Jojo & Kyberean,
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Both were very helpful. Taking the hint, I went over to the
Night Shade site and made my way to their forum where I found this post by one Scott Connors:
Quote:Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 02:55 am:
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Volume one of the Night Shade Books edition of Clark Ashton Smith's Collected Fantasies is almost finished. The first volume took a little bit longer than expected because of difficulties in obtaining copies of the relevant manuscripts and typescripts from various institutions; certain repositories, it seems, are sadly deficient in facilities for making microfilms of their holdings, and when the microfilm department themselves has its own project underway that takes priority, that just pushes everything else back. We're aimming for a Valentine's Day completion date.
Also, I recently experienced a recurrence of an on-going problem with depression that basically caused progress to grind to a halt. I am back on my meds now, and the mental block that prevented me from working on anything not related to my regular occupation (ironically, I'm a psychiatric nurse...) has been removed, so things are flowing again. I apologize for this delay, and extend my apologies to you all.
It looks as if we should be able to release two, (possibly three) volumes this year. This is meticulous work, involving comparison of surviving typescripts with published versions and with successive drafts, establishing a style-sheet regularizing Smith's often inconsistent usages, and attempting to restore material excised for editorial reasons while retaining those revisions from later revisions that look to be for aesthetic reasons and not to satisfy editorial caprices in order to ensure a sale. Both Ron Hilger and I are checking each story, and we have a constant dialogue underway concerning the changes we discover. We've also been fortunate to acquire access to some mss in private hands that provide significant insights into CAS's writing process.
It is our intent that this be as definitive an edition of Smith's fantasies as is possible, restoring his authorial intent insofar as this possible to determine. It is well worth waiting for. Thank you all for your patience.
Best wishes,
Scott Connors
Series Editor
Speaking as another male RN with twenty-five years experience including eighteen in I.C.U. I found Scott's info
very helpful even if his confessional was kinda, "T.M.I." (Too Much Information).
Jojo, I don't think the question you addressed in your 2nd reply is meaningless. It is very important. You yourself
used the phrase, "most members here" which goes to the point that, as a Newbie, I simply don't know what the level
of scholarship or editorial involvement regarding Night Shade Books might be present in the Forum. I was not trying
to presume what you ought to know but just leaving the door open for what the Group in general might know. I hope
that clears that up and your informed rants are always welcome. I went ahead and ordered the "Buy-all-Three" deal
on Vols. 1,2,and 3 from Amazon for a good price and free shipping and they ought to be here before Halloween.
BIG THX.!
Cathexis