Operation: Phantasy The Best from the Phantagraph
signed and numbered
Rego Park, NY: Phantagraph Press, 1967. Pictorial dust jacket art by Jack Gaughan. First edition. Hardcover in an unclipped jacket. ($4.00). Bright blue cloth covers with gilt titles on the spine. Number 136 of 420 numbered copies signed by Wollheim in blue pen on the front free endpaper. A collection of stories and poetry which appeared in Wollheim's influential fanzine of the 1930s. Contributions by H. P. Lovecraft, A. Merritt, Wollheim (on Lovecraft), Henry Kuttner, James Blish, Frederik Pohl, Robert Bloch, August Derleth.
Cyril Kornbluth, Robert W. Lowndes, Duane W. Rimel & Emil Petaja and F. Stanislaus Prosody.
Of note is the inclusion of Jame's Blish's poem, Contrast and editorial mention of their former friendship. The long-held mutual animosity between Wollheim and Blish was rooted in political differences, in the years during and after World War Two.
"Aspects of his role and the positions he took are reflected in his Operation Phantasy: The Best from the Phantagraph (anth 1967 chap), a collection of early fanzine material" - The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Wollheim entry, October 13, 2025
Fine / Near fine, light soiling to the back cover. Presented in a clear plastic protective cover. Item #550
Price: $250.00