Hi tom.
i can vaguely understand about books sinse I often feel the same way about
video and dvd box sets. For instance, the 25th doctor who aniversary
special, the fourteen episode long, very epic story trial of a Timelord,
came on video in a commemorative tin shaped like the Tardis, with the three
vhs tapes inside. The dvd edition however just had a standard fold out box
set box with a blue Dr. who logo on the side. Needless to say, even though i
own the dvd version i will be keeping the original just for it's ornamental
and nostalgic value. This goes for several other things I own, for instance
my now slightly defunct (through many rereadings), bbc audio of the Lord of
the rings came in a most wonderful gold box with each of the 13 audio tapes
individually boxed. indeed I have very fond memories of being about five,
opening the box and actually believing for a second that the story was
written on gold tablets.
The cd edition I perchiced in 2002 is in a much less pretty box, just a
standard multiple cd case with paper flaps, black with gold writing, and of
course now I've ripped all the cds to my hard drive so I don't need the box
at all. I will however still keep hold of the tape copy.
I also understand about first editions. Again speaking of tolkien, in the
original story of the Hobbit the events with golum transpired slightly
differently, sinse there, instead of bilbo finding the ring at random and
Golum offering to lead bilbo out of the caves if he defeated golum in a
riddle contest, Golum actually offered the magic ring as a prize in the
contest which bilbo won.
tolkien himself revised this soon after the publication of Lotr, and a new
version of the hobbit with the familiar chapter we know now was printed.
That is why in thestart of Lotr Gandalf refers to Bilbo putting out a false
story about how he came by the ring, probably one of the first examples of
retcon ever attempted.
needless to say now, original, pre edit copies of the hobbit are very
valuable indeed.
All this being said however, i still don't see why, like myself and Lotr,
the publishers of ff, lone wolf and other books, ---- indeed the publishers
of all books can't offer digital versions for the general markit, and some
collectors edition type paper volumes. Some sights like the online publisher
lulu in fact already do this, indeed when I bought my pdf copies of the
Falcon banner series (people may know the audio drama adaptation from Darker
projects), the option to buy a paper copy was also available.
After all, it's not as if making digital copies costs a huge amount of
money.
this is eventually where I see publishing going, paper publication just
remaining as a curiosity, replaced by more efficient methods, rather the way
currently that though you can! buy hand sewn fernishings such as cushion
covers and rugs, those made via machine are far cheaper to produce and more
easily obtainable.
I do hope however the popularity of gamebooks at the moment on the Iphone
might prompt digital versions at some point in the future, sinse myself I've
only played a couple of the classic fighting fantasy novels, and those only
by curtesy of a gamebook loving friend of mine, ---- though at least by
using Gma dice and keeping the character sheet I could contribute slightly
to the proceedings, and we were even able to finish crypt of the vampire as
well.
The sad thing however is manifestly I can't presume on my friend constantly,
nor as often as I'd! myself like to try replaying gamebooks. This is again
why I'm so glad the Lone wolf books are staying on project.aon, even though
we don't get any of the new content included in the new editions, which even
apparently have new adventures for some secondary characters, like Lone
wolf's wizard friend Banedon who you meet in flight from the Dark, or the
old wizard who gets captured by Vonota in Caverns of Kalt.
Beware the grue!
Dark.
---
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