COSMOPOLIS Number 25 April, 2002 CRT Update ..............................................8 Contents by Robin Rouch Kudos to the CRT team Work Tsar Status Report .........................1 by Joel Riedesel Big Planet, Big Scissors….....................8 Wave 1 volumes list by Patrick Dusoulier Editorial mangling of the Ace edition VIE Brochures from the 2001 Frankfurt Book Fair ...................... 2 38’s Crucible........................................... 18 by Bob Lacovara by Paul Rhoads Frankfurt brochure available for purchase More kudos and some non-kudos A Glimpse of Norwescon 25 ................... 3 You Have Done It!...................................27 by Norma Vance by Hans van der Veeke Jack and Norma at the Convention Volunteer work credits for completed texts: Vandals of the Void, Strange People, Queer Notions, Madouc, The Book of First Wave Textual Integrity.......... 5 Dreams, Gold and Iron, The House on Lily Street, The Dragon by Steve Sherman Masters, Marune: Alastor 933, The Miracle Workers, Cholwell’s Kudos to the TI team Chickens Post Proofing Report ..................... 7 Letters to the Editor ..............................30 by Chris Corley John Chalmers, Paul Rhoads, Alain Schremmer, Carl Goldman, Kudos to the Post Prooªng team Till Noever Gratitude To Post Proofers............. 8 CLS 12 .....................................................33 from VIE Management Closing Words........................................34 Gift Certiªcates for VIE merchandise VIE Contacts...........................................34 The Fine Print........................................34 Clarges Work Tsar Status Report The Languages of Pao as of March 24, 2002 V9) The Dragon Masters and Other Stories by Joel Riedesel V10) The Flesh Mask Strange People, Queer Notions The Volumes for Wave 1 are now deªned! And the Bird Isle texts for them have all completed the TI process V11) The House on Lily Street and are in the Composition and Post Prooªng system! The View from Chickweed’s Window V12) Bad Ronald The Wave 1 volumes are: The Dark Ocean V1) Mazirian the Magician V14) The Man in the Cage V4) The Rapparee The Deadly Isles Big Planet V17) The Moon Moth and Other Stories Vandals of the Void V20) Emphyrio V6) Golden Girl and Other Stories V25) The Face V7) Gold and Iron V26) The Book of Dreams V28) The Domains of Koryphon V29) Trullion: Alastor 2262 To wit: a mere US$10 will bring you one of these V30) Marune: Alastor 933 beautifully printed and bound brochures, although V31) Wyst: Alastor 1716 if you are outside the range of ‘domestic media mail’ V36) Suldrun’s Garden of the US Post o£ce, you get hit for US$13. (If for V37) The Green Pearl some reason you need more than one, I’ll combine V38) Madouc your shipping, and save you a few dollars. Domestic V39) Araminta Station US will be $19 for two, $27 for three. Outside the V42) Night Lamp US, $23 for two, $32 for three. If you need more than that, best to write me. The webform currently The word count for these volumes is 2,356,600 just multiplies copies by $10 or $13, but presumably, words. Approximately 900,000 to 1,000,000 words Suan Yong will read this with baleful eyes, and remain to be Post Proofed for Wave 1—and by the make the necessary changes.) end of May or ªrst week of June no less! The seven Post Prooªng teams deserve many accolades! The brochures are quite tasteful, even elegant. In six languages you may read about our project, Jack There are only seventeen texts remaining to be Post Vance, and the Amiante font. The 51st page is a fold Proofed in Wave 1. The VIE is now putting the ªnal out illustrating the Amiante typefaces. On the inside processes in place for readying the texts for back cover is a tasteful memorial to those murdered publication. The next two months are a push to on September 11, with a thoughtful and appropriate ªnish the Composition process. We then scrutinize quotation from The Star King. The booklet is 210 mm every volume before sending them on to Sfera for by 147 mm, and 5 mm thick, printed on a lovely hard ‘blue lines’. Those are then checked. Finally the white paper. volumes are ready to publish. We anticipate the go ahead to Sfera for publication as early as the end of All in all, you will enjoy this unique and well-made July. Look for Wave 1 volumes before Christmas souvenir of the VIE Project. Supplies really are (and keep your ªngers crossed!). limited: if you want one of these brochures, don’t hesitate to order. We are not likely to reprint them Meanwhile, Wave 2 already proceeds at a heady before the next Book Fair, and the next reprints clip. Already, the majority of Wave 2 texts have will di¥er somewhat (in that ‘family’ will be spelled