Jack vance

Jack Vance's early work contains the same elements of originality, wit and style which would become hallmarks of his oeuvre. This collection centers on productive years which began in the mid-50s, containing stories written between 1951 and 1973 including: Ullward's Retreat, a breezy look at a crowded future where wealth is measured in physical space-or better yet, the illusion of such; The New Prime (originally published as Brain of the Galaxy); The Men Return, concerning mankind in the mesh between chaos and causality; Dodkin's Job, an entertaining story of a misfit who pits himself against a massive bureaucracy; the classic Moon Moth, describing the travails of Edwer Thissell in the fiercely formal, mask-wearing society of Sirene; Green Magic, and Howard Fair's clumsy exploration thereof; whimsical Alfred's Ark; pulp-era Sulwen's Planet - and Rumfuddle, a tale of infinite realities, near-parallel existences, and the irresponsible plots of a selfish sensationalist who twists threads of history for fun. These stories trace the path that would lead Vance to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

In the aftermath of World War II, 8-year-old Luellen Enright is orphaned and shipped to San Francisco and the care of a covetous aunt, over-friendly uncle, and adolescent male cousins. Her only friend is a neighbor boy-the sickly and eccentric "Chickweed", who writes in his "Book of Dreams" and makes home movies. Lulu suffers indignities and all manner of abuse, is finally accused of murder, and sent to juvenile detention. Years later Lulu sets out to reclaim what was taken from her-a priceless Sung vase left by her missionary father, baldly stolen by her aunt. One of four Jack Vance mystery novels which never found a mainstream publisher, The View from Chickweed's Window tells in delicate detail the misery of a defenseless child in the hands of unpleasant adults, and cruel older children. In typical style Vance gives us a robust heroine who, rather than crushed by hardship-is instead motivated strongly to restore justice, with a focus on result over scruple Published previously in limited edition by Underwood-Miller and the Vance Integral Edition, The View from Chickweed's Window is widely available for the first time. The View from Chickweed's Window is Volume 18 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Lying off the coast of Monterey, Bird Island is favored with tranquil beaches, coves and rocky hills. The island is home to a finishing school for girls, and a picturesque old hotel-in desperate need of repair. The hotel owner must sell plots of the island to finance renovation and enlargement. The buyers are an odd bunch: a whale hunter, an amateur photographer of artistic nudes, a fugitive from justice, a young poet who composes rhymes for greeting cards, and an explorer, accompanied by his pet baboon. Everything goes wrong, to the extent that even Rexie, the cheese-loving hotel cat is affected So much for tranquility, on Bird Island... First published as Isle of Peril, Bird Isle mixes intrigue with humor, inspired by the great P. G. Wodehouse. Bird Isle is Volume 16 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

With his silver hair, neat goatee and fastidious habits, elderly mathematician Magnus Ridolph doesn't look like the mercenary detective, troubleshooter and rascal that he is. In these ten stories, Magnus Ridolph accepts a variety of baffling assignments, from halting the tribal warfare of the Kokod warriors, to solving the mystery of exploding cans of sardines imported from Chandaria. His wits and unusual methods bring each to a surprising conclusion Written between 1948 and 1957, the tales in this book establish Magnus Ridolph as a memorably spry and resourceful troubleshooter with nerves of steel-and a knack for getting the goods.

