ISFDB:Research Assistance/Archive 06

This is an archive page for the Research Assistance page. Please do not edit the contents. To start a new discussion, please click here.
This archive includes discussions from January 2011 - December 2014.

Unlike earlier archives, this page will contain requests/issues which have not been resolved. Please do not respond to requests on this page or add new requests to this page. If you're able to respond to any of these requests/issues, please post it on the talk page of the editor who made the original request. If the editor is no longer active, you can post a response on the ISFDB:Community Portal.

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Sig help please - JY or TY?

Anyone recognise ? BLongley 18:07, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

Nice puzzle. Looked (very) familiar, and I finally found the artist. it's Peter Tybus. The signature is visible on Maske: Thaery and Rings of Ice, both credited to Tybus. --Willem H. 07:56, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

UK editions of Asimov's Rest of the Robots

Can anyone verify the contents of these two editions: Grafton, 1986 and HarperCollins, 1994? They're both only 200+ pages so it's doubtful that they include the eight stories AND two novels of the original 1964 edition. Contento says they're reprints of the 1964 edition. In the US, all paperback editions dropped the 2 novels and are either 159 or 192 pages. Thanks. Mhhutchins 17:37, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

The Great Fetish - Signature

Anyone recognise this signature ? --Willem H. 20:49, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I didn't, but some Google-Fu suggests Steele Savage. BLongley 21:09, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

Pellucidar vs. Pellucidar

I am trying to verify the validity of the collection Pellucidar and its associated pubs (none of which have any contents typical of collections). I am not convinced this stands up to scrutiny vs. the novel Pellucidar. I a considering taking the following actions:

Deleting the following collection pub in favor of the following novel pub
- Pellucidar, (1968, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, #G-734, $0.50, 160pp, pb, coll)
- Pellucidar, (1968, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, #G-734, $0.50, 160pp, pb)
Deleting the following collection pub in favor of the following novel pub; both state 2nd printing in the notes
- Pellucidar, (Sep 1972, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, #65852, $0.75, 191pp, pb, coll) Cover: Frank Frazetta
- Pellucidar, (Sep 1972, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, #44165852-075, $0.75, 191pp, pb) Cover: Frank Frazetta - [VERIFIED by Dcarson]
Merge the titles in favor of the novel and converting the following (remaining) pub to a novel type
- Pellucidar, (date unknown, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, 0-441-65854-7, $1.50, 191pp, pb, coll) - [VERIFIED by Marc Kupper]

Any comments and input welcome. Thanks. Uzume 14:22, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

Sounds like a good plan. You can proceed. Mhhutchins 14:49, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks—now I am considering the if the following two pubs are the same:

Pellucidar, (date unknown, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, #65854, $1.50, 191pp, pb) Cover: Frank Frazetta - [VERIFIED by Dragoondelight]
Pellucidar, (date unknown, Edgar Rice Burroughs, publ. Ace, 0-441-65854-7, $1.50, 191pp, pb, coll) - [VERIFIED by Marc Kupper]

This seems a little bit harder to ascertain and I cannot move the verifications even if I wanted to (I don't think we have a merge pub feature). Uzume 15:10, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

Pubs can't be merged. One of them will have to be deleted. Contact Marc and ask him to consider moving any applicable notes from Dragoondelight's pub to his and then deleting the pub record that Dragoondelight verified (he's no longer active, so it's best that we keep the one that Marc verified.) Mhhutchins 02:45, 24 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, but I cannot ascertain if they are indeed duplication. But that is the real reason to engage Marc Kupper. And if he can determine one is a duplicate, he can consolidate them (and I can help him if need be but I image he is very capable in such things). Uzume 03:05, 24 January 2011 (UTC)

Fritz Leiber: The Big Time

Re: the 1973 Ace Books edition [1] The copy I have in hand has #06218, both on the front cover and at the bottom of the spine; not 06219 as in the current listing. Also the cover price on my copy is $1.25, not $.95 as in the listing. Were there separate editions with sequential numbers? Luminist 19:29, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

It looks like you have a copy of this printing. Does it contain any information that might date it? And yes, Ace did indeed often reissue books with sequential numbers - we have 6219 and 6221 and even 6223 - although the last is concealed in the ISBN. BLongley 19:55, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

Please help with identifying a sci/fi fantasy unknown

Dear Friends,

I'm hoping I haven't toally blundered into the wrong category. I need help in identifying an unknown sci/fi romance anthology (3 chapters) ages 9-12, about merfolk, children, magicians, and the zodiac. Published somewhere between 1990-2005. The word mermaids is not in the title. There is an evil magician/sorcerer living under a mountain.

