I’m currently reading “The Number of the Beast” by Robert Heinlein. Book is from the 1980s, and there’s a completely doubled up paragraph in the book! It spans two pages but the image shows enough I think.

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[–] CuriousRefugee@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I had a copy of Fahrenheit 451 as a kid that suddenly had a different book in it for about ten pages or so. I'm like 5 chapters in, and all of the characters change. Same font, same size text, so I was very confused when the next page was talking about some woman cuddling on a couch with a man, and him feeling her shoulders. I figured it out finally by the page numbers being off.

It was part of a romance novel, which probably wasn't explicit, but seemed spicy to a 10-year-old. I'd think it was a fever dream if my mom didn't bring it up every so often ("I wrote to the publisher and gave them an earful!"). Anyway, the publisher apologized and sent us a new copy plus some coupons. I wish we'd kept the book, though.

[–] skribe@piefed.social 25 points 2 weeks ago

I thought something like that had happened when I first read Cloud Atlas, but nope - that's just how it's written. I loved it once I understood.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm now beset with the vague memory of having a book that was actually two different texts depending on which side you started, and meeting somewhere in the middle or thereabouts. But I can't remember what book it was. (Definitely wasn't in English, though.)

[–] mech@feddit.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

I had a German language "choose your own adventure" book as a kid that was written like that. I think one of the stories was about a boy time-traveling to the time of the dinosaurs.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Oh jeez, makes you curious how something like that is able to happen.

I don’t know when computers took over typewriting for manuscripts and typesetting, but at some point some stuff just shouldn’t happen.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I have a comic book that I think fell off the production line and got shuffled back together before stapling.

You start from the back, upside down, then read about 5-6 pages, then flip it over and right side up for the next 5-6 pages, and keep doing that until it's finished.

My shop offered to exchange it, but I kind of like owning a book that's upside down, inside out, and backwards.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

That kind of stuff makes for the most valuable collectibles. Like trading cards that got cut wrong or miss printed.

[–] underreacting@literature.cafe 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Have you perchance read House of Leaves? It's a mess [admiringly].

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I picked it up after hearing all the good things about Tom's Crossing and both are sitting here taunting me. Hope to be able to dive in during Christmas vacation.

[–] ilovededyoupiggy@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Dunno if this is really what you're going for, but my hardcover copy of Stephen King's It is missing an entire signature. Jumps from page 790 to 823. Cleanly, not ripped or cut out or anything, just smooth gone.

I wrote to the publisher (on paper... probably with a typewriter) and they mailed me a new copy.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's a long signature.

[–] ech@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

This is probably a joke, but for those that don't know, in bookbinding a signature is the term for the smaller groupings of pages that are attached to the spine.

https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/51f1e712-c76a-457a-8076-2125748724b8.jpeg

See how the pages are folded around each other in groups? Those are signatures.

[–] HakunaHafada@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

Neat! Thanks for the info.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It was a joke, but I didn't know that, so thank you for the edification.

edit: "That" being the fact offered in response to my comment. I was aware that I was making a joke.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Might be worth something to a collector if you still have it.

[–] ilovededyoupiggy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

It's me! I'm the collector! It can be worth something to another collector after I'm dead, it's staying on my bookshelf until then (or until AI takes my job and leaves me destitute).

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I had a Book about Java with a code demonstrating to get prime numbers.

The code just outputted odd numbers.

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[–] Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I have a copy of Moby Dick with a second book printed in the middle of it. \s

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I need this joke explained. If I read that book in school, I don’t recall anything about it sorry,

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Melville goes on tangents for entire chapters, namely about whales and whaling practices.

Also, ‘Moby Dick’ is great as an audiobook narrated by Frank Muller. Got the old-timey feel that fits perfectly.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Ah! I was telling my brother how Heinlein couldn’t seem to complete a thought without going on a tangent. But for CHAPTERS! Hah I love it.

I’ve noticed this is kinda common in scifi, it’s a chance for people to bloviate about their profession or hobby. So yeah there’s a lot of side quests.

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

I had a copy of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator when I was a kid which repeated an entire chapter somewhere in the middle of the book. I think the one where the Knids are first seen.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I have a hardback book where about a hundred pages or so are upside down and backwards. So you'll be reading this book you'll get to like page 357 or whatever and then you'll have to stop turn the book over and flip ahead a bit to find page 358.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

I also own House of Leaves

[–] JaymesRS@piefed.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I have a cookbook with about the middle third of the book is bound on the wrong side so the page numbers jump up and reverse for a bit.

Otherwise — related to text issues — the early versions of one of the last two Jim Butcher books that came out back-to-back has a moment with Dresden interacting with a character named Sanya and there’s a typo where it’s printed “Santa” instead. And given you have met “Santa” in the Dresden files by this point it took me a moment to realize it was a typo and not that the other character had just shown up.

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[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Don't have a photo of it unfortunately, but it was ironic seeing a typo in my university's English textbook — of all the subjects for a typo to occur in.

[–] some_random_nick@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It was an university level textbook in my library. The cover was supposed to be a book about linguistics, but the content was an unrelated book about some medieval text. Somehow they put one cover onto another book. The library returned it shortly after I discovered the error.

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[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What page is that? My copy is the 1982 ballantine edition. Sixth printing.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I honestly don’t know the printing, it’s confusing me. It says both Fawcett and Ballentine, first edition, with a copyright of both 80 and 82, but the spine says fawcett, which is the earlier printing.

But to answer the question, chapter 22 pages 194-195.

[–] derfunkatron@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is a 1982 Ballantine first edition, but not a “real” first edition.

