THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION: THE MAN WHO MADE MODELS; THE MAN WITH THE AURA; THE MAN UNDERNEATH; THE MAN WITH THE SPECKLED EYES; THE MAN WHO WALKED THROUGH CRACKS; THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS; MAD MAN; THE MAN WHO LOST HIS MAGIC.

Limited edition. Eight volumes. Signed by the author of the introduction, cover artist, and editor. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine, with blind illustration stamped to the upper boards, in the Jacob McMurray illustrated dustwrappers. Satin bookmarks in every volume. With black and white photographs of the author featured in the introductions. A near fine set, the binding square and firm, the cloth mostly bright and fresh, with some mottling to the boards of volume I. The contents, with light spotting to the top edge of the closed text block of volumes I and III, are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owners' inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the original dustwrappers; that of volume I, lightly rubbed, nicked and mildly spotted (to the underside) with a few light marks to the front panel and a couple of scuffs and punctures to the upper spine fold. The other seven dustwrappers, with just a hint of rubbing to the extremities of volumes VI and VII and a tiny nick to the rear flap fold of volume VII, are free from fading, loss and tears. Not price-clipped.

Issued in an edition of 300 copies, from which this set is numbered 48 across all eight volumes, and signed by the cover artist Jacob McMurray in volumes I-VI (in facsimile in volumes VII and VIII) and authors of the introductions Michael Swanwick, Harlan Ellison, Richard Lupoff, Michael Kurland, Neil Gaiman, Scott Bradfield, and Gary K. Wolfe, respectively, in black and green ink on the colophon. Signed by the editor John Pelan in green ink in volumes I-VI, and in black facsimile on the colophon of the last two volumes. The complete collected short fiction of R. A. Lafferty, as of April 2026, comprises eight volumes of an expected twelve total, and marks the first ever publication of Lafferty's entire corpus of short stories. The project was initiated by editor John Pelan, a science fiction-horror author known for founding the publishing house Axolotl Press, who sadly passed away in 2021 before the series' completion. 'The Man Who Made Models' (volume I) and 'The Man with the Speckled Eyes' (volume IV) were nominated for the Locus Award for 'Best Collection' in 2015 and 2018, respectively. In a writing career spanning more than three decades R. A. Lafferty has been nominated for a World Fantasy Award, four Hugo (winning the 1973 Hugo Award for his short story 'Eurema's Dam') and seven Nebula Awards. In 1990 the author was the recipient of the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. 'R. A. Lafferty is unique, in the old, unspoiled sense of the word. A genius as wild and joyful, delightful and unpredictable as his comes along but once in a lifetime... Cherish him. If there were no Lafferty, we would lack the imagination to invent him.' (Michael Swanwick).