COLLECTING THE LOST WORKS OF SP GROGAN

– Explore how demand creates value – buy & sell exchange

 I come from a long line of collectors (close to being described as quasi-hoarders). These ancestors (including myself) assembled many varied collections from stamps to coins to arrowheads to Franklin Mint plates, and to books.   As a fledgling author, in the mid 1990’s, I started a casual collection of signed, first edition mysteries, and from this gained required bibliophile knowledge on collectibles.

What counted above all in the book scout search was Very Good Condition, published as the First Edition, being signed and along with the rarity of few copies enhancing value in the marketplace. Of course, critical is the demand from collectors. Price-clipped dust book covers or remainder marks diminish value.  Sad is the demise of brick-and-mortar bookstores, those dusty haunts, enjoyable detective hunts. Quest for Mysteries. Future generations seem today to be heading towards entertainment by short video clips which fail miserably at perpetuating culture.

However, do not despair. In attending author signings and seeing fan interest, some collectors out there have discovered a market in collecting S.P. Grogan works, reading them for enjoyment, and/or selling or retaining within their personal collections. Because several of these books and writings had limited press runs, or short duration in their printing life, values are higher and continue to rise because of scarcity.  Please consider a humble investment, or better yet a ‘treasure hunt’ for the rare.

For a reasonable amount of your budget, you can become a ‘completist’, meaning owning all main novels or seeking out various rarity early publications.  Also, look to this website for other signed first edition mysteries of other Featured Authors that you might enjoy acquiring.

Contest: Quest Mystery will award:

 --First 3 Questors who acquire First Edition Signed SP Grogan collection of 6 hardback novels published will be awarded a prize of $25 credit at QM Store.

 --For those first 3 Questors who acquire a 2008 softbound Vegas Die signed, 2010 Captain Cooked Signed, and hardbound signed copies of Atomic Dreams, Lafayette, My Cookbook Passion, Crimson Scimitar will receive: two U.S. pre-1930 U.S. Silver Dollars (valued $50+), Questor tee-shirt, and autographed hand-written paragraph by author from one of his novels.

Signings:   Author is more than happy to sign any of his books, including personalized inscriptions. Buy books at the Store with directions on signing. If you buy a book elsewhere Ship books to QM, enclose amount or pre-paid postage for return Media Mail.

Here is a list of S.P. Grogan’s historical scope of writing and current market valuations (as of 4.1.2024).

   Teleidoscopic Collage (left). In the summer of 1967 college I was a hired as an ‘assistant librarian’ in the Denver Post Library (‘The Morgue’). My job to search folder files for past articles, air tubed to those on the news-feature desks to write their stories.  I was in good company of two future published writers, one being the late John Dunning (‘Booked to Die’). Also, there was Richard Epping who enticed me to start the first underground newspaper, beating out the rival Solid Muldoon by a couple of weeks. I became editor and was brought into the hippie world though my Dad was strict that my hair could never grow long. It was at the Post I honed my skills at brevity and deadlines. {Footnote: during this dream of being a newspaper reporter, I gave myself a pen name of ‘Palmer Oval’, a combination of the first name of the Editor/Publisher of the Post, and ‘oval’ named after the toilet paper dispenser where I spent sitting thinking of my future]. Within the ‘flower generation’ Teleidscopic Collage we helped to be active in the first Denver Love-In with Timothy Leary in appearance. I also went on to write music reviews when the Post Music Editor did not want to cover the new form of ‘rock and roll’. In this capacity I interviewed Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shanker and hung around the Family Dog concert hall and the various related scene activities. [Footnote: when the Beatles played Denver’s Red Rock Amphitheatre in August, 1964 I was working 70 miles away in the oil fields of Eastern Colorado; still, a teenage cafe waitress proudly showed me the ticket she had purchased for the pilgrimage she was willing to hitchhike into concert history.

This website will make an offer to purchase any of these (*) works.  Of all other books if you have one of these novels and wish to sell we suggest putting them on Ebay. If you have a SPG book you wish to sell contact us and we will put you in touch with interested buyers, at no commission charge.

