The Sword and Laser discussion

My collection is pathetic. I've got Timeline which is probably his worst book. I'v got On Basilisk Station which is not his best book. A couple others, but definitely nothing to write home about.

I've got loads, some probably more desirable than others. I've got all four (to date) books in the The PC Grant Novels: Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Under Ground, all first editions hardbacks too. A fair few Pratchetts, with Small Gods the earliest. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, though I think just about everyone who wanted a signed copy of that in the UK managed to get one as Neil was something of a signing machine last Summer.

London Falling, The Dynamite Room, 666 Charing Cross Road, and several Sarah Pinborough novels have been bought and signed at various boozy launches over the last couple of years.

Ooh, and Watchmen, signed by Dave Gibbons. Also graphic novels and short story collections signed by Tony Lee, Robert Shearman, and many, many more.

Probably few of these are particularly jaw-dropping, but that depends on your perspective, I suspect. They're all treasured as far as my personal library is concerned.

My husband is growing an impresive collection of signed books. He managed to get a signed copy of Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan. More recently he went to a book signing for R.A Salvatore and he signed Neverwinter for him. He said they talked for a few minutes and came away saying he was the coolest person to talk to.

Andrew wrote: "I've got loads, some probably more desirable than others. I've got all four (to date) books in the The PC Grant Novels: Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Under Ground, all ..."

I officially envy you your Gibbons sig.

I have a bunch of Robert J. Sawyer's books signed, because I'm close to Toronto and he constantly makes appearances at Toronto-area literary and SF events.

John Scalzi very nicely signed Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, and Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded for me.

I have Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan signed by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Cory Doctorow signed Little Brother for me.

I have a copy of Instructions signed by Charles Vess; hopefully I can get Neil Gaiman's signature on it someday.

I have a signed copy of Triptych, a book by a Toronto author I know through some local steampunk events. I highly recommend it. It's not a steampunk novel; it's kind of like District 9 with time-travel, but with more extensive character development.

Vlad: The Last Confession signed by C. C. Humphreys (it's historical fiction about Vlad Tepes Dracula, not a vampire story)

Oh, and I have Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Grilling signed by barbecue chef Ted Reader. I have a few other signed non-SF&F books I got at a publisher's event a few years ago, but this is one I use on a regular basis.

I have a few signed books. I got American Assassin signed by Vince Flynn at a book signing. I bought a signed copy of Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger at a book shop. I also have all of Giada De Laurentiis' cookbooks signed.
But my two favorites are my signed copy of Krueger's Tamarack County personalized "from one writer to another" (his wife was my boss and she told him I like to write). And then, for my birthday in 2012, I went to a Giada signing and got her to sign Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner with a "Happy Birthday" message.

We've got a few Terry Pratchett ones, I'm not sure where they are from. Also David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster:)

I've got a strange collection of books that are completely unrelated except for genre.

The Way of Kings HC

Prison Earth Not Guilty As Charged

Dragon Strike Signed Arc

and The Spirit War

I have Best Served Cold signed.

Long ago, for those folks who remember online access as being defined by outfits like Prodigy, I was on the GEnie network (General Electric Network Information Exchange). A newly-minted member of SFWA, I got to chat in the private SFWA forums with a number of well-known authors, including one of my favorites, Jane Yolen. I did her a favor, and as a gesture of thanks she mailed me an autographed paperback copy of Briar Rose with the message, "For Walter, who takes care of the bad guys. Jane Yolen, '96."

Have treasured it ever since.

I have a few, not many, not as many as I want (NEED). :)
I do have signed first editions/first printings of:
* Game of Thrones
* Name of the Wind (both covers, stone face and Fabio) – but these aren't signed yet.
*Way of Kings & Words of Radiance.

I have a few others but that's about it.
I really want to get a personalized Lynch and Abercrombie.


Edited because I messed up the html tags

I don't believe I have many signed editions. One or two by China Mieville, whom I admire greatly as a fiction and nonfiction writer.

I'm more of a best-edition-buyable collector than an autograph collector.

I've got a copy of Cities signed my Michael Moorcock, a signed copy of a little know book by Jeffrey Ford called Vanitas, and a beat-up paperback edition of Communion: A True Story signed by Whitley Strieber.

Kenneth wrote: "I don't believe I have many signed editions. One or two by China Mieville, whom I admire greatly as a fiction and nonfiction writer.

I'm more of a best-edition-buyable collector than an autograph ..."

Mieville's one of my favorites, too. Which signed books do you own?

Embassytown & Perdido Street Station

Kenneth wrote: "Embassytown & Perdido Street Station"

Ah, very nice, indeed! Did he sign them in your presence or did you have them shipped across the pond?

I happened to meet him on a chance appearance at a local bookstore - very fortuitous.

Kenneth wrote: "I happened to meet him on a chance appearance at a local bookstore - very fortuitous."

Wow, yeah. I'd be quite thrilled.

I love when authors doodle when they sign. I have creatures from Jeff VanderMeer and sailboats/clouds from David Mitchell.

The best is probably a copy of The Dying Earth signed by Jack Vance. Sadly, I never met him -- I just happened to acquire it over the years. Likewise a copy of The Man of Gold signed by M.A.R. Barker.

In terms of things I've had signed and/or personalized, I have several signed by Neil Gaiman, although they're all from maybe 10+ years ago -- when he could still do the occasional signing.

