Star Trek XI Novelization in Hardcover

[Daddy Todd]

I received my 2 copies of the "Limited Edition" hardcover of Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the new film today.

It's an interesting artifact. Once I was able to pry it out of the traycase box and flip it open, I noticed that the pages are pretty much identical to those in the original trade paper edition.

All the "trade dress" says Pocket Books -- even the ISBN appears to be in series with recent Pocket/S&S releases. No mention of "Premiere Collectibles" anywhere besides the back of the box.

The author's signature is on the flyleaf, as well as a hand-lettered limitation in a different hand (the number on one of my two copies is even hand-corrected. Hmmm...)

Anyway, I fed the ISBN into Amazon, and lo and behold, Pocket is releasing the hardcover in a non-limited edition for $25.00 ($16.50 through Amazon). Supposedly released on June 16th, the Amazon page still indicates that "This title has not yet been released."

So, the limited hardcover is nothing but 1000 copies of the regular hardcover, signed by ADF and packaged in a too-tight box.

If you want a hardcover of the novelization, skip the LE and buy this instead.

 

[PaulSimpson]

I received my 2 copies of the "Limited Edition" hardcover of Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the new film today.

It's an interesting artifact. Once I was able to pry it out of the traycase box and flip it open, I noticed that the pages are pretty much identical to those in the original trade paper edition.

All the "trade dress" says Pocket Books -- even the ISBN appears to be in series with recent Pocket/S&S releases. No mention of "Premiere Collectibles" anywhere besides the back of the box.

The author's signature is on the flyleaf, as well as a hand-lettered limitation in a different hand (the number on one of my two copies is even hand-corrected. Hmmm...)

Anyway, I fed the ISBN into Amazon, and lo and behold, Pocket is releasing the hardcover in a non-limited edition for $25.00 ($16.50 through Amazon). Supposedly released on June 16th, the Amazon page still indicates that "This title has not yet been released."

So, the limited hardcover is nothing but 1000 copies of the regular hardcover, signed by ADF and packaged in a too-tight box.

If you want a hardcover of the novelization, skip the LE and buy this instead.

Not according to all the information we've been given for the magazine about it. Amazon is not a reliable source of information for this sort of thing.

Paul

 

[Brendan Moody]

I imagine the Amazon listing is just the option to buy the hardcover version through Amazon instead of direct from Premiere Collectibles. Premiere's website is also offering the hardcover, without any of the limited edition materials, for $25.00, and Amazon probably ordered a certain number of them, as they often do with small press books, to sell at a discount.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I imagine the Amazon listing is just the option to buy the hardcover version through Amazon instead of direct from Premiere Collectibles.

I believe the Science Fiction Book Club will also be doing their traditional, exclusive hardcover.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I imagine the Amazon listing is just the option to buy the hardcover version through Amazon instead of direct from Premiere Collectibles. Premiere's website is also offering the hardcover, without any of the limited edition materials, for $25.00, and Amazon probably ordered a certain number of them, as they often do with small press books, to sell at a discount.

I have quite a few "small press" editions of SF & fantasy books -- I probably have 50 Subterranean Press titles, and any number of other titles from other small presses.

This book doesn't look much like any small press book I've ever seen. It looks exactly like a Pocket Books edition. Small press editions are usually re-typeset -- this uses the same pages as the trade paper first edition. Even the SFBC usually resets its editions, and that's not what I'd call a small press, either!

All the logos and trade dress are for Pocket Books. Subterranean, PS, NESFA, etc. all "brand" their books with their own logos. Can it really be said to be a "small press" book if all the copyright information and trade dress are for Pocket Books? No, I don't think so. This is a Pocket Book.

It's true Amazon doesn't always get things right, but my comments are based on examining the books I received from Premiere Collectibles. They had Foster sign the flyleaf of regular copies -- then someone else went through and hand-numbered them. That doesn't make a different edition, any more than having Foster autograph my copies of the Star Trek Logs makes them a different edition. It might make it a different "state," but even that's iffy.