Fawcett and its gold medal books series were acquired by Ballantine in 1982. Fawcett was the original publisher in 1980.

The copyright is 1980. The dates specifying the edition are not copyright dates but rather publication dates. The copyright date didn’t change when Ballantine started printing Fawcett titles. They are just doing their due diligence to let you know which edition you have in your hands.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Makes sense, and yes It’s not copyright on the bottoms my bad.

I guess the confusing thing is, I always assumed the spine was the current publisher, so why Fawcett, instead of Ballentine.

And in the end it’s saying this is based on the first edition of Fawcetts? Would there be any printings from their later editions? Not asking about in general as I assume it’s per book, but for this one specifically do you know?

The edition printing is hard enough to figure out sometimes -.- no standard system and sometimes they just randomize the numbers for fun!

[–] derfunkatron@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

No worries and no judgement. I just happen to know how to interpret and decipher the colophon or copyright page.

The name on the spine says Fawcett because that’s the imprint or trade name; you can think of it like a brand. Ballantine bought out Fawcett and chose to keep the Fawcett and Gold Medal Books brands as an imprint for a while (probably because they had a large catalog by that point). Ballantine is the publisher, Fawcett is the imprint, and Random House is the parent company (and all of it is owned by Penguin now).

It isn’t “based on” the first printing or, at least, that’s only partially correct. Editions usually get updated with new formatting, fonts, cover art, commentary, and possibly light editorial revisions for typos or printing mistakes (or in this case introducing printing errors). It’s the same intellectual work, it’s just been rereleased. I don’t think there are any other pre-Ballantine Fawcett editions because they were acquired pretty soon after this particular title was published. In some of my browsing for this title I saw that it was also published by the New English Library company in 1981 in the UK.

The first edition of this from Fawcett is out there, but it’s oddly expensive for a paperback: https://www.lwcurrey.com/pages/books/169068/robert-a-heinlein/the-number-of-the-beast

The hardcover is even more pricey: https://www.alcuinbooks.com/pages/books/024016/robert-a-heinlein/the-number-of-the-beast

The edition information usually doesn’t matter unless you're a bookseller or a cataloger or a nerd. One thing is usually true: first editions usually don’t say they are first editions; they just have a copyright date.

[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Im reading a book that says the Soviets warned the UN that Mir was going to crash to earth...in 2001.

[–] GorGor@startrek.website 3 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

"Number of the Beast" is not one of his good ones.

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It makes zero sense to me that the same people who gave us nineteen versions of 'The Hunger Games' wouldn't make a movie of 'Tunnel In The Sky.'

It got almost no publicity when it came out, so let me know if you've seen this one.

https://youtu.be/-FcK_UiVV40

Predestination. Based on "...All You Zombies."

[–] GorGor@startrek.website 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I have not seen that, I will have to check it out.

I thought stranger in a strange land would make a great miniseries. I loved that book as a teen. I read it as an adult some years ago and it didn't hit the same way. Still, it could be adapted to an impactful story today. People would learn where grok came from and disassociate it with Musk's racist piece of trash (pisses me off).

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The anecdote that I heard about "Stranger..." is the Heinlein made more money from film options than he ever made from book sales. Apparently, David Bowie and dozens of other folks wanted to make the movie, but it never came together.

Enjoy.

[–] tgirlschierke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

To be fair, I don't think it would be easy to market something that faithfully adapts the second half of Stranger.

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[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

[off topic]

"Number of the Beast" is a terrible novel. Just stop now.

Pretty much everything he did after "Friday" is unreadable. imho.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I’m not minding it, I mainly read old scifi, and the light it shines on how things were and what they thought of the future is what fancy’s me. I’ve read a couple other of his books, but they were more fantasy and I don’t think I like those. I like “space” in my stories.

I see Friday came out after, I’ll have to through that into my look for pile.

The other interesting thing is the terms they use and how they aren’t PC anymore. Lots of R words thrown out back then.

Don’t know if it matters, but I was born in 89 so interesting to see a “lens” into the past if that makes any sense…

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If you want old science fiction try Joanna Russ. I'm pretty sure she was the first 'out' lesbian SF writer. "The Female Man" and "Picnic On Paradise."

They also reissued 'Dangerous Visions' and "Again Dangerous Visions." Both volumes are short stories that were considered unpublishable in 1968.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Hrmm, I’ve got a good selection of short story compilations, I’ll have to see if her name pops up on any. My last collection spree I grabbed a bunch of I think it was “Hugo” winners? I’ll check when I get home though. Know if she made any winner lists?

I like using the short story compilations and finding authors, it’s how I selected Asimov, Heinlein and Silverburg so far. I’ve also got some of their compilations they’ve done since they are named.

I feel like Asimov is cheating since he had his own publication journal. Lots of lists he’s made.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Very interesting premise, pretty cringey execution. I enjoyed it because I know what to expect with Heinlein.

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[–] Echolynx@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago

The most jarring one I can recall was in a Big Five published book where the name of one character was swapped for another character's. It was jarring because, in that scene, the mistakenly identified character wasn't even in the room, but is given a piece of dialogue that logically belongs to a different person. It was just such a weird mistake that I had to wonder how it happened. Word typo? The author miswrote it? Editor messed it up? Who knows...

[–] iagomago@feddit.it 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

An unusual error that I happily stumbled upon was in the Italian translation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time when I was a kid. At some point, an adult has had enough of the protagonist and exclaims "Bloody hell", or something like that. Which was translated with outright blasphemy in Italian, for some unknown reason. Maybe the translator wasn't having it, either. Successive editions, for obvious reasons, have toned the exclamation down.

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