Publisher talk:The Easton Press

The Masterpieces of Science Fiction

• Is there a way to tell if an Easton publication is included in this series?
• Is a source available for some of the claims made in the lead-in paragraph?
  • "In 1986, Easton began publishing a series of novels" How to we know it's a "series?
  • "with commissioned introductions and artwork." How do we know this?
  • "There are now more than 140 volumes in the series." How do we know this as they are not numbered?
  • "Each publication is bound in embossed leather of various colors" I suspect this is ok as all of the Easton publications I've seen seem to be like this though that's not evidence that "Each" publication is bound this way.
  • "with titles in 22kt gold." How do we know this?
  • "The pages are made of acid-neutral paper" How to we know this?
  • "are gilded on three sides." I suspect this is ok as all of the Easton publications I've seen seem to be like this though that's not evidence that all publication in the series are bound this way.
• Is a source available for the overall table?

Marc Kupper (talk) 20:17, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

I'll try to answer these in the order in which they were asked.

• The only verifiable way to tell if a title is in the series is to have been a subscriber, or to have purchased second-hand the various volumes. The books have graphic endpapers that indicate they're part of the series. Subscribers also received periodic updates that show what had been published in the series, sent mainly to those who joined after the series began and who could "catch up" with any volumes that were still in print. Secondary sources include Locus1, this website, and this eBay guide. This last list is very limited as far as info, even truncating titles, and the last four titles have never been published, as far as I know. Otherwise Easton would have contacted me that they've added new titles, which hasn't happened since 2002.
• • Well, the first book was published in 1986. And the "series" (for lack of a better word) is titled by the publisher The Masterpieces of Science Fiction, which would make it a publisher series (but not in the sense that we use the word here on the ISFDB, or I would have simply put all the pubs into that kind of series.)
  • Easton's promotional literature state this and the dates of the introductions and artwork copyright speak to it as well. There are rare pieces that are reprinted, but when known, I note that in the pub notes.
  • I've counted them. If there's 500, the statement remains truthful.
  • Now we're getting a little picky, aren't we? Should I amend the statement to say "all the ones in Mhhutchins' personal possession"? AFAIK, Easton doesn't publish non-leatherbound editions. Isn't that their raison d'etre?
  • That's what Easton's literature states. I haven't taken out my scales, scraped a bit off and did a personal measurement.
  • Same as above, another claim by Easton. But after more than 20 years, the pages of the first volume looks as bright the last.
  • Easton claims it, and all of my copies are gilded on all exposed sides.
• See the links above. And the one I'm trying to create.

I find it somewhat amusing that you removed my use of the word "classic" (as advertising copy) when you used "high quality" to describe Easton's publications. Hmmm. Wonder which description an advertiser would have used? And how can describing a book as "fully" leatherbound be considered "advertising"? Perhaps when the product is compared to one which is only quarter-bound or half-bound in leather?

Still a lot of fuss over 50 words (more or less). Here's my impersonal, objective rewrite of that paragraph:

In the mid-80s, Easton began publishing novels that they call The Masterpieces of Science Fiction. They claim to have included commissioned introductions and artwork. There are between 1 and 500 volumes in this so-called series. Each publication is bound in embossed leather of various colors (well, at least, more than one) with titles in 22kt gold (if we are to believe the publisher's promotional material, but then we know they're only in it for the money). The pages are made of acid-neutral paper (which we'll be able to prove in a few more decades) and are gilded on three sides (if we count correctly.)

If that works for you, please feel free to transfer it. MHHutchins 01:04, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

Thank you - I don't mind the existing wording if we could cite sources for the claims. Presumably it's all from Easton sales literature though it may be better if we could cite one or more publications. For example, I see "Bound in genuine leather" on the title page. Many genuines were killed to make these books! It's late and I need to be up early. Marc Kupper (talk) 07:52, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm a bit late to the party here, but I did find the following article helpful in addressing many of the issues discussed above. Albinoflea 05:57, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

David L Williams & James Gunn. 2001. An Easton Press science fiction bibliography. Extrapolation 42, no. 2, (July 1): 165-188.