User talk:Teddybear

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Contents

Welcome!

Hello, Teddybear, and welcome to the ISFDB Wiki! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

Note: Image uploading isn't entirely automated. You're uploading the files to the wiki which will then have to be linked to the database by editing the publication record.

Please be careful in editing publications that have been primary verified by other editors. See Help:How to verify data#Making changes to verified pubs. But if you have a copy of an unverified publication, verifying it can be quite helpful. See Help:How to verify data for detailed information.

I hope you enjoy editing here! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will insert your name and the date. If you need help, check out the community portal, or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! Mhhutchins 19:05, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

SFBC edition of The Many Worlds of Science Fiction

I rejected the submission to update this record because it didn't actually change anything in the record. The "Note to Moderator" field is not a permanent part of the record and is not displayed. It is used to add further information about the submission, not about the publication. You should use the "Note" field to add further information about the publication and that data becomes part of the record as displayed. I will update the record to include the additional information that you gave in the submission. You will find some useful links in the Welcome section above which will help you in updating and creating records for the database. Thanks for contributing. Mhhutchins 19:09, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

Linking uploaded images to publication records

Thanks for uploading cover images to the ISFDB wiki. The next step is to link those images to the records of the books for which these are the covers. As the instructions (step 6) explain:

Once the file has been uploaded, the image's wiki page will appear. In order to get the URL (address) for the image you just uploaded, left click anywhere on the image and copy the URL from your browser's address window. (Or right click on the image and choose "Copy Image Location".) If you're adding a cover image to a pub record, this is the URL which you would enter into the pub record's "Image URL" field.

So for the image you uploaded earlier today, copy the URL (here), Then go the pub record (here). Click on "Edit This Pub" under the Editing Tools menu. Go down to the field labeled "Image URL" and enter the URL of the image you uploaded. Then submit. Once the submission has been moderated the cover image will be linked to the publication record. Thanks for contributing. Mhhutchins 22:25, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

Asher's The Gabble and Other Stories

I accepted your submission updating this record, but had to correct the title and type of the content record you added for the author's notes. When a title is common or generic, we disambiguate it by adding the title of the work parenthetically, so it became "Author's Notes (The Gabble and Other Stories)" and the type was changed to ESSAY, the ISFDB standard for nonfiction pieces appearing in a larger work (book or magazine). Thanks. Mhhutchins 22:37, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Tomorrow's Crimes

Is "Curt Clark" credited on the story's title page for "Nackles" in this collection? Thanks for looking. Mhhutchins 21:00, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Yes. Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1964. Originally published as by "Curt Clark".--Teddybear 21:56, 31 January 2012 (UTC)
We're aware that the story was first published as by "Curt Clark". Is he credited as the author on page 13 of this collection? Thanks. Mhhutchins 22:54, 31 January 2012 (UTC)
No. There's no author name on page 13, only story's title.--Teddybear 01:20, 1 February 2012 (UTC)
The copyright page has publishing info on all stories, including "Curt Clark" for "Nackles". Also shows "Harry Harrison" copyright 1970 for "The Winner"--Teddybear 14:06, 1 February 2012 (UTC)
For individual stories we use the author and title that appear on the page on which the story begins. If neither we use the publication's title page. If no title page, we use the table of contents. So in this case, as in most collections of stories by the same author, we use the author credited on the book's title page. I'll correct the record to give credit to Donald E. Westlake. BTW, Harry Harrison was the editor of the anthology in which "The Winner" first appeared. Sometimes stories are copyrighted by someone other than the author, so we rarely if ever use those to credit authorship. Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:41, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Adding contents to a pub that are already in the db

Here's a great tip about updating a record to add content records: first check to see if there's another pub record already in the database that has the same contents. If there is one, using the "Import Content" function will save you much time and typing. For example: this record that you just verified and made a submission adding nine new content records for. It's identical to this record. That last pub is record number "12109". You can find this number by looking at the numbers after "pl.cgi?" in the record's URL in your browser's address window. Now go to the record that has no records and click on the link "Import Content" under the editing tools menu. Then enter "12109" in the "Import From" field, and click the button. On the next page you'll see your record with the new content added. From here you can add any content that was not in the record that you imported from. Then just submit. All of the content records will now be automatically merged with the existing records. If I accept the current submission in which you painstakingly entered all the content records, you will then have to merge all of these newly created records with each one that's already in the database, taking up even more time for you and for the moderator who handles them as well. So, I'm going to reject the submission and ask that you use the "Import Content" function. Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:36, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Adding a new novel vs. Adding a new publication

