How small? I'm not buying a book that requires a magnifying glass to read (I have poor vision).
Print-on-demand retrospective TOS book forthcoming
- Thread starter Therin of Andor
- Start date
Pocket Books are publishers of highly-commercial books. This three-part, detailed tome sounds like it's for more avid collectors/readers.
Currently on page 75, and Shatner has just appeared in the narrative. This is crazy detailed.
Completely professional writing and presentation - no obvious typos, and only one case of wrong word usage ("gambit" instead of "gamut"). I'm impressed
Completely professional writing and presentation - no obvious typos, and only one case of wrong word usage ("gambit" instead of "gamut"). I'm impressed
Let's just say the size of the book and the print are comparable to many college textbooks. Larger font than the average Trek fiction book and so if you have no problem reading them this should be a breeze. I have 57 year old eyes and bifocals and I find the text comfortable. The dimension of the book is 10.5 inches by 7.25 by 1.5 and is 580 pages long. Does that help?
Kevin
Yes, thanks. 
I'm 50 and about to get bifocals, so it helps to know that the book will be usable.
I'm 50 and about to get bifocals, so it helps to know that the book will be usable.
OK, now THIS is interesting. There's a list of story assignments made during Season One. It includes a number that were abandoned and never produced (at least, not under the given name).
So, in some alternate universe, TOS Season One included:
Warrior's World by Stephen Kandel
The Machine That Went Too Far by A.E. van Vogt
Chicago II by George Clayton Johnson (an early attempt at A Piece of the Action?)
Alien Spirit by Norman Katkov
Untitled by Jack Guss (I'm willing to bet that wouldn't have been the final title)
Journey to Reolite by Alfred Brenner
Rites of Fertility by Robert Sheckley
From The First Day To The Last by John D.F. Black
Sisters in Space by Robert Sheckley
Portrait in Black and White by Barry Trivers
Rock-a-Bye Baby or Die! by George Clayton Johnson
The Squaw by Shimon Wincelberg
Accident of Love by Allen Balter & William Woodfield
Dreadnaught by Alf Harris & Jeeli Jacobs
World of Warriors/Tomorrow the Universe by Paul Schneider(another attempt at Kandel's earlier Warrior's World?)
In all, there were 45 assignments handed out for the 29 episodes produced in Season One (several stories turned up in later seasons, like The Omega Glory, Amok Time and Friday's Child)
So, in some alternate universe, TOS Season One included:
Warrior's World by Stephen Kandel
The Machine That Went Too Far by A.E. van Vogt
Chicago II by George Clayton Johnson (an early attempt at A Piece of the Action?)
Alien Spirit by Norman Katkov
Untitled by Jack Guss (I'm willing to bet that wouldn't have been the final title)
Journey to Reolite by Alfred Brenner
Rites of Fertility by Robert Sheckley
From The First Day To The Last by John D.F. Black
Sisters in Space by Robert Sheckley
Portrait in Black and White by Barry Trivers
Rock-a-Bye Baby or Die! by George Clayton Johnson
The Squaw by Shimon Wincelberg
Accident of Love by Allen Balter & William Woodfield
Dreadnaught by Alf Harris & Jeeli Jacobs
World of Warriors/Tomorrow the Universe by Paul Schneider(another attempt at Kandel's earlier Warrior's World?)
In all, there were 45 assignments handed out for the 29 episodes produced in Season One (several stories turned up in later seasons, like The Omega Glory, Amok Time and Friday's Child)
Interesting that The Laertian Gamble wasn't Robert Sheckley's first brush with Trek. It was great the way TOS recruited big-name prose SF authors to write episodes. I wonder why hardly anyone ever does that anymore. I guess because TV shows these days are generally so staff-driven. And it does sometimes happen to some degree; Stargate Universe had John Scalzi as its science consultant, though I don't think he ever wrote an episode.
Not exactly a Sci-fi author but the closest example I can think of is Neil Gaiman writing for Doctor Who.
From The First Day to the Last was the title of John D.F. Black's version of the envelope for the first pilot. Credit for the final episode went to WGA arbitration; Black didn't submit a statement (believing the script drafts stood for themselves) and was denied credit.
Probably in the book, but thought it was worth pointing out.
Wow!
I wish they'd made some of these.
Rock-a-bye Baby or Die
I wish they did
I wish they'd made some of these.
Rock-a-bye Baby or Die
We're really better off that they didn't make that one. Here's the summary:
http://www.orionpressfanzines.com/articles/rock.htm
I wish they'd made some of these.
Rock-a-bye Baby or Die
We're really better off that they didn't make that one. Here's the summary:
http://www.orionpressfanzines.com/articles/rock.htm
That was hysterical.
I wish they'd made some of these.
