To the best of my knowledge:the New England Science Fiction Association Press has published six collections of short works by Poul Anderson;
there will be more volumes from NESFA;
Volume 1, Call Me Joe, contains forty six items of which I have read perhaps fifteen;
consequently, this and subsequent volumes present much to me as yet unread material;
the items in Call Me Joe include an article on "Heinlein's Stories."
Call Me Joe should be in the post and, when I have read that, I will have to track down Volumes 2-6. I regard Robert Heinlein's Future History and Anderson's Psychotechnic and Technic Histories as a triad among future histories so it will be of particular interest to read Anderson's views on Heinlein's stories.
While awaiting the arrival of Call Me Joe and of Man-Kzin Wars IX, I have read as far as p. 154 of John Grisham's 447-page Sycamore Row.
15 comments:
Hi, Paul!
I am glad you are getting a copy of NESFA Press' CALL ME JOE. I should warn you, however, that my copy was marred by mistakes and misprints. Such as "Journeys End" having an apostrophe (which Poul Anderson did not want in the title). I actually discussed this issue with Greg Bear and the editor responsible at NESFA. They acknowledged the proof reading was inadequate and said later printings of CALL ME JOE would be corrected. So, I hope your copy will have far fewer of the misprints I noticed!
And the proof reading of the later volumes of NESFA's reprinting of PA stories was far better. So you can buy those and notice only a few, at most, bloopers.
I suspect some collectors will eventually rather fancy getting copies of the first printing of CALL ME JOE because of such amusing mistakes as "Dominic Flandry of the POLESOTECHNIC LEAGUE...", when he belonged to the Terran Empire!
Sean
Sean,
Thank you for the warning.
Paul.
Hi, Paul!
Anytime! But, I don't want to seem to be discouraging you or anyone else from getting copies of these NESFA Press collections of Anderson's shorter works. I hope you and others will do precisely that, buy copies of these anthologies. It's only the first printing of the first volume which has flaws.
Sean
Volume 6 has yet to be released, I think.
What's interesting about these NESFA collections is that the editor has chosen the first, magazine version instead of the one that may have been reprinted in a Poul Anderson collection when he was alive and could revise the text.
As a case in point, compare "The Last of the Deliverers" in "Door to Anywhere" (NESFA vol.5) to the revised version in "The Best of Poul Anderson" (Pocket Books, 1976).
Jean-Daniel Brèque
Jean-Daniel,
Thank you for this information. I knew that Vol 6 was due for publication in Feb but also that it might take longer.
Wherever Anderson significantly revised a text, I think that the Complete Works, when published, should preserve both versions clearly labelled as such. Thus, there is a complete Technic History and almost a shorter, alternative History containing the original versions of "Margin of Profit" and of some Flandry stories.
Paul.
Hi, Jean Daniel!
Nice to "see" you again! I would like to comment at greater length at what you and Paul have said, but I have to go to work now. When I come back home, I will.
Did you see my proposed revisal of Sandra Miesel's Technic History chronology? If so, do you have any thoughts or criticisms?
Sean
Hi, Jean Daniel!
Back, and with more time to comment. I knew NESFA Press was concentrating on the original texts of many of the Anderson stories they are reprinting. For example, the title story for ADMIRALTY was the concluding portion of THE STAR FOX. And I noticed how "Admiralty" differed from the book version.
I had not known "The Last of the Deliverers" in NESFA's THE DOOR TO ANYWHERE was later revised for THE BEST OF POUL ANDERSON. That gives me an incenstive to obtain a copy of BEST.
Paul, I agree that stories revised by Poul Anderson should be considered the final, canonical version and the original texts should be placed in appendices. The original texts of the five Technic History stories Anderson revised should be placed as an appendix to the four post Imperial tales (THE POST IMPERIAL ERA).
Sean
Sean,
I would prefer the Short Alternative Technic History in a separate volume to keep it distinct.
It should include "The White King's War"(?), which I have never read as a separate story.
Paul.
I have nearly finished Grisham (brilliant) and hope to received CALL ME JOE tomorrow.
Hi, Paul!
The reason why I would argue for including the original forms of the five Technic History stories revised by Anderson as an Appendix to a suggested POST IMPERIAL ERA volume collecting the four stories set after the Empire fell is because I don't think either set of stories is quite long enough to justify having their own volume. I think in a COMPLETE COLLECTED WORKS OF POUL ANDERSON it makes sense to include both the post Imperial stories and the original texts of the five stories Anderson revised in the same volume.
And, yes, "The White King's War" does belong in such an appendix. Altho it's not exactly uncanonical, being the core of what became A CIRCUS OF HELLS. Btw,"White King" is in NESFA's THE DOOR TO ANYWHERE.
I'm glad you liked the Grisham book. I too have read with pleasure some of Grisham's lawyer novels. And I'm surpised to find out you get Sunday mail deliveries. Sunday is the one day of the week in the US when mail is not delivered.
Sean
Sean,
We do not get Sunday deliveries! I will have to wait till tomorrow, Monday.
Paul.
Hi, Paul!
Oops! Then I forgot about the time zone differences. Your time in the UK is about five or six hours ahead of me, in Massachusetts.
Sean
Sean,
No, if you check the dates of the comments, you will see that I was typing on Saturday but forgetting and saying tomorrow instead of the day after.
Today, I have read, posted, cooked, walked and meditated and the sun is shining so some things are right even if other things are not!
Paul.
Hi, Paul!
Oops, again! I checked the dates, you were right. You simply forgot the day after April 5 was a Sunday.
As you said, some things DO go right, even in our chaotic world! I exercised, read a chapter of Mark's Gospel, went to Mass, made myself dinner, and plan to go for a walk tonight.
Sean
Sean
Sean,
Sundays are good if we make the most of them.
Paul.
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