User talk:Mhhutchins/Archive/2013Sep-Dec

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RJ Astruc

I'm writing here, since your posting in moderators is about the registration process, and not Astruc herself. But it certainly appears as if in her writing Rachel always uses "RJ", no periods, no spaces. Her Amazon page lists her that way, and all but one of the 12 titles shown on that page list her exclusively as "RJ". The exception is "Resistance Front" where the Look-Inside shows her as "R.J." in the ToC, but as "RJ" on the story title page. A story sent out by her and her husband from Daily Science Fiction also lists her as "RJ". If you wanted to verify, you could always send her email -- I found two email addresses for her: rachel@cutlunchlit.com and blackawhatz@gmail.com. Chavey 14:03, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Some of the stories have been primary verified as by "R. J." so I'm not going to change those. I'll make "RJ" the canonical name and variant those that have been primary verified. Thanks. Mhhutchins 14:30, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Re: welcome Message

Hi Michael. Thanks for the welcome message, and for moving the content to the right page. I did try to edit my user page but was told that I couldn't until I'd been through the email verification process... which I thought I had done.

One question I have is: where is the best place to talk about using the ISFDB data for other projects? There used to be an offsite board where such things were discussed, going into detail about SQL and such. (The Development section is about the actual ISFDB software.) And is there a 'notice board' where links to such projects (if appropriate) could be placed? TIA Mjcrossuk 23:11, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

I know very little about software development, so I would suggest posting a message on the ISFDB:Community Portal. That's where the most people as possible will be able to see it. Someone among them will be able to point you in the right direction. Again, welcome to the ISFDB. Mhhutchins 23:16, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Locus #631

FYI, I just made a submission to correct a typo in the issue number for Bisson's 'This Month in History' feature for Locus #631. Albinoflea 06:05, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Submission accepted. Thanks for finding this. I also forgot to place it into the series. Mhhutchins 17:00, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Probable missing variant & pseudonym or typo found ...

... for this review in Locus #620. Stonecreek 08:48, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

It's a typo which I've now corrected. Thanks for finding it. Mhhutchins 17:00, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Lupoff's and Ellison's preface & introduction for Space War Blues

Michael, could you just take a short look into your two verified publications of the novel from 1978 and 1980 if the two essays really differ in title (in which case they should be varianted, I think). If the latter is the case, you may also have to decide which one should be the parent. Thanks, Christian Stonecreek 09:30, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

I didn't do the original entry on the pb record, but I should have caught the error (as the other primary verifiers should have!) I'll do the merges. Thanks for finding this. Mhhutchins 17:00, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

The 1983 Annual World's Best SF

Hi, started discussion over at bluesman's page, & would like your input. He is primary for the book & you aare 2nd ver., while you are prim ver for the bibliography. Thanks Datil_Mountain_Muse 14:44, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

I've responded on the other editor's page. BTW, we are all primary verifiers of the publication record. The order in which an editor verifies a record doesn't matter. Thanks. Mhhutchins 15:28, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

Duplicate submissions

I have captured the relevant data, so please feel free to reject the 12 duplicates in the queue. (Marty and I have been working on the problem for the last 24 hours, but so far all we have done is disprove a number of hypotheses.)

Also, have you seen any new duplicates in the last few days, i.e. since the patch that made the approval process mark submission records as "approved" in one fell swoop rather than piecemeal? Ahasuerus 02:25, 26 September 2013 (UTC)

I've not noticed any since the ones in the queue occurred. (At that time I stopped rejecting them.) But then, I've not been as active the last couple of days as I was previously. Let's hope this solves most of the problems. Thanks. Mhhutchins 03:35, 26 September 2013 (UTC)
Here is to hope! :) Ahasuerus 03:57, 26 September 2013 (UTC)

Sturgeon introduction to Roadside Picnic

I've just added details of the first UK Gollancz hc of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, for which there was a previous note stating it's not known if Sturgeon's introduction is the same as that in your verified Roadside Picnic / Tale of the Troika. The Gollancz hc essay begins "Good science fiction is good fiction". There's already another Sturgeon title for "Introduction (Roadside Picnic)" that appeared in the Gollancz SF Collectors' Edition, and I recall that being the same as this essay. I'll merge that, but we can now establish if we need to variant as well. Can you check, please? Thanks. PeteYoung 04:54, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

