Dark Sanctuary

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There are any number of books that get touted as “rare” or scarce”; words that get tossed around far more often than is seemly. Among knowledgeable booksellers, the definitions are quite a bit different from what you might expect… “Rare” would be a book that a resourceful bookseller or collector might see once every ten years or so. “Scarce”, now there’s a word that if used correctly signifies something very special indeed… A book that a resourceful collector with a huge list of contacts with similar interests and a great deal of expertise may see only once in a lifetime! The books that often get described with these terms are usually just “uncommon” or as is more often the case, “expensive”.

The original edition of this novel is genuinely “scarce”; whereas something like Lovecraft’s The Outsider & Others is merely “uncommon” and most certainly “expensive”. Just as an aside, to demonstrate the point that Arkham House titles don’t qualify for the “rare” or “scarce” designation, I used to have a standing wager with friends that if they gave me a blank check to work with I could put together a complete set of Arkham House books within thirty days (and that was pre-internet!) Conversely, if one attempts to assemble “The Wagner List” we’re looking at a much more difficult feat, (some would say impossible, thanks in large measure to H.B. Gregory’s Dark Sanctuary.)

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