Sincerely, Coral

Ingo? --MartyD 02:34, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

If it helps, pictures of the covers are available at: Ingo (version 1), Ingo (version 2), The Deep, The Tide Knot, and The Crossing of Ingo. Chavey 04:38, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

Re: Help finding an unknown sci/fi romance book

I wish my book was "Ingo" and the other books. This book contained three chapters that were linked. The cover of the book had a gold border around the center..like the Dungeons and Dragons books. There was an azure, emerald sea with two mer-folk in the water. Both were white. In the middle was a sail boat with two children in it (a girl and boy). I think there was a glossy embossed Zodiac wheel in the middle with a silvery sheen.

Chapter One: The water folk (Pisces, etc) were having to learn the ways of war, because an evil wizard (Vashnar?)...who employed ugly dwarves and others to do his bidding wanted to take over the water kingdom and its riches. The wizard was Saggitarian...or a fire sign.

Chapter Two: War with the water folk. The point-of-view shifts to the evil wizard. The children in the meantime band together with a good wizard to defeat the evil. The male mer-folk is worried about his mate getting killed or what will become of her if he does.

Chapter Three: The war is over and the evil vanquished, however, the mers have undergone heavy casualties. Our two mer-lovers are still alive.

The colors on the book cover start down in the lower left corner with pale blues, greens, and gradually go up the light scale to the uppper right corner where it is orange and red. If you hold the book out, you see that there is a rainbow spread across the book. It is all done in pastels. I lost the book. I owned it and had it for a number of years. I just can't remember who wrote it, or the name of it.

There was a British author who wrote children's mysteries centered on this girl and boy. In the book that I saw on Fiction DB, it was No. 22 or something like that, although the book could stand alone. I think it's the same one that I had only with a different cover. The previous cover was a reddish tint as all of this author's were. In the middle were two children standing in a sail boat that was on a body of water. In the water and down to their left were two mer-folk, both white. Thank you.

Corey

Well, I can't help you with that one. If no one else here recognizes the book, you might try the web site WhatsThatBook. It's devoted to exactly this type of question: People post descriptions of books they're trying to identify, and other people who visit the site see if they recognize it. Of course it doesn't always work, but they have several librarians who enjoy helping the site, so they get a pretty good percentage of identifications. Chavey 01:23, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Planet on the Table Cover Artist -- MT? TM?

This is in the center of the HC and MM versions of Tor's Planet on the Table, artist not credited. It is part of a digital-style display, but seems distinct enough to be a signature. Anyone seen anything similar? Albinoflea 02:39, 16 March 2011 (UTC)

Wound up solving this myself; Locus #302 lists the artist as Michael Tedesco within the Debbie Notkin review. Albinoflea 06:38, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

2004 Analog Analytical Laboratory

Can someone please check the 4th place for Cover artist? The Locus Award site says Dominic Harman, Cover of Oct 2003 - but Locus also says that the cover of Oct 2003 was by Broeck Steadman. BLongley 15:14, 1 June 2011 (UTC)

It's Locus (and the ISFDB) who are wrong, the cover is credited to Harman (his style is quite recognizable IMHO), it's the lead story's illustration (The Cookie Monster) that is by Steadman. Hauck 18:09, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

2011 Analog Analytical Laboratory / Analog April 2010

Jean-Pierre Normand appears to have 4th and 5th places for cover, for April and May. But we credit April to David A. Hardy. Can someone please check? BLongley 15:52, 1 June 2011 (UTC)

The april 2010 cover is indeed by Hardy (credited and visible signature), the May one is by Normand. Hauck 17:29, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

"Lost Boy Lost Girl" or "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by Peter Straub

Comma or not? BLongley 22:03, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

The Amazon Look-Inside of the US paperback would lead you to believe there is no comma. From the title page to the running header. Mhhutchins 04:11, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Striking art - who knows the artist?

I love the art on this cover but after 30 years still don't know who the artist is! There's no credit in the pub and no signature, but maybe it's recognized by somebody. Stonecreek 17:35, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

Battle for the Stars (Mayflower-Dell, 1963) cover artist

Who recognises this signature? .--Dirk P Broer 23:59, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Doubleday, SFBC, Young Moderns and Hal Clement's Needle

I'm trying to puzzle out what edition of Hal Clement's Needle I've got my hands on. The book is published by Doubleday and has the 1950 date on the title page. It does not state first edition. The dust jacket though close, differs from the first edition shown on Wikipedia. The title page and the spine (book and jacket) have a logo for "Young Moderns" which appears to be a publisher series (list on back jacket) that we don't have, though we do have it as an imprint. The title page has the logo in addition to "Doubleday & Company, Inc.". The jacket does not state book club edition, and does have a $1.00 price. There is a note on the SFBC edition stating that Tuck indicates the SFBC edition was an offering of the trade edition. I'm certain my copy isn't the first. I'm unsure if I have the SFBC edition (match in price), or some third edition that was missed by Tuck. Do any of our SFBC gurus, or anyone familiar with the Young Moderns imprint/series want to offer an opinion on what I have. Thanks. --Ron ~ Rtrace^Talk 12:45, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

