By John Hertz (reprinted from Vanamonde 921): Art lovers (and perhaps Best Related Work nominators) will want a look at Megan Prelinger’s Another Science Fiction (2010), collecting a hundred twenty striking Space images from commercial publications of the years 1957-1962. Her book is two hundred forty pages, and some images get a full page, or two, quite rightly. All are highly imaginative; the things pictured had not been built, not that all the images are representational; it is science fiction through and through; it is wonderful art; it has everything to do with us: and little connection. These artists were not working in our field, more’s the pity, nor is there much sign they knew what ours were doing. So the title is true. Before the May release The New York Times, 9 Mar 10, p. D1, gave a dozen of the images on paper, half as many on the website. The Times‘ text is expectable; so is the book’s; imagine a lemon reviewing a quince. But never mind that. Most of the images came from Aviation Week, and Missiles and Rockets which is no longer published. Prelinger says (her p. 14), “I little expected that the advertising in their pages would seize my attention more than the articles.” That’s the truth too. She did us a service; let us rejoice in what she accomplished. As a picture book this is a treasure.
Monthly Archives: February 2011
In the Beginning
It’s appropriate that during Corflu weekend an antique Edison mimeograph machine is being auctioned on eBay.
Several large photos show the item in all its glory, enough to set the heart of any steampunk fan racing. A metal plate on the mimeo’s wooden box says it was made by A.B. Dick in Chicago and displays a patent date of 1880. There are interior compartments for the flatbed mimeo screen and ink roller. Sure looks like this equipment has seen heavy use somewhere along the way.
The original set of operating instructions is still inside. (So it obviously never belonged to a guy.)
The seller is asking for an opening bid of $49.99.
[Thanks to Steve Davidson for the story.]
Nominees for 2011 Joe Shuster Awards
Nominees in 10 categories for the 2011 Joe Shuster Awards have been announced (click on link.) The awards recognize outstanding achievements by Canadian comic book creators, publishers and retailers.
Also announced were two Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame inductees: Chester Brown and Todd McFarlane.
The awards are named for Toronto-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created Superman.
Works published in 2010 by Canadian citizens living at home or abroad, as well as permanent residents were eligible for consideration. Nominees will be reviewed by juries, who will decide the winners.
The Joe Shuster Awards will be presented during the 7th Annual Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards on June 18 at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.
[Thanks to John Mansfield for the story.]
Borders Writing the Next Chapter — Eleven
Borders could file bankruptcy early next week reports the Wall Street Journal:
Borders Group Inc. is in the final stages of preparing a bankruptcy filing after failing to persuade publishers and others to go along with a plan to refinance the troubled bookstore chain’s debt….
Borders has spent recent days finalizing a deal for so-called debtor-in-possession financing that would keep the company operating while under bankruptcy-court protection, the people said. The company is hearing pitches from Bank of America Corp. And General Electric Co.’s finance arm for $450 million in financing…
By filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy with this financial support Borders could continue operating and move forward with its plan to close 200 stores and cut thousands of jobs.
[Thanks to Michael J. Walsh for the story.]
Ellison To Miss Eaton Conference
When the three-day Eaton Conference begins today, February 11, in Riverside, California it will go on without one of its signature moments. Harlan Ellison had been scheduled to appear in person to receive the 2011 J. Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Fiction. However, on February 9 Harlan posted an apology on his website because he was physically unable to attend:
I apologize to everyone expecting to see me at the Eaton Conference this weekend. I have been bedridden for two days, and I have no energy. I called and cancelled this morning. It was my intention to man-up for the presentation of the award, but now Steve Barber has been gracious enough to accept for me. It is an honor and I am pleased to have been chosen alongside Chip Delany. But both of us has aged, and neither of us will be there in more than devoted spirit. I am unwell, do not wish to repeat the deathtalk that preceded the Madcon, am tired, very tired…and I am, well, simply, sorry not to have been able to accomodate those who wanted to see me.
Harlan’s presence will still be felt, in an alternate way, when the Ellison documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth screens at UC Riverside’s Culver Center on Saturday, February 12 at 7 p.m.
[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]
Nelson Bond Collection on the Block
Quill & Brush is offering for sale a trove of Bradbury first editions owned by the late Nelson Bond, together with Bond’s correspondence with Bradbury, August Derleth, and Forrest Ackerman, a 10-year run of the Derleth Newsletter and miscellaneous other books and related material inscribed to Bond by various authors.
The asking price is $45,000.
A full description of the collection is here: Bond, Bradbury, Derleth, Ackerman: Nelson Bond Collection & Correspondence [PDF file]:
There are a dozen typed letters signed by Bradbury. One of the earliest starts off rather fannishly:
February 15, 1949 “I don’t suppose you remember me….I met you at the NY Science Fiction Convention in 1939…a very good day…I was a Nelson Bond fiend…I’m afraid I did a bit of Bond imitating…”
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian and Michael J. Walsh for the story.]
Tom Swift and His Electric Corflu
The fanzine fans’ convention Corflu starts tomorrow, February 11, in Sunnyvale.