Work                                                                                                                                                                                                    

1965 Highschool copy of ‘Incognito’, Creative Writing Magazine, S. Grogan Editor               Value*   $75*

1966  Copies of Westminster Columns (MO) student newspaper, S Grogan Edit.                                 Value*     $55 per issue*

1967  Copies of Teleidscopic Collage, (Denver), underground newspaper                        Value*   $100 per issue*

1. Grogan Editor  1968-69  Copies of CU Perspective, S. Grogan Editor                                                                     $45 per issue*

1997-1999 copies of The Grogan Casino Report      -- newsletter                                               $7 per copy*

                                                                                                    --color magazine                                      $24 per copy*

                                                                                     --Donald Trump on cover                                    $35 per copy*

2008  “Vegas Die”      1^st novel      softbound    Limit of 126 uncorrected proof                      $125 signed

                                       Current market   -- ABE Books -eBay (9 copies left)                       $15 -  $40 signed

2010 “Captain Cooked” 2^nd novel  softbound  Publisher: Addison & Highsmith                 $25-$38 signed

           [note: novel republished in 2020 10^th Anniversary Edition] hardbound                    $30-$40 signed

2014 “Atomic Dreams” 3^rd novel  signed by both author & artist                                            $55*

         hardbound limited edition of 1,000  signed by author (17 eBay copies)                      $25-$80

                [novel republished in 2023 by Histria Books softbound]                                             $25  signed

2015  “With Revenge Comes Terror”  softbound (3 copies in market)                                    $15-$25

           [this is a first concept of what becomes ‘Crimson Scimitar’ ltd press run)

2018 “Lafayette: Courtier to Crown Fugitive” softbound (Very Rare)                                         $39 signed (note during this period of time Histria Books contracted to buy A&H published and reprint all SP Grogan catalogue)“Lafayette” hardbound                                         $27-$48 signed

 softbound         2020                                 $25

2021 “My Cookbook Passion” by Pamela Kure Grogan, Edited by S.P. Grogan

Published by Gaudium, imprint of Histria Books     hardback                          $39 signed by both

2023  “Cookbook Passion”          [renamed title]                    softbound                       $29 signed by both

   This semi-autobiographical cookbook won ‘Best in the World’ Special Award from Gourmand International. You can gain signed by both author  and editor if ordered through HistriaBooks.com

2023       “Crimson Scimitar: Attack on America”                      hardback                         $30-$50 signed

                                                     Advance Reader’s Copies (25 printed)       $35

An audio CD copy of Vegas Die is offered by BooksInMotion.com (may be out of print, first released 2010)

Beginning in 2024 any SPG works that are published by Histria Books and purchased through this website will be signed and dated by the author. To purchase the latest books released look also to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Histria Books and all Independent Bookstores for SPG novels still in print, but such may be unsigned. We will inform you if the author has any proposed book signing events.

     Book cover art of 1^st novel, Vegas Die, a Quest Mystery [1.0 treasure hunt]. Published 2007/2008 by Addison & Highsmith Publishers (later acquired by Histria Books as imprint for fiction). Art by children’s artist, Richard Jesse Watson, from Port Townsend, Washington, whom Stephen and Pamela discovered while traveling. This was his first fiction book cover art for the artist. They acquired several of his other works, including original commissioned, “Chef Mercedes Bakes Mouse Cookies”, and an illustration for his book, ‘The Magic Rabbit’ and signed copies of his lavishly illustrated book, “Night Before Christmas.”  Original RJWart hangs today in their home.

Scholastic Research.  In 2019 the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) established the S.P. Grogan Papers Depository in its ‘University Library Special Collections and Archive’ and accepted 30 boxes of documents of the author’s business and creative writings (1960-2020) which tracked his career as an active participant in the establishment of the national casino industry as well as his original creative writing manuscripts and early publications. Collection is being continually updated as his career continues. Collection is open to review by appointment. Stephen P. Grogan Papers | UNLV Special Collections Portal