Rock-a-bye Baby or Die
George Clayton Johnson released this treatment in a hardcover collection, "All of Us are Dying and other stories". I have it.
trevanian
Rear Admiral
Now the publisher is sounding legal-nasty in response to my calling this issue out for attention in the Amazon comments.
Indeed. Any positive feelings I had about this release are fading rapidly.
Gurian's arguments on the Amazon page strike me as rather specious. Because someone had to further alter the photos so they could be reproduced in black and white, this somehow nullifies the restoration work of Star Trek History, birdofthegalaxy, and others initially done to the photos? Not to mention his bizarre claim that in some cases it took "in excess of an hour" in the case of some images to prepare them for inclusion in the book. I don't know who is being paid to do this restoration work, but that doesn't strike me as the completion time of a professional.
EDIT: Never mind the fact that most of the Amazon reviewers have never posted another review before, and at least one is in charge of what appears to be a website with links to the author.
Gurian's arguments on the Amazon page strike me as rather specious. Because someone had to further alter the photos so they could be reproduced in black and white, this somehow nullifies the restoration work of Star Trek History, birdofthegalaxy, and others initially done to the photos? Not to mention his bizarre claim that in some cases it took "in excess of an hour" in the case of some images to prepare them for inclusion in the book. I don't know who is being paid to do this restoration work, but that doesn't strike me as the completion time of a professional.
EDIT: Never mind the fact that most of the Amazon reviewers have never posted another review before, and at least one is in charge of what appears to be a website with links to the author.
It's unfortunate that the actions of the publisher/editor(s) are damaging the book (assuming it was they, and not the author, who inserted the offending pictures) because it's a pretty amazing book. Maybe they could strip out the pictures in a future edition (or come to some sort of accommodation with the restorers) so those put off by the controversy would give the book a chance.
They might also take the opportunity of cleaning up the egregious typos. I know I said earlier that the text was fairly clean, but that was only in the first 50-75 pages. Later on, it's kind of a mess. Maybe they only had time/money to closely line-edit the beginning?
They might also take the opportunity of cleaning up the egregious typos. I know I said earlier that the text was fairly clean, but that was only in the first 50-75 pages. Later on, it's kind of a mess. Maybe they only had time/money to closely line-edit the beginning?
I am in the photography industry and for your information StarTrekhistory.com does NOT own the said pictures. The only person who owns any of the pictures are the original photographer. Period! StarTrekhistory.com has illegally altered and posted online pictures they have not gotten written permission from the photographer in the first place. So they have no legal claim. It happens that Gerald Guiran and StarTrekhistory.com acquired their pictures from the same source years ago (Lincoln Enterprises), who was illegally distributing those pictures. Restoration of a negative cannot and does not give you any rights whatsoever to that picture. Never will! I wish everyone would quit making an issue over something that is not the real content of the book. Cushman was a personal friend of Gene Roddenberry and has the endorsement of his son. What more does he need?
Kevin
Kevin
Star Trek History, as I understand it, isn't asserting ownership of the pictures their contributers purchased from Lincoln Enterprises. Where they draw exception is the use of their restorations of these images to promote the book on Facebook and in the book itself, which the publisher did without asking permission or (in all the cases I have seen so far in the book, which I have not finished) giving credit to the site.
Gurian has asserted that the images are either his (purchased from Lincoln Enterprises) or that he can't remember their source. Star Trek History has asserted that the "digital fingerprints" of their restoration can be found on the images which continue to be posted on Facebook to promote the book.
I am no expert on photographic restoration, but I trust Star Trek History in this matter. Considering that they would have likely provided their restorations for free (and at much hire quality) if the publisher had simply asked, the behavior of Jacobs Prown Press hardly strikes me as noble.
Gurian has asserted that the images are either his (purchased from Lincoln Enterprises) or that he can't remember their source. Star Trek History has asserted that the "digital fingerprints" of their restoration can be found on the images which continue to be posted on Facebook to promote the book.
I am no expert on photographic restoration, but I trust Star Trek History in this matter. Considering that they would have likely provided their restorations for free (and at much hire quality) if the publisher had simply asked, the behavior of Jacobs Prown Press hardly strikes me as noble.
The opposite can also be said. StarTrekhistories restoration of images they do NOT own is also questionable. As I stated above photographs belong only and exclusively to the photographer who took the picture. If you have pictures taken by a photographer of your family, even if you have purchased the pictures, you do NOT own the pictures. You only own the right to reproduce them for personal use only. The photographer always retains the rights to photos they took by copyright law. So technically StarTrekhistory is just as much in the wrong here.
Kevin
I think it's worth mentioning that the authors of the licensed, CBS-approved book Star Trek 365 approached Star Trek History about using their restored images in the book (and did use them, with credit and permission). To me, this suggests that CBS doesn't mind the website's display of behind-the-scenes images from the original series. But I don't run the site, so I wouldn't know.