ST Vault, TNG 365 and Book of Opposites

[Therin of Andor]

http://www.trektoday.com/content/2011/05/several-new-star-trek-books-announced/#more-12071http://www.trektoday.com/content/2011/05/several-new-star-trek-books-announced/

New Trek books include:

• The Star Trek Vault (Abrams – October 2011). Charting the first 40 years of Star Trek, Star Trek Vault is the ultimate treasure trove of Star Trek imagery and memorabilia, sure to appeal to both the casual and die-hard fan. Author Scott Tipton has written numerous Star Trek comics. His award-winning website, comics101.com, was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s “100 Greatest Websites.”
• Star Trek TNG 365 (Abrams – Fall 2012). Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 is the definitive, authorized guide to the landmark television program that aired from 1987 through 1994. A visual celebration of the adventures of Captain Picard and his crew, the book covers the entire series in unprecedented detail, combining in-depth commentary, behind-the-scenes histories, and interviews with writers, cast, and crew with synopses for the series’ 178 episodes.
• Star Trek Book of Opposites (Quirk Books – September 2011). The Star Trek Book of Opposites will make a great novelty gift for Star Trek fans of all ages, offering an exciting voyage of silly educational fun. The book will pair colorful photographs of Star Trek‘s classic heroes and aliens to introduce the concept of opposites through immediate visual humor.

 

[JD]

All three of these sound pretty cool to me. I will definitely be keeping my eye on them.

 

[BillJ]

Will be getting The Vault and Next Gen 365... The Book of Opposites does nothing for me.

 

[8of5]

I was digging around earlier and found a couple of blurbs for them:

Star Trek Vault:

Star Trek Vault charts the remarkable history of the world's most popular science fiction series, examining the franchise's first 40 years. Covering all six Star Trek television series and the ten original feature films, the book highlights the far-reaching social and scientific optimism that underpins the franchise, dwelling on milestones such as its groundbreaking mixed-race casts and technologies that have since become commonplace, before taking an in-depth look at the making of each series and movie. Fully illustrated with more than 350 images, and including 13 interactive reproductions of the most fascinating memorabilia from the CBS archives--on-set signage, hand-drawn storyboards, blueprints for Picard's captain's chair, and a vintage T-shirt transfer--Star Trek Vault provides a broad perspective on the voyages of Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer. The ultimate treasure trove of Star Trek imagery and memorabilia, Star Trek Vault is sure to appeal to both the casual and the die-hard fan.

Star Trek Book of Opposites (longer version of the blurb above):

Is your child leaving baby-talk behind and beginning to explore strange new words? Or are you simply a Trekkie who needs a goofy gift for a fellow-fan friend? "The Star Trek Book of Opposites" will transport you together to an exciting voyage of silly educational fun, pairing up colorful photographs of "Star Trek's" classic heroes and aliens to introduce the concept of opposites through immediate visual humor. Our first children's book hits exactly that sweet spot Quirk is so good at, blending sincere educational helpfulness with a sly grin. Just like "Star Trek" itself, it walks that fine line between earnest and campy. And it's the perfect time to take advantage of the recent resurgent interest in Classic Trek! With a hip, up-market design sensibility, "The Star Trek Book of Opposites" will make a great, kitschy gift for any Star Trek fan, with or without children.

I also found Aurum Press (who are doing the UK printing of Vault) have a sample page in their catalogue (pdf link, or screen cap on my blog)

And I found another book called Obsessed with Star Trek, which has some sort of built in electronic quiz.

And finally, for any french readers, the first Star Trek 365 just got a french edition published!

The Vault book sounds the most interesting to me, especially as it's not just focusing on TOS, a bit of a rarity these days!

 

[Yevetha]

Maybe they should copy the SW Essential Atlas.

 

[8of5]

Maybe they should copy the SW Essential Atlas.

Is that anyting like Star Charts?

Most of these books seem to be from series of non-fiction formats which are applied to various different subjects and franchises. There's a Star Wars 365, Star Wars Vault, and Obsessed with Star Wars already out!