The one in my verified record starts like that one, but it introduces both "Roadside Picnic" and "Tale of the Troika" (as "Tale of a Troika" and in just one lengthy paragraph, the penultimate one of the essay). The part that relates to "Roadside Picnic" ends with the sentence "You won't forget it." Unless yours mentions "Troika" we'll have to leave them separate with notes explaining the relationship. Mhhutchins 05:18, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
In that case it looks like they should remain two separate records: there's no mention of Troika, and the Gollancz essay also adds another paragraph after "You won't forget it." (a word of appreciation to the translator). It would appear that the Gollancz essay was perhaps excerpted from the Macmillan edition's longer essay. Okay, thanks. PeteYoung 05:37, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

William Stout

Michael, you verified a pub (Ultimate Dinosaurs) with artwork attributed to "William G. Stout". I entered a pub with art by "W. H. Stout" recently. In looking up W. H. Stout, I found four artists, including the above mentioned Stouts, plus "William Stout" (by far the most prolific) and "William H. Stout". I suspect that there is only one William Stout artist. Are you sure your citation is given as "William G."? And even if it is, do you think it likely that all four of these citations are for the same artist? Bob 15:20, 6 October 2013 (UTC)

All six of them appear in one publication and each piece is individually and explicitly credited to "William G. Stout". He's obviously the same artist as William Stout to whom I will variant the records. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Mhhutchins 22:27, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
William H. Stout is not an artist, but the author of four short stories. I don't believe you should have varianted this record to the author. Does the piece in Spoor Anthology look like other work by the artist William Stout? (There's plenty of his images on the internet to compare, and his style is pretty recognizable.) If it is, the variant should be changed. Mhhutchins 22:34, 6 October 2013 (UTC)
The ToC gives the artist as W. H. Stout, but the signature on the illustration is William H. Stout. The illustration is not great art -- the author and artist could be the same person, and the variant seems reasonable to me. Looking at William Stout's artwork (Coven 13 covers), he's a much better artist that William H. Bob 18:27, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
Then we'll keep the status quo. William G. Stout is a pseudonym of William Stout, and W. H. Stout is a pseudonym of William H. Stout. But there is still no empirical evidence that artist W. H. Stout is the author William H. Stout although both's work appeared in fanzines. Mhhutchins 22:08, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

Science Fiction Age, November 1992

I just dug up some old copies of this magazine and found some inconsistencies in the publication record for this issue.

  • The story "Undercover" actually starts on page 33. Page 32 is all artwork.
  • The story "A Dangerous Knowledge" along with its artwork actually start on page 38, not page 39.
  • The story "A Tale from the War" actually starts on page 55. Page 54 is all artwork.
  • The interior artwork on page 61 is listed as short fiction by Whelan.
  • Some interior artwork is not listed for the essay "Blueprinter of Our Future". There are a total of seven paintings by McCall and only the first one is listed.

Funslinger 19:21, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

According to the help page: If a magazine presents a story with artwork on the first page, but no text from the story, that page should still be counted as the first page unless there is no title, author's name, or other direct evidence that the artwork is part of the presentation of the story. So the first and third items above are correct. The second and fourth items are mistakes, which I will correct. The last item is a matter of preference (see the same help page). The one INTERIORART record represents McCall's illustrating the essay, and it is not necessary to create individual records for each work. Thanks for finding the errors. Mhhutchins 19:53, 10 October 2013 (UTC)
No problem and thanks for the edit help. Funslinger 19:57, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Citizen of the Galaxy

Replaced the amazon image with a scan and added the title page art to the contents [as it is credited on the copyright page] to [this]. Just picked up three of the four Heinleins in this series and it is really strange that each has a distinct LOC # but none are valid. Not what one would expect from a major publisher. --~ Bill, Bluesman 21:00, 14 October 2013 (UTC)

