User talk:Sunnikay

Welcome!

Hello, Sunnikay, 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:

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Note: Image uploading isn't entirely automated. You're uploading the files to the wiki which will then have to be linked to the database by editing the publication record.

Please be careful in editing publications that have been primary verified by other editors. See Help:How to verify data#Making changes to verified pubs. But if you have a copy of an unverified publication, verifying it can be quite helpful. See Help:How to verify data for detailed information.

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! Ahasuerus 05:19, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Jason V. Brock

I have approved your Jason V. Brock submission, but there is an outstanding question associated with his middle initial. According to Help:Screen:NewNovel:

Initials should normally be entered followed by a period and a space as "Gordon R. Dickson" or "K. D. Wentworth", even if period or space is omitted in the publication. However, when it is clearly the author's choice to omit the period, or when the author has a single letter name that is not an initial (e.g. "Harry S Truman") the period should be omitted.

So the question then is whether Brock always omits the period after his middle initial. Would you happen to know? Thanks! Ahasuerus 05:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes, he always omits the period. He is my husband and is sitting right next to me. Consider it verified. Sunnikay 06:17, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Done, thanks! Ahasuerus 06:31, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Like Water For Quarks

I approved Like Water For Quarks but changed the NONFICTION entry to ESSAY - NONFICTION is for whole books only. Two questions: the cover shows two editors - is Bruce Taylor not mentioned on the title page? And the contents look incomplete, are you going to add the rest? BLongley 12:52, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

I had a problem in that I had entered everything but didn't realize that it was required to enter an author for the "About the Authors" and "About the Artist" contents entries. So when I submitted it, I received an error. When I went back in my browser, a large portion of what I had entered had been lost. Not sure why the second author (Bruce Taylor) and half of the content entries went away, but it was getting very late and I didn't have time to complete it again. I will finish it and correct the errors.

Question: what should be entered into the author field for the "About the Authors" and "About the Artist" entries if there is nothing credited in the book? Sunnikay 16:23, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Just use "uncredited", with a lower case "u". Thanks for editing! BLongley 16:26, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

As to why "Back" in your browser lost so many entries - I think that depends on your browser. Some don't keep data entered in fields that were dynamically added with the "Add Title" button. That's why some editors do anthologies and collections in multiple passes, just in case they run into that problem. Others just use a better browser. ;-) BLongley 16:36, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

The cover image linked to this record is from an unknown website. Do you have permission to link to their image? Otherwise, you can upload a copy onto our server. Use the "Upload New Cover Scan" function. Once uploaded you have to update the record to link it to the image that was uploaded to the ISFDB wiki. Just ask if you need help. Mhhutchins 00:35, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Got it. I used the cover scan function. Thanks for the tip. Sunnikay 17:54, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

You've completed the first part by uploading it to our server. Now you have to update the pub record, adding the URL of the image into the Cover URL field. Mhhutchins 19:15, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

;-) OK. I get it now. Sunnikay 20:13, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Free Dirt: A Teleplay (based on a story by Charles Beaumont)

Is the parenthetical appendix part of the title as it appears on the piece's title page? Mhhutchins 00:38, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes, this is exactly as it appears on the story's title page. Sunnikay 15:48, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Dark Discoveries

A few things that will help you in adding these issues, and a few questions.

1. When adding a content record that is generically titled, it's a good idea to add the issue to the title to disambiguate it from similar titles. So "Event Horizon" in Issue #13 should be entered as "Event Horizon (Dark Discoveries #13)". This prevents someone from coming along after you and merging these titles because they think they're all the same essay.
2. When a piece of interior art illustrates a story it should be titled the same as the story. Does the artwork on page 44 of this issue illustrate the story "The Girl That Nobody Liked"? If so, that should also be the title of the artwork. If there are more than one piece illustrating a story we add a bracketed appendage to show that: "The Girl That Nobody Liked [2]" (That's on the second and following pieces, you don't add [1] to any piece.)
3. We try not to title anything "untitled" because, as I said in the first point, they can be easily merged. If a piece of art doesn't illustrate any work it should be given the title of the issue in which it appears, e.g. "Dark Discoveries #13". If an artist has more than one unattached (without a story) piece of art in the same issue, add a bracketed number to the title.
4. On page 25 of this issue there's a record titled "All photos this page". We ordinarily don't credit photographs unless the photograph is illustrative of a work, in which case as in point 2, we give it the title of the work. If the photos on this page illustrate the essay "The Mini-Ackermansion: A Tour Through Time" that should be their title. You should also place a note on the title record that this is a series of photographs as it is assumed that all interiorart records are illustrations unless specified.
5. In Issue #15, there are a number of pieces that give a very descriptive title. Are these the actual titles given in the publication? E.g. "Necronomicon": Abstract reproduction of page 47, Birthmachine Baby sculpturer (1998;aluminum; Limited Edition of 23) and An Opera for the Apocalypse, Mixed Media Assemblage, 23”H x 44”W x 9”D; 2009. In the latter case, since all of the artwork is by the interviewee, you can create a single title record that represents the interviewee as the illustrator of the interview: "Dark Horizons: The Art of Kris Kuksi" replacing the four records. Same thing for the five individual records credited to Brock for the tour of the Giger museum, if, as I assume, these are all photographs. One record would suffice.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks you for contributing. Mhhutchins 23:49, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

