User talk:Afbrown

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Welcome!

Hello, Afbrown, and welcome to the ISFDB Wiki! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will insert your name and the date. If you need help, check out the community portal, or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! Mhhutchins 13:57, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)

Solution Three by Naomi Mitchison

Thank you for the submission of this edition of Mitchison's novel. There were a couple of changes I made to have it conform to ISFDB standards. In the binding field, I changed "paperback" to "pb" and added a # sign before the catalog number (to distinguish it from an ISBN, just in case it had the same number of digits of a standard ISBN.) I was also able to find the page count and the cover artist from the OCLC record. Thanks for the contribution. Mhhutchins 14:03, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)

Science Fiction Classics entry

I have about twenty more issues of this magazine, which appeared under a progression of similar titles through the mid seventies. I don't believe that any of them have been entered in the database. Please let me know what I can do to conform to your preferred format when submitting these. Thanks. Afbrown 17:43, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Just approved your first submission of this issue. It looked pretty good for someone new to the database. There's only a couple of things to keep in mind. We title the record with the periodical's name and date, e.g. Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, January 1969. If the issue is not dated then a numerical system is acceptable. In the case of your issue, the title should be "Science Fiction Classics, Fall 1967". Place the volume and/or issue number in the notes field. So this issue would be noted as "Issue #2". If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:11, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)
I went ahead and made the changes that I pointed out above. Because the stories of this magazine were reprints, most of them are already in the database. So the new records created by your submission will have to be merged with the pre-existing titles. If you'd like to try your hand at doing that, please feel free. Let me know if you need assistance and I can walk you through the process. Mhhutchins 18:18, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)
Can you double check to see who is the editor of this issue? Marshall Tymn and Mike Ashley's Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines gives the credit to Herb Lehrman. Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:23, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)
Jack Lester is listed as editor and publisher for Science Fiction Classics, Fall 1967. There is no mention of Herb Lehrman anywhere. Afbrown 18:31, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown
Thanks for checking. A rare instance where Tymn & Ashley are wrong. Funny thing is, in their write-up about the magazine they mention that Lester is the editor, but in their summary of the publication's history, they credit Lehrman. In fact, they say that "Jack Lester" was really Sol Cohen and that "Magazine Productions" was an imprint Cohen concocted during his run-in with SFWA about reprinting stories without compensating their authors. Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:14, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)

(unindent)I've accepted your next two issues, but again, moved the issue number from the ISBN field to the notes field. Later magazines had ISSNs, and some editors place that in the ISBN field. Otherwise, just leave that field blank when entering magazines. Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:19, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)

okay, I'll take note of that. I tried merging the titles for the first issue and noticed a discrepancy in the author name for the "Doctor Mentiroso" entry. Let me know if I handled that correctly. Afbrown 19:43, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown
Yeah, you properly created the variant. Congrats! And the merges look very good as well. Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:10, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)
Excellent work, folks! I don't have access to my collection until the end of the year, but I have Wysocki's Checklist with me and according to him, the first "Winter" issue (#3) was published in December 1967 while #7 was published in January 1969 and #12 was published in December 1970. (He also gives the months when all other issues appeared.) Do we have an alternative source for the current dates in the Wiki? Tymn and Ashley, perhaps? Ahasuerus 21:43, 12 Dec 2007 (CST)
The NESFA Index (1966-1970) agrees with Wysocki, so I've changed the Winter issues on the Wiki page to the year of publication provide by these corroborating sources. Tymn and Ashley only gives info when the issues changed names (and, heaven help me, I've never seen a mag with such a convoluted history!) Mhhutchins 20:21, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

David H. Keller's "The Rat Race"

I have approved the addition of Science Fiction Adventure Classics, Fall 1969 and linked it from the Wiki page. Since it was a reprint magazine, I then began merging the newly added Titles with our pre-existing ones. One Title that I am not sure about is David H. Keller's "The Rat Race". The closest we have to this title is Keller's "The Rat Racket". Could you please double check your copy of the magazine to see what it says on the title page? TIA! Ahasuerus 17:22, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