Bluesman and I are among the most knowledgeable when it comes to SFBC, and in this case he might know more than me. Everything I know about the early SFBC printings comes from Tuck, not from personal knowledge or experience. The only ISFDB record for "Young Moderns" is the verified record for Lancelot Biggs: Spaceman. Perhaps Ahasuerus can provide further info on that series/imprint. Tuck gives the "Young Moderns" edition for that title, but not for Needle. From this I would conclude that your edition is a trade printing (which Tuck missed). Further research (i.e. Googling) has led me to believe that "Young Moderns" is a Doubleday series which reissues titles in a "cheap edition" (usually $1.00) a year or so after the first edition. Because these have the price printed on the flap, I'd think they're not the same as the SFBC printings. (Look at this eBay listing.) Mhhutchins 20:10, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

Even more evidence that "Young Moderns" was a publication series for cheap editions in this contemporaneous review (September 1950) of the series. Mhhutchins 20:12, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

Does this Amazon listing match your copy? Mhhutchins 20:15, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

That is the same cover as mine. It sounds like there is enough evidence that this is a reprint under a publisher series. I'll enter my copy accordingly. The back and back flap of the jacket are identical to those in the eBay listing of Pebble in the Sky. I'm going to go ahead and add that one as well based on the listing. I'll also contact Ahasuerus about bringing the Bond title into a publication series. Thanks for your research. --Ron ~ Rtrace^Talk 13:39, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Good sleuthing, folks, I have changed my verified pub. I also wonder if Doubleday Book for Young Readers, which is currently limited to this pub, was a later incarnation of the same idea. Ahasuerus 20:31, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps. A Google search makes it sound like an imprint that is still in use. The Wollhiem book is definitely not the first edition as described by Currey. The "Doubleday Book for Young Readers" only appears on the front jacket flap. The Book itself makes no mention. Also, this doesn't appear to be a "cheap" edition insofar as it still has pictorial endpapers and the paper appears to be of a better quality than the Clement or what one usually sees with BCEs. --Ron ~ Rtrace^Talk 22:47, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Name Incorrect

Hi, I am the author of the essay "Harry C. Stubbs" from the book "Hal's Worlds". The ISFDB has my middle initial wrong. My name is "Steven F. LeBrun". The ISFDB is listing my middle initial as "E". Would you please correct this mistake. Thank you.

Done. Hauck 16:14, 26 July 2011 (UTC)

Matheson's The Shrinking Man 1979 Berkley edition

Can anyone confirm OCLC's assertion that this pub is a collection that includes 9 additional stories? Tor later published such a collection, but the page numbers of the 1979 Berkley edition doesn't account for a novel and 9 stories. Alas, the verifier of the record is no longer active. Mhhutchins 16:53, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

Locus #218 has it as "reprint of a 1956 novel" --Willem H. 18:21, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

I found this referring to 1979 Berkley reissue as a novel. --MartyD 23:27, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

Those sources neither deny nor confirm that the book contained additional stories, only that it contained the novel, which is not in dispute. I'm not going to change it based on the OCLC record until someone comes along and does another primary verification. I'm thinking the OCLC record confuses this Berkley edition with the later Tor edition. Thanks. Mhhutchins 23:37, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

Are we losing track of the purpose of this page? I'm pretty sure the guide says "specific publications which require a physical check". I know that even after creating "Primary (Transient)" and Primaries 2 through 5 there are still publications that need (yet another!) check. Additional secondary sourced data is always welcome in notes, of course. And it might be time for a wiki-experienced person to archive and trim this page to the outstanding questions alone. BLongley 23:59, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

I think the original post is legit. I'm looking for another primary verification of this publication. (Doesn't that mean physical?) Because, as I posted above, the record's primary verifier is no longer around to answer my question. On what other page do you suggest I should have posted the query? Just because the responses only involved secondary sources doesn't make the original post less legit. Or was your question directed toward the responses and not the post? If so, please forgive this response. Mhhutchins 00:37, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

I did indeed mean it for the responses, not the original post. Sorry if that wasn't clear. And sorry to all the secondary source responders, I know they were all with good intentions. BLongley 01:15, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

As for cleaning up the page, I removed quite a number of resolved issues from this page back in January (check the archive history), more 100,000 bytes. And let me tell you, it was no picnic, having to read each message to see if it were resolved, copying and pasting each resolved one to the archive page. No picnic, indeed. What we need is a wiki-hound like DES. Uzume was doing some work on the wiki, but hasn't been around for any extended period, only popping in 6 days since last March (based on his wiki contributions.) Mhhutchins 00:37, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

We are definitely lacking "wiki-hounds". :-( As we grow, I find my ability to keep up with all the stuff going on here diminishes. I really need to prioritise my time between editing, moderating, developing, testing, teaching, publicising, and all the other stuff. Again, I'm sorry if you think I don't think I appreciate your work on all the other stuff we have done - it really is. (When do we get the Medals? ;-) ) BLongley 01:15, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