Thirty thousand years after humanity first expanded from Earth, Koryphon has seen waves of Gaean immigration. Each population took separate lands for themselves, settling among species considered native to the planet-the morphote and erjin. Specializing to the environment in their own ways, the swift nomadic Wind-runners, fierce Alouan Uldras, and aristocratic Outkers have kept an uneasy peace. Two hundred years ago, a splinter group of Outkers seized a portion of the Alouan lands and established enormous domains, to live in baronial splendor-where Uldra chieftains once ruled. The estates have passed down through generations of the Outker families. A group of Uldra resent the presence of the land-barons. Jorjol, the self-styled "Gray Prince", leads an onslaught to expunge Outkers from Alouan lands. But he is faced with a challenge from the Outkers-and from history itself. The Domains of Koryphon was first published as The Gray Prince. The Domains of Koryphon is Volume 46 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Detectives of the future will command stealth and arcane techniques to satisfy their stingy and demanding clients, who seek results over interstellar distances. Miro Hetzel is an Effectuator: one who goes beyond fact-finding, to produce changes in process and result-sometimes at the point of a gun. Industrialist Sir Ivon Hacaway, facing cutthroat pricing from a new competitor, employs Hetzel to determine the identity and methods of a commercial threat. Miro is led to the hazardous planet Maz and The Dogtown Tourist Agency. A hub of overlapping sovereignties, Maz is where the interests of alien Liss and Olefract intersect with those of mankind; the native population-the warlike Gomaz-make industrial pursuits on the planet improbable; the circumstance presents a puzzle for Hetzel, whose investigations, close shaves, and discoveries make for an exciting yarn. In Freitzke's Turn, Hetzel accepts a commission to recover purloined pieces of anatomy belonging to client Conwit Clent. The thief is Faurence Dacre, a school-hood chum of Miro's, now a celebrity surgeon. Hetzel's convoluted pursuit is resolved with a surprising twist of medical revenge All in a day's work for Miro Hetzel, the Galactic Effectuator. Miro Hetzel, Effectuator was first published as Galactic Effectuator. Miro Hetzel, Effectuator is Volume 50 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Op het kantoor van Cosmopolis in Pontefract op Aloysius, vindt Kirth Gersen een ingezonden foto van tien onbekenden aan een banket. Iemand heeft erboven geschreven: 'H. A. Treesong is hier'. Treesong is de laatste van de Duivelsprinsen, vijf bijna legendarische meestercriminelen waarop Gersen zich wil wreken voor de overval op Fraaibergen lang geleden. Gersen moet zien te achterhalen waar de foto gemaakt is. En bovenal: wie van de mannen op de foto is de mysterieuze Howard Alan Treesong? Gebruikmakend van zijn dekmantel van 'speciaal redacteur' Henry Lucas, schrijft Gersen een prijsvraag uit die door de hele Oikoumene wordt verspreid: de eerste deelnemer die de tien mannen en vrouwen op de foto correct identificeert, wint een aanzienlijk geldbedrag. De wedstrijd loopt aardig in de kijker en lokt de nodige reacties uit. Niet het minst die van de Duivelsprins zelf. Maar daarop heeft Gersen gerekend... Het Boek der Dromen is het vijfde en laatste boek van de Duivelsprinsen reeks, waarin Kirth Gersen een voor een met zijn aartsvijanden afrekent. Het Boek der Dromen is deel 42 van Het Verzameld Werk van Jack Vance, uitgegeven door Spatterlight. Omslagillustratie: David Russell. Deze vertaling van Jaime Martijn verscheen eerder bij Meulenhoff, Amsterdam 1981. De tekst van de Spatterlight editie is op diverse punten gecorrigeerd en aangepast aan de hedendaagse spelling.

