For those interested: "Door into Shadow" manuscript up for auction

[dianeduane]

We have friends coming over to house-sit for us during the Worldcon convention period, and while I was helping Peter tidy up the house, I stumbled upon something unusual, which I'm now offering at auction at eBay.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the only extant copy of the manuscript of The Door into Shadow. (I believe the original to have been lost when moving house some years ago.) It features handwritten notes and edits by me, by my then-editor at Bluejay Books, Jim Frenkel, and by my literary agent, Don Maass. This MS is a Xerox of the original.

 

The manuscript contains excised material that never made it into the original book, as well as added material that did not appear in the original manuscript. (Click on the image below for a much enlarged version of a typical edited page. You can also click here for an Adobe Reader / PDF version of the page.)

A side note: Bidders familiar with my "Young Wizards" series but unfamiliar with the "Door Into..." novels should be aware that these novels contain adult themes and situations.

I'll sign and personalize this manuscript for the winning bidder. I will also do my best to get both Don Maass's and Jim Frenkel's signatures for it.

The preferred method of payment for this item is PayPal (which will also support credit card payments made via PayPal) or wire transfer.

Due to upcoming business travel, I will not ship this manuscript to the winning bidder until I return home during the first week in September. However, I will be in touch with the winner immediately after the end of the auction to sort out what kind of shipping they prefer. Due to the unique value of the item, Federal Express or a similar courier is probably going to be the wisest choice: I'll determine the cost of shipping to the bidder's location after the auction. Also, if the winning bidder is located in North America and prefers not to incur transatlantic courier charges, I will hand-carry the MS to the USA during the month of October -- I have another convention commitment in the US then -- and FedEx it to him or her from inside the US.

If you're interested and have any questions, leave a message in this thread, or email me here.

Thanks!

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Ping!

On an entirely unrelated (but business-related) note, can you drop me an email at charlie at antipope dot org?

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

The "Door.." series brought me back to fantasy fiction after being scared off it by ... well, we'll leave it at 'other authors in the field who shall remain nameless'. I didn't get the chance to thank you for that at AC this past June--so I'll do it here.

(bites tongue to avoid asking the inevitable "when's the next book due" ;))

[azurelunatic]

My roommate is hearing the noises I'm making and reminding me to breathe.

[azurelunatic]

The auction says "Door into Fire".

[occams_pyramid]

On the eBay page clicking the left-hand image (of the Title Page) gives me a 404.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was about where I had a stroke, too.

[the-10thdoctor.livejournal.com]

It's already over $200. *flails*

I remember finding that book in the school library eons ago...checking it out over and over again until I graduated and had to find my own copy...heh heh heh. ;)

[azurelunatic]

Either makes me squeak and my roommate look at me as if I've gone mad until I explain.

[dduane.livejournal.com]

OMG!!!

This comes of listing something when you're about to go on a trip.

I mistyped. This is the manuscript for The Door into SHADOW. Argh!!

Please anyone let me know if you're not clear about this. MY BAD!

If enough people are confused, I'll kill this auction and start over fresh.

[dduane.livejournal.com]

OMG!!!

This comes of listing something when you're about to go on a trip.

I mistyped. This is the manuscript for The Door into SHADOW. Argh!! Unfortunately, now that there are bids, I can't change the title.

Please anyone let me know if you're not clear about this. MY BAD!

If enough people are confused, I'll kill this auction and start over fresh. But meanwhile I'll contact (via eBay) everyone who's bid and straighten them out.

Sorry!