Clarkston, GA, White Wolf Press, 1996. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket.
SIGNED HARLAN ELLISON — ROCKABILLY FEVER, NIGHTMARES, AND CULTURAL FURY.
Signed by Harlan Ellison on the title page and from the library of D. Douglas Fratz, an influential science-fiction editor, reviewer, and publisher. This copy reflects the interconnected world of late twentieth-century speculative fiction, where writers, editors, critics, and publishers shaped the direction of the field.

Edgeworks 2 pairs two sharply contrasting yet distinctly Ellisonian works: the rock-and-roll descent of Spider Kiss and the acclaimed essay and story collection Stalking the Nightmare. Together they demonstrate Ellison’s range as a writer of fiction, criticism, cultural commentary, and personal confrontation.

A WRITER AT FULL VOLTAGE.
Combining psychological intensity, social criticism, speculative imagination, and autobiographical energy, the volume reflects the qualities that made Ellison one of the defining voices of modern speculative fiction. Whether examining fame, censorship, media culture, or human cruelty, Ellison wrote with unusual emotional force and intellectual aggression.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Black cloth binding with metallic spine titles. Octavo format. Hardcover with original dust jacket. First Edition, First Printing. Signed by Harlan Ellison on the title page.

CONDITION: Fine in Fine dust jacket. Bindings are tight and secure. Text is clean with no flaws or blemishes beyond minimal shelf handling. Dust jacket is bright and well preserved. An excellent collector copy. From the library of D. Douglas Fratz.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: THE EDGE OF SPECULATIVE FICTION—A VOICE OF CONFRONTATION.
Harlan Ellison became one of the most influential and controversial voices in postwar American speculative fiction. A multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner, he helped expand the possibilities of science fiction through stories and essays that challenged conventions, examined social issues, and pushed the genre toward greater literary ambition.

THE WORKS WITHIN.
The Edgeworks series brought together major examples of Ellison’s fiction and nonfiction, preserving the range of a career that crossed traditional boundaries between science fiction, horror, literary criticism, memoir, and cultural commentary.

Originally published in 1961, Spider Kiss channels the destructive energy of early rock-and-roll culture into a dark exploration of ambition, celebrity, exploitation, and personal collapse. Inspired in part by the mythology surrounding popular music stardom, the novel reflects Ellison’s continuing interest in fame as both aspiration and corruption.

Stalking the Nightmare presents Ellison as critic and observer, gathering essays and stories addressing censorship, politics, violence, literature, media, and the anxieties of modern life. Together, the two works reveal his ability to move between imaginative storytelling and direct cultural criticism.

A SCIENCE FICTION COMMUNITY COPY.
The ownership history connects this volume to D. Douglas Fratz, whose career as an editor, reviewer, and publisher placed him within the professional and critical networks that shaped late twentieth-century speculative fiction.

While the copy is not presented as an association copy without further documentation, its connection to Fratz adds meaningful context for collectors interested in the history of science-fiction publishing and fandom.

Price: $180.00