His face badly burned in a motor accident, young Robert Struve is horribly disfigured. Unable to afford corrective surgery, and denied lawful redress against the rich man whose daughter was responsible, Struve wears his scars as a badge of honor, excelling at school and sports. The social pressure is intense however, and he is treated harshly by his peers-young men and women alike. When his frustration boils over, he assaults a girl. In a correctional institution, as a ward of the state, he undergoes reconstructive surgery. Years go by. Then one of the girls involved in the incident is murdered, her face mutilated. A second and third are killed in similar fashion; is Robert Struve involved? No one has seen him, since his incarceration... Written in the late 1940s, The Flesh Mask was Jack Vance's first success as a mystery writer, launching his Edgar-winning career. The story was first published in 1957, as Take My Face, under the pseudonym "Peter Held". The Flesh Mask is Volume 14 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Wandering the provinces of Thaery, footloose Jubal Droad of Glentlin is carelessly injured during an encounter with the arrogant Ramus Ymph, scion of a powerful ruling family. Jubal begins a quest for personal justice, from a position of disadvantage. Striking his first blow, Jubal narrowly escapes gruesome retaliation at the hands of Scales and Balance, formidable operatives of the Faithful Retribution Company-assigned to his case by the vindictive Ymph Applying for employment under Nai the Hever, Jubal negotiates with energy and conviction, but can only win a low-wage position with Department Three of the Sanitation and Hygiene Office. Reconciling gloomily to the prospect of inspecting kitchen drains, Jubal is surprised that his training places such emphasis on martial skills. Department Three is something different than it seems. Tracking Ramus Ymph off-world to quirky, densely-touristed Eiselbar, Jubal connects the pieces of Ymph's astounding ambition. Returning to Maske, he follows Ymph across the Long Ocean to Wellas-where he precipitates events which will preserve Thaery and Wellas from exploitation, and resolve his own conflict, through the peculiar agencies of the tree-worshipping Waels. Along the way, Jubal softens the heart of icily-remote Mieltrude, daughter of Nai the Hever. Maske: Thaery is Volume 51 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Op de ruimtehaven van Rath Eileann op Aloysius wordt het vrachtschip Ettilia Gargantyr verwacht. Kirth Gersen weet dat de eigenaar van het schip niemand minder is dan de Duivelsprins Lens Larque, en bedenkt een list om de Gargantyr aan de ketting te laten leggen teneinde Lens Larque ertoe te verleiden voor de Vegaanse rechtbank te verschijnen om zijn eigendom voor inbeslagname te vrijwaren. Van de op anonimiteit gestelde Lens Larque weet Gersen enkel dat hij een uitgestoten Darsh is van de Bugoldclan van de woestijnplaneet Dar Sai. Zich uitgevend voor een verslaggever van het tijdschrift Cosmopolis infiltreert Gersen de Darshe gemeenschap van Rath Eileann in de hoop Lens Larque te identificeren zodra deze voet zet op Aloysius. Gersen komt er snel achter dat de cuisine van Dar Sai al even grotesk en wansmakelijk is als de Darsh zelf, en een aandelenzwendel rondom het Kotzash Onderlinge mijnbouwsyndicaat lijkt alles te maken te hebben met een mysterieus project van de op grappen beluste Lens Larque die nooit een vernedering vergeet. Het Kotzash spoor zal Gersen uiteindelijk naar de wereld Dar Sai en diens zusterplaneet Methel leiden in zijn jacht op de gevreesde Duivelsprins... Lens Larque is het vierde boek van de vijfdelige Duivelsprinsen reeks, waarin Kirth Gersen een voor een met zijn aartsvijanden afrekent. Lens Larque is deel 41 van Het Verzameld Werk van Jack Vance, uitgegeven door Spatterlight. Omslagillustratie: David Russell. Deze vertaling van Jaime Martijn verscheen eerder bij Meulenhoff, Amsterdam 1979. De tekst van de Spatterlight editie is op diverse punten gecorrigeerd en aangepast aan de hedendaagse spelling.

Jack Vance's early work contains the same elements of originality, wit and style which would become hallmarks of his oeuvre. This collection centers on productive years which began in the mid-50s, containing stories written between 1951 and 1973 including: Ullward's Retreat, a breezy look at a crowded future where wealth is measured in physical space-or better yet, the illusion of such; The New Prime (originally published as Brain of the Galaxy); The Men Return, concerning mankind in the mesh between chaos and causality; Dodkin's Job, an entertaining story of a misfit who pits himself against a massive bureaucracy; the classic Moon Moth, describing the travails of Edwer Thissell in the fiercely formal, mask-wearing society of Sirene; Green Magic, and Howard Fair's clumsy exploration thereof; whimsical Alfred's Ark; pulp-era Sulwen's Planet-and Rumfuddle, a tale of infinite realities, near-parallel existences, and the irresponsible plots of a selfish sensationalist who twists threads of history for fun. These stories trace the path that would lead Vance to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. The Moon Moth and Other Stories is Volume 31 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. Rhialto the Marvellous contains three linked novellas about the adventures of the wizard Rhialto across the decadent landscape of the Dying Earth, under its swollen red sun.

