Out of the Woodwork 136. Mid March 2008
Fantastic Literature - setting the standards for out of print on-line bookselling.

Welcome to our newsletter, it contains up to the minute news and gossip as well as awards details and items requiring help from the collective consciousness. If you wish to contribute please do so! We welcome your thoughts, your news items and any gossip! We do love a bit of gossip here at Fantastic HQ.

Sad news Gary Gygax, co-creator of the first role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, has died at the age of 69. Gygax, who developed the game in 1974 with Dave Arneson, had been suffering from health problems for several years. Full BBC story

Jody Scott, born 1923, died in Seattle on December 24, 2007. She was the author of two SF novels, Passing for Human (1977) and I, Vampire (1984). Her website includes a review of the former book by Barry N. Malzberg, from F&SF, in which he called her "the best unknown sf writer.

Award News:

The 2008 Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist, for best SF novel with its first British publication in 2007, consists of Matthew de Abaitua's The Red Men, Stephen Baxter's The H-Bomb Girl, Sarah Hall's The Carhullan Army, Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts, Ken MacLeod's The Execution Channel, and Richard Morgan's Black Man [published in the US as Thirteen]. The winner will be announced 30 April 2008 on the opening night of the Sci-Fi-London film festival. Arthur C Clarke Awards

Woodwormers respond:

I was sorry to hear of Ken Slater’s death. Many years ago (ie around the late sixties) I got to know him when he was selling from his house in Wisbech Cambridgeshire. He was never short of interesting books both new and second-hand, I remember being particularly pleased when he sold me the complete set of the first three years of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine. He also found me the original Astounding Science Fiction magazines from the 1920’s in which Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness was first published as a serial. All in all another loss to the world of SF collectors.

Richard Christou.

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Thanks for the news item about The Midnight Man in your newsletter. Much appreciated.

BTW, my agent Bob Tanner died February 14. I mention it because he used to run NEL and launched SF Monthly, which was edited by his colleague Pat Hornsey who is part of the team that still represents me.

All the best,

Simon Clark

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Re: One for the collective consciousnes:

Your correspondent has confused two authors of different periods - The book Burning Maguerite was written by Elizabeth Inness-Brown, born 1954

The author of the book Three Daughters of the United Kingdom was BROWNE, Jessie Elizabeth Innes. It was published in 1897.

John Moulden

Horror director George A Romero reveals why he made his latest zombie film - and why the undead can't run. Romero made the original Night of the Living Dead in 1968
When it comes to zombie movies, there is no man more revered than George A Romero.

Made for just $100,000 in black-and-white, his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead became a cult classic that spawned an entire genre .It also generated four sequels, the latest of which, Diary of the Dead, is released in the UK this month. Laden with gore, blood and apocalyptic doom, Romero's work is not for the faint-hearted. Full BBC story

The Brian Aldiss Website - official one this, mind! has been updated and enhanced, with short stories, excerpts from novels and articles. It looks really good and you can find it here or go to our links page for another link

Harry Potter - maximum income plan revealed. The seventh and final Harry Potter book will be adapted for the big screen in two parts, Warner Bros has confirmed. Not a cyncial ploy to get more revenue says producer David Heyman but an artistic decsion as it is impossible to cram all the elements of the novel into one book. Mmmm - we will see!

Fantastic Literature - Global Smug Self Satisfaction dept:

Dear Laraine:

The book has arrived safe and sound. Thank you very much!

Best wishes from Argentina :-)

Daniel

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and just the UK -
Hi Simon,
Just a quick email to let you know that the book has arrived safely.
I was impressed by how careful the book was wrapped.
Many thanks for the promptness of delivery,

Regards
Ian Hammond

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My order for Lord Darcy has arrived, in perhaps better condition than described, and very quickly. Thank you very much Michael Spencer

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