I have a submission to add a new novel by Jack Womack, Let's Put the Future Behind Us. Unfortunately there is already a record of the database for this title. If you use the "Add New Novel" function, you not only create a new publication record, you also create a new title record. In this case, it would have been better to go to the existing title record and use the "Add Publication to This Title" function, which would automatically merge the new publication record into the title record that contains the other publications. I will accept your submission and then make another submission to merge its title record with the existing one. Thanks for contributing. Mhhutchins 22:07, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Let's Put the Future Behind Us

According to Amazon, the first printing of this edition was on 1997-03-21. Is your copy a first printing of the Grove Press edition? If not, update the record to indicate the printing, and I'll create a record for the first one. If your copy is the first printing, update the record, giving the date as 1997-03-21 and give Amazon as the source in the record's note field. Thanks. Mhhutchins 22:11, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Pub Deletions

You're being a bit over-zealous on these. We record every printing of every edition, so a difference in publisher or a country of printing is enough of a difference to keep both. BLongley 18:50, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

Please check ISBN's. 067169801X is for both titles in the database. And so is 0671653938. Did the publisher mix up the titles? --Teddybear 19:01, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
It does look suspicious: 
36621 	The Bug Life Chronicles 	1988 	316 	BLCH1988 	pb 	COLLECTION 	0-671-65393-8 	$3.50 	Simon & Schuster 	
36622 	The Bug Life Chronicles 	1989 	304 	89BugLife 	pb 	COLLECTION 	0-671-69801-X 	$3.50 	Baen 	
52096 	Tower to the Sky 	 	1989 	304 	TWSK1989 	pb 	NOVEL 	0-671-69801-X 	$3.50 	Simon & Schuster 	
52097 	Tower to the Sky 	 	1988 	316 	BKTG07147 	pb 	NOVEL 	0-671-65393-8 	$3.50 	Baen
I'm not sure where the S&S details came from, I've got the two Baen books. I'll delete the unverified ones - I think Simon & Schuster were the distributors for Baen at that time, so that might be the source of confusion. Thanks for pointing them out. BLongley 20:07, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

Making changes to verified pubs

As noted in the Welcome section above: Please be careful in editing publications that have been primary verified by other editors. See Help:How to verify data#Making changes to verified pubs.

We're not saying that verifiers can't make mistakes, but as a courtesy you should notify them before making submissions that change the pub fields (other than the note field and adding links to cover images.) I have on hold your submission to change the date of this record. I'll accept it once you've left a message on the verifier's talk page (go to the record and click on the verifier's name in the Primary field, which leads you to their user page; from there click on "Discuss this page" which leads you to the user's talk page.) Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:25, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

I saw your post on the verifier's page, so I accepted the submission. About Wiki posts: when you're making a new post to a talk page, click on the plus sign (+) at the top of the page (or click on the "Post a Comment" link, depending upon what skin you're using). This allows you to add a single post without having to edit the entire page. And be sure to enter the topic in the subject line so that it doesn't get overlooked or mixed with the previous post. I've made the changes on Marc Kupper's talk page. Thanks. Mhhutchins 21:56, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

McDaniel's Number Two

I accepted the submission linking the cover image to this record, but I'm not sure what you meant by This publication is not shown under Fiction Titles for "The Prisoner". It is listed under The Prisoner series. Because the title isn't The Prisoner, it would not be returned using that as the search criteria. Unless the title is changed. How is titled on the title page? Mhhutchins 21:21, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

The title page shows The Prisoner#2 and underneath that Number Two. When I searched under Fiction titles for "The Prisoner", David McDaniel is not listed.--Teddybear 21:34, 10 February 2012 (UTC)
That's because the title of the book doesn't include "prisoner". The only way it would show up in a search of title records is if the title of the book were The Prisoner: Number Two. In most cases, we don't give the series name in the title field of a title record, but series names occasionally appear in the title field of the publication record. The third book in the series is a prime example of why we usually don't do that: every variation has been made into a variant title record. If this were the usual practice, they would be thousands of additional variant title records in the database. FYI, it's not possible to search for titles of publication records, only titles of title records. 99% of the time they match, so it's no problem. Hope this makes sense. Mhhutchins 22:40, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Alpha Centauri - note added

Hi, Teddybear. I'm leaving a note here about the note LPHCNTR1998|here that I've added to your verified pub. I made a note about artist accreditation and cleaned the field up a little bit. John L. Syzygy 03:06, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Submission was accepted. Syzygy, instead of [[ ]], you should use {{ }} in the template to link to pub records. So the above link should be to here. Look at the raw text of this message to see how it was entered. Thanks. Mhhutchins 03:32, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You