completed DD OCR scanning (only 39 OCR scans with fewer than two ‘l’s, Paul.) remain to be completed). The Jockeying, Monkeying, Techno, and TI steps have all been ªlled with An order form for single copies is on the VIE web outstanding work. Yet, diligence must be attended to. page, http://www.vanceintegral.com/products/ There is much work left to do and we will still be Orders from the EU will be shipped from France, needing volunteers to help with most all of the and the rest of phases of work yet to do. If anyone would like to the world from volunteer for VIE work, see the VIE web pages or Houston, Texas. feel free to contact myself at Each brochure [email protected] and I will point you in the will be shipped right direction. in a padded mailing envelope. VIE Brochures from the 2001 Frankfurt Book Fair by Bob Lacovara At long last, the VIE brochures from the Frankfurt Book Fair are available. These brochures were handed out for free to publishing professionals at the Book Fair, but for a limited time (because quantities are limited) you can have one for much more than free! 2 Cosmopolis 25, April 2002 so we went early to bed without going out for A Glimpse of dinner. Norwescon 25 Thursday, March 28: by Norma Vance, with John Vance Registration began in earnest. We had breakfast in Jack Vance was Guest of Honor at the 25th Norwescon Fantasy the co¥ee shop; our waitress, who was of late and Science Fiction Convention in Sea-Tac, Washington, during middle-age, was extremely solicitous; it seemed she the Easter weekend—Ed. couldn’t do enough for us. Jack and I were both thoroughly ‘God-blessed’, to which I dutifully said I’d like to explain ªrst that I did not get around the ‘thank you’ each time. convention much, so this will not be a description of Norwescon 25 as a whole. It was my responsibility After breakfast I took Jack to one of the hospitality to see that Jack showed up when and where he was rooms where guests of the convention could relax required to be, and so I attended all of his and talk with one another. Co¥ee, tea, soft drinks appearances; but unfortunately I was not able to and ªnger foods were served. Here, Jack met fellow participate in any of the workshops, or join some of Guest of Honor Dr. James Glass, a published the other ceremonies which ªlled the four days of biophysicist and professor and dean (retired) at the Norwescon 25. nearby Eastern Washington University. Jack was very pleased to share his views on the cosmos with We did have the privilege though to meet a lot of Dr. Glass. intelligent and talented people, all genuinely addicted to Jack Vance’s writing, and totally While Jack was so occupied I took my VIE materials absorbed in what he had to say about his adventures down to where registrations were taking place. I and his work. had Paul’s drawings and maps (which John had printed onto 8 ½ x 11 photo glossy paper) enclosed Wednesday, March 27: in sheet protectors, laid out on the table; also the Frankfurt brochures, and examples of the Readers Jack and I arrived at Sea-Tac at about 2:45 P.M. We and Deluxe editions of Coup de Grace and Other Stories. I were met at baggage claim by Bob and Ali Grieve, spoke with many people about the VIE, praised the organizers and guest liaisons for the convention; Gift Volumes, and explained the drawings and maps. they helped us retrieve our luggage, then bundled Most people were already tuned in to the VIE via us into a limousine for the ªve minute ride to the the website, many had read Cosmopolis, and a Doubletree Inn—our hotel, and venue for the number were subscribers. convention. I eventually collected Jack and we had a light lunch. The Doubletree Inn is a 14-story construction, with Several young people stopped by to introduce a 3-dimensionally intricate floorplan capable of themselves and tell Jack how much they appreciated leaving one feeling confused and lost, at least on his being a guest of the convention, or how much short acquaintance. The elevators are glass they enjoyed his writing and ask when Lurulu would enclosures looking out over the landscape, lovely if the observer is not acrophobic… be published. We told them he was working on it daily and sometime this year he hoped it would be Our room with two queen beds was large and done. comfortable; and had a spacious deck still in winter mode—no furniture—but the air was too chill to Opening ceremonies were at 2 P.M.; after his open the sliding doors. We saw gray skies with introduction Jack gave a short speech thanking the tattered clouds for much of our stay; the Seattle convention for his invitation, and in general was as area averages 300 days of overcast weather per accomodating as he could possibly be.