Would you expect it from a government employee? It's possible the publisher was assigned these numbers, but a clerk at the LoC failed to create a record of them when they were adding records to the internet. Do each of them have different title page art? If it's the same, it would be better to give them one title and merge them. My cover is better and when I get a chance I'll replace the one you've uploaded. Thanks. Mhhutchins 21:14, 14 October 2013 (UTC)
Each of the three reproduces the title page art from the original editions [I have all three to compare]. If your cover is cleaner then absolutely replace the image. All three have sunned spines but I got them for a song [and a couple of $], my singing wouldn't garner much except tomatoes of the rotten variety. Would have been nice to get the fourth [apparently Star Beast was also done]. Cheers! --~ Bill, Bluesman 23:28, 14 October 2013 (UTC)
New cover scan uploaded. Mhhutchins 23:53, 14 October 2013 (UTC)

On an unrelated subject: has there been a determination/discussion/decision that images from advertising are now admissible as interior artwork?? I looked but couldn't find anything recent. --~ Bill, Bluesman 23:31, 14 October 2013 (UTC)

I'm a little uncertain about what you mean. If you're referring to an essay which is illustrated by ads for a publication, then I wouldn't think it necessary to create an interiorart record. But I don't think there's anything banning it outright. But if it's a magazine record which has content records of the interiorart type for advertising pages, then that shouldn't be done. I couldn't tell you where it's documented, but it has to be somewhere in the help pages. Do you have a specific example to point to? Mhhutchins 23:53, 14 October 2013 (UTC)
Oh, yeah. Try ANY of the recent records done for program guides of ***Cons. Not only are the advertising images used as contents but variants [our DB is absolutely sick with variants] are being entered for images of books in ads. Small sample: [here], pages 20, 22. There are many more. Frankly I think this 'moderator's flag should be shredded..... These records are way off the supposed track of this DB. Makes me wonder why I'm here. --~ Bill, Bluesman 01:46, 15 October 2013 (UTC)
Yes, there's a lot of detail there, so much that you can't see the forest for all of the trees! I don't think there's anything prohibiting such detail, but I would go along with any movement to ban the creation of interiorart record for book covers that are included to illustrate an essay. Can you imagine all of the reviews in which a cover of the book is included in the review? If you start a discussion on the Rules & Standards page, I'll give my two cents. Mhhutchins 02:00, 15 October 2013 (UTC)
Looking at this I could find nothing that presently prohibits the inclusion of book covers as interiorart. I just always assumed that it's just unreasonable to create individual content records for them. Silly me! Mhhutchins 02:00, 15 October 2013 (UTC)

Cover art for Clash By Night

The undetermined cover art for your verified Clash By Night is by Chris Moore, appearing in his collection Parallel Lines on page 65. PeteYoung 03:16, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll add the credit and note the source. Mhhutchins 19:12, 20 October 2013 (UTC)

Shardik

Michael, I added the endpaper map to the credits for Shardik (BC edition), and words on where the artist is credited in the notes. Bob 00:02, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for adding a record for the endpaper map, but there should be no page number given for the content record. The help page gives this definition of "ep" as unpaginated pages that follow pagination which means those pages at the end of a book which are not numbered. I'll remove the page designation and indicate in the notes that the map is on the endpapers of the book. Thanks again. Mhhutchins 21:26, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

The Silmarillion

Does your verified pub have a map titled 'The Realms of the Noldor and the Sindor'? My edition has it opposite page 120. Thanks for looking. PeteYoung 05:46, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes, it's there. But I could find no credit. Where does it appear in your copy? Mhhutchins 14:53, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
It's not credited explicitly, so I've removed Christopher Tolkein's credit for it and considerably expanded the note re. the maps in my pub. CT refers to both maps in his Foreword concerning his assemblage of the book and the style matches the larger signed map. PeteYoung 15:46, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

James Cambias

In your verified The New York Review of Science Fiction, August 2008, there is a review by James Cambias. Is there anything in that publication to indicate that this might be the same person as James L. Cambias? Thanks. -- JLaTondre (talk) 23:27, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

It only mentions he lives in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Looking at this bio on James L. Cambias page, he says he lives in western Massachusetts. I'm pretty sure it's the same person. I'll make a pseudonym and variant. Thanks. Mhhutchins 23:34, 29 October 2013 (UTC)