I'm holding a submission that wants to update this record of the 4th printing, making it into the 5th printing. I believe you meant to clone this record, not edit it. If that's true, let me know. I can accept the submission and recreate a new record for the 4th printing. Thanks. Mhhutchins 04:15, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Hold on. Now I have another submission to remove the printing number of this record, now shown as the fifth. If you are holding the fifth printing, perhaps you should have updated this record, and not the fourth one. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you're attempting to do with these two submissions. Mhhutchins 04:17, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

cgi?226765 should not be listed as the fifth printing as the only change. The only question is what printing is 0-553-23912-0 at $2.75.
cgi?263059 has the right price at $2.50 and the right ISBN 0553227963 for the fifth printing per my copy. Thanks.--Teddybear 18:49, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
Also Gary LaSasso is credited as artist on copyright page and on cover, not Paul Lehr. --Teddybear 18:53, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
I'm still having difficulty in figuring out what you're trying to do. Sorry. Sometimes subsequent printings retain the same price and ISBN. Sometimes they change cover art, so there's no correlation between printing number, price, ISBN and cover art. Can I ask you to add a new pub record to this title (click "Add Publication to This Title"), one that matches your copy of the book? Once that's done, I can examine all of the records to determine if they need to be corrected or deleted. Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:36, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for the submission. Most of the problems with the title and its printings appear to be corrected now. I believe I may have figured out the problem with this record (0-553-23912-0, $2.75, "fifth printing"). Your fifth printing is 0-553-22796-3, $2.50, July 1983 and the sixth one is 0-553-25395-6, $2.95, and undated. The ISBN (0-553-23912-0) would indicate a printing in 1984, but it's possible that Bantam failed to change the printing number, and then published another printing as the sixth when it should have been the seventh. Thanks for helping to clear this up. Mhhutchins 20:19, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Weird of the White Wolf

Dated [this] edition from Jaffery, added note for that. Was waiting until someone could confirm it is a third printing before dating it. You left me a note about an Ace price change [done] but in future could you leave such on my Talk Page? I don't check the other page very often [it's more for image additions or notes added not for changes]. If I hadn't been the one to read the note in the submission it might have been weeks before I saw it. Just an FYI! --~ Bill, Bluesman 20:31, 24 February 2012 (UTC)

Piper's Empire

I've put your submission regarding this publication on hold. It is five times primary verified and it'd be nice if you could inform and ask the primary verifiers about Whelan's sigil. I think you might have found something that the others missed but in any case it's our policy to correspond about such changes with the primary verifiers. Thanks, Stonecreek 13:58, 25 February 2012 (UTC)

The same holds for Piper's 'Lord Kalvan...'. But look on the bright side: it's only one primary verifier :-) . Stonecreek 14:19, 25 February 2012 (UTC)

Regarding "Lord Kalvan..." please note the following verify Whelan: cgi?138301, cgi?356278 Thanks, --Teddybear 19:24, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, thanks! I approved the submission regarding 'Lord Kalvan...', but please do inform the primary verifier, you can do it here on his talk page.
In the case of 'Empire' please find a (primary) verifier who can sustain your change. I have looked at the cover image but can't identify anything sigil-like (but it's probably to small to be seen on a screen). After verification you should inform the other primary verifiers. Stonecreek 09:52, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

I found another webpage showing Michael Whelan as the artist of "Empire" http://zarthani.net/future_history_gallery.htm--Teddybear 02:40, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

That's good. I'll accept your submission. But you still have to notify the primary verifiers in both cases. Come on, 1) none of them is too aggressive (OK, I don't count the aches in my legs, every time I get kicked) 2) it's nice for everyone to learn some more about the publications you own, and 3) it's really essential to our work on the database. Stonecreek 18:02, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
I've notified BLongley, in both cases the primary verifier, on Feb 26 and also on March 1st.

Is that sufficient? Thanks.--Teddybear 20:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Well, yes and no. The other primary verifiers would also be delighted to learn more about their books. Now that you have notified one verifier it's really only a matter of paste and copy. It takes a few minutes, but soon you'll be in their position in that regard, I think. Stonecreek 08:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for notifying! It is a bit tedious in the beginning (thanks to the mighties that there aren't ten primary verifier slots), but our community is worth the effort, I think. Stonecreek 19:27, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

The Return of the Emperor

A new editor wants to change the cover artist credit for The Return of the Emperor from Michael Herring to David Mattingly based on a signature visible on the original art here: http://fastpic.ru/view/31/2012/0228/3fe49c4a0ce52a39255c89387711ffa5.jpg.html (It has a monogram of Mattingly in lower right corner of the picture.) Can you confirm it's like that on your copy? BLongley 15:31, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

The bottom part of the cover of my copy is shorter than the picture above. Looks like Mattingly's name was cut off when printing the cover. Certainly looks like Mattingly's work, previous four books in this series were by him.--Teddybear 17:18, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
OK - is Herring (mis)credited in the publication or does that come from another source? BLongley 14:36, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
Michael Herring is credited on the copyright page. Assuming that's in error.

