This was a two-fold delightful surprise. I just acquired two huge bookshelves and have been cleaning and sorting and relocating books for days. Was surprised to find this slim volume that I didn't recognize. It seems I swept it up in a bundle of books at the last Friends of the Library sale and promptly forgot about it. Let's talk about the physical book for a moment. This is a hardbound, illustrated, short story --it feels like a found treasure. The flourishes and artwork add to the mystique of the tale of a man who falls in love with a beautiful ghost he meets while placing coins on Jean Harlow's star at the Chinese theater. Now, I read this at night, so perhaps I missed something; I think the ending is just a wee bit unclear, but no matter. The ghost has a secret and an agenda. George Sydney must make a fate-filled choice. Clever story, beautiful book. I doubt I'll ever make it to the Chinese theater, but if I were to visit, I would be disappointed not to see a ghost. Loved this encounter! ( )

This is a short little ghost story that I have read before, (it is included in 'The Bible Repairman & Other Stories'), but it was cool to check out this limited-print version from Subterranean Press. The typeface, illustrations and layout really help elevate the story beyond print alone. From the inside leaf:

"A first edition of a 1968 book of poems, with a sonnet that appears in no other copy -- a mysterious girl with a special fountain-pen, who needs a special favor -- and an old woman who warns used-book dealer George Sydney that helping the girl he's fallen in love with will mean that he will never have fallen in love. Hollywood Boulevard, with its bars and used-book stores and the legendary Chinese Theater, is the psychic killing ground where Sydney must learn the rules of an old supernatural rivalry -- and choose to save either the woman he loves, or his soul." ( )

A quick novella, with standard Powers tropes -- an alcoholic protagonist who encounters the supernatural. (Spoilers follow.)

Being short, it apparently doesn't have room for the hero to badly injure himself; also, there is no redemption at the end. ( )

George Sydney meets a mysterious woman on Hollywood Boulevard who quickly leads him into making life-or-death decisions.

A well-written story that ends up exactly where you expect it to. ( )

Another short story in book format by Powers, about a small-time book buyer and seller who finds a rare edition of a book, and starts meeting the author's ghost. As usual, it explores an interesting idea, and is well written. ( )