Steven Spielberg “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” First Edition Book Club vintage hardcover w/ dustjacket

This is a "very good" vintage hardcover with cloth headband in the binding, published in November 1969 by Ace books for a selection of the month in the Science Fiction Book Club in January of 1970
This is a first edition and first appearance of this collection in hardcover format, with the requisite gutter code of 48K indicating the November '69 printing. This volume has a solid, tight textblock with intact gutters and hinges. Green tinted upper edge shows what was likely some moisture exposure washing out some of the stain, nothing visible on the interior of the pages. No writing apparent. The board corners are crisp with just the upper back ever so slightly bumped, a little wear at the very tips. No loose, torn or folded pages. The matching vintage dust wrapper shows a fair amount of surface wear all around, most so on the back. Edge wear all around with some small losses. Tanned along edge at the top. No writing, not clipped. Now in a removable archival sleeve. Story list: "The Preserving Machine" "War Game" "Upon the Dull Earth" "Roog" "War Veteran" "Top Stand-By Job" "Beyond Lies the Wub" "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (The basis for the "Total Recall" film adaptations) "Captive Market" "If There Were No Benny Cemoli" "Retreat Syndrome" "The Crawlers" "Oh, to be a Blobel!" "What the Dead Men Say" "Pay for the Printer" See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.