WTB: Scalzi’s OLD MAN’S WAR, Subterranean S/L HC

[HumphreyBear]

I just picked up a 1st ed. HC, 2nd printing trade HC (no remainder mark as is common, apparently) of OLD MAN’S WAR in Fine/Fine condition and at a very nice price. Figured I should read the thing and make sure I like it before spending the big money on the Sub Press S/L edition.

Ron, your post made me think about which edition I have of OMW trade. I always thought it was a later printing - probably because I got it cheap. Looking at it now, I'm not sure. No numbers, no stated first edition. Can anyone help me?
OMW.jpg

[RonClinton]

Ron, your post made me think about which edition I have of OMW trade. I always thought it was a later printing - probably because I got it cheap. Looking at it now, I'm not sure. No numbers, no stated first edition. Can anyone help me?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]21829[/ATTACH]

I’m sure what you have is a bookclub HC. The true 1st ed. and 1st printing has at the bottom of the copyright page the following:

First Edition: January 2005
Printed in the United States
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you search eBay for item 362711581303 or 292777755794 , you’ll see the copyright page for a true 1st/1st.

The second printing I just picked up is missing the 1 in the numberline. Subsequent printings would remove even more numbers, but the line would still be present in some fashion. The total absence of it indicates a bookclub...am assuming your copy also lacks a price on the front dj flap, another bookclub indicator.

[HumphreyBear]

Thanks Ron.

Now that you mention it, it was sold to me as a BCE. I had in my mind that it was nothing special!
And a lot cheaper than those firsts on ebay.

[RonClinton]

...aaannd my Fine/Fine 1st ed. / 2nd printing HC just arrived. Looking forward to reading this one soon.

That said, I'm actually kind of hoping I don't enjoy it *too* much, as going down the expensive pathway of collecting all the Sub Press S/L HCs this late in the game isn't an attractive proposition. Reminds me a bit of the Sub Press S/L HC of Cline's READY, PLAYER ONE...I read long after it was published (both in trade and limited), and loved it (though ARMADA was godawful)...but now seeing the price of the Sub Press S/L HC (issued at $75...?) at $300'ish, it's unfortunately and regrettably clear that I'm probably too late in the game to ever make that one my own.

[RonClinton]

...aaannd my Fine/Fine 1st ed. / 2nd printing HC just arrived. Looking forward to reading this one soon.

That said, I'm actually kind of hoping I don't enjoy it *too* much, as going down the expensive pathway of collecting all the Sub Press S/L HCs this late in the game isn't an attractive proposition. Reminds me a bit of the Sub Press S/L HC of Cline's READY, PLAYER ONE...I read long after it was published (both in trade and limited), and loved it (though ARMADA was godawful)...but now seeing the price of the Sub Press S/L HC (issued at $75...?) at $300'ish, it's unfortunately and regrettably clear that I'm probably too late in the game to ever make that one my own.

Made it today’s Daily Showcase Book on Twitter...pictures here:

https://twitter.com/ron_clinton/stat...039638016?s=21

[Martin]

Made it today’s Daily Showcase Book on Twitter...pictures here:

https://twitter.com/ron_clinton/stat...039638016?s=21

I hope you enjoy the story!

[mhatchett]

Excellent Ron!

[RonClinton]

I hope you enjoy the story!

Thanks, so do I…it’ll probably be the next book I read, as I’m kind of in the mood for something a bit different.

[RonClinton]

I hope you enjoy the story!

I started it a few nights ago and am really digging it...I'm about at the halfway mark.

Can you -- or Mike or HumphreyBear, or whoever else may have read the OMW series -- tell me if this type of tone continues throughout the series? To be honest, I'm not a big sci-fi fan -- especially hard and/or military sci-fi, as many reviews purport the OMW series to be -- but Scalzi's use of humor and pathos and keen characterization make this novel much more of the sci-fi that I do enjoy, one that focuses on relatable humanity rather than complex ideas and world-building.

[mhatchett]

I started it a few nights ago and am really digging it...I'm about at the halfway mark.

Can you -- or Mike or HumphreyBear, or whoever else may have read the OMW series -- tell me if this type of tone continues throughout the series? To be honest, I'm not a big sci-fi fan -- especially hard and/or military sci-fi, as many reviews purport the OMW series to be -- but Scalzi's use of humor and pathos and keen characterization make this novel much more of the sci-fi that I do enjoy, one that focuses on relatable humanity rather than complex ideas and world-building.

Ron, I felt the series stayed strong all the way through. In a way, no spoiler, it got more interesting in books 5 & 6, The Human Division and the End of all Things, with the reintroduction of a character and a slight story arc change. I agree, the best writing, Science fiction, whatever, is about people and ideas. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series as much as I did.
Mike

[Martin]

I generally agree with Mike. I would add that Zoe's Tale and The Sagan Diary are different. Scalzi's use of humor and great dialog is strong in all his novels.

[RonClinton]

Good to hear, guys, thanks. Interestingly, I watched a couple interviews with Scalzi last night, and in one of them, he talked about how he intentionally writes his science fiction to be readable and accessible, I think he called it a “gateway to the genre,” so that readers interested in exploring science fiction but not particularly familiar with it wouldn’t get too overwhelmed in their early outing. While that’s not me, since I’ve read quite a bit of science fiction, enough to know that I don’t typically care for most of it, but that style works very well for what I am seeking in the genre.

[RonClinton]

Sometime the will is weak and the obsession strong...and sometimes, you know, sometimes that's okay. It takes a pretty special reading experience for me to throw caution to the wind and buy all the signed/limiteds to plunge headfirst into a series. So excited and pleased to have this Old Man's War series S/L set...given that I've only read the first volume, I have some great reading ahead of me in these exquisite, handsome volumes:

OMW.jpg

[Martin]

Sometime the will is weak and the obsession strong...and sometimes, you know, sometimes that's okay. It takes a pretty special reading experience for me to throw caution to the wind and buy all the signed/limiteds to plunge headfirst into a series. So excited and pleased to have this Old Man's War series S/L set...given that I've only read the first volume, I have some great reading ahead of me in these exquisite, handsome volumes:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]21942[/ATTACH]

Wow, I am very jealous! Both for the fact you have the limited set and that you still get to experience the stories for the first time. You have some great reading ahead.

[RonClinton]

Thanks, Martin. To say I'm excited to both own and read this series in the Sub Press limited format would be quite the understatement.

And, Jeff, this six-book set would have made quite the unboxing (damn box was huge, as the seller packed well!).