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Author
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Topic: Rarity of signed Two Sides of the Moon
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Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 12-08-2007 10:24 AM
   
Boggs SpaceBooks' survey on the Holy Grails shows that author signed copies of "Two Sides of the Moon" is one of the top 20 popularly elected rare signed books.I have often pondered the rarity of this book myself for several reasons. - While Dave Scott has done signing tours and freely signs this book, Alexei Leonov has not to my knowledge.
- there are two distinct editions which both may claim to be first firsts.
The 415 page 2004 Simon & Schuster UK Ltd version indeed was released first and the 416 page 2004 St. Martin's Press came shortly afterward in the US.To have either copy dual signed you would have had to first of all had Dave Scott sign it. While he didn't do large book signing tours, he did sign at places that did allow for mail orders. Plus Dave will sign this in person at various shows. So while there was not a wide spread signing tour done by Dave, there was a way to get it done if you planned ahead. However, to have Leonov sign it, and complete it, the only venue in the US has been the UACC shows that have sponsored his appearances. That takes a dedicated amount of travel, or luck to have the show in your home town, or having a friend help you out. I believe there are shows in the UK where Leonov has made appearances too. So, I am curious what others think of the rarity of this signed book? I have no way of knowing if the UK edition outsold the US version, or visa versa. However, one or the other could even be the rarer edition. Or would the UK edition be the true 1st 1st by default? I do look forward to a heated discussion on this because it has been bugging me for a few years! Thanks for your time. |
cddfspace
Member Posts: 609
From: Morris County, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 12-08-2007 10:33 AM
I have two copies — one signed by Scott, the other signed by both. I have seen the Scott signed only copy offered more frequently then the dual signed. Not sure how rare it is, Douglas but you bring up some good points! |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 12-08-2007 01:14 PM
In the UK not only was Scott signing the book freely at several stores/events (he was living in the UK at the time), but signed copies were on sale at the Science Museum and other bookstores for ca $35.Leonov was indeed at Autographica and Burbank and I had at least two copies completed as a result. Guess it was a question of being in the right place at the right time. Others less fortunate might consider a dual-signed copy rare, but in absolute terms they are not rare and IMO certainly not as sought after as many other books. |
thump
Member Posts: 575
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004
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posted 12-08-2007 02:29 PM
I got my copy signed by Scott at his appearance at the National Air and Space Museum and then was able to complete it with Leonov when he was at museum for the 30th anniversary of ASTP (but he did not do a public signing at this event). |
nasamad
Member Posts: 2121
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 12-08-2007 05:01 PM
My copy is a 2004 Simon & Schuster UK Ltd version. As sometimes happens Amazon shipped it early before the actual release date, so I had nearly read it when Scott signed it for me at the Royal Society (May 5, 2004). He did actually say that it was the first one he had signed!It was then signed by Leonov at either Autographica or Burbank (I can't remember which was first, but I attended both). I don't suppose they are really worth much in monetary terms, but when you get both signed in person you don't value your copy in monetary value do you. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 12-08-2007 09:51 PM
People may consider it rare because Scott used not to sign and Leonov used to be equally hard to obtain. However, if it indeed rare, then the person who bought my British copy signed by both at $75 (I believe) got a bargain.... |
Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 12-09-2007 12:01 PM
What gets me is how "Two Sides of the Moon" was published by two different companies at almost the same time. In a purist light I would imagine that dilutes the pool of the truly legitimate first edition, first printing by roughly half. Interesting too is that Scott, while an American, lived in England when it was written and published giving more weight to the UK version as the true 1st 1st.I am not a book expert, but is it unusual for a space or aviation book to be published like that in two countries at the same time? Are collectors in EMEA commonly getting different versions of The Last Man on the Moon, for example, signed than collectors in the Americas? I am aware of one example where Scott Crossfield's Always Another Dawn was published in 1960 by World Publishing Co from Cleveland, OH, and then in 1961 by Hodder & Stoughton out of London. But in that case there was a year between the publications. Books, like covers, have their own life independent of signatures, and therefore offer many shades of gray making them more complex and thus more interesting then a run of the mill 3x5 signed index card by example. |
mikelarson
Member Posts: 293
From: Port Washington, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 12-09-2007 02:17 PM
For me, a signed book has to be rare if either the book is very tough to find or the autographs are very tough to obtain. Given the ample quantities of the book itself, along with the relative ease of obtaining the signatures of both men, I would not consider this book rare. It's a little tougher to get than most of the other Apollo-era astronauts, but is by no means rare.That being said, it's still a great book to have in your collection and I won't be selling mine any time soon. |
DukeToshiro
Member Posts: 35
From: Oklahoma
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted 12-10-2007 08:50 PM
Scott and Leonov both kindly signed mine at the San Antonio UACC show. I don't know how rare it is, either, but it's one of my favorite signed items in my collection! |
Gilbert
Member Posts: 1328
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 12-10-2007 09:17 PM
The UK version of "Two Sides of the Moon" preceded the US version by several weeks. That makes it the "first" edition. The US version is the "first US" edition. Book collectors almost always prefer the true first edition. It is not unusual for books to be published in the UK and the US at almost the same time. When that happens it drives book collectors crazy. But, collectors of space and aviation books seem to put less emphasis on "edition" than do mainstream book collectors. |
disglobes
Member Posts: 594
From: Orting, WA
Registered: May 2000
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posted 12-11-2007 02:09 AM
Leonov was at the Burbank, San Antonio and the New Jersey show. He charged his fee to sign the book where Dave Scott signed it for free. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 12-11-2007 08:50 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Gilbert:
The UK version of "Two Sides of the Moon" preceded the US version by several weeks.
It was a bit more than several weeks: five months. The UK version was released in May 2004; the U.S. version in October 2004. |
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