The NESFA Index to SF Magazines 1966-1970 shows the title is "The Rat Racket". Mhhutchins 19:43, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)
You're right, the story is called "the Rat Racket" on its title page. "Rat Race" is an error in the TOC, and repeated on the front cover too! Afbrown 20:12, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown
I've made the correction and placed a note about the mistitle in the TOC and cover. Mhhutchins 20:50, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

Breaking Windows

Thanks for adding this new anthology. Most of it looks fine. My one concern is how the records with translators were entered. By adding the sub-title (English translation) to the author's name, a new author is automatically created by the system, and this piece will only appear on that newly created summary page. The database at the moment doesn't easily handle credits other than author, e.g. translator. For the time being, translators are credited in the note field of the title record (not the pub record.) Also when adding a generic record such as "Introduction", "Preface", etc., add the pub's title in order to distinguish it from similar titles. So make it "Introduction (Breaking Windows)". Thanks for your contributions. Mhhutchins 19:51, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

Also, who was the subject of the Paul Witcover interview? I assume that Dan Pearlman is the interviewee in that piece but it wasn't included in the submission. And is the translator of two of the pieces named Alice Copple-Tosic or Alice Cople-Tosic? Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:55, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)
Okay, I'll make a note of that regarding translations. The Witcover interview is with Tony Daniel. I guess I should have included the subtitle from the title page. The traslator's name is Copple-Tosic Afbrown 20:16, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Actually, there is a field in the contents entry area of interviews to add the interviewee as well as the title of the piece and the interviewer. I went ahead and made the changes I suggested in my first comment:

  1. Changed title of "Introduction" to "Introduction (Breaking Walls)"
  2. Added Tony Daniel as the interviewee in the Witcover interview
  3. Added Dan Pearlman as the interviewee in the VanderMeer interview
  4. Removed translators as authors from three of the pieces, and added credit in the notes of each. Mhhutchins 20:40, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

Budrys' Benchmarks

Are the individual reviews in this collection cited? Or are the columns as they appeared in Galaxy credited individually? I'd loved to see which were reprinted so that I can link them with their original appearances. That is, if you're up to the task! :-) Mhhutchins 20:46, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

Shouldn't the "Forward" by Budrys be "Foreword"? And if so, it should also be "Foreword (Benchmarks)". Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:55, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)
As an aside, I recall verifying a publication where the foreword was misspelled "Forward" :) Ahasuerus 21:03, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)

No, Budrys was being clever. The piece is entitled "Forward". This is a complete compilation of Budrys' columns for Galaxy, but they proceed by month without stating what material being reviewed. There is a list of books reviewed at the end of the book, giving the issue date, volume and number for reference purposes. Also, a comprehensive index is given. The individual columns are not listed in the TOC, but paging through the book I see every item listed on Budrys' bibliography page, Feb. '65 through Nov-Dec '71. All are reprinted as they appeared in the magazine, not from manuscripts, so the citations already in the database could probably be cloned. Afbrown 22:37, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Thanks for the verification on the "Forward". As for the suggestion about entering the book's contents, I don't believe it's possible to clone selected contents from a magazine for transference to another publication. Or is there a trick of the db that's escaped me, Ahasuerus? Mhhutchins 23:38, 15 Dec 2007 (CST)
Nothing that would let you do it directly, I am afraid. I guess you could convert the magazine to an Anthology, zap the EDITOR Title record, then Clone, then expurgate, then convert the original back to Magazine, etc but that way lies insanity :( It's much easier to enter the contents directly and then merge with pre-existing Titles as needed. Ahasuerus 02:38, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)
This might be the time when our prolific magazine seriesizers can justify The Galaxy Bookshelf Series - at least you can copy all the titles from one place! (Although they're not particularly GOOD titles.) BLongley 05:45, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)
I mean to try cloning a magazine at some point (for the time-shifted British editions) as retyping this submission was pretty slow and isn't done yet - but I'm still waiting for a Magazine mod to have a look at that, it's a bigger test than the previous magazine submission. BLongley 05:45, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

The Globoid Terror by Starzl or Starzyl

Can you verify the spelling of the author's name of this story in Science Fiction Classics, Fall 1968? Check the page on which the story begins. Thanks. Mhhutchins 00:15, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

