Paul Legerski is selling his lettered edition of Deadliest of the Species on eBay. I’m kind of shocked to see it going that high. To the best of my knowledge, Paul’s correct in saying there really were only two lettered editions produced and sold.
At the moment, it’s selling for $202.50. Good luck to those of you who bid.
As for the book itself…
It’s kind of messy. There are a couple versions of the book floating around. Vox 13 did print on demand and ordered small quantities at a time. The first edition was rushed for a convention and was messy. The editor cleaned up the worst of it for the next batch, and then there was yet another version when I provided a list of proofing errors. Unfortunately there were no galleys or ARCs in the process, so that’s the main reason it was such a mess.
It’s also tough to say whether that version is truly representative of my work. I mean, I first started the thing over ten years ago, and finished the version that saw print eight years ago. I wince when I read parts of it, and I have a much cleaner, tighter version that I’ve tweaked over the years.
Yes, it won a Bram Stoker Award. And yes, I’m proud of that. But I still get uneasy when I see that book out and about. If you win it, keep it as a collector’s item; I’ll send you a PDF of the better manuscript.
on Nov 8th, 2006 at 8:52 am
I often get uneasy when I see copies of SINS OF BLOOD AND STONE out there, but ultimtaly, I have to remind myself it is a better book than I remember it to be, and there’s a lot more about that book that I’ve forgotten than not.
I read DEADLIEST and enjoyed it, and I have one of those first editions, with all the underlining.