The Iron Man with the Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan

Michael, a friend of mine is putting together a bibliography for Glenn Lord, the late agent for the works of Robert E. Howard. He pointed out a number of errors in the data base involving Lord in an e-mail. One of these involved an introduction to The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan in this pub. I left a note with Nimravus about the error, and he has suggested that I contact a moderator to resolve the problem. Thus this note. I don't see that there is a real problem; the introduction in question is the same as that in the hc pub, which is properly credited. But I leave it up to you. Bob 00:00, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

My response is on Nimravus's talk page. Mhhutchins 00:22, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

Help with "Troll Special Edition"

I could use some help with this, if you wouldn't mind. Thanks. --MartyD 12:10, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Heroic Visions

Found a signature on the cover of [this]. Runs vertically along the right side of the figure with the scythe. I can make out the last name as 'Grant' but can't quite decode the first name. Any ideas? I didn't add the credit yet, hoping for a full name. --~ Bill, Bluesman 23:04, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

I can't make it out, and would just settle, for now, as it being illegible. Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:57, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

Looking Backward, from the Year 2000

Have identified the artist for [this] cover as J.H. Breslow from the familiar initials JHB on the cover. 1" up and 1 1/4" in from the bottom right corner. Cheers! --~ Bill, Bluesman 03:29, 18 November 2013 (UTC)

Poyser = Victoria Poyser?

Michael, I do suspect that this artist, active in your verified issue of Galaxy, November-December 1978 could be a pseudonym of Victoria Poyser. Maybe there are some similarities in style that could sustain this? Stonecreek 05:04, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

This was about four years before the earliest record in the db for VP, but it could very well be the same artist. Give me a chance to pull out that issue and see if there are similarities in style or a visible signature that appears on later work by VP. Thanks. Mhhutchins 05:41, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
This is the work of Victoria Poyser, based on the style and the signature. I've given the full name in the credits. Thanks for finding this and bringing it to my attention. Mhhutchins 17:18, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
Glad to be of some use. Stonecreek 17:54, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

The Column at the Market's Edge

Hello, Michael. Could you please take a look at The Motion of Light in Water. The above mentioned essay was published as an interview in Silent Interviews. The answers by Delany take the majority of the text, but it still follows the scheme of question / answer, I think.

Also, the two editors of Camera Obscura are mentioned in the short introduction in Silent Interviews, but it should suffice to credit them as 'Editors of Camera Obscura', don't you think? Christian Stonecreek 14:06, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

The form of the piece as published in the Delany book isn't an interview. That's why the short introduction states that it "began" as a written interview. There is one question, followed by a 44 page essay. It begins as a response to the question and then goes off into other territories. If this is the same piece in Silent Interviews, then you can variant that record with this essay record. But the piece in the Delany book, I think, should remain typed as ESSAY. But if it's a Q&A interview, it's not the same work. Mhhutchins 15:42, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
Well, at first glance it doesn't appear as interview in Silent Interviews, after all there are only three questions which aren't specially emphasized: after about a third, there's a new department titled Desire and the Law, S/M and a further sixth of the text on another one titled Writing/History/Fantasy, both of which begin with a paragraph that wasn't written by Delany. Stonecreek 16:23, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
Ah-ha! I missed those other two "questions". The second one in the book is labeled "Desire and the Law/SM" which I guess is close enough to be the same. I have changed mine from ESSAY to INTERVIEW. (Here it is.) You can variant as you see best. Mhhutchins 18:25, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
Thanks for looking again, Michael! If this would have been published in another context than a collection of interviews I would have missed the title type as well. Stonecreek 18:45, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
No, the printing in The Motion of Light in Water marks the first publication. I had planned to add notes to the respective interviews after reading them (about 18 years after I obtained the book at Intersection where Delany was GoH), but I'll go ahead and add a note to that right now. Stonecreek 07:38, 28 November 2013 (UTC)
Does your book acknowledge the original source of the interview? Although I note that it was first published in The Motion of Light in Water, I don't recall the source for that. Was it ever published in Camera Obscura? Mhhutchins 20:52, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

Mother Night

The initials on the cover of [this] are dip, Don Ivan Punchatz. Cheers! --~ Bill, Bluesman 03:21, 28 November 2013 (UTC)

It absolutely is his signature, and his identifiable style. Thanks, I 'll add it to the record. Mhhutchins 17:19, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

