Out of the Woodwork 165. June 2010
Fantastic Literature - setting the standards for out of print on-line bookselling.

Welcome to our newsletter, it contains up to the minute news and gossip as well as awards details and items requiring help from the collective consciousness. If you wish to contribute please do so! We welcome your thoughts, your news items and any gossip! We do love a bit of gossip here at Fantastic HQ.

Contents:-

The 2009 Nebula Awards were announced on May 15th at the Nebula Awards Banquet.
A "magnificent" collection of first edition books is expected to fetch up to £15m
Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock" debut coming up for auction and set 'to make £400,000'
Six would-be astronauts have started a 520-day mock space voyage to simulate a mission to Mars
J G Ballard archive saved for the nation + our current J G Ballard stock
On Stranger Tides - to be made in 3D - shiver me timbers and splice the mainbrace + our Tim Powers stock
Fay Shayol contacted us about George Scithers - whose sad death we reported last month - a fascinating man by all accounts.
Neil Gaiman on writing for Doctor Who + our Doctor Who stock
This year’s Sidewise Awards for Alternate History nominees have been announced
Guillermo del Toro 'leaves' as director of The Hobbit
The Analog Award winners and the Asimov’s Readers’ Award winners were announced May 15 at the SFWA Nebula Awards Weekend
Jeffery Deaver has been named as the latest James Bond author + our Jeffery Deaver stock
'Roman gladiators' link to York skeleton find
Huge seas 'once existed on Mars' - scientific evidence abounds
One for the collective consciousness - the responses to last newsletters were superb - many thanks to one and all - and we've a new one, which might be the trickiest yet as there's not much to go on!
Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood will return for a fourth series
'Lost' Stieg Larsson stories unearthed - two sf tales from the 1970
Norman Spinrad has operation for stomach cancer
Competition time - who won the signed copy of John Trevillian's debut novel "The A-Men"

Crossword fun, and general silliness - contributions welcomed
Obituaries: Martin Gardner , author puzzle maker and expert on Lewis Carroll. Jeanne Robinson - author and dancer. Arthur Herzog author of the killer bee book "Swarm"
Department of Smug Self Satisfaction - what our kind customers have to say about the Fantastic experience

External Blinks:

Daily Mail - SF reviews of Baxter, Mieville and Lachlan
15 Science Fiction predictions that came true - we love this!
Chesley Award nominations have been announced
Elementary, my dear boy: An investigation into Sherlock Holmes' early years from the Independent

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., has announced the Nebula Awards® winners for 2009.

The Nebula Awards® are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. The awards were announced at the Nebula Awards® Banquet held at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront the evening of May 15.
2008 Nebula Award Winners

Novel
The Windup Girl – Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books, Sept. 2009)

Novella
The Women of Nell Gwynne’s – Kage Baker (Subterranean Press, June 2009)

Novelette
“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast,”
Eugie Foster (Interzone, Feb. 2009)

Short Story
“Spar,” Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, Oct. 2009)

Ray Bradbury Award
District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug. 2009)

Andre Norton Award
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making,
Catherynne M. Valente (Catherynne M. Valente, June 2009)

Additional Honors
During the ceremonies, Joe Haldeman was honored as the next Damon Knight Grand Master, while Neal Barrett, Jr., was honored as Author Emeritus. Vonda N. McIntyre and Keith Stokes were honored with SFWA Service Awards while the SFWA Solstice Award, bestowed upon individuals who have made a significant impact on the science fiction or fantasy landscape, was presented to Tom Doherty, Terri Windling and the late Donald A. Wollheim.
SFWA

A "magnificent" collection of first edition books is expected to fetch up to £15m when it goes under the hammer later this year. The books, from Shakespeare's collected poems to James Joyce's Ulysses, will be sold at Sotheby's in London. The collection also includes a copy of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol complete with author's inscription. Book specialist Peter Selley said it was one of the finest collections of 19th Century English literature seen. The value of the whole collection of 3,000 books has been roughly estimated at between £8m-£15m. BBC story

A rare inscribed copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's first published novel featuring detective Sherlock Holmes' debut appearance is to go under the hammer. The copy of A Study in Scarlet is expected to fetch up to £400,000 when it is auctioned at Sotheby's in London on 15 July. The novel introduces Holmes and explains how he and Dr Watson came together, the auction house said.The book is one of only two inscribed copies known to exist. Full BBC story