He Is Legend

I accepted the submission for this new pub, but removed the "limited edition" statement from the title and placed it in the note field. If you have this book, please do a primary verification and remove the "Pre-release data..." statement from the note field. To do a primary verification look on the menu under "Editing Tools" and click "Verify This Pub". Then click in the middle column on the "Primary" line of the verification list. This means that you have the book and can confirm that all information in the record is correct. You will need to give a price in the price field, and place any other data in the note field about the limitation (total number published, signatures, etc.) If you have any questions about verification go here or ask it here and I'll get back with you. Thanks. Mhhutchins 05:12, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

I have the PC Lettered edition and the numbered edition. Should they be separate entries? The PC Lettered edition was $250 and the numbered edtion was $125. The Lettered edition has one additional tip-in signature sheet with Richard Matheson, Stephen King and Joe Hill signatures. There is also a standard HC with no signatures at $65. Is there an example of another book where the editions are laid out in the database that I can reference? Thanks! Sunnikay 20:20, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Strange that a PC (publisher's presentation copy) is actually priced. Aren't they normally reserved for the publisher or author for presentation and not for purchase? Oh well... For an example look at this title which was published in three states. Mhhutchins 20:43, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, some of the small presses sell a lettered edition and give the same version to the contributors. The sale editions have letters and the PC copies are marked PC, but other than that, they are identical. Sunnikay 23:19, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

I would think they should be called the "Deluxe Edition" or something similar to point out their superiority to the "Limited Edition". Calling them PC and selling them just ain't right, IMHO. Mhhutchins 00:05, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

BTW, you should use the clone method (under the Editing Tools menu) to create the new records. That way you don't have to enter the complete contents again. Just make the necessary changes that differentiates one state from the others. Mhhutchins 20:46, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. That makes it a lot easier. ;-) Sunnikay 23:19, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Omnibus of Speed: An Introduction to the World of Motosport

I'm holding the submission to add this pub, as it appears to be a collection of essays that are not sf related. We do allow non-genre works into the database, if the authors are above a certain threshold based on their status in the field (a purely arbitrary decision, we admit). And the book itself would be eligible because of Beaumont and Nolan's standing, but accepting the submission would allow many pieces by non-sf writers for non-genre work to enter the database. This is not allowed under the current standards (see here. I'm sorry that you went through so much effort for nought, but can't see these essays being part of the database. In the future, if there are any questionable publications, based on the ISFDB Policy, please post a message on either the Help Desk or the Moderator Noticeboard, and one of the moderators will let you know if the publication is eligible for the database. I'm going to reject the submission, but create a record without the content essays. Thanks. Mhhutchins 04:38, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Understood. Note that some of the authors (OCee Ritch, John Tomerlin, John Fitch) were members of "The Group" (California Socery, Twilight Zone writers), so that's why I included the essays. I wasn't sure how much overlap there may have been since it's been explained to me that cars were the computers of the time. ;-) Sunnikay 04:44, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Here is the record for the book. Please look it over and see if it matches your copy. My data was from OCLC and I linked to the source. You'll note that I changed the type from OMNIBUS to NONFICTION. On the ISFDB, the OMNIBUS type is exclusively used for a book of fiction which includes within it one or more previously published books. Mhhutchins 04:47, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes, looks good. I uploaded a scan of the cover as well. Sunnikay 05:10, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Links in Notes field

Hi. I accepted your update to Rude Mechanicals, but it looks to me like you intended to include link to Jason V Brock. Although the ISFDB is one site, the Wiki (this) and the database (pubs/titles/authors, etc.) are two separate mechanisms, and Wiki-style links and formatting do not work in the database entries. If you want to include a link or do special formatting, you need to use HTML. In this case, if you want a link, you would need to enter:

<a href="http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?140627">Jason V Brock</a>

in place of [[Jason V Brock]]. Sorry, that's something that bites everyone at some point. --MartyD 10:36, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Magazine series

Because magazines, unlike books, don't have a title record (they have editor records), they can not be placed into pub series through the pub record. You have to place the editor record into a magazine series. Go to the editor's author summary page and update the title record, placing the title of the magazine in the series field. This will move the title record into the series and make the issue visible on the magazine issue grid. I removed the pub series that you placed on the latest submission for an issue of Dark Discoveries. Also, I'm not sure that the HTML you're using displays well in the note field. It's too prominent and sets itself off from the remaining data of the record. Please consider using simple HTML for linking. Thanks. Mhhutchins 01:53, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Don't include the "<pre>" and "</pre>" tags. I took them off in Rude Mechanicals. --MartyD 02:29, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Ray Bradbury Review

The submission adding this issue was accepted. I have a few questions. Although it's dated 1952, each of the pieces were dated 1950 or 1951. Were there no pieces that were original to this issue? Also is the Bradbury story actually titled "Time Intervening (Interim)" or was it your intention to indicate that the story was retitled from its original publication. If so, we record the story exactly as it appears in the publication, then make a variant record or merge it with an existing variant record. Was the cover art a collaboration between William F. Nolan and Mentor Huebner? Or did each have a separate role in its creation? E.g. designer, photographer, etc. Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:02, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for catching the date. I fixed the entries that were original to this issue to be 1952. I also corrected the Bradbury story. The title has the parenthetical on the TOC, and there is no real title on the actual first page of the story (it's an intro by Nolan with no distinct title line). On the cover art, there is a separate image on the front cover (Nolan) and back cover (Huebner). Should I create a new entry for the back cover as interior art or just clarify in the notes for the cover? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sunnikay (talk • contribs) .