As an aside, I found this about Michael Herring: http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_Herring--Teddybear 20:34, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Author credit for Triplanetary

Can you confirm that the author credited on this book's title page is "E. E. Smith, Ph.D." and not "E. E. 'Doc' Smith" as shown on the cover? Thanks for checking. Mhhutchins 17:56, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, I just read your note about the discrepancy. Never mind. Mhhutchins 17:57, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Use of Weapons

Added cover artist credit note to Use of Weapons. Thanks. -- JLaTondre (talk) 16:32, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

The Man Who Sold the Moon

Can you check to see if the story's title on page 11 of this pub is given in quotation marks? Thanks for looking. Mhhutchins 21:19, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Yes. "let there be light" Also on the contents page this story is in quotation marks.--Teddybear 00:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Eldren series

HI, I approved the first two submissions before I realised the series should be at title level[1]. I've now corrected this and removed the other entries. This field is for publisher series like this Gollancz[2] Conan Classics. Thanks for editing!Kraang 02:08, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

If you'll re-read the response I gave to your message on the Moderator Noticeboard, I said you should update the title records to add the series data. Here's a link to the help page that explains the differences in the two major types of series. Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:40, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

New Writings in SF-5

Your note to the moderator to update this record said "not sure how to correct title to SF 5". Simple, the same way you added the image link. Click "Edit This Pub" and change the title field to match the way the title is given on the book's title page and then submit. Then go to the title record (here) and correct the title field (it should be identical to the name you gave in the pub edit). I'll then make the changes to correct the variant relationship to the parent title record. Mhhutchins 21:57, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Norton Book of SF

Unless this third printing specifies that it has the same printing date as the first printing, you'll have to zero out the date field. Mhhutchins 19:43, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Matter by Banks

I accepted the submission updating this record and saw your concern about how to credit the interviewer. Just click on the content record and choose "Edit Title Data" changing the credit in the interviewer field. I wonder how your copy gives credit while the other primary verifier entered it as uncredited. You should leave a message on his talk page. Also, why does the page count give 593 when they are obviously more pages in the book for the interview and excerpt? Mhhutchins 19:49, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

At the end of the interview it says:
"This interview is published with permission of Socialist Review, sffworld.com, Mary Branscombe at www.sandm.co.uk, io9.com, and SFX". I confirmed some web sites that she interviewed Banks.

Also some other publications of the book mention the interview but no name. The novel ends at page 593. Should I change it to 611?--Teddybear 20:05, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Yes, please change the page count to the last page of text. And proceed to edit the interview's title record. Also, please notify the other primary verifier of your changes. Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:07, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

SF Age, May 2000

Thanks for updating and verifying this record. The columns which are part of a series are not titled with the series. Only give the title of the column. If it's not titled, then title it as, e.g. "XXXX (Science Fiction Age, XXX 2000)". Don't enter the series in the title field. That's done in an update to the title record. Otherwise, it would not appear in a list with the other pieces in the series. In my earlier verifications of issues of this magazine, I used the headline as the name of the column, and then placed the title records into the series (all issues up through 1998). Look at this issue as a guideline. Ask if you need assistance. Mhhutchins 17:51, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

The Green Man

Your submission adding this record was accepted. The OCLC record gives differing information. It gives the title as The Green Man: A Visitor from Space, the publisher as "Century Publications", and its dimensions (20 cm) would make it "tp" instead of "pb". In the note field, what does "PBO" mean? Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:30, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

PBO means Paperback Original. Just noticed some of this publisher's books are digest size. It was not specified for this title. A picture of the cover does say "A Visitor from Space" in a smaller font underneath the title. Amazing Stories or the 2011 reprint does not use this subtitle. Publisher is: Century Books, Chicago: Century Publications. Thanks.--Teddybear 21:00, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
What is the title on the title page? This is the only source for the title field of an ISFDB record. Mhhutchins 22:28, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
I don't have a copy this book, but found an image:ufopop.org/fullimgbk.php?cid=TheGreenManVisitorFromSpace1946.jpg. Should I copy this? I guess it is a variant or original title by this author, as the other printings only use the short title.--Teddybear 00:45, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
This image clearly gives the title and publisher the same as the OCLC record. I'm going to update the record and give the source as OCLC. When you're relying on secondary sources to add and update records, it's important to find the most reliable ones and note those sources in the record. Here's a list of reliable sources, and what data you can expect to find in each of them. These sources are also listed in the "Verification Status" list of each pub record and the editor can indicate which source has been verified. I'm going to copy the image and upload it to the ISFDB server as the source of the price is visible in it. Mhhutchins 03:44, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
I've updated [the record, giving the secondary sources in the note field, and linked the cover image. I also made it into the parent title record (it was the first edition), and then made the serial and 2011 reprint into variants. Mhhutchins 03:53, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Titled works don't need disambiguation