Sorry about sounding so snippy. After re-reading my response, I can see how it would come across that way. As for medals, I don't expect any soon. Even the intangible rewards have started to lose their shimmer. Mhhutchins 02:16, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

To settle the original issue, this edition does NOT contain any additional material.Don Erikson 00:04, 14 August 2011 (UTC)

I have begun thinking we are in need of a bot for the MediaWiki. And on that note, I really wish we could get the MediaWiki code updated to a later version. This would fix bugs and security issues as well as introduce a few more niceties. Uzume 22:13, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

"To Hell with the Stars" in Christmas on Ganymede and Other Stories

Our secret agent at the MIT SF Society is reporting that the last page of "To Hell with the Stars" as it appears in Christmas on Ganymede and Other Stories is "missing the important last few paragraphs". Could the editors who own copies of this anthology and/or of the Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, December 1987, where the story appeared first, please post the last three words of each version so that we could determine whether all copies of the reprint anthology were defective? TIA! Ahasuerus 07:34, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

The last sentence per Asimov's Dec. 1987: "The old dreamers were bound, once again, for the stars."--Rkihara 15:06, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

For what it's worth, the version in Cryptic ends with "for the stars" --Willem H. 15:14, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

The last sentence in Christmas on Ganymede ends with ".... can't ignore the guests." So I guess this oops is verified. Kevin 23:39, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

Updated, thanks! Ahasuerus 05:23, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

Lovecraft Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos Volume 2 content error

Just noticed that H.P. Lovecraft Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos Volume 2 [2] lists The Haunter of the Graveyard by J. Vernon Shea, instead of the correct (according to my copy) The Haunter of the Dark by H.P. Lovecraft on p13. The Shea story does indeed appear in Volume 1, NOT Volume 2 (according to my copies). Don't know how to handle this, as the apparently erroneous listing has already been verified, and I'm mostly new here. Mvhetzel 19:59, 10 December 2011 (UTC)

Message the verifier User_talk:Rtrace and see if he agrees with you. I suspect he will, it does look highly suspect. BLongley 23:27, 10 December 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, following up now. Mvhetzel 23:57, 10 December 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for catching the error. I've corrected it for the third printing. There are two other printings that appear to have the same error and I'll correct them as well. Thanks. --Ron ~ Rtrace^Talk 00:09, 11 December 2011 (UTC)

Locus #575 (December 2008) request

I'm verifying the SFBC book The Sharing Knife, bu Lois McMaster Bujold. As usual, there is no price listed. The notes for this book say:

Info from Locus #575 (December 2008), as received in October 2008 with a price of $14.99.

The price listed for this July 2007 book is then $12.99. So my guess is that this means that the original price was documented by Locus as $12.99, but that a late 2008 edition had the higher price of $14.99. But I'm not sure that I'm reading that note correctly. Could a Locus subscriber check that for me? Thanks, Chavey 15:50, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I was probably the one who entered the note above. I have no idea who entered any of the note that follows, or what their source was. Look at the note at the top of the SFBC 2007 listings and you'll see that May 2007 was the last month that Locus recorded receiving SFBC editions on a regular basis. I can't explain the disruption, and Charles Brown only alluded to it once a couple of years later in an editorial, but it seems that the SFBC stopped sending him complimentary copies of their publications, so he was forced to stop listing them. Remember: the Locus listings is of books received, not published. If a publisher didn't send Brown a copy of a book, he didn't list it in his magazine.

Back to the book at hand: The book probably has the statement "First SFBC printing: June 2007", otherwise I don't think the OCLC record would have recorded it that way. It's possible that at the time of publication (June 2007) the price was $12.99 (again, I don't know the source for that price) and when Locus received their copy in October 2008 the price may have risen to $14.99. So the statement I placed in the notes stands as a fact. Everything else is speculation. Does your copy of the book have the printing statement? If so, I think you should change the date of the record to that as stated in the book, then note any discrepancy. That's ISFDB policy. (Also, there was no trade edition of this omnibus. You might want to change the last part of the note to read "the trade edition of Legacy was published in July".) Mhhutchins 17:01, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

My copy has the printing statement "First SFBC printing: June 2007", which agrees with OCLC. I changed that date, modified the note about Legacy, and tried to clarify the issue of pricing. Thanks for the help, Chavey 04:25, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

You're welcome. The record looks fine. I rejoined the SFBC in February 2009, just because I could no longer depend on Locus as a reliable source for the club's selections. The records for those two previous years (2007-2008) are particularly sketchy. Mhhutchins 04:53, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Signature = ??

This cover is not credited, but there are initials. Does anyone recognize them?

