|
Dear John:
I have two books by D.F. Jones. They are Colossus published in 1966 and The Fall of Colossus published in 1974. Both are hardcover book club editions with dust jackets and books in near fine condition. When I first read Colossus I was deep in the study of Artificial Intelligence at the
University of Oregon in Eugene and it just struck a chord. I tried for several years to find first editions of the books but finally gave up. In fact, I had almost forgotten I had the books on my shelves until I got an email from a fellow book collector in the UK stating the difficulty he was having in locating a copy.
So, John, what is it with Colossus? Why can't I find a first edition? And why is the book so scarce in any edition? I believe the same questions apply to The Fall of Colossus as well. And what can you tell me about the value of these books?
Regards,
J. Wardlow (TX)
John replies:
It's odd that you should bring this up. I was just talking about this author with my son, Mitchell, age 14, suggesting that he should read him.
I will never forget The Forbin Project, aka Colossus. "This is Colossus . . . the voice of God," a line left out of the movie!
"Dennis Feltham Jones (1917 - 1981) was a British science fiction author who wrote as D.F. Jones, so consequently true 1sts are UK editions, and quite scarce. Your best chance to find them is by searching at www.bookfinder .com.
While you are searching do not overlook IMPLOSION. It is a story about what we would now call a terrorist act . . . a viral agent is placed into the English Channel that renders most Englishmen sterile. In an effort to maintain the race, those unaffected are rounded up and placed into breeding camps. The ending is a shocker.
Thanks for asking. You must have overheard us talking about Jones.
All best and good hunting.
John
|
Read articles about book collecting
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Watch our Videos