The separate field is for the cover only. You can create a content record with page number "bc" and typed as INTERIORART, giving the name and date of the issue as the title, and the artist name. Mhhutchins 03:02, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Third Playboy Annual

Can I assume that the submission contains only the spec-fic contents? Also, is Hugh M. Hefner actually credited as the editor? Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:22, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I only included the spec-fic. Yes, Hefner is actually listed as the editor on the title page. (Although William F. Nolan tells me that Ray Russell was the actual editor.) ;-) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sunnikay (talk • contribs) .

Thanks. Submission accepted. Mhhutchins 02:50, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Bradbury story in Like Water for Quarks

Can you tell me if the Bradbury story "Night Meeting" is the Martian Chronicles vignette, or the Green Town story first published in 2007? Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:54, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Sorry it took so long to respond. I wanted to check with Donn Albright on the Green Town story. The version in Like Water for Quarks is the Martian Chronicles version. Sunnikay 01:02, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

Embrace the Mutation

Thanks for verifying this pub. Could you add the pagination to the contents? Also list the two stories of the chapbook, but without pagination so that it's clear that they weren't in the book itself. Thanks. Mhhutchins 14:03, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Done. Thanks for the handholding. ;-) Sunnikay 00:53, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Beaumont's The Hunger...

The number (#57-6720)you placed in the ISBN/Catalog # field of this record appears to be the Library of Congress Catalog Number. Those numbers should go into the notes field as there is no field specifically allotted for the LCCN.

Thanks. I moved it to the notes field.Sunnikay 00:56, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Great. And I linked it to the Library of Congress's website record. It's not a requirement that editors do this, but if you'd like to learn here's the instructions. Mhhutchins 02:35, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Etchison's The Dark Country

Can you look at this pub record and see if perhaps you missed adding the starting page for "The Pitch" or is not in this edition? Thanks. Mhhutchins 23:03, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Yep, I missed it. It's there now. Sunnikay 00:58, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Beaumont's Remember?

Are you certain of the LCCN as recorded in this record? It links to another pub. A search of the LoC website found this record: 63-15275. And the essay titled "The Horror of It All" isn't spec-fic related? Even if it's another medium, film, tv, radio, we would still consider it to be related. Thanks. Mhhutchins 05:04, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

I corrected the LCCN. "The Horror of It All" was the title in the Playboy version. The version in this book is title "Good Lord, It's Alive". I haven't found the Playboys yet to enter them, but I guess I will need to make a variant record, when I do, correct? Sunnikay 01:21, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

The issue was already in the database. I added the Beaumont essay and made a variant. Once you find this issue of Plaboy just add the page where "The Horror of It All" begins. Mhhutchins 02:07, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

I just found this reference that says Hollis Alpert was the co-author of the piece in Playboy. We'll need to change the ISFDB record if that's correct. Mhhutchins 02:09, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

Interesting. Remember? Remember? doesn't mention Hollis Alpert at all on the title or copyright page. I haven't got to the Playboy yet. Should we wait until I find it to confirm Alpert? Sunnikay 23:33, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

Campbell's Scared Stiff

I think perhaps you should have created a new record for the signed and boxed edition of this book. Do you know if your signed copy had the same ISBN as the trade edition? And is the price stated on the book itself? If so, you can update the record with the new price, and I'll clone it to create a new record for the trade edition. Thanks. Mhhutchins 05:19, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

I have the signed and boxed edition. The ISBN is the same for the trade edition, but there is no price on the book or the box.Sunnikay 01:33, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

I'll remove the price from yours, note that it's not priced, and clone it to create a record for the trade edition. Mhhutchins 01:59, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

Cover images for non-genre magazines (Cavalier)

There's specific instructions for entering non-genre magazines which differ from the standards we use for genre magazines. One difference is that we don't include the cover image unless it illustrates a spec-fic story. You must agree that this is not the case. I'll have to reject the submission. Thanks. Mhhutchins 17:55, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

I think I have to agree here, although we might clarify the help a bit better. "Exception: if the cover art illustrates the SF content, or is by a well known SF artist, enter the credit, and if an image is available, enter the URL" could be taken to mean that if there's evidence of SF notability on the cover (in this case, the words "Here! Now! Fantastic! Ackermonster!" or "Seminar: Sturgeon and Asimov") it should be included. BLongley 23:45, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, I thought the Ackermonster on the cover was cover worthy. ;-) Sunnikay 01:41, 12 May 2011 (UTC)