Thanks! --~ Bill, Bluesman 16:39, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Strange Dosadi Experiment, volume identification

I have a strange edition of Frank Herbert's book, The Dosadi Experiment. The back of the dust jacket says "Great Science Fiction From Berkley/Putnam" with 14 volumes listed below it. The first strange part is that the rest of the dust jacket (usually it is the spine) and the entire book--inside and out--have no publisher represented. The dust jacket inside flap has the book description, the price of $8.95 in the top right corner, the number 7709 bottom left, and then: SBN 399-12022-X. Then it starts to get really, really, strange. The paper is like beige rice paper and the copyright page--Well!!! I had to scan it because it is in Chinese, then I uploaded it:

Does anyone know what this book is??? Trisha 00:16, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Looks like a Chinese pirated printing of the 1977 Berkley/Putnam edition, same SBN, same price. Mhhutchins 00:42, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

I am not entirely sure it is a pirated print. My Chinese is a little rough but that copyright page is basically a key and value chart (save the one line without a colon) and reads roughly like:

Publishing Person   : <person name>
Address             : <address in Teipei>
Publisher           : <company name>
Address             : <same address in Teipei>
Telephone           : <phone number>
Postal Code         : <number>
Seller/Distributor  : <company name>
Address             : <address in Teipei>
Telephone           : <phone number>
Republic of China 67-year no-month no-day 1st-printing
Registration number : license <number>
Printer             : <company name>
Address             : <address in Teipei>
Telephone           : <phone number>

So it seems that was published in Taipei, Taiwan in the minguo year 67 (1978) by 皇家圖書有限公司 (Royal Books, Ltd. as per auto translation). Here is an example of a book seemingly published the same year by the same publisher: http://books.google.com/books?id=grhxPwAACAAJ. Uzume 07:54, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

Victor McClure/MacClure

Noticed in today's birthdays that there are two entries for Victor. I don't know which is right, but should probably be cleaned up.

Cheers! --Bojnberry 14:02, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

The "Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide" lists the name as McClure, as does Stableford in "Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia". However, he is listed as "MacClure" by Amazon, Project Gutenberg, the BBC, and Bleiler. WorldCat has 66 book entries by Victor MacClure and 1 by Victor McClure (and that one was well after this author died). I will correct our "McClure" to "MacClure". Thanks for noticing this! Chavey 15:46, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Attack from Atlantis coverart

Anyone recognise this signature? It's from the cover of Lester del Rey's Attack from Atlantis.

Thanks, --Willem H. 14:16, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

No idea but nice to have you back. Hauck 14:24, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

The Federation Holmes

A few weeks ago I approved a submission which added this pub to the database. This Star Trek/Holmes crossover is rare and hard to find, but "The Complete Starfleet Library" has a record, which differs slightly from what we have. I left a note on the editor's Talk page (see User talk:Alienmotives) and asked him to double check. As it turned out (he later contacted me via e-mail), he is a book dealer and sold the book almost immediately after he had entered it into the database, so there is no verification copy.

Do we have any Star Trek enthusiasts on board who happen to know more about this pub? I am hesitant to correct our record using the data from "The Complete Starfleet Library" since it's possible (although not very likely) that there were two different versions of the book, one with an introduction and the other without. TIA! Ahasuerus 04:17, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

(I copied this from the Help page to this one. Hope it gets a response! Mhhutchins 14:44, 24 July 2012 (UTC))

I think it more likely that the (new) editor who entered the record wasn't aware that (he) could enter the nonfiction parts of a collection. The publisher's website only gives one edition of the work, actually giving a different price than our record gives, and is more likely the correct price for a small press publication. Mhhutchins 15:06, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

My copy of this paperback has a different cover from the first printing here [[3]]. My cover is missing the monster on the right side and says SPECIAL EDITION, but it also has a full number line with May 1998. I confirmed with primary verifier MartyD that my copy is different from his, (see his talk page). Can I submit this as a new item with the same date? Thanks.--Teddybear 20:27, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Sure. Is there any indication of why it's "SPECIAL"? Maybe an advance reading copy or book club edition? Mhhutchins 22:07, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

This may be a promotional or event printing. Pricing is only on spine and there is no bar code on back cover.--Teddybear 13:21, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Unidentified Artist from the Orbit printing of The Gold Coast

This signature or set of initials appears at the bottom left corner of the Orbit TP printing of The Gold Coast. LS? LST? LTS? Albinoflea 04:14, 4 August 2012 (UTC)

Riddle solved, it's Keith Scaife, credited in IZ #30. Stonecreek 19:17, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Artist signature identification request

Does anyone recognize this artist signature?

It was on the 1983 Ace paperback edition of Earth's Last Citadel.

