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Author Topic:   Adding non-author signatures to books
Silver
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Posts: 62
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2015

posted 12-11-2016 09:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Silver   Click Here to Email Silver     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have a general question for the book collectors in the community. How do you all feel about adding "character" signatures of people involved in the story to a book already signed by the actual author, but who didn't have a part in physically writing the book?

For example, adding someone like Fred Haise to Jim Lovell's book? Or Richard Gordon to Alan Bean's?

fredtrav
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Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 12-11-2016 10:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am not a big fan of it. If they are in the book, it is different but just because they are an astronaut and not involved in the book is not something I look for.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-11-2016 11:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There have been a few seemingly popular signing events where participants, rather than authors alone, signed the books. Two that comes to mind:
  • Gene Kranz's "Failure is Not an Option" signing in 2000 where all the living Apollo-era flight directors participated; and

  • Space Center Houston's book signing for "Go, Flight!" by Rick Houston and Milt Heflin, which included more than 20 flight controllers.

GACspaceguy
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Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 12-12-2016 05:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Typically unless the signatures are adding due to an opportunity, such as an astronaut being available at a author signing for free, I am also not a big fan. However any free signature is a good signature.

Special circumstances as illustrated by Robert does alter the situation greatly and in those cases, are certainly a positive.

Steve Zarelli
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Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 12-12-2016 08:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Steve Zarelli   Click Here to Email Steve Zarelli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
More is not always better. Often, it detracts in my opinion.

Glint
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Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-12-2016 09:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Glint   Click Here to Email Glint     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think there are some instances where it is appropriate. For example, at an event where an Apollo astronaut signed his autobiography, his daughter, who was in attendance, signed a childhood photograph of herself inside the book.

albatron
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Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-12-2016 11:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is, as everything else in the space collecting arena, in the eye of the individual.

For example, I have Lovell's "Lost Moon" book, signed by he, Freddo, Kranz and Sy. This is less a bio as it about an event so I felt this was highly appropriate.

I also have Kranz's bio signed by all of the flight directors (Kranz, Kraft, Lunney, Windler, Frank and Griffin) at his book signing event described by Robert.

However, it is now signed by astronauts who Kranz worked with. It started as a target of opportunity (happened to have had the book when with some of the astronauts) and it has since been signed by: Dave Scott, Jack Lousma, Joe Kerwin, Charlie Duke, Paul Weitz, Tom Stafford, Walt Cunningham, Ed Gibson, Gordon Cooper, Scott Carpenter, Fred Haise, Ed Mitchell, Dick Gordon, Vance Brand, Bruce McCandless, Rick Searfoss and Charlie Walker (don't recall those but okay) and even cosmonauts Yury Usachev, Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Tereshkova (Kranz had indicated to me monitoring Tereshkova's and Bykovsky's mission).

So I'm say there's some value in both of those. Again, it's not for everyone.

Dwight
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Posts: 576
From: Germany
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 12-12-2016 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dwight   Click Here to Email Dwight     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My copy of Live TV From Orbit, has signatures from Stafford, Brand, Lousma, Bean, Gibson, McCandless, Sheddon and Hoot Gibson. That to me is worth more than gold.

Glint
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Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-12-2016 11:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Glint   Click Here to Email Glint     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Dwight, that is a great book, whether or not any given copy has astronaut signatures.

Dwight
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Posts: 576
From: Germany
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 12-12-2016 11:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dwight   Click Here to Email Dwight     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you very much for your kind words Glint. Today they certainly mean a lot.

AirKing
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Posts: 34
From: East Yorkshire, England
Registered: Jan 2016

posted 12-12-2016 12:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for AirKing   Click Here to Email AirKing     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
At the 2014 Starmus Festival, a book was launched based on the lectures given at the 2011 festival. I obtained two books signed with Stephen Hawking's thumbprint and I added the signatures of Charlie Duke, Walter Cunningham and Alexei Leonov. They were also signed by the other speakers at the festival.

This year I went back to the festival and had the books signed by many more of the speakers including Rusty Schweickart, Chris Hadfield and Claude Nicollier.

Although not all of the speakers wrote for the book they were involved in later festivals so their signatures are relevant.

onesmallstep
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Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 12-12-2016 01:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think it depends on the book and the collector's preferences. All the examples cited above are good reasons to go ahead (or not) with multiple signatures; for example, the recent book "Apollo Pilot," based on an unpublished manuscript by the late Donn Eisele, could have signatures by editor Francis French, his widow/children and even Walt Cunningham.

I think a good reason for buying coffee-table books on space flight is to get as much signatures as possible of people who participated in the era/subject being covered. For example, for shuttle astronauts/flight directors/managers etc. two excellent books are "Space Shuttle: A Photographic Journey 1981-2011" and "The Space Shuttle: Celebrating Thirty Years of NASA's First Space Plane."

fredtrav
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Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 12-12-2016 04:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I agree. But to get a copy of "We Seven" for example signed by later shuttle astronauts is meaningless. On the other hand, them signing "Space Shuttle" is meaningful. It all depends on the context.
quote:
Originally posted by AirKing:
I obtained two books signed with Stephen Hawking's thumbprint and I added the signatures...
I am jealous. I saw that they were selling some of those books at Starmus but not being there, I could not get one.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-12-2016 06:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I agree that context can be key. A space shuttle astronaut-signed copy of "We Seven" would be entirely appropriate, if each astronaut inscribed it with how the book (or the movie) inspired them to become an astronaut (such as how Mike Massimino describes the movie in his autobiography).

At the end of the day though, all that really matters is what makes the owner happy. If adding autographs to a book is going to bring you enjoyment every time you open it, then go for it...

albatron
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Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-12-2016 08:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by fredtrav:
But to get a copy of "We Seven" for example signed by later shuttle astronauts is meaningless.
That's a good point, but what about adding Bill Dana and Dee O'Hara?

Silver
Member

Posts: 62
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2015

posted 12-12-2016 09:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Silver   Click Here to Email Silver     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I really do appreciate everyone's comments! I'm glad to see so many people were willing to chime in with their thoughts. However, I just want to clarify my original question. It is in regards to adding signatures of players involved in the story and mentioned by name. Like albatron's example, adding Haise, Kranz, and Sy, to Jim Lovell's book, or as mentioned by onesmallstep, adding Cunningham to Donn Eisele's book. Not so much in regards to event or multi-signed "concept pieces."

fredtrav
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Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 12-12-2016 11:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Al, adding Dee or Bill Dana would be appropriate in my opinion anyway.

Wehaveliftoff
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Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 12-12-2016 11:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wehaveliftoff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, they are proper "celebrities" in their own right.
I also had a wife & child sign next to their photo in the book, not much to say, they did it, didn't distract too much as I had many others pertinent to the book, so they were easily overlooked.
Also, got the forward signed by the famous person who wrote it, not many opportunities to do so, but like it just the same.

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