We add the title of the book parenthetically to generically titled works, such as "Introduction" or "Foreword". If an introductory essay has a title like "When I Was Writing Dune", there is no need to disambiguate it. I've made the corrections to the introduction in this record. I've also merged it to the other publications of the essay which were dated 1982. Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:42, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Pinnacle editions of Tarzan books

I have you submissions adding a catalog number to the four pubs in this series published by Pinnacle in 1958 and a couple more Burroughs titles earlier. You give the source as "Paperback Price Guide". Can you be more specific? Who is the editor, publisher, year, etc? I have Kevin Hansen's guide, but couldn't find these British printings listed. Thanks. Mhhutchins 00:48, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

I have the first edition of "The Official Price Guide PAPERBACKS" by Jon Warren Feb 1991. This Guide shows: Pinnacle Books, London: W.H. Allen. There are 39 Burroughs books 1 thru 39, published 1951 to 1954. The 4 that are numbered NN1,2,3 and 13 are reprints in 1958 in addition to the earlier 39.-- [User:Teddybear|Teddybear]] 01:01, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
I'll accept the submissions, but will be more specific about the source. "Paperback Price Guide" is not going to help any user. Also remember to add a number sign (#) in front of catalog numbers that are not ISBNs. I'll make the corrections to these six records. Mhhutchins 06:39, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Trouble with upload?

You seem to be having a problem with this image. The same image has been uploaded five times. None of which have a license tag. It looks like you're doing a direct upload instead of using the semi-automated function which automatically generates the proper license tag. You may be seeing an error message that the thumbnail could not be created. That's because the image is more than 600 pixels tall (the limit we request that you follow). But regardless, the image is on the server. You just have to reset your preferences in order to view it on the wiki page. You can link it to the pub record as well. Mhhutchins 20:08, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Hmm...I see now you used the correct upload procedure, but you removed the license tag. Any particular reason to do this? Mhhutchins 20:13, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
Another attempt at uploading the same image, but with a different name. If you use the "Upload Cover Scan" link from the pub record, it will automatically title it with the unique ID of the pub record, add a license tag, and then link it back to the pub record. Naming a file image something as generic as "Heinlein. jpg" creates a possible conflict in file names. Allowing the system to title it ensures that it has a unique file name. I see you've uploaded before, so I'm not sure what problems you're having with this particular image. Perhaps because it's too big? Mhhutchins 20:21, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
Yes. I forgot to edit the image to less than 600 pixels tall, as I usually do. I will attempt another upload with a smaller image.--Teddybear 00:26, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
It can be as large as 600, so I copied the original image, resized it, and replaced the last one you uploaded. And added back the CDI data template (with the license tag) that you'd deleted. Everything looks good now. Mhhutchins 00:50, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

Titles from title pages, not from covers

I may not have mentioned this in a couple of days, but please remember: we don't create or update records based on cover images. The titles in the title fields of publication records come from the book's title page, not from the book's cover. Look at this OCLC record which gives the book's title as The Thing and Other Stories, but it also notes a discrepancy in how it's titled on the cover. Tuck also gives the title as The Thing and Other Stories. I'm going to accept your submission to update this record, but I'm going to change the title back to the one it had. Thanks. Mhhutchins 01:07, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

I will check OCLC on my next edits to confirm the data and include # of pages and title. Thanks.--Teddybear 01:17, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
Good plan. Your submissions updating this publisher has prompted be to do more research and I found this wonderful webpage, from which I've snagged cover images for our records. Like Tuck, this source dates the last four books (#408-411) as published in 1952. I've kept the 1953 dates that you gave to the records, but have noted the discrepancy between the secondary sources. You may have noticed that I've held the submission to update this record. If you recall, I've mentioned before that it is ISFDB etiquette to notify editors who have primary verified a record, before making changes in them. I'll leave the submission on hold until you've had a chance to discuss the changes with Hauck. I agree the publisher should be changed in order to group it with other titles by the same publisher. Mhhutchins 03:10, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
I had to leave a message about Ralph 124C 41+ on Hauck's user page, so I went ahead and asked him about the submission to change the publisher. Don't expect a moderator to do this for you. :> Thanks. Mhhutchins 03:21, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
Hauck agreed about the publisher name change, so I accepted the submission. Mhhutchins 16:33, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for all you help and input on this series. I also see from the Moderators page you are investigating Macfadden merge.--Teddybear 16:41, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

Using the ISBN to determine the publisher

It sounds like a good idea, but as a practice, it should be used with caution. Quite often when publishers are taken over by another corporation, they will continue to use the same ISBN range. After all, they've already paid for the numbers, and should get their money's worth. Sometimes, they'll even change the name of the publisher but still use the same ISBNs. HarperCollins still uses the same ISBNs that were used on books published by Fontana in the 1980s. We wouldn't go back and change a 1985 Fontana book to HarperCollins just because they've published books using the same ISBN range. I usually refer to OCLC when trying to figure out how a publisher is credited. Most of the time, they're a pretty good source, but be careful about reprints, because they often combine ISBNs for later printings into one record. Mhhutchins 17:35, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

Japanese edition of Brothers in Arms

I've put your submission on hold. It seems that Brothers in Arms is not the Japanese title. The correct way is to enter the publication with the title stated on the title page (or, if you only have a cover image, from the cover) and then to make the title a variant title of the original (see this example for a Hungarian variant of a Japanese novel).

