; some paperbound copies exist.
1991
The Annotated Guide to Unknown & Unknown Worlds, by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz. SLC 13. 212p. Cloth, paper. The book was intended to be No. 13 in the Starmont Reference Guide series, but was mislabelled.
The Annotated Index to The Thrill Book: Complete Indexes to and Descriptions of Everything Published in Street & Smith's The Thrill Book, by Richard J. Bleiler. RefG 18. viii+256. Cloth, paper.
Isaac Asimov, by Donald M. Hassler. RG 40. iv+129. Cloth, paper. Winner of the 1993 J. Lloyd Eaton Award for Best Critical Work of 1991.
It's Raining Corpses in Chinatown, edited by Don Hutchison. PCS 9. xxxviii+169. Cloth, paper.
Lin Carter: A Look Behind His Imaginary Worlds, by Robert M. Price. SLC 36. vi+172. Cloth, paper. Pages 135_172 include an extensive bibliography of Carter's works by Mike Ashley.
The Monster of the Lagoon, by George F. Worts. FF 14. viii+145. Cloth, paper. A reprint of the 1947 Popular Publications edition.
The Pulp Magazine Index, Fourth Series, by Leonard A. Robbins. 567p., 8.5 x 11". Cloth.
Red Twilight; World's End: Two Classic Novels from Argosy, by Harl Vincent and Victor Rousseau. FF 13. vi+123. Cloth, paper.
Secret of the Earth Star and Others, by Henry Kuttner, edited & introduced by Sheldon Jaffery. FF 6. x+157. Cloth, paper.
Worlds within Worlds: Four Classic Argosy Tales of Science Fiction. FF 12. viii+122. Cloth, paper. No editor is credited.
1992
Black Forbidden Things: Cryptical Secrets from the ``Crypt of Cthulhu,'' edited by Robert M. Price. SLC 44. Cloth, paper.
A Casebook on The Stand, edited by Tony Magistrale. SLC 38. Cloth, paper.
Discovering Classic Horror Fiction I, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. SLC 27. vi+191. Cloth, paper.
Double Trouble: A Bibliographic Chronicle of Ace Mystery Doubles, by Sheldon Jaffery. PCS 11. xvi+150. Cloth, paper. Title page reads: Starmont Reference Guide #12.
Fear to the World: Eleven Voices in a Chorus of Horror, by Kevin E. Proulx. SLC 35. x+243. Cloth, paper. Interviews with eleven horror writers.
J.R.R. Tolkien, by David & Carol D. Stevens. RG 54. vi+178. Cloth, paper. Most copies of this book were defective, reproducing page 8 on pages 9_10, and omitting the text that should have appeared on the latter. A handful of copies were corrected, but the bulk of the print run remained uncirculated, and was later converted into Volume 56 of The Milford Series: Popular Writers of Today by The Borgo Press, which reprinted the first two signatures and substituted a new cover, title page, and copyright page (August 1993). This is the scarcest of all the Starmont books.
Kurt Vonnegut, by Donald E. Morse. RG 61. iv+128. Cloth, paper.
Lovecraft: A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos: The Background of a Myth That Has Captured a Generation, by Lin Carter. PCS 10. xxii+198. Cloth, paper. A facsimile reprint of the 1972 Ballantine Books edition.
Pulpmaster: The Theodore Roscoe Story, by Audrey Parente. PCS 13. xvi+173. Cloth, paper.
William Gibson, by Lance Olsen. RG 58. vii+131. Cloth, paper.
Miscellaneous Titles. In addition to the books listed above, Starmont also distributed and sold as part of its own list the titles published under the FAX Collector's Editions imprint (the last book of which appeared in 1979), plus two other volumes previously published by Dikty:
The American Boys' Book Series Bibliography, 1895_1935, by Alan S. Dikty. Naper ville, IL; West Linn, OR: BBC Publications, 1977. 167p, 8.5 x 11". Cloth, paper.
Boys' Book Collector, #1_13, Alan S. Dikty, Editor; Ted Dikty, Publisher. 1983. Cloth. A binding together of the thirteen issues of this periodical, which had been originally published between 1969_1973. Roughly 75 sets were bound in lots of 5_10 copies each.
Borgo Press Editions. The Starmont cloth editions were almost all rebound by The Borgo Press from the paper editions, employing the hardcover binders that Borgo used in Southern California. A few Starmont cloth editions were independently produced and bound in Eugene, Oregon, during the last years of its existence. Borgo Press also distributed the entire Starmont House and FAX Collector's Editions list beginning in 1980, and rebound the books into its own cloth imprints, stickering the title pages of the books with the BP label. The Borgo editions usually carry the Borgo logo and imprint impressed on the top and bottom of each book's spine. The paperbound versions of the Starmont editions of these books are always the true first editions.
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