pornokitsch

London GeekMap

Dom (London Loves Comics), Den (YLLALKWAB) and I teamed up to make a map of London geekery. Whether you're in town as a tourist or a native in search of more shopping, this is our personal map of London's geeky treasures: markets, shops, museums & more. 

We've also added our own tips & tricks where we can... what's the fun of discovering something great if you don't get to brag about it?

View London GeekMap in a larger map

I really enjoyed doing this - great opportunity to swap favorites with some other local "experts" in the field of Unified Geekery. Please add comments, suggestions, oversights & omissions!

Also, if any local bloggers & geekish experts want to contribute, contact me with names & cities. 

January Sales

Tip, avoid the high street. Here's a few from around the webbernet:

• Art Meets Matter have designed a stunning board game around the quest for Penguin Books.
  
• The Signed Page (worth following them on Twitter as well) got their paws on a stack of signed classics - if you like George RR Martin or Terry Brooks (that is, if you like high fantasy), head over.
  
• PS Publishing, the foxy British small press, have a 3-for-2 sale on their website. It impacts all current titles. 
  
• A one-off collection of modern mysteries has shown up at VJ Books - including some of the earliest Grafton, Evanovich and Connelly books. Worth a browse for a bit of gawking.
  
• And, just in case you forgot a gift for that special someone (like me!), a signed manuscript copy of H.P. Lovecraft's The Unnamable has surfaced on eBay. 

Last Minute Shopping

If you're still stuck for shopping ideas, don't forget you can see everything we've ever reviewed (234 items - and counting!) in one place on Amazon.

I've also built a couple lists - the best in boardgames, the year's best graphic novels and the year's best fantasy releases.

Borders x Doom

 

 

Borders UK has gnoe undrr.

Subterranean Press x Pre-Order Sale

Subterranean's occasional 'pre-order' sale is in play until Friday, 5 December. All pre-orders are 50% off. There's a minimum of 5 books, but if you can't find five books to get half-off in their upcoming list, you frighten me.

Here's a couple hints... Abercrombie's Blade Itself, Beagle's Mirror Kingdoms, Brett's The Great Bazaar, etc. etc. (And that's just to the early B's).

More on Subterranean later, when I polish off the 'Best of 2009' post. But, really... go now, and you'll have lined up 2010 for a variety of tasty treats.

Pornokitsch x More Road Trips

If you're in Kansas City, and can take a break from the ten zillion must-eat restaurants, Spivey's Books is a destination bookstore. It is a rambling, creaky building with a vast basement, sprawling ground floor and two distinct second floors (seriously bizarre layout). 

The hardback SF/F collection isn't great, but there's a huge collection of vintage paperbacks and a mystery section that goes for rooms and rooms. It is also really easy to get lost in the ephemera - postcards, posters (from 1960s blacklights to movie posters to bizarre European stuff I don't understand), prints, clippings, magazines, bookplates, etc... Everywhere you turn, there's another box of interesting 'stuff' that invites discovery.

The prices are also very, very reasonable (especially if you're used to London). It becomes very easy to wander up and down creaky stairs for the better part of a day...

Pornokitsch x Road Trips

On an excursion back to North America for the next two weeks - visiting family in Kansas City, celebrating an anniversary in Chicago and then doing a brief spot of work in Toronto. I've got the first two covered for book & geekery suppliers, but if anyone knows any good shops in Toronto, please let me know...

One thing I've already discovered is Poptopia - less than a year old, but going strong. Conveniently located across the street from KC's best ice cream, Poptopia is the brainchild of design fiend Patrick Mar. I've only window-shopped (so far), but Patrick was great, enthusiastic and a paragon of good, geeky taste. Where was this place when I was in high school?!

Boston (Done That)

We did ok. Brattle Street Books provided almost all of these books - we went there twice to make sure we didn't miss anything.

The oddest find: Dan Rather's personal copy of a Bob Woodward book.

Most successful find: Anne's stack of vintage James Bond tales (including "Thrilling Cities").

Most obsessive find: Three more John D. MacDonald paperbacks - the excuse being I hadn't seen this exact cover art before.

Boston

Spending a long weekend in Boston. Any bookstores I should be hitting while I'm here?

Books for Sale

Listing a few things on eBay to clear up some shelf space:

• Proof of Stephen Hunt's The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
• Proof of Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains 
• Signed hardcover of Joe Hill's The Heart-Shaped Box  

More will follow once I get my act together... everything is starting at £.99 with no reserve and I'm happy to ship internationally.