Afton House Books

Almost the last of Vols 3&4 went out on a USPS truck about 2 hours ago.  You didn’t receive an e-mail notice, because I’ve held them so I can give you your final bill in the notice. But except for a few special cases, everything is out. Domestic delivery on Friday or Saturday, maybe Monday. Overseas, late next week.

Over the next few days, you’ll get the usual notice of shipping, dated today. You’ll get a delivery confirmation number if you are in the US.

If you need a pro forma invoice for your customs people, let me know…

About a third of the books are out the door.

Tomorrow, the USPS will pick up another 50 some. You should get an e-mail notice.

I will send you your final amount separately.

A few people haven’t yet paid the second installment, $600 that was due after they got the first two volumes. If you have forgotten, now’s a good time to send the money.

Volumes 5&6 are released for printing. I will have dates of shipping to Virginia in a few days.

Are there any gun collectors out there? I may commission rifles or handguns with scenes from various Vance stories. They will be expensive, but one-of-a-kind.  The buyer will have some choice in the engravings. Write me for details.

You will also recall the carved screens described in Emphyrio. Paul Rhoads and Afton House are contemplating a three volume set of selected Vance stories, printed in folio (24″ by 18″, or perhaps larger), reset in a nice font, with covers of carved hardwood. Signed, numbered, limited edition. Write for details: the prices will not be for the faint of heart. In case you are unaware, the artworks in your books are reproductions of copper plate engravings done by Paul. You can see his work here: http://paulrhoads.fr/Index.html.

The books arrived yesterday at my office in Charlottesville.  I typed this note, and then in my hurry, forgot to send it.

Over the next few days I will be shipping them out the door as fast as possible. Most likely, books will be shipped to non-USA destinations first, since (a) there are fewer of them and (b) it gets the expensive shipping finished (how I hate watching the postage meter ring up–even though you are paying for it) and (c) they take longer to get where they are going.

Still, books will start to hit the over the next few days.

You won’t believe this. The books have been (somewhere) in the US for about 10 days. Tomorrow, they arrive at Customs in Richmond, Virginia, about 100 miles from me (they passed some sort of Customs in New York already) and I am supposed to have them on Monday. They will go out ASAP (I’ll have some help this time) during next week. Sorry about the delay… I have no idea what caused it. I’m afraid to ask.

About volumes 5 &6: they have been sent to the printer, who has had the “blues” printed, and have gone out to my final proofers (express)  already. Once passed, the books go to print. About a month to complete, then onto the boat.

Bob

You might enjoy this sketch of Jack that I wrote about 5 years ago. In it, you’ll find a piece of Jack’s letter to an editor, in which he suggests that newly-minted Vassar degrees would be well advised to leave his prose alone. It’s a pdf… enjoy.

JV Sketch

I’ve had some questions lately, so I thought I’d repeat the subscription information.

For a new subscriber as of today:

1. Send $400. You will receive the first two volumes by return mail.
2. When you receive the volumes, $600 is due.
3. When you receive the second two volumes, a balance of $295 is due, with shipping, handling, and fees as described below.

Shipping and handling for all six volumes:

1. Domestic US: $60.
2. Canada and Mexico: $100.
3. Rest of the Gaian Reach: $180.
4. Alastor Cluster: $260.
5. Beyond the Pale: $500, delivery not certain.

Fees, only if you use PayPal:

1. Domestic US: 3% of your total remittance
2. Canada and Mexico: 4% of total remittance
3. Rest of Gaian Reach: 6% of total remittance

I accept checks, money orders, Western Union provided that the instrument is denominated in US dollars. I can also accept wire transfers, but please check with your bank for fees at your end. It isn’t always cheap. You will need my bank information, so ask me for it in e-mail. The address for checks and money orders is

• Afton House Books
• 1779 Mountain Road
• Afton, VA 22920
• USA

If you would like to speak with me, send me e-mail and I’ll send back my phone information. I don’t care to put it on this blog.

There are a few special deals going: people who have individual shipping arrangements with me, folks in Italy near Milan, and some folk who paid in full up front. The shipping/handling/fees do not apply to you if we have an arrangement via e-mail.

Scheduling:

• Vols. 1 & 2 are in stock here at Afton House Books.
• Vols. 3 & 4 are somewhere between the port of New York customs, Richmond, VA, and my dock in Charlottesville.  I expect them any day now, and a week or so to ship them out to you.
• Vols. 5 & 6 are with my printer. I expect them to be printed and bound before the end of September, here around the end of October, and on their way to you in November.

By now, you are thinking that you have paid $1000 for two (admittedly nice) books, and that I have absconded to a private Caribbean island with the funds. All too sadly, this is not even close to the truth. The truth is: I am writing this from work, where I am trying to explain to a patent office examiner that something I can barely understand is unlikely to be “obvious”. This is boring, trying to explain patiently to someone who has a big (virtual) scimitar in their hands.

But, there is good news for you. My shipping agent has asked me for a couple of hundred dollars for the last shipment of books, but does tell me that the ship carrying Volumes 3 & 4 have an ETA in NYC of when? Well: today. The books will be here next week some time. Now, why couldn’t they arrive before the long weekend? Because, that’s why.

So: if you haven’t sent your second installment, please do so, as my wife hates having boxes of Jack’s books in the dining room. She likes Jack, has had dinner with him twice, but draws a line at hundreds of pounds of his books lining the dining room. Women can be funny like that. It’s much different when you are courting, all is sweetness and light, sugar, spice and other things quite nice… after the ceremony, the realization hits that there’s every indication that the person you married has a spine of stainless steel, and that getting between her an a goal is unwise. Ditto for cluttering up her dining room with boxes in red, white and blue marked “Priority Mail”.

For those of you who will owe a final payment, the fees go like this:

After you receive Volumes 3 & 4, $295 is due, plus
$60 if you are in the US; $100 if you are in Canada or Mexico; $180 if you are anywhere else in the Universe, except for a few of you who (a) paid a fortune for air mail from Milan or (b) were even more desperate, and drove there to get your books.

If you use PayPal, add 3% for the US, 6% elsewhere.

Regards to all…