Thanks. Mhhutchins 21:01, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

That was another hauntingly familiar one. It's Bob Layzell, the signature is also visible here. --Willem H. 19:36, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

A belated thanks for the identification, Willem. I'd missed your message at the time you posted it. Mhhutchins 04:33, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

Andrew Smith of "The Possessed"

Does anyone have any insight into whether Andrew Smith, author of the short story The Possessed in 1989, is the same person as the artist responsible for the bulk of the Andrew Smith bibliography? Most of that artwork is horror-related in a period encompassing 1989. Thanks. --MartyD 12:16, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Ballantine eds. of John Norman's Ghost Dance

If anyone has access to either the first or second printings of this title, can you confirm whether the cover art is credited. There are conflicting sources crediting either Frank McCarthy or Thomas Beecham (or Beechum). Your help is appreciated. Mhhutchins 23:18, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I don't, but it looks a lot like McCarthy. I couldn't find the exact painting, but see this site, especially the ones with buffalo (including one for hunting a white buffalo). --MartyD 19:35, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Here is a scan of the copyright page from Ballantine's second printing of that title which clearly states "Cover art by Frank McCarthy" Uzume 06:59, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

Help with identifying an artist

The artwork for this cover is not credited, but looks like a generic spaceship in the Angus McKie/Chris Foss/Tony Roberts/Peter Elson school of the late 1970s. There is a cropped glyph at the bottom which looks like it could be either an "F" or an "E". So I'm leaning toward Foss. Can anyone identify this artist or remember seeing the work used on a British edition? Mhhutchins 04:31, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

It is Chris Foss (of course, easy to find once you know where to look). The illustration is on page 152 of this book, and was originally published in this portfolio (I checked the Dutch edition of the portfolio, it's there). Looks like it was never used on a British book. --Willem H. 20:05, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

FMA

Anyone recognize this 'signature'?

BUSBY%2C_F._M.002.jpg

On the cover of [Cage a Man]. Thanks! --~ Bill, Bluesman 01:50, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

RSB

Does anyone recognize these initials?

ROBINSON%2C_ELEANOR002_2.jpg

From the cover of [The Silverleaf Syndrome]. Thanks! --~ Bill, Bluesman 18:09, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Check out the modeling credits at the bottom of this page. --MartyD 00:43, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Now that's quite the bit of sleuthing! How did you come up with it?? There is a resemblance in the faces, for sure, any idea if Brown-bell is an agency? I ask that from the appendage of 'books' to the name. --~ Bill, Bluesman 02:33, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

I read it as "Robert S. Brown" / "Bell Books" / "Book Cover". We do have one Robert S. Brown cover credit from around the same time. I found a couple of references that Bell Books was more recently an imprint of Ferrington Lewis, and I found a few "Bell Books" references from the early-to-mid 70s. I'm not sure either of those facts is particularly relevant, though. Nothing for the early 80s or connected to The Silverleaf Syndrome. BTW, the model's name is Nick Dubanos. His LinkedIn profile says he graduated high school in 1979. --MartyD 11:08, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Have to admit I'm a little leery of linking to a modeling portfolio as the source, though??¿¿?? ;-)) And the [cover] mentioned above has no obvious initials. --~ Bill, Bluesman 02:35, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

Well, I wouldn't directly do that. But I can try sending him a message through LinkedIn and see if he will confirm that it is the cover he modeled for. That should be pretty good corroboration. We wouldn't know that it's the same Robert S. Brown, of course, but given the close proximity in timing of the two, it seems a reasonable initial assumption. Stay tuned.... --MartyD 11:57, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

Rats, I can't do that without upgrading my LinkedIn membership. Won't be doing that. --MartyD 12:02, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

Believe it or not, look what I found here. I'll try sending him mail. --MartyD 12:12, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

You're on a roll!! --~ Bill, Bluesman 16:44, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

I did a review of this book Night of the Wolf for Amazon. The cover scan for this review is also mine. If you look at the lover right hand corner you will find the same initials. MLB 08:28, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Credited and yet uncredited cover art: Could it be Maitz, McKie or someone from Young Artists?

This cover art is credited as by 'Thomas Schlück', but for sure this one only crept in via his agency: to my knowledge, he never did any art. So, help would be appreciated in identifying it. Stonecreek 15:01, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Good eye. It is indeed by Angus McKie. Look here and here. According to the latter, it was included in Flights of Icarus]. Maybe the verifier can identify the name used for the work in that publication. Mhhutchins 16:03, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks a lot!! I'll ask Denis if he can make something out of it. Perhaps it is the 'Untitled' artwork by McKie included in Flights of Icarus. Wow, I love this site and appreciate your help! Stonecreek 17:31, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Note that it's also credited to McKie in the french pub of this pictorial (and is used for at least two books in translated in french). Hauck 17:41, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Yes, this is Untitled work by Angus McKie on page 93 in Flights of Icarus. Denis 18:46, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks to all of you! Hauck: Which title would you propose as parent title for the 'Untitled' (should be the earliest publication I think - do you know when the French translations were published?). Denis: I'll remove the credit from the german Delany novel. Stonecreek 19:50, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

It appeared first in France on the 1977 pb _Péril psychique_ here and later on book club editions of Dune here.Hauck 21:26, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! I vt'd both the german cover and the 'Untitled' interior art to the novel by Scheer. Stonecreek 09:42, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

This art was used for The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 8 Denis 20:52, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

Delany novel: Looking for cover artist . . .