In addition, it is better to remove 'Tokyo' from the publisher's field, because it's not part of the publisher's name. Thanks. Stonecreek 18:21, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
Several Japanese sites call the book "Dear Clone". However the cover shows "Brothers in Arms" above the Japanese title. Thanks.--Teddybear 19:48, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
Without the book in hand, and without a reliable secondary source, and without a knowledge of Japanese publishing, Japanese language and how Japanese characters should be entered into the database (if they can be at all in this stage of ISFDB development), I would suggest a record for this not be created. Mhhutchins 20:37, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
I thought you already had Japanese publications from the Community Portal under "Progress on languages" were it shows 50 Japanese pubs.--Teddybear 21:00, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
Just because the software gives "Japanese" as one of the languages in the drop-down menu doesn't mean the database fully supports that language. Most Western languages and alphabets, probably. So I reiterate, if you have the book, or a reliable secondary source, feel free to attempt to add it to the database, if you're able to transliterate the data into a Western alphabet. Mhhutchins 21:26, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
Shall I approve your submission and you'll correct or does it better suit you to enter the publication anew? Stonecreek 10:46, 21 March 2012 (UTC)
This is the Japanese title per OCLC: "Shin'ainaru kurōn". The Google translation of Japanese sites is "Dear Clone". Would you enter the Japanese title, the translation or the original? If you want we can hold off doing Japanese pubs, since I noticed there are other Japanese translations of Bujold's novels. Thanks.--Teddybear 19:41, 21 March 2012 (UTC)
I'd enter the Japanese title from OCLC, after all it is a Japanese publication. Although we don't fully support Japanese, I'd enter it (I'll do it for you). After all, we don't have the original Japanese 'letters', but it will take only one more step to change the title once we have the letters. Stonecreek 19:53, 21 March 2012 (UTC)

Queen City Jazz - notes

I've added and formatted notes for your verified Queen City Jazz. AndonSage 14:55, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Empire of the East

Indeed Ace does count the tp edition as the first, as the note in [this] surmises. They frequently did that [but not always - after all Ace is the most inconsistent publisher out there] with number lines when a trade edition appeared first. I just picked up a copy of the [trade] edition and am wondering if internally the name change of the third book is in the MMPB? --~ Bill, Bluesman 19:30, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Book three is called "Ardneh's World" in my copy. BTW, the notes were by Mgpb, the Primary verifier. My copy shows First mass market printing: July 1980, but no #1 in the line. If this is the actual 2nd printing, then that date should be entered on cgi?249296. However there is another unverified entry for that date with same price and ISBN at cgi?314726.--Teddybear 19:51, 23 March 2012 (UTC)
That was my whole point. What has been entered as the first mmpb, by date, is correct, but the number line does start with a '2'. If Mgpb were still active, I would suggest moving both your verifications to the record with the correct date [the record's 'tag' is tied to the date but that's a minor point]. It's just as easy to adjust the record that is verified with an appropriate note and then delete the other record. As for the re-named novel, since the contents have yet to be listed for the mmpb, importing them from the tp edition would be best [no merges!]. Thanks for checking! --~ Bill, Bluesman 03:52, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Kirinya

Replaced cover scan and added notes for your verified here. Hauck 14:22, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

V for Vendetta

Can you confirm the publisher as given in this record? That ISBN range is usually reserved for the DC Comics release (for comic book stores), while the bookstore (trade) release is by Warner Books with a different ISBN range. Thanks for checking. Mhhutchins 14:49, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Copyright page has DC Comics Inc. A Warner Bros., Inc. Company. DC Logo is on top of cover. Back cover has ISBN 0-930289-52-8 but no scanning print.--Teddybear 17:03, 27 March 2012 (UTC)
That sounds like DC Comics is the publisher. What is the publisher given on the spines of the book and the dustjacket? Mhhutchins 18:22, 27 March 2012 (UTC)
DC Comics is on the spine, no dustjacket. I'll change this to DC Comics.--Teddybear 19:35, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Notes to a Science Fiction Writer

It would have been better and easier (for both of us), if you had cloned the 1975 record of this title to create this 1981 printing. This would have saved you from having to type in all of the contents, and saved me from having to merge all of the content records that the books have in common.