Even if you’ll be stuck at home this weekend you still have a chance to vicariously share in the convention. Peter Sullivan reminds everyone that the Corflu Virtual Fan Lounge will be operating. The Coflu website lists www.ustream.tv/channel/CorFlu28 as its online address.
See more details here.
[Thanks to Peter Sullivan for the story.]
Sold Out!
This is the internet of our discontent.
Fans complain when an e-commerce site crashes and keeps them from making a desired purchase.
They also complain when a site works with perfect efficiency.
There ain’t no justice!
Tickets to San Diego’s Comic-Con International 2011 sold out in seven hours last Saturday, February 5. Internet and TV news outlets made breathless reports that the overwhelming demand crashed the online ticketing system three times. Fans vented their frustration about repeatedly getting “Over Capacity” error messages.
Ticket Leap reached out with technical explanations about why their system was not prepared for the unprecedented strain:
In 2009, [Comic-Con] sold out after 6 months. In 2010, it sold out in 2 months. On Saturday, Comic-Con International 2011 sold out in 7 HOURS (200x faster than last year if you’re keeping track). Needless to say, the demand was unbelievable, reaching a peak of 403,000 page requests per minute and a total of more than 35 million total page requests throughout the day.
An interesting contrast to the Comic-Con ticket story is what happened the first day that the 2011 Worldcon accepted online hotel reservations.
Renovation’s hotels the Atlantis, Peppermill and Courtyard by Marriott began taking online reservations on January 18. The Atlantis is the designated party hotel and it’s the closest to the convention center, to which it’s inked by an air-conditioned sky bridge. Doubtless these attributes are the why fans reserved every available room in the Atlantis on the first day.
When that happened a few fans felt the committee deserved criticism, yet it’s hard to pin down what they ought to be blamed for. Quite unlike Comic-Con’s situation, fans wanting to reserve a room for the Worldcon seemed to have no trouble getting through to request reservations. And I personally think that was the story. No system crash. Information readily available. Either people were able to make reservations where they wanted, or they immediately found out their first choice was unavailable and they needed to pick an alternative.
That’s an infinitely better situation than the days of paper forms when it’d be weeks before you found out whether the tourist bureau had put you in your first choice or somewhere else. (That’s right! When I was your age we didn’t have the internet, we had to walk 20 miles through the snow to…) And rooms are still available at the other official Worldcon hotels.
However, all the Comic-Con tickets are gone. Honestly, beneath the media’s surface treatment of this as a pop culture consumer crisis the stories really seemed to be a coded celebration of Comic-Con’s commercial prowess. So many people want tickets they broke the computer!
Surely Comic-Con’s organizers must be delighted when news coverage increases the pressure felt by the City of San Diego to do whatever it takes to keep the event in town for the long term. Because overshadowing last weekend’s story about frustrated ticket customers is the fact that an enormous number of people do have tickets and will be coming in July to enrich the local economy.
Jamie Ford Buys Ellison’s First Typewriter
Jamie Ford, NYT bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, is the buyer of Harlan Ellison’s historic old typewriter, reported for sale here in December.
Ford tells how it happened in his blog post “Rendering Unto Caesar”:
So…when I heard that Harlan was selling his first typewriter, I was curious. As was the Wall Street Journal who asked, “Would you pay $40,000 for an antique typewriter?”
There was a lot of hubbub—especially with Cormac McCarthy selling his for a staggering $220,000. (Which, as I understand it, was actually purchased by a collective of buyers, who then donated it to charity for the tax-breaks. Not exactly like buying a Picasso, but still, a princely sum).
But with the urging of that Oracle of Delphi, known as my wife, I decided to buy the darn thing. No, I didn’t pay anywhere near $40,000. Let’s just say I paid somewhere between my first-born and a pack of Chicklets. Besides, in the end I got the impression from Harlan that it was more important whom he sold it to, rather than how much.
Ford isn’t planning for this historical artifact to gather dust on a shelf. He’s thinking of making it the symbol of a “Harlan Ellison in Residence” scholarship at one of the writing programs where Harlan has taught over the years, the typewriter to be loaned to that year’s recipient:
They wouldn’t have to write on it, but would be asked to type a little something, leaving it in the typewriter for next year’s recipient.
Passed on, like the President’s Book of Secrets, but real.
And with more swearing.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]
Nominees Sought for WSFA Small Press Award
SF authors, small press publishers and WSFA members have until May 1, 2011 to nominate stories for the Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award for short fiction, now in its fifth year.
The award honors the accomplishments of small presses in promoting and preserving sf. Eligible nominees are works of short fiction up to 17,500 words long in the sf, horror and fantasy genres, published by a small press.
The winner will be chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association. Blind voting is done using texts with the identity of the author and publisher stripped.
According to The Rules: “Small press publishers and periodicals may nominate up to three (3) stories, published by themselves or others. A writer may nominate one (1) story, published by herself/himself or others. A WSFA member may nominate one (1) story.” Then five members of WSFA screen the submissions and produce the list of finalists.
This year’s WSFA Small Press Award Committee is Colleen Cahill (Chair), Cathy Green, Paul Haggerty, Gayle Surrette, Michael Walsh, and Carolyn Frank (Administrator).
The award will be presented at Capclave 11 over the October 14-16 weekend.