Interesting Things…
I picked up another copy of Address: Centauri by F.L. Wallace a couple of weeks ago and it arrived yesterday.
Some interesting things surround the circumstances of this. I asked the seller, Tim, to send me a couple of images so I could see the condition of the book a bit better. The condition seemed to be indeed better (but not much) than my copy, and I directed Tim to the Close Up so he could see for himself the comparison. Tim, it so happened, had previously learned of Gnome Press through this website!!
Interesting.
In addition, the jacket is in slightly better cosmetic condition than my copy, the pages are less GP age-toned, and… the binding is different. This surprised me. F.L. Wallace has no listing in Currey and there is no binding info anywhere else I have seen. My original copy has tan boards and this one from Tim has navy blue boards. This is something for the Trivia section.
Interesting.
Anyway, many thanks for the book Tim.
I received an email from a gentleman who is apparently working on a show for the Discovery Science Channel entitled ‘Prophets of Science Fiction’. He was wondering about obtaining the rights to use some GP cover art in the show. It’s an interesting question as to who actually has them these days. I don’t know of course, but suggested he contact Brian at Red Jacket Press and also try First Edition Library as a couple of their books were GP reproductions. I imagine these two companies would have had to secure the right to use original GP cover art somehow for their reproductions, and they could probably advise him better than I. He was particularly interested in Heinlein and Asimov. I imagine any cover art would now belong to the artist or their estate.
We’ll see what becomes of this. Interesting.
In other slightly interesting news, It hasn’t arrived yet, but I picked up Gene Wolfe’s latest book Home Fires in limited edition, tray-cased form. From the same publisher and very similar to The Sorcerer’s House which I got a few months ago. I followed that up by putting bids on a couple of Hugh Walters books, Destination Mars and Expedition Venus. I have so badly wanted to get some of his YA books as I enjoyed them so much when I first started reading SF out of the old Napier Public Library.
Also have a bid on another book which fired my imagination and scared the hell out of me when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I enjoyed reading it again and again way back then. A 1st edition A Book of Ghosts and Goblins by Ruth Manning-Sanders. I really hope I pick this up as well. It’s one of those books that you think about often over the years.
Interesting.
The Great Gnome Press Science Fiction Odyssey 
July 2, 2012 at 10:37 pm
When I first began to read Hugh Walters books at my school libray I was enthralled by them. I only maaged to get my hands on a couple, destination mars and expedition venus and I have tried to get them to read again but alas apart from those same two on ebook format the paper variety are too expensive for me. Nice to hear from a fellow fan. Regards Dave
July 3, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Thanks Dave… Yes, first edition Hugh Walters are becoming quite pricey and increasingly difficult to find. I really want to pick up some of those earlier titles such as the ones you mention. One day… Cheers!!