From the preceding item the next question arises: Who really did the cover art for this publication? Stonecreek 19:53, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Art was identified by Rudam to actually be by McKie (although not his original art for Nova). Stonecreek 17:04, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

Henry Josephs / Robert Lowndes

I have on hold a submission wanting to make The Fourth Invasion by Henry Josephs a variant of a (new) title of the same name by Robert A. W. Lowndes, based on Project Gutenberg's listing (see this). There are a few sites that treat Josephs as a pseudonym, for example: http://www.trussel.com/books/pseud_l.htm#LO , http://www.scifi.darkroastedblend.com/2005/10/j-pen-names.html , and http://www.freesfonline.de/authors/Robert%20A.%20W._Lowndes.html , but nothing academic/authoritative that I could find. Does anyone have a resource that might confirm this (or perhaps tend to deny it)? Thanks. --MartyD 01:27, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Tuck (vol. III, p. 843) agrees that "Henry Josephs" was a Lowndes pseudonym. Ahasuerus 01:42, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

That'll do it. Thanks! --MartyD 02:03, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

The Uninvited

Does anyone know what other book used the same cover as [this]? I know I've seen the artwork, could be a magazine. Badger stole from US covers frequently. Would have to be 1961 or earlier. I've checked all the Ace covers and no luck. Thanks! --~ Bill, Bluesman 16:57, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

The layout looks vaguely familiar, but Google's nifty image search page doesn't find any likely matches. Ahasuerus 01:15, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

This might be a pre-code comic book cover, the art style looks familiar. MLB 08:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Vampires, Ltd.

As per this discussion, Josef Nesvadba's "Upir ltd" appeared in Car Sinister as "Vampire Ltd." rather than "Vampires Ltd." We have only one primary verifier, Scott Latham, and he has been inactive for a quite some time, so I wonder if someone else might have a copy that he could check. (I have confirmed that at least one other pub, World's Best Science Fiction: 1965, uses "Vampires, Ltd.") TIA! Ahasuerus 17:24, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

The Engineer ReConditioned

I have received an e-mail from an MIT Science Fiction Society librarian with the following comments about this edition of Neal Asher's "The Engineer ReConditioned":

1. Its table of contents lists completely bogus page numbers for these three additional stories: pages 76, 81, and 86. The ToC at the ISFDB listing (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?80733) has the correct page numbers (210, 221, and 236).

2. This 0-8095-5614-6 edition -- the copy of it that I have, at least -- says "Cosmos Books" on the title and indica pages and on the back cover, and I don't see "Wildside Press" anywhere. This is in conflict with the ISFDB listing (same URL as above), which says "Wildside Press" and doesn't mention Cosmos at all.)

And 3. the cover and title page say "the ENGINEER reconditioned" and the only other place the title appears, on the indica page, is in all-upper-case. Maybe the "ReConditioned" spelling with the upper-case C comes from one of the other editions; it certainly isn't present here.

I will leave notes for the primary verifiers of this pub to check this page since I suspect that at least some of the comments above (especially the messed up page numbers in the TOC) may not apply to all copies. Ahasuerus 04:07, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I confirm all three points (even if Asher in the introduction spoke of the collection as being _The Engineer_ not in caps), note that as this is likely a POD title, there were perhaps changes of layout during the career of the book, e.g. Wildside being superseded by Cosmos (IIRC there was a kind of merging a few years ago). A problem we may encounter again with such titles. Hauck 07:45, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I confirm, too, all three points: moreover, the all-caps title is present as a running title, in the foot of every odd page. Cosmos Books happens to be an imprint of Wildside Press (Wikipedia) --Pips55 21:10, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Stanisław Lem. Fiasco

I have two very similar books: Fiasco, (Mar 1988, Stanislaw Lem, publ. Harvest / HBJ, 0-15-630630-1, $6.95, viii+322pp, tp) Cover: John Alfred Dorn, III One edition is fully consistent with the description: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?13465 134 x 202 mm, printing per alphabetic line ABC... Second edition different sizes: 140 x 216 mm, printing per alphabetic line BCD..., on the back cover there is no price.

Q: This is the second edition of the same year - 1988? How can you determine the year of publication? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BVI (talk • contribs) .

It would appear that the publisher, HBJ (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich), used an alphabetic "number line" (aka "printer's key") rather than a numeric one -- see Wikipedia's explanation of this concept. I am not an expert, but I believe that "ABC" means that it's the first printing of this particular edition while "BCD" means that it's the second printing. Unfortunately, there is no easy way of identifying the date when later printings were published :-( Sometimes subsequent printings list all previous printings along with associated printing dates on the copyright page, but that's a matter of luck.

