Pain

I wish I could say that I have been writing but I have been working at the storage area with Ed’s books. It is looking better and more organized there. We are making space for the books and art from the other storage area. I’m in so much pain, though. My left hand is aching and my back. I’m just exhausted. Ed had the most marvelous collection. Maybe the best ever. I feel bad for breaking it up but I don’t have the room to house it all. We are currently sorting the books signed and unsigned. I’m picking out some to add to my own collection. Working with his books is teaching more about the early days of science fiction and speculative fiction.

I’m learning more about Ed’s career as well. He was in the best magazines of his time. I will try to add some photos to future blogs. One of the books said that Jules Verne was the father of science fiction. If that is so, science fiction has been around since the mid-1860s. I have always heard Poe called the father of horror and mystery. Sometimes Lovecraft is called the father of horror. I came across several histories of science fiction and its authors and am now dying to read them. Yes, some of those fell into my box as well.

Looking at and handling the books of the early masters is a lot of fun. Ed loved to get books signed. He loved to gab and stand around and talk to them all. People loved him. That is the hardest thing to get across when telling people about Ed who never met him. Trying to describe what an entertaining and amiable fellow he was. Anyway, I am thrilled to see these early works and signatures.

I haven’t found much on Abraham Lincoln in his collection. A few history type books. Some political books. Ed not only liked genre fiction; he was a big fan of literary/mainstream fiction. He was a walking encyclopedia of authors. He was a reviewer so there are advance reader copies and papers with his notations about these works and what he planned to say. It has been very informative and interesting but exhausting. Did I say that already? Got to rest now. More soon.