And another one. Does Hamilton's story "The Revolt of the Tenth World" begin with "The" on the first page of the story in Science Fiction Adventure Classics, Winter 1969? The original publication was titled simply "Revolt of the Tenth World". I see the cover shows the "The" but that's not always correct. Thanks. Mhhutchins 00:19, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

-The Globoid Terror is as by R. F. Starzl on the title page and cover, but is spelled "Starzyl" in the TOC -The Hamilton story begins with "The" on the title page as well as the cover and TOC Afbrown 16:47, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Thanks. We always go with the title and author credit that appears on the first page of the story. Errors occur more often in the table of contents that I'd like to admit. Mhhutchins 18:25, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

More Science Fiction Classics

  • Did the March 1973 not have Classics in its title?
  • Could you put the month in the date for them.

Thanks Dana Carson 02:57, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

Answer to the first question: yes, meaning it did not have "Classics" in its title. Second question: no, it added the "s" from July 1973 to July 1974 (but there was a colon in the title.) See the Wiki page for Science Fiction Classics for further info. Thanks. Mhhutchins 09:38, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)
The editor seems to have had a short attention span. Thanks. Dana Carson 14:39, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

Science Fiction Adventure Classics, September 1972

In this submission, the Coblentz story is listed as "Into the Footsteps of the Wasp". Contento lists the original publication as "In the Footsteps of the Wasp". If you have the actual publication, could you verify the title? Alvonruff 08:03, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

-The title on the title page is "In the Footsteps of the Wasp", the same as its original publication. The cover and TOC list the story as "Into..."Afbrown 16:54, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Thanks for the the clarification. Mhhutchins 18:25, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

SF Classics, Sep 1973

Can you verify the title of the story by John Norman in this issue? There is record of the original title being "The Lost Colony - A Strange Civilization in the Heart of the Superstition Mountains". Does this reprint include the subtitle? Thanks. Mhhutchins 10:37, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

By "James Norman", I assume. (Is this as close as bibliographers come to Freudian slips? :-)
P.S. We list his legal name as "Norman, James Norman". Could we check Tuck et al to see whether the middle name was really Norman? Ahasuerus 10:52, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)
Sorry, both stories are by James Norman, just a difference in the additional subtitle. And Tuck says his middle name is Schmidt. Mhhutchins 11:54, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)
The FictionMag Index gives his full name as "James Norman Schmidt" and there is biographical information at the Ohio University Libraries Web site, which explains that he was an academic, so a nom de plume made sense. I have updated our Author record accordingly. Ahasuerus 14:00, 16 Dec 2007 (CST)

-The title page of the story does indeed include the subtitle. Afbrown 16:56, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Thanks for clearing that up. Mhhutchins 18:25, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

Science Fiction Adventures Classics, March 1974

I mistakenly left off the word "Classics" from the title of this entry. Afbrown 17:55, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)abrown

Corrected. Thanks. Also in this issue: Is there a subtitle to "Warriors of Other Worlds" by Morris J. Steele, such as Callisto, Mercury, Saturn, Uranus or Venus? There were several pieces by him in the early 40s in Amazing, and I'm trying to determine which essay this one is. (Or is it all of them?) Also, is Arthur Tofte credited as "Arthur R. Tofte" on the story's title page? Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:13, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

-There is no subtitle to the Steele essay, but the piece is about Uranus. Arthur Tofte is credited without the "R." on the title page, simply "Arthur Tofte" throughout the issue. Afbrown 21:50, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

SF Adventures, May 1974

Is there a super-title for the Willy Ley essay in this issue? Such as "Landscapes of Other Worlds"? Mhhutchins 18:30, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

-No super-title, only "Venus -- World of Mystery" throughout. Afbrown 19:33, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

SF Adventures, Jul 1974

In this issue is Heinlein credited with his middle initial ("A.") and is Campbell credited as a "Jr."? Also, I can't find any previous publication for "The First Science-Fiction Story" by S. M. Ritter. Is there any indication that this is an original piece? Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:39, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

-Heinlein is credited only by first and last name, leaving out his middle initial throughout the issue.