A good rule of thumb to determine which ISFDB editing function to use: don't use any of the "Add New..." functions before you do a search for the title. Here's the path I recommend:

  • In the search did you find a title record for the exact title and is it by the same author?
    • Yes: Is there a similar pub?
      • Yes: Use the "Clone" function.
      • No: Use the "Add Publication to This Title" function.
    • No: Use the appropriate "Add New..." function.

Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:42, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

I didn't think I could clone the 1975 record, since the 1981 record was already in the DB and would have created a duplicate. The 1975 edition also did not have pagination and was missing an essay that is in the 1981 pub.--Teddybear 20:00, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, I didn't know that you had not created the record. In that case...if the record is already in the db, use the "Import" function to copy the contents of one record into another. After that you can add or remove content records based on those in your book. Again, this saves you from having to type in all of the contents and from merging the newly created records with the records already in the database. Mhhutchins 20:05, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Moving Mars

I added an OCLC cat# note to your verified publication of Moving Mars --John L.-- Syzygy 01:56, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

The Artifact

I added an OCLC Cat# to the note field of The Artifact --John L.-- Syzygy 05:12, 6 April 2012 (UTC)

Title series vs. Publication series

They're not the same thing. When you're creating or updating a publication record, you can only enter the publication series (such as Ballantine Adult Fantasy). You can only enter a title series (such as SPQR) after the title record is created (after the submission has been accepted.) Please read this help page that explains the difference. Then go back to the John Maddox Robert titles you entered into a publication series titled "SPQR" (there's no such thing), remove the data from the publication record's publication series and number fields. Then go to each of the title records, remove the series name from the title field and place it into the series field, and the series number in the appropriate field. If you have any questions, ask here. Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:22, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

Editing primary verified records

It is ISFDB policy to discuss changes in records that are primary verified with the editor(s) who verified it. I'm going to reject your submission to change the price of this record. My copy of the book (the one used to create the record) is priced at $3.50 on the cover, despite the image currently linked to the record (uploaded and linked by another editor). You may have a Canadian printing or a later US printing of the book. Can you check to see if there's any indication of that in your copy? I'm going to scan my copy and link it to the record. In the future please bring such discrepancies to the attention of the verifier before making a submission to change the record. If the verifier is not active, leave a message on the Moderator Noticeboard. Thanks. Mhhutchins 17:59, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, I went to your page, but did not see where to notify you, no +- on navigation. I am sending a scan of the hc, which also has the wrong image.--Teddybear 18:13, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

You went to my user page, just like everyone has. Click on the "Discussion" tab which opens a new page. This page is my talk page and there's a "+" tab to add a new message. This is the same as every talk page.
Have you looked to see if your copy (the softcover one priced at $3.75) has any statement about printing? Mhhutchins 18:18, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

Copyright page says Printed in the United States of America. It also says Published simultaneously in the United States of America and Canada. Also shows First Edition. I also wondered if these "Best of" should be bedsheet format like the magazine instead of tp.--Teddybear 18:49, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

My copy says the same thing. Yours may be priced for Canada. Here is a record for the Canadian edition. Where did you get your copy? Also "bedsheet" is reserved for magazine records. This is a book, and "tp" is the closest description we have for this format. Mhhutchins 19:32, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

Albedo One #38

Is the publisher of this issue actually "Albedo One Publications" or "Albedo One Productions" as the other issues are credited? Mhhutchins 19:59, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

Meant to type Productions instead of Publications. Will change when I upload the cover. Thanks.--Teddybear 20:07, 17 April 2012 (UTC)
And there's a better (and larger) image on Galactic Central. It saves you much time to just link to GC instead of snagging an inferior image that you then have to upload and link to the ISFDB record. Mhhutchins 20:14, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

James Rollins or James Clemens?

I do suspect that you wanted to have the same appearance for #6 as for the previous five titles of the series. But you'd have to make a variant title with James Clemens as author to achieve that. I've put your sub. on hold while waiting for your answer. Stonecreek 17:56, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

I only entered the pb edition of this book under the James Rollins name, the hc and tp was already in the DB. Whoever entered those should have moved them to James Clemens, where all his other books are. I thought by changing the name, they would be moved to James Clemens group.--Teddybear 18:14, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

They would indeed be moved to James Clemens' author page, but that wouldn't be the name under that they were published. Look at James Rollins page now and you'll see that there's only the one novel in question listed (all the others are filed under Clemens). Then do yourself a favor and click on 'Show all titles' for Rollins (and notify me after doing so). Stonecreek 18:35, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Ok. I clicked on 'show all titles'. Do all boxes have to be checked or only the "Doomsday Key" to merge? Also, "Key" does not say variant.--Teddybear 18:54, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

