SF Bookworm: Collecting Science Fiction Books

Richard Davies of AbeBooks.com reports, “If money was no object and you wanted to create the ultimate modern science fiction and fantasy rare book collection in a single swoop, then The Fine Books Company in Rochester, Michigan, is offering first editions of all the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novels for a cool $116,530.

The listing includes 126 books covering 82 titles (many titles won both awards), and 95% of the titles are signed or inscribed, and in fine or better condition. When a paperback is the true first edition, then the first hardcover is also included. In some cases, US and UK hardcovers have been included where the paperback is the true first edition, then the first hardcover is also included. In some cases, US and UK hardcovers have been included where the paperback is the true first.”

You can find the full article at AbeBooks.com here.

How does writing evolve? Where is its moving edge? Is all writing – at its very best – a type of creative writing?  To explore these questions – and to identify excellence and innovation in new writing – The University of Warwick is today launching the £50, 000 Warwick Prize for Writing.

This substantial prize stands out as an international and cross-disciplinary award. It will be given biennially for an excellent and substantial piece of writing in the English language, in any genre or form. The theme will change with every prize: the 2009 theme is Complexity.

All members of the University of Warwick Staff - from nursery staff and gardeners to professors and porters - are invited to make a nomination for a prize entry by August. Warwick’s honorary professors and honorary graduates will also be asked to make nominations.

China Miéville, award- winning writer of what he describes as ‘weird fiction’, will chair the panel of five judges. Other judges include mathematician Professor Ian Stewart and literary blogger Stephen Mitchelmore. A longlist of 15 to 20 titles will be announced in October 2008 followed by a shortlist of six titles in January 2009. The winner will be announced in February 2009 in Warwick.

The winning submission will represent an intellectual, scientific and/or imaginative advance and be written with an energy and clarity that make it accessible and attractive to a wide audience.
David Morley, Director of the University of Warwick’s Warwick Prize for Writing, said: “We are tremendously excited about the Warwick Prize for Writing.  The award brilliantly reflects the University’s thematic approach to learning and reputation for creative excellence. The prize itself will help define where writing might be going; what new shapes and forms it may take; and even through what media it might be conducted - including electronic forms as well as the traditional form of a book”

The University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Thrift said:
“I am delighted that the University of Warwick is making this major commitment to excellence in writing.  This new prize is part of the University’s Vision 2015 plan to enhance the University’s already significant international links and position it as an intellectual gateway to the UK and beyond. The University’s Warwick Writing programme is already one of the largest and most successful in the UK and this substantial new prize will help it build its international profile in the world of literature and creative writing. “

In addition to the £50,000 monetary prize, the winning author will be awarded the opportunity to take up a short placement at the University.

To find out more visit www.warwick.ac.uk/go/prizeforwriting

From the NY Times:
“Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.”

Complete article here.

An era passes.  A moment of silence please.

For those unfamiliar with desiccants, it is a substance that essentially “sucks up” moisture from the surrounding air. You’ve probably encountered it as small white packets in vitamin bottles and other products that need to be protected from humidity. Desiccants are most effective in a closed environment such as a hermetically sealed bottle or plastic bag but can be used in other ways.

I’ve never used a desiccant in storing my books as I live in a relatively dry climate (although after writing this I’m now seriously thinking about it) but it’s certainly something worth considering if you’re planning to store your books for any length of time in a climate prone to humidity or excessive damp.

There are a number of commercial products that one can find in prepackaged form which can be placed in your boxes with your books.  Salt is a common desiccant and is a natural antibiotic and anti-fungal agent as well which is why it is commonly used in the preservation of food.  Rice is another low-cost desiccant and you can easily make small packets of either tied up in a piece of porous cloth to pack with your books.

Thanks to ScifiDrive for this comment on an added precaution for protecting ones books in storage.