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Post by Swampirella on Apr 18, 2017 14:57:25 GMT
If obsessive collecting is a deadly disease, then I've surely reached the terminal phase. Today I received my copy of "The Horror of the Links", Volume 1 of the Nightshade Books editions of the complete Jules de Grandin. Why did I purchase this, despite already owning the 3 volume Battered Silicon Dispatch Box edition, as well as the 6 1970s paperbacks, numerous other scattered reprints of various de Grandin adventures, and even a few original "Weird Tales" appearances? Well, part of the reason is undoubtedly because I checked Book Depository on a whim a couple of weeks ago, they had Volume 1 at an insane (and possibly mistaken) discount - something like 50% of the standard price - so I hurriedly ordered it without really thinking; hey, it was a _bargain_, right? But also it was probably because I find the stories, particularly the early ones covered by this volume, just so much bloody fun, regardless of how many times I reread them. There's not really much to say about this volume that hasn't been covered in previous discussions of the de Grandin sagas. About the only new content is the much-deserved dedication to the late Robert Weinberg, and the excellent cover by Donato Giancola. I don't think I've previously seen his work, but the cover captures the spirit of the whole series very well. About the only things missing are the classic Virgil Finlay portraits of Jules and Trowbridge, and the map of Harrisonville (just how did such a nice little New Jersey city ever manage to attract so much weird and occult-related crime for so many years?) that featured in earlier reprints. It would be nice if they could make an appearance in late volumes. If you just want a taste of "classic" de Grandin, this and the second volume are probably the best ones to grab. However I fervently hope that this reprint series makes it all the way through to its conclusion (and that Book Depository continue to offer such stupid discounts.... I'll be checking). Mark While I'm not (yet) into Jules de Grandin, I think the Vault has turned me into more of an obsessive collector than I was before. Almost once a week now I find myself buying 4-5 books I probably wouldn't have otherwise heard about, after having spent an hour or two researching the details of the contents and the lowest prices, which usually means AbeBooks....
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Post by dem bones on Apr 18, 2017 19:17:23 GMT
There's not really much to say about this volume that hasn't been covered in previous discussions of the de Grandin sagas. About the only new content is the much-deserved dedication to the late Robert Weinberg ... Agreed, that is definitely as it should be. Fans of these stories owe a huge debt to Robert Weinberg and R.A.W. Lowndes for keeping de Grandin in print post- Weird Tales. What's the verdict on Quinn's non-De Grandin stories? I found the Is The Devil A Gentleman? selection hit and miss (suppose I should give them another go), but very much enjoyed recent encounters with Dark Rosaleen, Rebel's Rest and the French Revolution romance, Susette. Maybe Nightshade will consider a sampler?
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Post by mcannon on Apr 18, 2017 23:39:56 GMT
[/quote] Fans of these stories owe a huge debt to Robert Weinberg and R.A.W. Lowndes for keeping de Grandin in print post- Weird Tales. Exactly - I suspect that if not for them, the de Grandin tales would be much, much more obscure than they are (okay, who's the joker who just called out "And a good thing too!"?) >>What's the verdict on Quinn's non-De Grandin stories? I found the Is The Devil A Gentleman? selection hit and miss (suppose I should give them another go), but very much enjoyed recent encounters with Dark Rosaleen, Rebel's Rest and the French Revolution romance, Susette. Maybe Nightshade will consider a sampler?[/quote]>> "Hit and miss" is probably a reasonable description, but they're at least always entertaining, and sometimes several cuts above that. "Roads" is generally considered his best work, but I confess that I find its religious sentimentality a bit too cloying for my tastes. There's definitely sufficient decent material for a non-de Grandin "Best of" - It would be nice if the sales on the current series are good enough to justify one. Mark
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Post by mcannon on Apr 19, 2017 5:40:58 GMT
Hi Mark, a friend who is a huge de Grandin enthusiast was interested to hear reviews of this new edition. He owns the Battered Silicon Hatbox (or whatever that firm is called) one that now commands such stratospheric prices and shocked me somewhat by informing me via correspondence yesterday that that "luxury" edition is riddled with typos. When I mentioned that Vanbrugh's preface appears in the new edition, he asked me if this wasn't just a straight reprint of the Battered edition. He speculated that Nightshade might have taken the time to correct the typos, as he says they have a reputation for strong bibliographic standards. Did you notice typos in this new publication? If what he speaks of are scanning errors, they can be pretty egregious and sometimes words are missing or garbled in an odd way (I've noticed this with some e-editions of Sax Rohmer's books, among others). Just asking on his behalf--I enjoy the occasional de Grandin outing but am not technically a fan. cheers, H. I'll try and read a few of the stories over the next few days, Helrunar, and see if i can spot many typos. Hmmm - wonder how many times that will make that I've read "Terror on the Links" over the years? BTW, I'm intrigued to see that there is an audiobook edition of this collection. I've never been much on such things, but the prospect of hearing several hours of Jules' managed English syntax and out-RAGEOUS French accent might just be enough to make me sign up to Audible, grab my one free book and then cancel my membership...... Mark
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Post by helrunar on Apr 19, 2017 12:28:41 GMT
Thanks, Mark, for any time you can spare to check for typos in the edition. And thanks to Jojo Lapin for commenting on what you found. I remember a couple of years ago having come to the conclusion that the editor had gone the way of the dinosaur and the proliferation typos was a result of automated, electronic tools of publication. Then I was on my commute reading a fine 1960s original edition of one of Simon Raven's novels (checked out from the library, I must add--not from my own shelf) and I came across a couple of really egregious errors. So, like the poor, evidently the typographical error has always been with us. It's definitely gotten worse in the era of "software seductivity" as I used to call it.