 

[Admiral_Young]

SW Essential Atlas is about a hundred times better than Star Charts (no offense because I'm a fan of both). I've no interest in any of these three books. I wonder what the difference is about publishing these books rather than reference books? Surely these three type of books don't sell more?

 

[Idran]

SW Essential Atlas is about a hundred times better than Star Charts (no offense because I'm a fan of both). I've no interest in any of these three books. I wonder what the difference is about publishing these books rather than reference books? Surely these three type of books don't sell more?

None of these are from Pocket Books, and Pocket Books is the only company with a license to publish any sort of in-universe reference book like that.

 

[8of5]

I wonder what the difference is about publishing these books rather than reference books? Surely these three type of books don't sell more?

I think they probably do; look at this batch, and the last few as well (The Haynes Manual, Captain Kirk's Guide to Women, Ships of the Line, Star Trek 101) they are all aimed not just at die-hard trekkies who want infinite niggling detail, but at the broader more casual fan base who might pick up one of these for a bit of general interest and fun about a show they enjoy enough to casually flip through a well presented book.

I guess the cross franchise formats might point to that too; if someone casually interested in Star Wars picked up Star Wars 365, they might later then notice there's now a Star Trek 365 too, and having enjoyed the presentation of the Star Wars book pick up the Trek version as well. When maybe they wouldn't have bothered if it was a one-of-kind Trek only book.

None of these are from Pocket Books, and Pocket Books is the only company with a license to publish any sort of in-universe reference book like that.

I'm not sure exactly where I've got this idea from (as I can’t find any notation in the Haynes Manual to back it up), but I think all these various publishers have had to go through Simon and Schuster to be able to publish a Trek book, as I'm pretty sure they have exclusivity.

 

[Tiberius]

I might get the book of opposites for my daughter...

 

[Idran]

None of these are from Pocket Books, and Pocket Books is the only company with a license to publish any sort of in-universe reference book like that.

I'm not sure exactly where I've got this idea from (as I can’t find any notation in the Haynes Manual to back it up), but I think all these various publishers have had to go through Simon and Schuster to be able to publish a Trek book, as I'm pretty sure they have exclusivity.

Maybe it depends on if you're making a Star Trek book, or a book about Star Trek? Because all three of these books would seem to fall more into the latter category than the former.

 

[8of5]

Maybe it depends on if you're making a Star Trek book, or a book about Star Trek? Because all three of these books would seem to fall more into the latter category than the former.

As in a book written from an in-universe perspective as opposed to one about the franchise? That doesn't add up with the Haynes Manual, which is in-universe.

Assuming my notion that Simon and Schuster sort of sub-license these books by other publishers I think it's simply a matter of what's profitable.

It would not be S&S's interest to let another company publish a Star Trek novel, because these already have a strong established brand there and can make that novel just as well themselves.

But letting another publisher pay them a fee so that there can be a Star Trek book as part of the 365, Obsessed with..., or Haynes Manuals product ranges gives them access to markets that something done in-house wouldn't - So presumably the amount of money they can get form the increased sales tapping into those already established series of books with a license fee, is greater than they could make publishing their own non-fiction books and taking all the profit directly. And/or it's less of a risk to S&S, they charge a fee, but another company has to take the risk and expense of developing the product.

 

[Idran]

Maybe it depends on if you're making a Star Trek book, or a book about Star Trek? Because all three of these books would seem to fall more into the latter category than the former.

As in a book written from an in-universe perspective as opposed to one about the franchise? That doesn't add up with the Haynes Manual, which is in-universe.

Assuming my notion that Simon and Schuster sort of sub-license these books by other publishers I think it's simply a matter of what's profitable.

It would not be S&S's interest to let another company publish a Star Trek novel, because these already have a strong established brand there and can make that novel just as well themselves.

But letting another publisher pay them a fee so that there can be a Star Trek book as part of the 365, Obsessed with..., or Haynes Manuals product ranges gives them access to markets that something done in-house wouldn't - So presumably the amount of money they can get form the increased sales tapping into those already established series of books with a license fee, is greater than they could make publishing their own non-fiction books and taking all the profit directly. And/or it's less of a risk to S&S, they charge a fee, but another company has to take the risk and expense of developing the product.