I should also point out that the publisher may have considered these two books to be separate "editions" (not to be confused with "printing") since their sizes differ. The fact that there is no stated price also suggests that it may be a different type of edition, although it's not definitive. It's not an ARC (Advance Reading Copy), is it?

I am afraid that's all I can think of. Sorry I couldn't help more! Ahasuerus 05:45, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

Stanisław Lem. The Futurological Congress

I have a book that the description coincides with the publication of: The Futurological Congress (from the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy), (2003, Stanislaw Lem, publ. Harvest / Harcourt, 0-15-602827-1, $12.00, 156pp, tp) / http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?40283 But on the back cover is worth the price: $11.00. This printing per alphabetic line QPONMLKJIH. How do I know what the book year published? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BVI (talk • contribs) .

The answer is along the same lines as Ahasuerus gave for the above: The alphabetic "number" line tells us this is an 8th printing due to "H" being the lowest letter present. If no printing date is stated, we don't have any way to know without some secondary source to tell us, so we would use 0000-00-00 for the date (which will then be presented as "unknown" in the listings). So if it's otherwise similar to the one you linked to above, go to that one and pick "Clone This Pub" from the menu at the left, then change the details: date to 0000-00-00, price to $11.00, notes to include something like "undated 8th printing by number line QPONMLKJIH" and, if you want, the location of the price. --MartyD 11:19, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

The Evil in Pemberley House

It's been reported that "Pride and Prejudice (quote)" is attributed to "Jane Austin" rather than "Jane Austen" in The Evil in Pemberley House. I have left a note on the verifier's Talk page, but he has been mostly inactive since early 2013, so I wonder if anyone else may have a copy of the book and/or would be in a position to check. Most likely it's a data entry problem, but since it's a "Wold Newton" book (a posthumous collaboration between Philip José Farmer and Win Scott Eckert), it's conceivable that it's a deliberate misspelling. Ahasuerus 04:14, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

I don't believe quotes should be given their own content record to begin with. Almost every other novel has an epigrammatic quote before the novel begins. It's ridiculous to create content records for them. (Especially if they're miscredited!) Mhhutchins 04:27, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

I would not accept the quotes in the limited edition (the Jane Austen quote is credited to "Jane Austen" b.t.w). The "acknowledgements" section should not be in, it's just a list op people Eckert dedicated the novel to. I didn't include a separate entry for the "Editor's notes" because these are numbered notes referring to the text, pointing out contradictions between this novel and Farmer's earlier work. --Willem H. 09:26, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

Spectrum 20 / "Elderwood Scion"

Page 204 of Spectrum 20: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art credits Karla Ortiz for "Elderwood Scion." Everything I've been able to find online indicates that the piece was actually created by Nils Hamm. Should that be verified and noted in the title's entry (and possibly the publication's)? --inkhaven 22:17, 14 April 2014 (UTC)

You should start by bringing this up on the verifier's talk page, providing some links there to your evidence that it's by Nils Hamm. Assuming the art is indeed the same, then we could note the publication's mis-credit and make the title a variant of a properly credited one. --MartyD 07:57, 15 April 2014 (UTC)

Fredric Brown's "The Devil Times Three"

An anonymous user has created the following bug report on Sourceforge:

The story "The Devil Times Three" is not a separate story, but just combines "Nasty", "Rope Trick", and "The Ring of Hans Carvel" into a single "story."

We have a verified French translation of this title and two unverified editions of "The Mammoth Book of Awesome Comic Fantasy" which supposedly include the English original. Would anyone happen to have a copy of the latter? (And I will ask the verifier of the French publication to join the discussion here.) Ahasuerus 02:56, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

As far as the French translation is concerned, I realize I have made a mistake :-P : “Soyez bons en géométrie” is the translation of “Naturally” (1954). The Devil takes me… I'll update the record. Sorry I can't help about the main issue here. Linguist 08:31, 20 August 2014 (UTC).

Die Vergangenheit der Zukunft

I have asked the verifier about Die Vergangenheit der Zukunft, but he has been inactive for more than a year, so let me repeat the question here.

Would anyone happen to know whether the story "Die Vergangenheit der Zukunft" is attributed to "Zbynĕk Rill" or to "Zbynêk Rill" in the book? "ê" is not a valid Czech letter, so presumably it's either a typo or a data entry error. Since the book is a standard issue Heyne anthology, hopefully someone else has a copy. Ahasuerus 22:34, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

I've a copy. It's attributed to "Zbynĕk Rill". Rudolf Rudam 10:05, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Yes, it is. Stonecreek 12:12, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, folks, I have corrected the record. Ahasuerus 15:07, 28 December 2014 (UTC)