Friday, May 15, 2009

Matters Vancean

The regular visitor to ::Acquired Taste will know that my appreciation for Jack Vance knows no bounds. For many years I believed I was alone with this particular enthusiasm; I was wrong. Vance remains a minority taste, but those people who enjoy tend to take it to extremes.

In 1999 a group of those aficionados got together to republish everything Vance had ever written--4.4 million words--and if that were not enough, to extirpate every unwarranted editorial intervention. This was not, as you may suspect, a straightforward task. I should know: I was one of those aficionados.

The editor-in-chief of this project, the Vance Integral Edition (VIE), was Paul Rhoads. Paul has recently collected and revised a series of essays he wrote about Vance's work over the life of the VIE. Published by Afton House, the essays in Winged Being: Thoughts on Jack Vance and Patient Explanations of the Obvious, are provocative and always lively. In attempting to show Vance's work in its cultural context--a context much wider than science-fiction--Paul Rhoads' essays pay Vance the compliment of serious critical attention.

For anyone who has even a passing interest in Vance's work, this book is sure to entertain, educate and amuse.
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6 comments:

David Isaak said...

How very cool. I'll order it.

Am I given to understand that the Integral Edition is going to be repubbed by them as well?

Tim Stretton said...

I recommend it, David. I can guarantee you won't agree with all Paul's positions, which are nothing if not eclectic, but you will be consistently entertained and provoked. The open minded reader is likely to arrive at a deeper understanding of Vance's work for the experience.

Andrew said...

I'm looking forward to reading your novel, Tim!
The Vance Integral Edition was a dream come true for me; in retrospect I only wish I had saved up a bit more and gotten the deluxe edition, but the reader's edition I have is beautiful in it's own right and, more importantly, the same damn good reading. I only wish I could have been more involved in the actual work of the project; I did post-proof two short stories... and found no errors, which was irrationally frustrating!

Tim Stretton said...

Andrew, sometimes I wish I'd sprung for a deluxe too - it could even have been financed for "free" by investing in another reader's edition and selling it on at a profit. But then I sit down and read one of the books and I realise the covers don't matter....

MDAdams said...

I have the deluxe edition... and while I love to admire the volumes on my bookshelf, reading is not as enjoyable. I'm too worried about smudges, creases, etc. And I certainly can't travel with a volume; too much risk of damage! As a consequence, I find myself re-reading my tired, dog-eared, and FLAWED paperback editions. (those that weren't destroyed in the scanning process)

So, there's merit in having the Reader's Edition!

Tim Stretton said...

I don't take my Reader's Edition out of the house either. If I want to read Vance on the move, it's either a ratty old paperback or an ebook!