Ronald Wilby est un adolescent de 17 ans un peu ingrat, intello, marginal. Obs d par les filles, il n'a gu re de succ s aupr s d'elles. Apr s avoir t conduit par la belle Laurel Hansen, Ronald ne trouve rien de mieux que de s'en prendre une fillette de 11 ans, qu'il viole puis qu'il trangle. C' tait un accident , jure-t-il sa m re qui il avoue tout. Comme la police le recherche, elle lui am nage une cachette dans la grande demeure victorienne o ils habitent. Dans sa tani re, Ronald est comme un coq en p te. Fini le lyc e, les corv es, les responsabilit s Il peut se consacrer son passe-temps favori: l' laboration d'un monde imaginaire, Atranta. Malheureusement, sa m re meurt brutalement, et Ronald se retrouve seul... mais pas pour tr s longtemps: une famille emm nage, avec trois ravissantes adolescentes de 13, 15 et 17 ans... Tel un renard cach au milieu du poulailler, Ronald attend patiemment qu'une poulette passe sa port e... Il s'agit du roman policier le plus achev et le plus angoissant de Jack Vance, avec le portrait gla ant d'un jeune psychopathe. Spatterlight publie ici une traduction enti rement nouvelle du roman pr c demment publi en 1979 sous le titre M chant Gar on, et qui avait obtenu le prix Myst re de la critique en 1980.

This collection contains "unpublished" work of SFWA Grandmaster Jack Vance, some rough, some well-developed. Previously released only in Volume 44 of the Vance Integral Edition, contents include proposals for screenplays (Clang, The Magnificent Red-hot Jazzing Seven), and outlines for novels (The STARK, Cat Island, a third Joe Bain novel titled The Genesee Slough Murders, The Telephone was Ringing in the Dark, and the wondrously atmospheric Wild Thyme and Violets). Also: Dream Castle, a 1963 rewrite of 1946's I'll Build Your Dream Castle, for Groff Conklin's anthology Great Stories of Space Travel. The Kragen (Fantastic 1964), a fully-developed story, later expanded to become The Blue World. Guyal of Sfere, a 1970 version of the final story of The Dying Earth (Mazirian the Magician), rewritten for Eight Fantasms and Magics. Is Vance's later style better suited to this story than the lush, voluptuous original of the 1940s? You decide. Last but not least is an insightful foreword written by Paul Rhoads, Editor-in-Chief of the Vance Integral Edition. Mr. Rhoads discusses some of the technical problems encountered during the V. I. E. project, and brings his valuable perspective to each piece in turn-elucidating a perceptual background which provides the perfect context for these gems within the broad expanse of Jack Vance's extraordinary oeuvre. Wild Thyme and Violets and Other Unpublished Works is Volume 61 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. In Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight, Cugel the Clever is still seeking revenge on the magician Iucounu, whom he blames for his exile and all his troubles. But revenge is hard to come by, and the adventures on the way are so very diverting....

Een schriel mannetje op leeftijd met witte haren, een zorgvuldig gecultiveerde sik en fattige maniertjes: niet het voorkomen dat je zou verwachten van een interstellaire speurneus, befaamd wiskundige, beruchte schelm en levensgenieter. Maar wee de tegenstander die het geslepen intellect van Magnus Ridolph onderschat... In deze tien verhalen aanvaardt Magnus Ridolph, immer krap bij kas, een aantal verbijsterende opdrachten: van het stopzetten van de rituele oorlogvoering tussen de 81 krijger-clans van Kokod, tot het oplossen van een moord waarbij alle verdachten een sluitend alibi hebben. Het mysterie van de uit Chandaria ge mporteerde explosieve sardines, of een idyllisch vakantieparadijs dat geteisterd wordt door vliegende draken en dodelijke zeetorren: met behulp van zijn vernuft en zijn ongebruikelijke werkwijzen brengt Magnus Ridolph iedere zaak tot een verrassende - en tevens lucratieve - ontknoping. Dit boek is de eerste volledige Nederlandse Magnus Ridolph editie. Het bevat de twee nog niet eerder vertaalde verhalen Diepgewortelde wrevel en Sanatoris, kort door de bocht. Magnus Ridolph is deel 2 van Het Verzameld Werk van Jack Vance, uitgegeven door Spatterlight. Omslagillustratie: C. Michael Taylor. Eerdere versies van een aantal van de vertalingen van Jaime Martijn en Pon Ruiter verschenen bij Scala, Rotterdam 1976, en Meulenhoff, Amsterdam 1980 en 1981. De tekst van de Spatterlight editie is op diverse punten gecorrigeerd en aangepast aan de hedendaagse spelling.