No boxes to be checked. I only wanted you to see that the titles by Rollins are still there, but hidden (or better: shown only on Clemens' page -- note that there is only one distinct title by Rollins that isn't a variant). Now go again to this title page and 'Make This Title a Variant Title or Pseudonymous Work'. Now, there is no parent title of "Doomsday Key" with the author James Clemens; so, you have to create it by just replacing James Rollins with James Clemens in the lower part of the editing screen. After doing that (and after approval through a moderator) look again at the pages of the two authors. Stonecreek 19:07, 19 April 2012 (UTC)
Sorry, Christian. I didn't know you were working on the title with this editor. I accepted the submission and everything looks fine now. Mhhutchins 19:20, 19 April 2012 (UTC)
No problem, problem solved. Thanks for your attention. Stonecreek 19:33, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Making changes to verified records #2

I'll point out again this portion of the help pages, explaining ISFDB policy about making changes to verified records. Different verifiers may have different preferences for notification and they'll post that preference at the top of their talk page. Since I was the moderator who handled the submissions, you will not need to notify me, the verifier of the records, that you've added cover images to the records for Vertex. Please keep this policy in mind when making changes in the future. Thanks. Mhhutchins 19:32, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Steve Berry

Are you certain that the books in the Cotton Malone series are speculative fiction? The Amazon descriptions are thriller, mystery, suspense, adventure, espionage, etc. but not one has any fantastic element to them. Or am I missing something? Thanks. Mhhutchins 23:29, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

These books are all of the "Da Vinci Code" genre. Historical secrets that could have worldwide repercussions. I figured since you had books one and three in the DB, I would add the rest. As an aside, I was wondering about Clive Cussler books. There are five Dirk Pitt books in the DB. What about the others? I remember reading one that had combat on the moon. Forgot the title.--Teddybear 00:57, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

The problem with series is that maybe one or two books would qualify as speculative fiction while the others wouldn't. But all of them eventually sneak in because editors (and moderators) who haven't read the books figure all the books in a series should be in the database. If you've read the titles and feel there are fantastic elements to them, I'll gladly accept the submissions. If you've not read them, but can do some research that shows that they are speculative fiction, I'll gladly accept the submissions. Otherwise, you have the option to cancel them. Thanks. Mhhutchins 02:56, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
We've discussed Cussler before, and although we originally zapped almost everything we've allowed a few back in once they've been checked for SF. BLongley 12:13, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

I've cancelled all but "The Templar Legacy", which is already in the DB. As this series is on my TBR list, I will hold off listing them until I've read them. I think they are in a similar vein as the James Rollins' Sigma Five series.--Teddybear 12:31, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

Schismatrix

Hello, I've found the cover artist for Schismatrix (Penguin, 1985). It is John Harris, as I found here. Checking, it also appeared to be on the back cover.--Dirk P Broer 08:15, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

Skylark of Valeron

Does [this] book really credit Gaughan? Seems that the initials EMSH [Ed Emshwiller] are present according to [this] record. Thanks! --~ Bill, Bluesman 17:50, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

My four Skylark books were all published in 1966 and all have Jack Gaughan listed on the back cover. The DB also has [this] listed as Gaughan.--Teddybear 19:33, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
Can you see EMSH on the cover? The identical artwork exists on all but one printing ['70, which does have Gaughan's initials] and the only other [active verifier] is certain the initials are there. Wouldn't be the first time a cover and credit don't match. --~ Bill, Bluesman 20:06, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
Yes, I can see EMSH on the bottom of the robot on the right.--Teddybear 20:09, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
Thanks! I will make the changes to the credits and add notes where necessary. --~ Bill, Bluesman 23:34, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

To Trade the Stars

Hello, Teddybear. I have a copy of To Trade the Stars that you have previously verified. According to ISFDB guidelines, I have to ask your permission to change any of the metadata fields of a publication, so I am asking if I can change the page count from your 495 to 479+[16] to reflect the page counts found at Locus1 and WorldCat. I agree that those genealogy charts are an integral part of the book, if not the series, so a mention in the notes seems appropriate here (adding it as content doesn't seem right as it falls far short of interiorart). Let me know what you think. John - Syzygy 12:43, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Sure. Please also change the notes. There's a 4 missing in front of the 95. Thanks.--Teddybear 01:03, 7 May 2012 (UTC)

Done. You can click on the link above to check it out. Syzygy 22:57, 7 May 2012 (UTC)

The Blood Red Game

Can you confirm that your printing of this publication is priced as $1.95? There is another record for one priced at $2.25. In fact, the image linked to your record shows the same one linked to that one showing the $2.25 price. If the price on your copy is correct, add a note that the image is for a later higher-priced image, or upload a scan of yours to the wiki. Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:53, 19 May 2012 (UTC)

My copy is $1.95. I will upload a scan to replace the one that's shown.--Teddybear 01:40, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
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