Elricc, thanks for telling us about the "Audible" edition. And I see that Mark is interested, as well. I really think that could go either way. I'm pretty fussy in general about spoken word material--as a teenager, I got heavily into vintage radio programs which one of the college stations ran on certain evenings, so if a reader isn't a well trained actor with some talent, I just can't stick it. The Audible firm did commission a recording of one of Thomas Burnett Swann's novels, The Not-World, that interests me because the actor, Jem Matzan, did a video about the recording and his thoughts about the book, and I was impressed both by his voice and how much heartful regard he has for this author.
For what it is worth, one can supposedly buy individual recordings on "iTunes." I have not yet tried this out to see if some kind of registration is required.
cheers, H.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 19, 2017 18:02:15 GMT
"Hit and miss" is probably a reasonable description, but they're at least always entertaining, and sometimes several cuts above that. "Roads" is generally considered his best work, but I confess that I find its religious sentimentality a bit too cloying for my tastes. There's definitely sufficient decent material for a non-de Grandin "Best of" - It would be nice if the sales on the current series are good enough to justify one. Mark I'm with you on Roads. In Terror! A History of Horror Illustrations from the Pulp Magazines, Peter Haining hails it "the best story Seabury Quinn ever wrote - and perhaps the most outstanding published by Weird Tales" but can't say it strikes me as one of his, or "the unique magazine"s better moments. Mr. Quinn's exercises in no nonsense mindless sadism are way more entertaining.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Apr 19, 2017 18:30:09 GMT
"Roads" is the one about Santa Claus, right?
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Post by dem bones on Apr 19, 2017 18:54:46 GMT
"Roads" is the one about Santa Claus, right? Indeed it is.
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Post by andydecker on Apr 19, 2017 19:49:08 GMT
If obsessive collecting is a deadly disease, then I've surely reached the terminal phase. Today I received my copy of "The Horror of the Links", Volume 1 of the Nightshade Books editions of the complete Jules de Grandin. Why did I purchase this, despite already owning the 3 volume Battered Silicon Dispatch Box edition, as well as the 6 1970s paperbacks, numerous other scattered reprints of various de Grandin adventures. Mark Rest assured, you are not the only one I also have all of the above.
As far as typos are concerned, I didn't noticed yet. I don't have a recollection of finding that many in the BSDB Edition. But I have to confess that I never read all three books. After a short while I found the format a bit problematic for some leisure reading. You can't put them into a pocket, you need enough space, etc. The new edition is more readerfriendly.
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Post by andydecker on Apr 19, 2017 19:54:01 GMT
"Hit and miss" is probably a reasonable description, but they're at least always entertaining, and sometimes several cuts above that. "Roads" is generally considered his best work Mr. Quinn's exercises in no nonsense mindless sadism are way more entertaining. Yes, this is also my opinion. Roads is a nice story, but I prefer "House of Horror" any day.
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Post by mcannon on Apr 20, 2017 2:41:17 GMT
Mr. Quinn's exercises in no nonsense mindless sadism are way more entertaining. Yes, this is also my opinion. Roads is a nice story, but I prefer "House of Horror" any day. If only Quinn had thought to combine the two approaches, and write a story about Santa Claus being subjected to disfiguring surgery by a crazed toy retailer. Mark
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Post by mcannon on Apr 23, 2017 7:48:35 GMT
If obsessive collecting is a deadly disease, then I've surely reached the terminal phase. Today I received my copy of "The Horror of the Links", Volume 1 of the Nightshade Books editions of the complete Jules de Grandin. Why did I purchase this, despite already owning the 3 volume Battered Silicon Dispatch Box edition, as well as the 6 1970s paperbacks, numerous other scattered reprints of various de Grandin adventures. Mark Rest assured, you are not the only one I also have all of the above.
As far as typos are concerned, I didn't noticed yet. I don't have a recollection of finding that many in the BSDB Edition. But I have to confess that I never read all three books. After a short while I found the format a bit problematic for some leisure reading. You can't put them into a pocket, you need enough space, etc. The new edition is more reader friendly.
Two pages into the very first story and I've already spotted two typos, both of which also appear in the Battered Silicon Dispatch Box edition; "gaffly" for (I assume) "gruffly", and "dub" for club". I suspect they may be the result of earlier texts being scanned for reproduction and then inadequately proofread. To be honest though I'm not sure if I'd have noticed them - particularly the second one - if I hadn't been specifically looking for typos. Hopefully such errors aren't quite that common in the remainder of the book, but I imagine that if I resume my normal reading style I'll blithely slide over most of them. Mark
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Post by ropardoe on Jul 16, 2017 9:54:05 GMT
Seabury Quinn has just won the Cordwainer Smith Discovery Award: "The juried award goes each year to a science fiction or fantasy writer whose work displays unusual originality, embodies the spirit of Cordwainer Smith’s fiction, and deserves renewed attention or 'Rediscovery'." file770.com/?p=36363
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Jul 16, 2017 10:39:15 GMT
Seabury Quinn has just won the Cordwainer Smith Discovery Award I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but Seabury Quinn is, you know, dead. I am sure he would have been delighted, though.
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Post by ropardoe on Jul 16, 2017 10:54:31 GMT
Seabury Quinn has just won the Cordwainer Smith Discovery Award I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but Seabury Quinn is, you know, dead. I am sure he would have been delighted, though. Er, I think you'll find that all the recipients of the award are dead (including Olaf Stapledon, Abraham Merritt, William Hope Hodgson and Fred Brown) - that's kind of the point! I never said Quinn would be picking it up in person - but I suppose you never know.
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