Patrick's Collection

[srboone]

Awesome narrative, Patrick, thanks for pics! Nice to have a Gaiman collector on hand! Great collection.

[PaulB]

Brilliant story! Many thanks for sharing.

[Patrick]

(continued)

Then I told him that I have a 1-month old daughter and that I read her his book, BLUEBERRY GIRL, released a couple months ago (at the time). Neil Gaiman's book, BLUEBERRY GIRL, is a poem written years ago for a friend (Tori Amos) who was pregnant at the time with a little girl.



I told Neil that it was already flatsigned, but I would appreciate it if he could just inscribe it to my daughter.



He was happy to do so and, of course, he signed it after inscribing it - even though this was my third book of the day.





"Love and blueberries…" This last is my favorite of the three because it is so sweet and he is a kind man.

I walked back to my truck a few blocks away, my feet not quite touching the ground and drove the 80 miles home.

The End.

[Patrick]

(continued)

I told Neil that I read "Wolves in the Walls" (a children's book of his) to my sons and that they love it. He said that he thinks it's great for kids to have the opportunity to grow up on stories like that.

Meanwhile he signed my new "Absolute Sandman, Volume I." He drew Morpheus. Sweet.

(A huge beautiful edition. Here it is next to one of the standard softcovers to show relative size.)






...

With two inscribed, doodled, and signed books, that was my limit... or was it?

(continued)

[Patrick]

(continued)

The reading was all done and we were outside after a half hour, which meant this event was to last another hour. The workers had repeated, like a mantra at every opportunity all morning that Neil would only sign two books per person. However I thought, "No way in hell is he going to sign a hundred people's books, especially not at two per person, in one hour." Oh yeah, earlier upon arrival before the reading, they had handed out numbers to people in line. I was #74 out of 100, so I knew I was in for a long wait.

All I could think was, "I wish hadn't imbibed so heavily last night."

Also I thought, "I hope Gaiman does not stick to his stated 90 minute limit or I'm screwed."

Well over two hours since the start of the event, they finally called my number. I went in and got in line. Then I was finally in the store! I could see Neil Gaiman signing other people's books! He was being very mellow and very gracious. He was thanking people for coming. Wait, Gaiman was thanking us??

Finally it was my turn at the table. Yes, I was nervous. Yes, I forgot whatever little I planned to say. No, I did not drool on him, although I easily could have. A nice lady offered to take photos with my camera and I handed it to her, after which I promptly forgot I had even brought a camera.

I babbled about how much I loved all his work, about how cool he was to come to this comic store in San Francisco, how stoked I was to meet him, blah blah blah…

Neil inscribed my "Whatever Happened to The Caped Crusader?" He drew Batman in my book. I love Batman and I love Gaiman. I was irrationally happy.

...

...

(continued)

[Patrick]

In July 2009, Neil Gaiman visited San Francisco and did a one-off reading and signing event at a local comic book store. This event was limited to the first 100 people who had called (as I had one week earlier) or come in to pre-order the new hardback of "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" - Batman's swan song story written by Gaiman. The limit was based on the Neil telling the owner he would come in for about an hour and a half. I had my doubts because doing a reading and signing up to 200 books would almost undoubtedly take longer than 90 minutes. The staff continually repeated that there was a 2 book limit for the signing.



The owner of the shop, Brian, came out and stood at the top of the little staircase to the backroom and gave a short introduction. He knew Neil from way back when Neil had done a couple signings there much, much earlier in his career. This occasion is that store is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Brian was clear that they/we were very lucky to have Neil stop by because, at this point in his career, he really doesn't need to do comic book store signings.

