Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 17:40:45 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Judging a book by...
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

> sgs at aginc.net 8/28/2005 10:03:25 PM >>>
>Mike B. wrote:
>> The "Laser Books" series all had covers done by Kelly Freas.  They
>were all
>> done in the exact same format...a good thing since he had to do
>something
>> like 50 of them in one year.  He still read each story, and the
cover
>was
>> related, but the general layout of "scene from story in background,

>main
>> character's face in lower right foreground" was used on all of
>them.
>>
>> -- Mike B.
>
>I remember talking to Kelly about these.  He signed a contract for
>70-some covers -- and *then* he discovered that the book quality
>was
>uniformly ghodawful.  He actually read the first few, but he quickly
>settled on reading only enough to get an idea of one of the main
>characters, and then putting it against an abstract or semi- abstract

>background.
>
>"Seeds of Change", by Tom Monteleone, Laser Books #0, was the
>only book
>I know that was printed in a "limited edition" of 250,000.  For years,

>it was the bane of used SF dealers and buyers, as you'd usually find
>at
>least one full shelf of them at a used book dealer.  I think I bounced

>my copy off a wall somewhere around page 2.

Outside the bookstore stood Crandall, sweating a little in his long
coat, the coat with great deep pockets.

Entering the store, he saw the owner was off in the romance section
helping some blue haired woman.

He made his way back to the sf section, a section he knew well, having
been there the last two trips.

"Canticle for Leibowitz".... 3 copies...  "I can use those" he thought.

Ah, some A. Merritt.  Michael Moorcock.  Early Anne McCaffrey.

He stacked them on a nearby shelf.

The owner was still in the romance section, good.

With practiced stealth he pulled out the pockets copies of "Seeds of
Change" and placed them on the shelf.

"That makes... let's see.... 28 copies there... heheheheheheh.... I'll
get rid of these yet," he thought as took his puchases up to the
counter.

mjw