Mars mission begins - on Earth. The first full-duration simulation of a human mission to Mars is about to begin. After closing the hatch, the crew of six will remain in their 'spacecraft' for 520 days. The media are invited to witness the 'launch' of this historic Mars500 mission.
The 520-day simulated mission to Mars will start on 3 June, when the isolation facility is sealed and the international crew start their record-breaking experiment.
The crew will basically live and work like astronauts on the International Space Station, with maintenance work, scientific experiments and daily exercise. They will follow a seven-day week, with two days off, except when special and emergency situations are simulated. European Space Agency

The archive of visionary writer JG Ballard has been acquired for the nation. The 15 large storage boxes containing manuscripts, notebooks and letters offer an "extraordinary insight" into the novelist, said the British Library. Legendary SF author Ballard died in April 2009 at the age of 78. The Library will hold the archive, which has been acquired through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, satisfying £350,000 of tax. BBC story

The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film is to be made in 3D, according to reports from the US. Disney are planning to shoot the movie in the format rather than converting it at a later stage, Variety says.The film, subtitled On Stranger Tides, will see Johnny Depp reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow and is due for release in May 2011. BBC story

Thanks as usual for an interesting and informative OOTW.

I sent condolonces to my good friend in America when I saw the news about George H. Scithers, as George had been his great friend for many years and stayed with him whenever near Harvard.

He sent me back the following information - which you may not wish to publish as it was clearly not well known, but I'm sure you will find it interesting and you may not know all these details.

..........
George was one of the most interesting people I've ever known, and he had a secret life. Look up Felix Lance Falcon on Google and you'll find entries such as:

"FALCON, FELIX LANCE (Pseudonym of George Scithers.) Hung in Space (Pleasure Reader, 1969.) Pornography. Sex in outer space.
www.dondammassa.com/ck_sff.htm - Cached - Similar

He was also one of Kinsey's subjects for his sex report on male homosexuality. It's interesting that none of the obits I've read mention any of this stuff.
............
Cheers .. Fay

The fantasy author Neil Gaiman has spoken of the divine power he felt while writing his TV episode of Doctor Who. The author of Stardust and Coraline has already submitted his story, which is due to air in 2011. "I don't know what it's like to be God - obviously," Gaiman told the BBC. "Until that very first moment when you get to sit down and type the words in your script: INTERIOR. TARDIS." He said: "Suddenly I got a very good idea of what it must feel like. I went: 'I'm writing it now this scene in the Tardis. I'm writing it!' And that was amazing, it was wonderful." Full BBC story

This year’s Sidewise Awards for Alternate History nominees have been announced:
Short Form
“Yes, We Have No Bananas”, Paul Di Filippo (Eclipse 3)
“The Fixation”, Alastair Reynolds (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three)
“Edison’s Frankenstein”, Chris Roberson (Postscripts 20/21)
“Black Swan”, Bruce Sterling (Interzone #221)
“The Persistence of Souls,” Sarah Zettel (The Shadow Conspiracy)
Long Form
1942, Robert Conroy (Ballantine)
The judges note that though there is only one nominee in the Long Form category, No Award is also an option.

Guillermo del Toro will no longer direct the two movies based on JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, reports said. Speaking exclusively to fan site The One Ring, Del Toro said it was with "great regret" that he would be "taking leave" of the films. "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life," he said. Full BBC story

The Analog AnLab (Analytical Laboratory) Award winners and the Asimov’s Readers’ Award winners were announced May 15 at the SFWA Nebula Awards Weekend, held May 14-16, 2010 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
The AnLab winners are:
Best Novella:
“Where the Winds Are All Asleep”, Michael F. Flynn (Analog 10/09)
Best Novelette:
“Chain”, Stephen L. Burns (Analog 6/09)
Best Short Story:
“The Universe Beneath Our Feet”, Carl Frederick (Analog 12/09)
Best Fact Article:
“From Atlantis to Canoe-Eating Trees: Geomythology Comes of Age”, Richard A. Lovett (Analog 9/09)
Best Cover (tie):
John Allemand for Analog 1-2/09
Bob Eggleton for Analog 10/09
Asimov’s Readers’ Award winners:
Best Novella:
“Broken Windchimes”, Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov’s 9/09)
Best Novelette: “Blood Dauber”, Ted Kosmatka & Michael Poore (Asimov’s 12/09)
Best Short Story: “Bridesicle”, Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 10-11/09)
Best Poem: “Edgar Allan Poe”, Bryan D. Dietrich (Asimov’s 10-11/09)
Best Cover Artist: John Picacio (Asimov’s 9/09)

