The copy I have says it was originally copyrighted in like 1975 or something, yet so many elements of the book are clearly rooted in the 80s and have remarkable insight into the following decades. Was this book ever updated or something?

Also, does anyone know some of the background of the Gaiman/Pratchett collaberation? I wonder how much of this book is Gaiman and how much is Pratchett?

I also wonder about the clarification of many things in the footnotes geared towards Americans. Is this because they expected the audience of the book to be largely American or was an American version printed or something?

mine says copyright 1990.
maybe you were looking at "Bohemian Rhapsody" copyright 1975?

the last time i heard neil talk about who wrote which bits, he said neither of them could tell anymore who wrote what.

no clue bout the footnotes.

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Originally posted by G0ddessC0mplex:
The copy I have says it was originally copyrighted in like 1975 or something, yet so many elements of the book are clearly rooted in the 80s and have remarkable insight into the following decades. Was this book ever updated or something?

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What the llama said. 1990. Queen.

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Also, does anyone know some of the background of the Gaiman/Pratchett collaberation? I wonder how much of this book is Gaiman and how much is Pratchett?

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Sure. They met in 1985. Neil was not yet a known writer and Terry was just being published. Neil had the beginning of a story, which he showed to Terry. Later on, Terry knew what happened next, and they started collaborating on phone, mailed disc, and very early and slow modems. Because they would often write the other writer's idea, it's all become entangled in their heads as to who did what. There are sentences neither claim to have written!

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I also wonder about the clarification of many things in the footnotes geared towards Americans. Is this because they expected the audience of the book to be largely American or was an American version printed or something?

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As for this, I don't know what you're referring to, could you be more specific? The footnotes are something Pratchett still does in his books, so it's a style thing. I haven't compared the text of the Brit & US versions, but I've not heard of them being significantly different except that in the UK it's by Pratchett & Gaiman and in the US it's by Gaiman and Pratchett. Last time I read it (2001?) I thought it was very British

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Originally posted by GMZoe:
As for this, I don't know what you're referring to, could you be more specific? The footnotes are something Pratchett still does in his books, so it's a style thing.

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I think she's talking about the parenthetical notes directed at Americans. In the first half of the book there is mention of a certain city in Britain for which neither side (heaven/hell) claims responsibility and the book addresses the reader, explaining something to the effect of: "for Americans, or other foreign persons, it is apparent to anyone who has been to ______ that no one in their right mind would ever desire to be associated with its creation." Or something.

And if I'm wrong, and that isn't the question, I myself am interested in whether that particular phrase was in a British edition of the book.

sounds like a joke aimed just as much to brits as Americans. If you can tell me whereabouts in the book it is, I can check it against a British edition to see if it says the same thing

Thanks to all about the date. I'm such a dork! 1990 makes MUCH more sense.

As for the notes seemingly geared towards explaining things to Americans (your reference was a good one, Talula) there is one that says NOTE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND AMERICANS which goes on to explain in detail the monetary system of Britain. (Which sure is complex BTW! You folks should get on the Euro bandwagon! ) There are more like this, but this is the most recently encountered one.

As for the way they collaborated on the book, very interesting! I remember the days of slow modems and such and can't imagine writing a book using that type of connection!

Gotta run for now!

Looked up the first three (i.e. up to the currency explaination) footnotes labeled For Americans. All three are in the British edition of the book

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Originally posted by G0ddessC0mplex:
Thanks to all about the date. I'm such a dork! 1990 makes MUCH more sense.

As for the notes seemingly geared towards explaining things to Americans (your reference was a good one, Talula) there is one that says NOTE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND AMERICANS which goes on to explain in detail the monetary system of Britain. (Which sure is complex BTW! You folks should get on the Euro bandwagon! ) There are more like this, but this is the most recently encountered one.



Gotta run for now!

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we haven't used that currency system since 1971 (note the note said for americans and young people), we now have 100 pence to the pound!

and our ecomony's too stable to be linked to the euro thank you very much.

Oh, for goodness' sake, the old British currency system is fun to learn! And it comes up in so very many books. I think I had the basics by the time I was 12, between National Velvet and the Noel Streatfield "Shoe" books.

- Cho

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Originally posted by Smaug:

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Originally posted by G0ddessC0mplex:
Thanks to all about the date. I'm such a dork! 1990 makes MUCH more sense.

As for the notes seemingly geared towards explaining things to Americans (your reference was a good one, Talula) there is one that says NOTE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND AMERICANS which goes on to explain in detail the monetary system of Britain. (Which sure is complex BTW! You folks should get on the Euro bandwagon! ) There are more like this, but this is the most recently encountered one.



Gotta run for now!

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we haven't used that currency system since 1971 (note the note said for americans _and young people_), we now have 100 pence to the pound!

and our ecomony's too stable to be linked to the euro thank you very much.

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Sorry. I'll admit to being completely ignorant of English currency and economy.

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Originally posted by Smaug:
we haven't used that currency system since 1971 (note the note said for americans _and young people_), we now have 100 pence to the pound!

and our ecomony's too stable to be linked to the euro thank you very much.

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not that we'd want you anyway

oh no, your governments really really want us, except perhaps for the french....hehehehehe

i personally don't want you to.
i've got many left over pounds from my last visit and i'd just hate having to get rid of those as well.

oh, you have to come back and spend them, on lots and lots and lots of food and drink, and you'll then exchange them for pounds of a different sort

my plan was to come and invest them all in flakes bars

sounds good to me, but I'd leave a little left over for ripple bars too.

hmmmm, galaxy chocolate

oohhh, ripple bars? must have missed them out in my last visit!

here, you can have this one.



imagine a flake, cover it in chocolate and make all of the chocolate much...smoooooother - hmmmmm.

erm, do you think we're guilty of hijacking this thread?

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Originally posted by Smaug:
erm, do you think we're guilty of hijacking this thread?

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er, maybe, but i remember wise people saying that, uhm, chocolate is a higher cause

(sorry guys!)