Now the same book (without the "presentation box" and autograph) has appeared on Amazon (and Borders.com, and BAMM.com...) I ordered a copy from Amazon; I'll post when it arrives and let everyone know what it looks like... I suspect I already know what it looks like, because I have 2 copies already!

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I believe the Science Fiction Book Club will also be doing their traditional, exclusive hardcover.

I thought the SFBC died about two years ago.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I believe the Science Fiction Book Club will also be doing their traditional, exclusive hardcover.

I thought the SFBC died about two years ago.

Nope; they fired all their staff and folded operations in with some of their other book clubs, but I still get their mailings every month, and faithfully go online and decline their selections.

If not for the tiny handful of exclusive hardcovers they do of paperback originals, and the occasional omnibus, they no longer serve any purpose whatsoever, except for the non-net-savvy.

Buying the SFBC edition of most books costs more than buying the publisher's edition from Amazon, when you factor in SFBC's astronomical shipping & handling charges. And their editions are of inferior quality.

 

[Brendan Moody]

I have quite a few "small press" editions of SF & fantasy books -- I probably have 50 Subterranean Press titles, and any number of other titles from other small presses.

This book doesn't look much like any small press book I've ever seen. It looks exactly like a Pocket Books edition. Small press editions are usually re-typeset -- this uses the same pages as the trade paper first edition. Even the SFBC usually resets its editions, and that's not what I'd call a small press, either!

All the logos and trade dress are for Pocket Books. Subterranean, PS, NESFA, etc. all "brand" their books with their own logos. Can it really be said to be a "small press" book if all the copyright information and trade dress are for Pocket Books? No, I don't think so. This is a Pocket Book.

It's true Amazon doesn't always get things right, but my comments are based on examining the books I received from Premiere Collectibles. They had Foster sign the flyleaf of regular copies -- then someone else went through and hand-numbered them. That doesn't make a different edition, any more than having Foster autograph my copies of the Star Trek Logs makes them a different edition. It might make it a different "state," but even that's iffy.

Now the same book (without the "presentation box" and autograph) has appeared on Amazon (and Borders.com, and BAMM.com...) I ordered a copy from Amazon; I'll post when it arrives and let everyone know what it looks like... I suspect I already know what it looks like, because I have 2 copies already!

I don't think we really disagree. You can consider it a Pocket publication if that floats your boat. Certainly Premiere isn't behaving like a typical small press here, and the resulting book sounds more cheaply designed than a good small press edition would be.

My point is that, regardless of where you order it from, it'll still ultimately be drawn from from Premiere's stock of the hardcover, like the ones sold on their website. The "non-limited edition" hardcover is also sold by them, even if it's just Pocket's pages in a different binding. I'm sure you do already know what it looks like. But your original post suggested, intentionally or not, that that hardcover is a typical edition from Pocket, like the trade paperback, and that doesn't seem to be the case. There's no guarantee that there'll be as many copies as there would of an ordinary Pocket release ("non-limited" doesn't mean mass market), and I doubt it'll show up in ordinary bookstores.

 

[Daddy Todd]

In the last 2 days I received copies of 2 hardcover editions of the Star Trek novelization: the Science Fiction Book Club edition, and the Pocket Books edition (from Amazon.com.)

The Pocket edition is nearly identical to the Signed & Numbered Limited Edition copies I obtained from Premiere Collectibles a few weeks back. It's even signed by Alan Dean Foster (!). The only difference is that it's not numbered, and it doesn't come in a box.

The SFBC edition is quite similar: same page layout as the 2 Pocket Books editions, but different matter on the copyright page, lower-quality paper, binding & dustjacket -- and jacket art based on the trade paper first edition, rather than the 1-sheet art used by Pocket. If you buy the Pocket edition at Amazon.com's discounted price, it ends up being about the same price as the SFBC edition, because SFBC charges a lot more for s&h. You'll get a higher-quality edition, and the author's signature, from Amazon to boot!