Thriller writer Jeffery Deaver has been chosen to pen a new James Bond book, to be published on creator Ian Fleming's birthday - 28 May - next year. The US author follows in the footsteps of Britain's Sebastian Faulks, whose Devil May Care was published in 2008 to mark the centenary of Fleming's birth. Full BBC story

The mystery of 1,800-year-old remains unearthed in York may have been solved thanks to bite and hammer marks on their decapitated skulls. Archaeologists have exhumed 80 skeletons from gardens at Driffield Terrace over the past decade. The results of forensic work on the skeletons suggests they may be part of the world's only well-preserved Roman gladiator cemetery. Marks on the remains suggest some individuals died in a violent manner. BBC story

US scientists have found further evidence that huge seas existed long ago on Mars. A geological mapping project found sedimentary deposits in a region called Hellas Planitia which suggest a large sea once stood there. The 2,000 km-wide, 8km-deep Hellas basin is a giant impact crater - the largest such structure on Mars. The researchers say their data support a lake between 4.5 and 3.5 billion years ago.
Full BBC story and picture

One for the collective consciousness:.

A trilogy I read in the early 70's. Juvenile science fiction/fantasy. Set in some distant future where the Galactic Empire is in disarray - an Interregnum I believe. There are star ships navigated by a priesthood. But the science has been lost. So knights and their horses may be transported in space ships lit by burning torches. Not much to go on I'm afraid. Mark Simmons

E-mail us if you can help

Big thanks to all of you who responded last time around, very impressive and just shows the power of the collective mind!

Simon, Hi, I found you through a Google search and am hoping that you might be able to help me track down a book, although I have only very sketchy details.

Around the 1978-1982 period, when I was 8-12, I remember having a science fiction book that I was fascinated by. I think I threw it out when I was going through my teenage years but I'd like to try and find it again.

It was basically an illustrated encyclopaedia type book of space ships. I remember the book as being hardback, and bigger than A4 but smaller than A3. It wasn't especially thick, I think between 100-200 pages. I think the book was split up into sections, each one dealing with a category of spaceship/vehicle. Each spaceship/vehicle would have a full page illustration and then on the facing page some imagined specifications and a story or narrative about it, in the style of "future history". The illustration style was incredibly detailed, almost photo-realistic, in the style of a lot of paperback science fiction books. My memory is far from reliable but I think that the dust jacket also had a detailed illustration on it but that the actual cover was in a dull blue colour with a stippled finish.

I realise that this doesn't give you much to go on but I'd be very very grateful if you could make any suggestions as to what the book might be. I'd entertain paying good money for a copy.

Hope you can help and I hope to hear from you. (if you can help please email us)

and you did - many thanks to:

Peter Tennant: Hi Simon

It sounds like "Spacecraft 2000 - 2100 AD" by Stewart Cowley:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spacecraft-2000-2100-Terran-Authority-handbook/dp/060038439X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274004429&sr=1-2

As a possible alternative there is "Space Wars: Worlds and Weapons" by Steven Eisler:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Space-Wars-Weapons-Steven-Eisler/dp/070641005X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274004566&sr=1-2

Hope that's of help.

Jan van Heiningen: Hi Simon,

It sounds to me like the request is for one of the books illustrated by Chris Foss. I used to have them myself (and maybe still do, but cannot find it right now).

As I remember the very frist volume was a sort of Future History, whish is probably the one meant here, and afterward a couple of folow-up books were published, all or most illustrated by Chris Foss, who was a very popular artist at the time, with a very detailed style. He illustrated many Asimov titles for Panther at he time, also some Doc Smith titles etc.

I think the publisher was Souvenir Press or somesuch publisher of "coffeetable books". I hope this helps!

Sincerely

Jan van Heiningen

Charles C Albritton lll: Howdy!

Though you've probably been buried in answers for this, I'll join in anyway (nothing beats redundancy like redundant redundancy, yah?)

The book is Spacecraft 2000-2100 AD (by Stewart CowleyStewart Cowley. It was published in 1978 by Hamlyn (Chartwell Books in the US,) and was followed by three sequels--

Great Space Battles (by Stewart Cowley and Charles Herridge, 1979)
SpaceWreck: Ghost Ships and Derelicts of Space (by Stewart Cowley, 1979)
Starliners: Commercial Travel in 2200 AD (by Stewart Cowley, 1980)

Six associated books, the Galactic Encounters series, were also written by Stewart Cowley (using the pseudonym "Steven Caldwell.") All were published by Intercontinental Book Productions in the UK and republished by Crescent Books in the US (this is how I first got them, in early 1980, from a book dump at, of all places, a Woolco in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Never saw them in bookstores.)