Jason V. Brock

In your verified Locus, #618 July 2012, there is an essay as by Jason V. Brock. This is probably Jason V Brock (no period after the V). Would you mind double checking the period or whether a variant needs to be created? Thanks. -- JLaTondre (talk) 16:04, 28 November 2013 (UTC)

The record was entered as credited. I'll create a variant to the author's canonical name. Thanks. Mhhutchins 17:21, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

Asimov's Science Fiction, December 2010

I made this story a part of a series as mentioned in the August 2012 issue of Asimov's. MLB 10:45, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Croatian translation of The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis

Just came across this, wasn't sure if you'd seen it (I don't have my hands on a copy yet), but it is in Monolit #6, which came out originally in 1990 and appears to have been reprinted in 2000:

http://www.znaksagite.com/knjizara/index.php?id_product=224&controller=product and http://www.kupindo.com/Naucna-fantastika/15081621_MONOLIT-6

Albinoflea 11:30, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Also new to me! Thanks for the heads-up. Mhhutchins 17:10, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
A little more digging turned up this list as well; sadly no links but perhaps a good jumping off point for further research. It also lists Croatian translations of Effigies, Alien Graffiti, and the poem For the Lady of a Physicist:
http://www.znaksagite.com/sfbiblio/index.php?cmd=q&autor=michael+bishop Albinoflea 22:38, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
Yes, that's a good start. I appreciate your finding these obscure publications. I'll have to ask the author if even he knows about them! Mhhutchins 04:32, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

They Fly at Çiron

Does your verified copy of They Fly at Çiron have an author's note about the history of the story/novel? I just added it to the Tor paperback. Thanks for checking, --Willem H. 14:11, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

Yes, there is a note which I overlooked in verifying the original record. I've added it to the record, but have not merged it with the one you added. It's less than a full page and starts "I first wrote "They Fly At Çiron" as a forty-five-page story..." and ends "...only it has taken me thirty years to write." If yours is the same, feel free to merge the records. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Mhhutchins 17:28, 14 December 2013 (UTC)
Definitely the same, so I merged the two. Thanks! --Willem H. 09:39, 15 December 2013 (UTC)

"Fictions", by Jorge Luís Borges

You verified (from Tuck) this book, as published by "Jupiter". As it turns out, we have three different publishers named Jupiter: One from the Netherlands, and two from the UK. To disambiguate these publishers, we normally add the country, and I changed the first to "Jupiter (Netherlands)", but the other two are both from the UK. This book was published in London, and the other publisher is from Yeovil, Somerset, England, so I renamed this publisher "Jupiter (London, UK)" and the other to "Jupiter (Somerset, UK)". This third publisher is a slight variation of our standard, since Somerset is a county, and not a city, but I figured more people would recognize "Somerset" than "Yeovil". Please feel free to change this solution if you think something else would be better. Chavey 18:01, 15 December 2013 (UTC)

Looking some more at the other publishers we have named "Jupiter XXX", I see we also have "Jupiter Books". I checked Abebooks for any copy of this Borge book. This listing was the only one they had, and it listed "Jupiter Books" as the publisher, so I wonder if Tuck was just abbreviating that name, and that this publisher should be corrected. Chavey 18:13, 15 December 2013 (UTC)
Tuck often shortens publishers' names. Feel free to change any to conform with the most common usage in the ISFDB, once you've determined they actually are the same publisher. Mhhutchins 19:43, 15 December 2013 (UTC)

Disambiguating Robert Mason

1. Happy Christmas! 2. We had a bunch of unverified artist records listed under the bibliography for Robert Mason, the author and Vietnam helicopter pilot, that needed disambiguating to Robert Mason (artist), the British illustrator. The only remaining record is for your verified pub Interzone: The 1st Anthology. Thanks. PeteYoung 10:49, 25 December 2013 (UTC)

Someone seems to have already disambiguated it to the artist, which is fine by me. I would also question whether the 1967 story published in If is by the same author, unless he wrote it while in Vietnam. Mhhutchins 02:55, 26 December 2013 (UTC)
I happen to have the box with this issue of If in an accessible location, but, unfortunately, it contains no biographical information. There is a highly complimentary reference to the story in a letter published in a later issue of "If", but even though Pohl published a brief response, he didn't provide any specifics. Ahasuerus 04:28, 26 December 2013 (UTC)
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