Then, to much applause, Neil Gaiman appeared from behind the black curtain:



Neil told us that a long time ago, there was printing mistake in Sandman, Issue #8. Corrected versions were run but were limited in number. Those issues were given out to a few comic shops with the intention of being given away as freebies. Most of those shops sold the "free" issues. Worse, some took them to San Diego and sold them for big bucks given their scarcity. Neil said that, unlike the others, Brian had given all his away. In fact, rather than only give them to his existing customers, Brian had left copies all over the City to get word out about Sandman and in hopes of maybe getting a new customer or two. Gaiman really respects how Brian handled things all those years ago. And that's why Neil was taking time out of his vacation on a sunny Sunday to visit Brian's shop again and do this reading and signing.

Next Neil said that he would like to read from the new hardcover Batman, but that he had never figured out how to do a good live reading from a comic book. So instead he would read from another book, "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" Amanda Palmer is a woman who took a lot of pictures of herself in various situations, but in all of the photos she appears dead. She asked Neil to write captions and stories to go with the photos. As this was a wholly original request and unlike anything anyone had ever asked of him, he accepted.

Neil would show a photo from the book of Amanda Palmer "dead," and then he would read the story he wrote for the picture. Neil read four or five of these stories and let slip that he got a girlfriend out of the project.


...

Amanda Palmer is the singer in the duo, Dresden Dolls, and was now Neil's girlfriend. (Some time later, they married.) The name of the book is also the name of her debut solo album. For any Dresden Doll fans out there, Amanda showed up later during the signings.

Then about half an hour after filing into the store, they kicked us all out while they put the store back together (bookracks in place, etc.) and set up a table in back for Neil to sign people's books.

(continued)

[Patrick]

Hey, thanks, Grant!

Want to hear a story?

Absolutely AWESOME Gaiman collection Patrick !!!!!

peter-bjorn-and-john.jpg

[Patrick]

Signed Limited edition of Neil Gaiman's ANANSI BOYS (continued):

Additional Material Notebooks:



This extra softcover book is also numbered to match the signed book:



This whole project is a beautiful production.

[Patrick]

Signed Limited edition of Neil Gaiman's ANANSI BOYS (continued):

Title page design:



Limitation page. This is #77 of 750 numbered copies signed by the author and artist:



Copyright page and dedication.



Example of the interior artwork. The artwork is laid in (attached) to the page rather than printed on the page:



(continued)

[Patrick]

Here is the Signed Limited edition of Neil Gaiman's ANANSI BOYS by Hill House Publishers.

Slipcase on your left, book in the middle, additional Notebook on your right:



Slipcase detail - spider artwork on wood:



The book's front end papers:



(continued)

[Patrick]

Here is the novel that hooked me on Neil Gaiman: ANANSI BOYS.

This is a first edition and, as you can see from the sticker, it's signed.



First edition!



Great dedication - and a signature with ink the same purple color as the endpapers.

[Patrick]

While we're on the topic of Gaiman, here is a comic book to which he contributed a story (essay? poem?). There are three cover variations to this comic book. Here is the variation that is signed by Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee.

LIBERTY COMICS #2. The cover of this edition is from the Gaiman/Lee story within.



Table of Contents, featuring stories contributed by various authors and illustrated by different artists:

Note that below the Table, it references two of the covers, "Kick Ass Cover" and "Free Speech Cover." Both of those covers are included in the pages of this special edition.



Inside back cover: This comic book was produced as a benefit for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, of which Neil Gaiman is an active supporter.

[Patrick]

Signed/Limited edition of, THE THACKERY T. LAMBSHEAD POCKET GUIDE TO ECCENTRIC & DISCREDITED DISEASES (continued)

On the signature pages each person signed over their last name which is printed lightly in each box:

...

...

I believe there are 650 signed copies of this limited edition.

[Patrick]

Here is the Signed/Limited edition of a fun anthology called, THE THACKERY T. LAMBSHEAD POCKET GUIDE TO ECCENTRIC & DISCREDITED DISEASES, published by Night Shade Books.



Creative endpapers and Table of Contents:





A handy glossary of featured contributors, such as Neil Gaiman and China Mieville, and the pages on which their work appears:



(continued)