Aliens in Space: An Illustrated Guide to the Inhabited Galaxy (1979)
Star Quest: An Incredible Voyage into the Unknown (1979)
The Fantastic Planet: A World of Magic and Mystery (1980)
Dangerous Frontiers: The Fight for Survival on Distant Worlds (1980)
(Printed as Settlers in Space: The Fight for Survival on Distant Worlds in the US)
Worlds at War: An Illustrated Study of Interplanetary Conflict (1980)
Space Patrol: The Official Guide to the Galactic Security Force (1980)

There was also a juvenile book called Space Warriors, set in the same universe as the above.

From the interview with Mr. Cowley linked below...
"Spacewreck is my personal favourite. Space itself is a mysterious place and I loved the idea of astro-archaeology - starting with a mysterious artifact and working back to try and unravel it's story. Even if it is fiction, the process embodies the same sense of curiosity and a sense of the truly alien. "

The whole interview with Mr. Cowley can be found here...
http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/TTABooks/TTAInterview.html

Other links of interest....

http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/TTABooks/TTABooks.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terran_Trade_Authority

http://tta.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

I'd done a post on Amazon for all the books, adapted from the Wikipedia info, just so others wouldn't have trouble (like I did) tracking down all the books in the series. It was good to revisit all this info for this "doozy."

Keep up the GREAT work y'all do,

Charles

Allan Tromp: Simon and Laraine --

Hello! I always enjoy reading your newsletter; this time I noticed the "Collective Consciousness" question, and I think I may be able provide an answer to this month's question (although I suspect you may have already received answers to this).

I believe the book being discussed is "Spacecraft: 2000 to 21000" by Stewart Cowley, published by Chartwell Books in 1978. It is indeed a larger-than usual page format, with what I would also describe as a "blue stippled" finish. I have included a scan of the dust jacket below.

Exactly as the writer describes in his summary, the book includes histories and specifications of numerous spaceships of an invented future history according to the "Terran Trade Authority." Ships include Alpha Centauri Behemoth, Terran Warhawk, Unidentified Alien Object from Sirius, etc.

What's fascinating is that I suspect the beautiful artwork IS, exactly as the writer mentioned, pretty much all great SF British paperback covers from that era (with a lot of them done by Chris Foss or artists with a similar style).

Another book with the same format by the same authors is "Great Space Battles." There are also a myriad of "Galactic Encounters" books by Steven Caldwell that appear to utilize UK SF paperback art, tied together with a future history backdrop. Titles in this series include "Aliens in Space," "Star Quest," "The Fantastic Planet," "Worlds at War," "Settlers in Space," and "Space Patrol."

As I mentioned, I collect these books for the spectacular illustrations, but I also confess to admiring the ingenuity and chutzpah of the authors, for building intriguing galactic empires and technological marvels to tie together an assortment of otherwise unrelated SF art.

I run into these titles all the time at used book sales here in America, and I'm pretty sure they were distributed in England as well. They should also be available at very reasonable prices from online book dealers.

I hope this is of assistance. Have a great week!

Cheers,

Alan Tromp, Florissant, Missouri USA

Rob Nott also agreed:

Hi Simon,

I think this is the book your customer is trying to find from the late seventies:

http://www.amazon.com/Spacecraft-2000-2100-D-Stewart-Cowley/dp/0890092117

I still have a copy that my mum gave me for Christmas in 1978. There were a couple of sequel volumes too. Basically it was a case of using lots of '70s SF book cover art by people like Chris Foss and compiling stats and a future history to link them together.

Regards, Rob

Neal Dutts chipped in as well: Hi Simon,

Regarding the punter who had the query about the spaceship book which went:

I'm fairly sure that the book he/she is after is "Spacecraft 2000-2100AD" by Stewart Cowley (featuring artwork by the spectacularly mysterious "J.S. Artists")

I have a treasured copy myself boxed up somewhere and have even found a Flickr stream which someone has posted up a series of the illustrations from it http://www.flickr.com/photos/cee-emily/tags/spacecraft/ (which should help the punter in question identify it or not). If memory serves, I found my copy in a British Heart Foundation Bookshop a few years back. I'm sure you can pick it up online though.

