Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amdcad!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddb From: ddb@mrvax.DEC (DAVID DYER-BENNET MRO1-2/L14 DTN 231-4076) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Collector's editions Message-ID: <156@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Thu, 6-Dec-84 10:05:43 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.156 Posted: Thu Dec 6 10:05:43 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 9-Dec-84 03:33:42 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 33 Having a housemate who collects seriously, and knowing the perpetrators of two different small presses, I have some opinions about collectors editions to contribute in response to Laurence Roberts' query. First, they aren't generally published "by" the author, as your message seems to imply. Generally, the small press approaches the author; the author simply accepts the offer (perhaps after negotiation). More important, I think, is that a collector's edition rarely delays the appearance of a mass-market edition. Often the appear after a regular hardback is out. I do know of one case where a collectors' edition delayed publication of the paperback by (I think it's) 9 months; but that edition cost only $17, not out of range for a normal hardcover. Some of the things appearing in special editions probably won't ever appear in mass-market paper; no demand. Few authors (and I note that Gene Wolfe, in particular, went to supporting himself entirely from his writing relatively recently) will agree to a limited-profit edition if it interferes with a mass edition. On other points in that message, my memory of Fifth Head is a bit old; but I think that drawing the parallel of "transformation" between that and Lord Valentine is a bit thin. Transformation could be argued to be the theme of essentially any "literary" work (any work which features character development prominently), with about as good a case. You could make the case even more strongly, perhaps, for most of Jack Chalker's books. As someone pointed out here long ago, he puts his characters through far more than most authors. (Fire preventative: I am not commenting on character development in Chalker's works!! I am not pushing his books into the "literary" genre; more the reverse, actually.) -- David Dyer-Bennet -- {ihnp4|purdue|decvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddb