Upcoming Books Thread (one only right now)

[Jacques the Environmentalist]

Thanks for the news Dante!
I'm entertaining buying Horseradish.
I just need to figure out when it comes out.

[Dante]

(April 19th-22nd)

ffwf said:

April 11th: Amazon.co.uk has somewhat sketchy listings for paperback versions of the U.A. and Horseradish set for September, and published by Egmont, the U.K. publishers of Snicket's books. The U.A. is presently out of print in the U.K., and it's unclear if Horseradish is coming out here at all, so let's see if anything comes of this.

These listings have updated (thanks Sora for pointing this out); the Horseradish one appears to be genuine, and lists it for release here in the U.K., by the usual publishers Egmont, on September 3rd (a day before the supposed release of Disappearance!); contrary to its previous listing as paperback, it's now been changed to hardcover, like the U.S. edition, although it remains to be seen whether they'll keep the same cover (I anticipate they'll perhaps tweak it marginally). The listing for the U.A., too, has updated to a hardcover release on the 3rd September; however, it's also orderable now, to be dispatched within 4-6 weeks. The same thing happened for the rerelease of PPuzzles here, which though set for February was orderable long before with a lengthy dispatch delay, which indicates to me that Amazon may be mixing up unreleased U.K. editions with the option to import U.S. editions. Keep your eyes out, though, as it may still turn out to be genuine, like the PPuzzles rerelease; five months is plenty of time for the truth to emerge.

Edit: Update: I e-mailed Egmont about these; they confirm that both are coming out, but they say that the U.A. will be in hardcover while Horseradish will be in paperback; I expect the inconsistencies on Amazon are just that, inconsistencies, mix-ups with American editions and such.

Edit Again: Here you go, back covers for the reprints, from B&N:

images.barnesandnoble.com/images/12930000/12932042.jpg

images.barnesandnoble.com/images/12930000/12932043.jpg

(April 24th)

Edit Once More:

Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid is officially released today.

In North America, anyway. Of course, some stores will already have been selling it, but all stores that are going to sell it should be selling it today. We should also see an AuthorTracker later on today announcing the book's release.

And add some replies and stop making me make all these edits nobody notices!

[Gigi]

Here is the e-mail we've been expecting:

April 2007

Dear Reader,

Consuming horseradish can make your eyes tear, your nostrils flare, and your heart feel like it is on fire. For this reason, you should think twice before consuming Lemony Snicket's new book, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid.

In thirteen far-reaching chapters—from "Family" to "Emotional Health," from "A Life of Mystery" to "The Mystery of Life" —Horseradish puts the unhappy mind of Mr. Snicket at your fingertips. This compendium of wisdom drawn from his published works and his unpublishable remarks is the perfect gift for loved ones and enemies alike. For, while misfortune is never pleasant, it is always safer to have a heavy book on hand.

If Horseradish doesn't upset you enough, you can always look forward to next month's release of The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room in paperback. If you think you know what to expect, you don't. With a startling new look and all-new art, each paperback includes HarperCollins's "The Cornucopian Cavalcade," featuring "The Spoily Brats" comic and the "What Shall I Do, Lemony Snicket?" advice column, as well as other extras for a nearly unbearable value. Are you certain you want to download a free sampler?

With all due respect,

Harper-Collins Publishers

[Dante]

I highly recommend everyone checks out the minisite for the paperbacks linked in that AuthorTracker; it's an excellent and very informative set of pages, and contains lots of new material, with previews of the new illustrations and The Spoily Brats.

Edit: Unexpectedly, the Amazon.co.uk listing for the rerelease of the U.A. in the U.K. apparently has its cover art up - or at least, Amazon.co.uk isn't known for using filler, and part of the cover looks new.



This design brings it more in-line with the designs of the rest of the Egmont editions of aSoUE; nearly all of the art looks to be taken from previous Egmont covers, but the central photographic part looks new, although it's hard to tell at this distance. It's still not a patch on the original U.S. cover (with or without dustjacket, at least that didn't recycle any art), but it's vastly better than the original Egmont edition of the U.A. (I should note, again, that although the Amazon page for this book shows it as being orderable now, I am almost certain that this is a confusion with a possible U.S. import (given the dispatch date and that the rerelease of PPuzzles in the U.K. was exactly the same), and anyone who wants the rerelease should wait until the 3rd September release date for this new book, and possibly obtain it from other sources).

[Phoebonica]

Ohmygosh that site is gorgeous and wonderful and new pictures! Yay! (I like how Klaus isn't looking at the mysterious figure at all. ) I'm afraid I can't make any more coherent comment, as this:

Dear Mr. Snicket,

[/size]I would like to be a writer when I grow up, but my dad wants me to be a dentist. Help!
Troubled in Tacoma
Dear Ms. Troubled, Take extensive notes on your father’s behavior. A man who pressures other people into dentistry will be a wonderful character for your first book.
With all due respect, LS [/quote]

made me melt into a small puddle of fangirly glee. I want advice from him. Even if it means making up an age and country of residence.

[Dear Dairy]

I don't understand why they advertise Orphans! and Murder! as being the first appearance of the series in paperback. All of my original books #2-9 are paperback.

[Dante]

I think the original paperbacks were done by Scholastic, presumably under some deal with HarperCollins; HC may not consider them "official" any more (and would certainly rather not for the purposes of advertising, I imagine).

[Antenora]

I have Horseradish, and as we've known for a while(despite speculation to the contrary) it doesn't solve any mysteries or add anything to the series canon, but it's fairly clever. I estimate that it's about half new dinner-party/anarchist-rally "quotes" and half actual quotes from the series.

Also, the reprints seem to have a very nice look to them. And I've seen Scholastic paperback ASoUE books somewhere, but since they wouldn't have had any new material I suppose they're being disregarded.

[Gigi]

I got Horseradish yesterday too. It's quite nice. The dust jacket is rather attractive. I do like the color over the sepia tone after all. The background on the cover is almost metallic looking and makes the words and Snicket stand out. The actual book underneath has a solid black cover.

One thing I never liked about the series books is their uneven edges of the pages. At last, we have smooth edges on this book so can thumb through it easily.

I'm working on identifying the book and page number that the quotes come from. If anyone can find the quotes in the books, please let me know to add to my compilation.

[Hermedy]

If you haven't already, those of you who bought the book should make an official discussion thread in The Anguished Appendices. Thanks.

[Dante]

I would recommend instead that such a thread be posted in Sardonic Series or Weary Writer, Horseradish not being, as such, a supplement or an appendix (or even technically part of aSoUE), but rather another Snicket work akin to some of his short stories.

[Hermedy]

That's a good point. Do that instead.

[Dante]

There's a "Browse Inside" page for Horseradish in which you can read the introduction and get a good idea of the book. It seems to have a limit on how much it'll let you browse, though; I originally couldn't get past about Chapter 5 or so, but having come back later, it seems to be letting me through again.

Moving on: Orphans! and Murder!, the paperback reprints of TBB and TRR, are out in just four days, on next Tuesday. Scouting around, I've found some notable items:

1. LemonySnicket.com's front page has updated slightly to mention Horseradish and the reprints.

2. If you glance at The Vile Videos, you'll find this advert:



On LemonySnicket.com, the advert image links here:
Sweepstakes
Which is a HarperChildren's page for a contest to win a free copy of Orphans! and Murder! Don't expect them for a while, though; while the official rules state that the contest opened March 26th, it also says that the contest won't close while July 26th. (I'm totally planning on getting the box set of the first three that's apparently coming in September, anyway.) If you're interested, you might want to make a thread about this contest in Putrid Products.

3. If you check out the banner at the top of that page, it's based on an obscured image of what I can only presume is one of the new illustrations in Orphans! - Klaus reading up on law at Justice Strauss's home, I presume.

4. A marginally better look at the above piece of artwork can be found here:
www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Kids/GamesAndContests/
If you wait a moment for the rotating banner to change to the aSoUE version. (After a moment, that will itself change to a bright pink advert about magical ponies! Wouldn't you rather look at that? (The juxtaposition is so hilariously Snicket-ish it's difficult to believe it was unintentional.))

5. If you actually follow the aSoUE link in the banner at the above link, you'll find this page:
www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Kids/GamesAndContests/EcardCreate.aspx?GEId=877737
Yes, it's an e-card creation page. However, messing about with it, I managed to locate the following two images from the reprints:



The first is part of the advert for electric socks that I've heard of, and that appears in modified form on LemonySnicket.com's paperback section; the second is, obviously, new Olaf art, which I'm guessing from the background is from the chapter where he reveals Sunny's been caged up outside his tower room.

[Hermedy]

Wow. Right on the ball, as always.

[Dante]

Thanks, Tragedy. And on that note, I just found a press release about the reprints this morning, although there's no new information in it.

More Misery for Less Money

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Now in Paperback
More Misery for Less Money
Publisher warns books may be ill-suited for personal use

NEW YORK, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since they began ravaging the New York Times bestseller lists 353 weeks ago, the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events are being released in paperback next Tuesday, May 8, 2007. If you know anything about Lemony Snicket's chronicles of the Baudelaire orphans, you know they are filled with treachery, misery, murder, legal research, kidnapping, hook-handed henchmen, and itchy clothing. Despite this, over 55 million copies of A Series of Unfortunate Events have been sold around the world.

Drawing inspiration from the pulpy penny dreadfuls of the 19th century, the new editions of Snicket's first two books are now in paperback as "No. 1: The Bad Beginning or, Orphans!" and "No. 2: The Reptile Room or, Murder!" A handsome new look and stunning all-new artwork by series illustrator Brett Helquist add to the temptation. Worst of all, every paperback book culminates in "HarperCollins's The Cornucopian Cavalcade," a free serial supplement of Snickety comics, advice, activities, and stories certain to corrupt even the most innocent mind.

Like turn-of-the-century circulars, "HarperCollins's The Cornucopian Cavalcade" is filled with extraordinary design and outrageous ideas. It includes "The Spoily Brats" a serialized graphic novel about a pair of detective siblings by acclaimed artist Michael Kupperman; a grimly hilarious advice column by Mr. Snicket himself, entitled "What Shall I Do, Lemony Snicket?"; and serialized stories by Mr. Snicket's literary forbearers. We dare not mention the magic tricks, foul weather activities, or advertisements for electric socks.

Eight years ago, the first editions of A Series of Unfortunate Events spawned countless imitators by being the first to combine the feel of a hardcover with the portability and price of a trade paperback. Now, newly released for the first time as sordid softcovers, the books are poised to upset the delicate world of book publishing yet again. So please, proceed cautiously.

Lemony Snicket is the author of the thirteen books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, which have sold more than 55 million copies worldwide in 40 languages, or possibly vice versa. Mr. Snicket is represented in all legal, literary, and social matters by Daniel Handler, who has also written three novels for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs. You can visit Lemony Snicket online at www.lemonysnicket.com.

Brett Helquist was born in Ganado, AZ, grew up in Orem, UT, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. He earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University and has been illustrating ever since. Sometimes he finds his work depicting the upsetting lives of the Baudelaire orphans so distressing that he sends himself flowers, but it never helps.

Anyone else underwhelmed that a major part of the advertising for the reprints is basically "they're pretty cheap"? That said, they probably are pretty cheap considering what you're getting.