Hope this helps
Regards,
Neal


Dennis Lien disagreed though, and suggested another title: This is almost certainly:

Title: Spacecraft in fact and fiction /
Author(s): Harrison, Harry, 1925-
Edwards, Malcolm,; 1949-
Publication: London : Orbin Pub.,
Year: 1979
Description: 128 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
Language: English
Standard No: ISBN: 085613192X :; 9780856131929 LCCN: 79-322877
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor: Astronautics -- Popular works.
Space vehicles -- Popular works.
Identifier: Space vehicles, to 1978; Arts; Special subjects: Space
vehicles, to 1978
Note(s): Includes index./ Bibliography: p. 126.
Class Descriptors: LC: TL793; Dewey: 629.47
Responsibility: Harry Harrison and Malcolm Edwards.

*******

There were several other mostly-sf-art books co-edited by Edwards around the same time of the same general sort: ALIEN LANDSCAPES; LOST REALMS; REALMS OF FANTASY; and TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE.

Dennis Lien / University of Minnesota Libraries // d-lien@umn.edu

Justin responded:

Simon,

I'm a bit pushed for time right now, so I'll write more completely later, but......

Blown away by the response - I didn't think I'd get any. I'm looking at a cover I've not seen in nearly 30 years!

Thank you so much.

Will write more later.

Regards

Justin.

Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood will return for a fourth series with a more international flavour, the BBC said. The 10-part series will be funded by BBC Wales, as well as the corporation's commercial arm - BBC Worldwide - and US cable network Starz Entertainment. John Barrowman will return as Captain Jack alongside Eve Myles, as Gwen. While previous series have been recorded in Cardiff, new storylines will include locations in the US and around the world. BBC story

Two short stories by Stieg Larsson, the author of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, have been found six years after his death. Larsson wrote the two sci-fi stories aged 17 but they were rejected by Swedish magazine Jules Verne. The stories, titled The Crystal Balls and The Flies, were unearthed by the Swedish National Library. Larsson died in 2004 aged 50, a year before the first of his Millennium trilogy crime novels was published. Full BBC story

Former SFWA president Norman Spinrad has been battling stomach cancer for some time now. In late May he goes in for surgery to try to remove the mass of tumors blocking his stomach. In his words, “If nothing is done, this is a slow death by starvation.” SFWA

Competition Time - last newsletter we had a signed copy of John Trevillian's debut novel "The A-Men"

The winner was Peter Jeavons from Cwmbran in Wales and we shipped the book to him on June 2nd - thanks for all the entries - better luck to you all next time round.

I Independent crossword and general silliness:

Superhero who is in on arm wresting (5,4)

We were most amused to see the provisional title for Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's new book, due out in march, is "The River Cottage Baby and Toddler Cookbook" - would that be roasted or chargrilled?

Could iPods upset denizen of Jurassic park? (10)

Obituaries:

Author, mathematician, and puzzle-maker Martin Gardner, 95, died May 22, 2010 in Norman OK . Martin Gardner was also an expert on the works of Lewis Carroll, best known for The Annotated Alice (1960)

Dancer, choreographer, and author Jeanne Robinson died May 30, 2010, at home and surrounded by family, after a long battle with biliary tract cancer.

Arthur Herzog III, 83, died May 26, 2010 from complications of a stroke. Herzog’s 16 novels included several works of SF interest, most notably debut The Swarm (1974), about killer bees.

Department of Smug Self Satisfaction.

1. Hi Fantastic Literature,

I'm the guy who was pestering you 3 days ago about the condition of The Wheel of Time- Lord of Chaos (1st edition, UK publication) Thank you so much for your emails. The book arrived today, in even better condion than I expected! It looks like it's never been read, which is exactly what I wanted.(Not even age discolouration to pages for a 16 yr old book is amazing! Where did you find it?!)

I can't tell you how long I've been looking for a copy in this condition. I find it hard to find a seller who is completely truthful or accurate when declaring the condition status (maybe as I am very particular!) so it was so pleasing when I opened the package and found a book that exceeded my expectations!

You wrapped the book so well, and even went to the trouble of adding a "fragile" sticker - such care!

I have left some feedback and will definitely be keeping an eye out for your company when I'm searching for others of The Wheel of Time hardbacks!

Thank you again

2. Hey. My order has just arrived, thank you. I'm really pleased as it's in betta condition than I hoped for. Please count this as positive feedback. Zoe Shayne.

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