Kenneth wrote: "I don't believe I have many signed editions. One or two by China Mieville, whom I admire greatly as a fiction and nonfiction writer."

Have you seen his talk on the future of books? You can find it on Youtube and he makes some very interesting points.

Back on topic, my only signed book is a hardback of Pratchett's 'Only You Can Save Mankind'. That book has such a positive message, and I love Pratchett's work, so I'm proud to have that one.

I've got a signed copy of Soul Music by Terry Pratchett and several books and a CD signed by Spider Robinson.

You can see my David Mitchell autographs here and here.

Oh, and my copy of A Garden to the Eastward was autographed by Harold Lamb -- again, this happened long before I bought the book, in fact long before I was born.

I have all six books of blood signed by Clive Barker. A 1988 Worldcon hardback with 40 or so signatures in it. A few Davod Gemmels, An Adam Christoper, several Caitlin Kiernan. 60 or 70 over the years.

Andrew wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "I don't believe I have many signed editions. One or two by China Mieville, whom I admire greatly as a fiction and nonfiction writer."

Have you seen his talk on the future of books?..."

Got a link to share?

I have a signed copy of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jaques and I won a signed copy of Empire State by Adam Christopher here in the club.

Only a couple. I have a copy of The Gripping Hand signed by Niven & Pournelle. The Dark Tower signed by the illustrator (Michael Whelan) but not the author along w/ alternate cover print.

this story?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012...

Just two: My Michael Parkin Economics textbook and The Dangerous Book for Boys, by Conn Iggulden. The latter was a surprising find at Foyles in London... Even more surprising was that they only charged me the list price (£20)

Kenneth wrote: "this story?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012..."

That's likely it. Thanks.

Gregor wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "this story?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012..."

That's likely it. Thanks."

That's the one. It's also on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTb_C...

There's some other stuff before his talk, and responses from other authors in the audience afterwards. I tried to listen to those as I thought they might be interesting, but the first couple were a bit too knee-jerk defensive for me, so I stopped before I got angry. They weren't necessarily being unreasonable, I just have an unreasonable reaction to a certain sort of defensive conservatism, having spent years of my working life banging my head against it.

Andrew wrote: "Gregor wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "this story?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012..."

That's likely it. Thanks."

That's the one. It's also on Youtube he..."

WTF? I don't get where that's coming from. I'll have to read up on it to see why he's saying all this.

I can understand where he's coming from because I've read his nonfiction. His political position is quite clear. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't.

I was shopping in a used bookstore several years ago and came across $.50 copies of Gerrold's "War Against the Chtorr" books. Picked up the first four book in the series, paperback, and, low and behold, Gerrold had signed all four. Still have them and patiently waiting for Gerrold to finish the dang series. Seriously, GRRM's got nothing on Gerrold.

I actually have a really rare and pretty interesting Autographed book. Back in the 80s there was these anthology horror books called Whispers.
The second to last issue #5 had hardcovers done for them but very limited number at 350 numbered Copies and 26 lettered copies a-z
I have the test run, unnumbered copy autographed by Stephen King
Whispers V
It includes "Before the play" and "It grows on you" by King An Article by him about the Shining. Articles about him By Schiff and Artwork from Gunslinger and Shining and an art folio of The Gunslinger by John Stewart.

James wrote: "I was shopping in a used bookstore several years ago and came across $.50 copies of Gerrold's "War Against the Chtorr" books. Picked up the first four book in the series, paperback, and, low and be..."

Wow what a great find! Agree with you about that series. I think Gerrold wrote himself into a corner that was going to be impossible to get out of.

I bought the UK pb of Red Skies signed by Scott Lynch, from Lynch himself. He had a book sale on his personal Livejournal a few years ago. I already have it on Kindle thankfully, so I could put it away.person" aka our email conversations - nice gu.

I don't usually look for signed copies, but I do treasure my signed Gardens of the Moon that I got at World Fantasy about 4 years ago.

Jon wrote: "I don't usually look for signed copies, but I do treasure my signed Gardens of the Moon that I got at World Fantasy about 4 years ago."

Nice!

As I think about it, I probably have more autographed books than I realize, but these days most of them are limited editions from Subterranean Press or whatever and were sold signed, as opposed to books I brought to an author's appearance.

I've got a bunch (>100) autographed. Charles de Lint signs with a sigil like a volcano. Tim Powers likes to sign upside down. Of people no longer here, I've got Octavia Butler and Robert Sheckley.

Envious of the Butler, love her work. Still search for her stuff when haunting used bookstores, on a quest to achieve as complete a collection as reasonably possible.

I have quite a few signed and inscribed books. My favorite is one that Tim Powers inscribed and added a sketch to. The back of my first Kindle is littered with signatures, most of which I acquired at a World Fantasy Convention mass signing event. Worst signature award goes to Charles de Lint. It's like scribbling a circle over itself 20-30 times.

I have a Wheel of Time that Jordan signed. Semi-cool, but if I can get Sanderson to sign the back page then it would be into the cool category.

And a few Fafherd books that Fritz Leiber signed for me back in the day.

Fritz Leiber!?

Okay, serious envy now...

I've got a bunch of books signed by Brandon Sanderson. Coolest thing is that he got distracted by one of my questions and signed my Mistborn book with a Wheel of Time reference and my WoT book with a Mistborn reference. He actually offered to replace them when he realized what he'd done but I thought it was cool and wanted to keep them that way.