I have a copy of the Titan printing of "Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Neil Gaiman (2nd revised edition, 4th impression).

Unusually for a book in English, it starts with 32 pages worth of a random German piece of prose, before then saying "DON'T PANIC" on the title page. I always assumed this was a joke. I mean, you would, wouldn't you?

Except that today I presented it to Mr Gaiman to be signed, and he remarked that it was an extremely unusual edition of it, was unaware of any printing joke, and has annotated it a "unique copy".

So I wonder, what has happened here? That it's the first 32 pages points to a binding error. That it's pages 33-64 of a German novel, more so. I present the text of the first page here, along with Google Translate's version of it.

( cut for length )

Any ideas what this is? Google finds nothing. How could I find out?

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Saw How To Lose Friends And Alienate People last night with doseybat. I liked it, despite it being a bit too cringeworthy at times.

Seem to have stopped reading comics and have got back into reading books. Nation, The Dispossessed, Matter, Flowers for Agernon, Recursion, The Star Fraction and The Left Hand of Darkness in last couple of months. Now started World War Z.

I have been reading His Dark Materials, having decided I really ought to read it before the movie comes out. On book 3 now. I am informed by the internets that movie 1 has had references to Christianity and religion toned down somewhat.

Ok, I can kind of see how you'd do that. Religion is present everywhere in Northern Lights, but acts mainly as a motive rather than a plot element. Magisterium as generic authoritarian state-like institution with no well-explored motives
( spoilers ) (but doesn't that leave people wondering what the hell is going on?)


Incidentally, I am impressed they didn't age Lyra too much by casting an older actress. It's important to the story that she be around 12. Ageing her to 15, which would have been very tempting, would have resulted in the plot being a nonsense, or severe changes to it.

But they plan maybe to make sequels if this does well. Which leads to an obvious question... How on earth can you do the same thing with the next two books, which have religious elements far deeply entwined into the core plot. If the Church is complaining now, then how loud would it complain for those?

It's odd, to finally read a completed version of a story that I'm already very familiar with. Is this what editors feel like? I am quite impressed with the cohesiveness of the final product: although I am sure that if I was looking for the joins I could spot them : the most obvious style shift is from annalistic at the start gradually to a near full-on narrative towards the end; which is I judge a deliberate change of mode as events come faster. I wonder how long it is. My guess would be 40,000 words?

It namedrops a lot of people and places that it doesn't properly introduce; but then so does The Lord of the Rings, to no harm and to great effect. I'd be interested to see what people who haven't read the Silmarillion (or tried and failed) make of it.

As to the story itself?

( spoilers for the Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin )

In summary: grim, mythic, probably non-mass-market. I hear they are talking about making a film of it. It seems unlikely Christopher Tolkien is going to sell the film rights; his successors in management of the estate would be another matter. At least this is not quite as absurd as seeing talk of a film adaption of the Silmarillion.

( how to make a bunch of films out of the Silmarillion - are you listening Peter Jackson?, spoilers )

Finally, let us end on a quote. "[Tolkien]'s written work is characterized by disputes over the ownership of jewelry, and the hand injuries that occur as a result." - uncyclopedia

weekend was cool. squirmelia's party on saturday, followed by an adjournment to feeling gloomy. note to self in future, though: either get drunk beforehand or like carling.

then, board games on sunday. i co-won War on Terror as the Terrorists, with timeplease and fluffymormegil, and then mostly sat the games out for the rest of the evening, reading and doing the cryptic crossword from thelondonpaper. i like this crossword because it makes me feel clever : possibly the paper's sole redeeming feature. (the Metro's is Nemi, I have yet to see a point to The London Lite).

i am reading The Mountains of Madness by Lovecraft. it is nice, but it doesn't scare me! :( i mean, ok, perhaps this has a little to do with the plushie cthulhu which is downstairs and the gradual desensitation of people to horror fiction in the last 80 years, but still. the anthology is a little weighty to read all at once, so i'm lining up The Demolished Man as next read after this novella.

( random reviews of things )

but now i am tired and i should go to bed for i have to be up early tomorrow for a trip to hertfordshire.

well, today was an exciting day to travel home by rail. st pancras somehow remained possibly one of the only northern london terminals to actually remain in operation : but it puts my turning up and finding a fire alert at st pancras and barely catching train drama on Tuesday into insignificance. i am vaguely impressed my train arrived in london 1h20m ahead of the initial estimate : if only they could do that on other days, it would take no time at all!

my blood pressure is 122/78, apparently. i am not sure what that means.

I seem to be reading Illuminatus!. Hopefully, having done this, I shall be able to do a better job of co-writing
Robert Anton Wilson's UnNews obituary the next time he dies.

i have been reading Neverwhere on the tube. it seems somehow appropriate. but what i really want to do is read the bits set in abandoned tube stations at those abandoned tube stations :)

not updated for while.

notajeep came round this evening to sign contract and will be moving in on the 15th. been rather lonely since i moved to london so this should prove good.

read The Forever War, The Warrior's Apprentice since last update. nearly finished The Vor Game. the next two supreme power trades turned up as well which i must get round to reading.

pondering going to Dead and Buried tomorrow, a tradgoth night that i failed to go to last month due to cider, (if i know anyone else going). saturday afternoon i am going to a party. sunday is free.

started reading Jem by Frederick Pohl.

notajeep and eldritchreality are here. "i am going to move in" says notajeep.

i no longer have a flat in leicester : the keys were handed back in on friday. eek.