An acknowledged master of highly imaginative work in SF and Fantasy, Jack Vance was nonetheless a practical and realistic man, having a perspective colored by personal knowledge of hardship. As a youth, he went hungry during lean years of the Great Depression, and his early manhood was swept by the spectacle of World War II. He had a scholarly interest in history, and an easy relationship with many walks of life; his outlook was that of a tolerant, civilized man having broad perspectives over the social types, moods and attitudes of his day. Vance's mysteries remain relatively unknown, but they deserve attention. Woven into locales Vance lived in and knew intimately, they deliver a nearly historical quality of authenticity. In Oakland and Berkeley of the early 1950's, The House on Lily Street concerns a sharp-dressing welfare worker, who disappears while investigating reports of extortion among his clients. As the police case progresses, we look in on bohemian parties, sample the music scene, and glimpse life through the eyes of the rich and poor of the time. The House on Lily Street is the story of a corrupt and narcissistic young man, born to privilege, who dallies among the poor-and gets in over his head. The House on Lily Street is Volume 17 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Relatives of mankind, the benevolent Lekthwan come to Earth, sharing knowledge and superior technology. Headstrong Roy Barch feels pangs of inferiority-particularly in the intellectual company of golden-skinned Komeitk Lelianr. The brutish Klau follow the Lekthwan to Earth. Taken slave, Roy and Lelianr are transported to the hellish, massively-industrialized planet Magarak. Lelianr accepts her fate, but Roy rebels-risking life and limb to strike the Klau and win back to Earth. Published in 1952 as Planet of the Damned, again in 1958 as Slaves of the Klau, Gold and Iron is Jack Vance's most under-appreciated novel, a gritty tale of spirit and determination prevailing against intimidating odds. Gold and Iron is Volume 9 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Fifteen-year-old Dick Murdock travels aboard the African Star to the Moon, to meet his father Dr. Paul Murdock-Chief Astronomer at the Lunar Observatory. En route, the African Star finds the hulk of a spaceship hanging in space, blasted open with all hands killed. It's the work of space pirates, led by the malevolent Basilisk Dick applies himself to uncovering who-or what-the Basilisk is? The stakes are enormously high; while prospecting for lunar tourmalines high on a lunar cliff with Crazy Sam Baxter, someone tries to kill him with a giant falling rock. And that's just the beginning. Dick risks everything to protect his father, and save the life of everyone at the Observatory. In a dark, lonely cavern far below the lunar surface-Dick will confront the Basilisk. And no-one is there to help... First published in 1951, Vandals of the Void was written for young adults. Vandals of the Void is Volume 7 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Ted Bunpole proposes, and Betty Haverhill says no. But Ted won't take "no" for an answer, and the situation gets tiresome. Betty books passage to Europe by freighter. The Garda departs San Francisco for Italy, via the Panama Canal. Passengers include the intellectual Alex Cato and his wife Ora; Nello di Prieri, whose father is a Marquis; plump Harry Mayberry, owner of a dry-cleaning plant in Oakland-and the formidable, cigar-smoking Mik Finsch, a Dutchman recently from El Salvador. And who but the dogged Ted Bunpole-following Betty despite her clear wishes? In desperation, Betty flirts with Mik Finsch; Ted loses his head, and sinister events follow. In San Salvador, Betty witnesses a killing. With the Garda back at sea, the killer is on the ship-and her life is in danger... But Betty is no pushover. The Dark Ocean is Volume 20 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II