That does make more sense, yeah. I didn't even think about the Haynes Manual (even though you mentioned it outright, dunno how that happened).

 

[Therin of Andor]

I didn't even think about the Haynes Manual (even though you mentioned it outright, dunno how that happened).

Yes, in order for Haynes to do their ST tech book they had to agree to work with Pocket/Gallery. Without Pocket's agreement, some of these books would have trouble using the name "Star Trek" on the cover. (Hence the old "Best of Trek" books were unauthorised and had vaguely lookalike starships as cover art.)

Andrews/McMeel does the same for the right to do the annual ST calendars. Pocket used to do them in-house, but in the current, riskier marketplace, they'd rather let a different company - a specialist in calendars - take the financial risks and Pocket's editor helps 'em out.

Maybe they should copy the SW Essential Atlas.

And get sued?

Or pay the other publisher a huge fee for the right to use their "Essential" format - on top of the regular ST license fee.

In any case, any ST atlas would require heaps of information to be made up, on the spot, in order for each page to have consistent information. This was always a criticism of both "ST Maps" and "ST Star Charts", and indeed "Worlds of the Federation", and FASA, Last Unicorn and Decipher RPG manuals. Some people want canon info only - and we really don't know very much about most Federation, enemy and neutral planets - some people want lots of made up stuff (but that would harness the novel authors, or cause the novels to ignore stuff), and most can't agree on whether they prefer the established "facts" already featured in the various novels, the comics from multiple publishers, "ST Maps", "ST Star Charts", "Worlds of the Federation", and the FASA, Last Unicorn and Decipher RPG manuals.

 

[Yevetha]

" And get sued?

Or pay the other publisher a huge fee for the right to use their "Essential" format - on top of the regular ST license fee."

I meant do something similar.

"
In any case, any ST atlas would require heaps of information to be made up, on the spot, in order for each page to have consistent information. This was always a criticism of both "ST Maps" and "ST Star Charts", and indeed "Worlds of the Federation", and FASA, Last Unicorn and Decipher RPG manuals. Some people want canon info only - and we really don't know very much about most Federation, enemy and neutral planets - some people want lots of made up stuff (but that would harness the novel authors, or cause the novels to ignore stuff), and most can't agree on whether they prefer the established "facts" already featured in the various novels, the comics from multiple publishers, "ST Maps", "ST Star Charts", "Worlds of the Federation", and the FASA, Last Unicorn and Decipher RPG manuals. __________________"

TV pretty much abandoned this universe so i dont see why this could nt become like SW canon.

 

[Christopher]

TV pretty much abandoned this universe so i dont see why this could nt become like SW canon.

Why is that desirable? Everyone being "commanded" to believe in a single invariant version of the continuity, rather than being free to use their own imagination and judgment and decide for themselves what version of the Trek universe they want to build in their own minds? I'll never understand this submissive mentality some fans have, this desire to be told what to like and what to believe in. That's not the tradition of Star Trek fandom. Back when there was nothing to ST but 79 live-action episodes in constant reruns and 22 animated episodes, fans needed to use their own imagination to envision the larger universe those episodes belonged to. It made it an interactive process and a democratic one, the fans getting to participate in the worldbuilding and choose their own individual takes on it. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations, just like what ST is all about.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Star Trek Book of Opposites (Quirk Books – September 2011). The Star Trek Book of Opposites will make a great novelty gift for Star Trek fans of all ages, offering an exciting voyage of silly educational fun. The book will pair colorful photographs of Star Trek‘s classic heroes and aliens to introduce the concept of opposites through immediate visual humor.

Picked up my copy today. Larger format than I expected, and some very clever photo selections and juxtapositions here! I wish I knew lots of toddlers to buy copies for.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I also have a copy of the Book of Opposites. I'll give it to my niece. Gotta get 'em started young! She already has a Care Cthulhu, now she needs a Star Trek book.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I think my favourite double spread is Big/Little, with Ruk and Balok. Of course, they both owe much to Ted Cassidy.