-Campbell is credited as "John W. Campbell, Jr." on the title page, but without the "Jr." in the TOC

-There is no indication that the Ritter piece is original, nor that it is a reprint. Afbrown 19:32, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

F&SF, June 2007

Thanks for adding this missing issue of F&SF, but keep in mind that when adding a periodical that is monthly dated be sure to include the month in the date field, i.e. 2007-06-00. I should have made this clear when you were adding the Science Fiction Classics that were month dated, but failed to mention it. (The first ones were dated by season, so the SFC of Fall 1969, would simply be dated 1969-00-00.) Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:55, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

Forgot to mention, if you place the date in the date field of the publication, you can leave the date fields of the contents blank. The system will automatically provide the same date. Same thing goes for reviews, which should be dated the date of the review, not the publication date of the book being reviewed. I've gone ahead and made the corrections to this issue of F&SF. Mhhutchins 18:59, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)
Ditto for the September issue of F&SF. I've changed the dates of all the content records to 2007-09-00. Mhhutchins 19:10, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

-Okay, I'll remember that. Thanks for letting me know. Afbrown 19:40, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

S. M. Ritter = Simpson M. Ritter

Can you double-check to see if "The First Science-Fiction Story" by S. M. Ritter in this issue of Science Fiction Adventures: Classics is credited as Simpson M. Ritter on the title page of the piece? And is "Science-Fiction" definitely hyphenated on the title page as well? Thanks. Mhhutchins 21:53, 17 Dec 2007 (CST)

-Actually, this essay is not listed in the TOC at all. It simply appears on page 63. The credit is given to "S. M. Ritter", with "Science-Fiction" clearly hyphenated in the title. Afbrown 08:47, 18 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

accidental premature submissions

I seem to keep submitting data accidentally, but I don't know what I'm pushing that does that. It only takes a slip of a finger. Anybody know what keys I'm hitting? I'll try to stay away from them in the future. Thanks. Afbrown 12:33, 18 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

Typically, it's the "Enter" key that causes problems. Some editors have gone so far as to remap it. Ahasuerus 12:44, 18 Dec 2007 (CST)

Star of the Unborn & A Strange Manuscript...

I accepted (with a couple of tweaks) your submissions of these two books: Star of the Unborn and A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. For the first I added the catalog #7915, credit for the cover artist and a link to the cover art. For the second I added two content entries: for the interior illustrations and for the foreword, and added as well cover artist credit and a link to the cover art. Please check out both records to see if the cover art matches your editions. Thanks. Mhhutchins 16:13, 18 Dec 2007 (CST)

Yes, the covers are correct. The Werfel cover has a visible signature, which I couldn't quite make out. I was wondering who the artist was.Afbrown 16:27, 18 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown

. . . And My Fear Is Great . . . /. . . and my fear is great

I guess the lack of three dots is enough to demand a variant, but is there any particular reason that the 3-dot version is not regularised to have capital letters in? BLongley 11:33, 19 Dec 2007 (CST)

The title of the story is given in all lower-case letters on the title page of the antho, as well as the TOC and copyright page. Afbrown 20:49, 19 Dec 2007 (CST)afbrown
And none of the other titles are? Weird. Oh well, we allow non-regularisation if there's a reason for it. I don't have a copy to check, I'll let it through and let someone else explain it. BLongley 13:41, 20 Dec 2007 (CST)

"What I Didn't See"

I have approved the submitted merge of the two apostrophe-challenged Title records, but then modified the "Storylen" field from "sf" (short fiction) to "ss". When merging an "sf" version of a Title with a more specific version, i.e. "ss", "nt" or "nv", the more specific version usually wins. "sf" is just a temporary designation that we use when we are not sure whether a short fiction piece is a novella, a novelette or a short story. In this case one of the versions was marked "ss", so I used the page count and the fact that it had won an award in the short story category to double check and then changed it to "ss".

It's easy to make this mistake when merging a lot of titles in a row, but over time we all develop a sort of reflex that tells us what permutations are potentially troublesome. The worst case scenario is when two Titles are clearly identical, but their respective Storylen designations differ and the page count is right on the border. That's when you have to do an actual word count, which is tedious at best and impossible (when the affected publications are not available) at worst. Ah, the life of a bibliographer! :-) Ahasuerus 22:12, 20 Dec 2007 (CST)

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