Keeping Track

ENTRY 0011


As far as I know, I'm the only one reading this blog at the moment.  So I don't have what might be called "Frequently Asked Questions" just yet.  At this point, it might be more likely to call them Frequently Anticipated Questions, because sooner or later, someone is likely to ask them.

In any event, I suspect that if anyone does stumble across this, I have a good idea what the first thing they would ask might be:

How do you know you're not picking up something that you already have?

Or to  put it another way, How do you what items you're missing?

The answer is really quite easy.  I keep records.  I keep lists.  I keep a spreadsheet.

I'm just a little bit on the OCD side.  That might be just a little more than self-evident, considering the very reason for this particular blog's existence.  And I've mentioned in at least a couple of entries, I'm something of a completist.  Many years ago, I decided that I needed some way to keep track of everything in my library.  And a card catalog didn't sound like the right way to go about it.

The first version of my record keeping was decidedly low-tech.  I picked up some extra checkbook registers from my bank, and I noted in those registers the titles of the various books and magazines in my (at the time) small collection.  This was a haphazard system at best -- if you could even call it a system.  I had filled one register, and was about to fill a second, when I realized that I needed something better.

That second version was slightly more advanced.  I had discovered accountants' pads.  I think they are technically called analysis pads or columnar pads.  They are loose-leaf versions of pages from a ledger book.  This proved to be more organized.  I used one sheet for each title in my collection -- for instance, Starlog or Omni -- and listed each issue of a magazine on subsequent lines on the sheet.  I recorded the cover price in the dollars-and-cents column.  If I missed an issue for some reason, I would list the issue number, but leave the cover price on that line blank until I acquired a copy.

I used my typewriter to make the listings nice and legible.  And since they were loose-leaf sheets, I organized them in a binder.  Of course, my own particular method of organization might seem a little unusual, but I have found that it works.

Eventually, the computer came along, and with it, the spreadsheet program.  Since my word processing software of choice is WordPerfect, the spreadsheet program with which I am most comfortable is Corel's Quattro Pro.  (Yes, I am familiar with Excel.  I just prefer using Quattro Pro.)

The switchover from the columnar pads was a gradual one.  I would enter information from the columnar pages to  Quattro Pro a few pages at a time, usually on the weekends.  And I would print out the sheets as I finished.  For a while, I remember that the binder had an interesting mixture of pages -- green sheets from the columnar pads mixed with the plain white paper from my printer.

For a long time, I stored the file on floppy disk.  Make that disks, plural, as I usually had at least one backup disk on hand should something happen.  And on at least a couple of occasions, I did have to resort to using one of my backup disks and the binder to recreate everything.  Recently, though, I transferred the file on the floppy drive to a flash drive.  It was a case of necessity -- the file was quickly approaching the 1.44 MB capacity of the floppy disk.  I plan on using this flash drive exclusively for matters relating to my collection.  It's only a 2 GB flash drive, but I don't foresee running out of space anytime soon.

I suspect there will still be the need for making backup copies.  I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law, after all.  But now, I will probably be burning the files to a CD to make the backups.


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Doubled Down

ENTRY 0010


I don't go by the post office every day.  Usually, once or twice a week is sufficient.  And it can be depressing to stop by the post office a week after the last visit, just to be staring into an empty mailbox.

I didn't know if anything would be waiting for me.  I was hoping that at least one of my recent Ebay purchases would be waiting for me.  When I opened the door, I found a key waiting for me.  Good sign.

I walked over to the lockers, found the match for the key, and gave the key a twist.  Much to my surprise and delight, both of the items I was waiting to receive were inside the locker.

Once I found a place where I would be undisturbed for a few minutes, I opened the packages for my usual quick inspection.  Both were securely packed, and took a little careful maneuvering with my knife to get them opened.  Not that I'm complaining; to me, that means that it's less likely that anything was damaged in transit.

First up was the copy of Dreamwatch #16.  It was in great condition, and everything looked just as it was described in the listing.

Then came the copy of the July 1997 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction.  This particular auction turned out to be an even better deal for me than I originally thought.  When I sent the seller a message asking for the mailing information, I mentioned that I was also looking for the August 1997 issue.  Just as a longshot, I asked if he had a copy of the August issue, and if so, when he might be listing it.  He said that he did have a copy, and told me how much it would cost.  So when I sent the payment, I was paying for both issues.

The issues of Asimov's were probably in better condition than the copies I had lost a few weeks ago.  (Long story; don't ask.)  And I was definitely relieved that I had been able to replace what I thought would be the most difficult items of the bunch.

It took a few hours before I could get online.  As soon as I could, though, I left messages that I had received the packages, then went to Ebay to leave feedback.  My feedback rating was still at 233, but as soon as I posted feedback for each item, feedback was left for me, upping my rating to 235.

Yes, later this evening, I will be taking some time to enjoy my new acquisitions.


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First Arrival

ENTRY 0009



Okay, I have probably gone overboard with the "First" titles.  On the other hand, I have probably run out of reasons to do another entry with "First" in the title after this.

When I saw the increase in my feedback score on Sunday, I took that as a sign that I would be receiving at least one of my my purchases this week.  The only question remaining was how soon that would be.

Yesterday, I went to the post office.  I thought the chances were marginal, but I wanted to see if the package had arrived.  I inserted my mailbox key in the lock, opened, the door, and looked inside.  Along with a few assorted pieces of mail, there was a key -- a sign that I had a package too big to fit into my mailbox.

My post office -- probably most post office branches, now that I think about it -- has a bank of lockers for large items.  If a mailbox customer receives something that will not fit in their mailbox (and believe me, the people at the post office will do everything humanly possible to put it in there if they can), they put the item in one of the lockers, and put the key in the mailbox.  I have to admit, seeing a key in my mailbox gives me the same sort of thrill that waking up Christmas morning did when I was a kid.

I took everything out, closed and locked the door, then went to the lockers, checking to see which locker matched the key.  I inserted the key, gave it a twist, and opened the door.  Inside was a large Priority Mail envelope, which I suspected (quite correctly) had been reinforced by a piece of stiff cardboard.  (This of course, was done to ensure that the postal employees would not ignore the large red "Please Do Not Bend" sticker on the envelope.

Inside were the issues of SciFi Now and Doctor Who Insider that I mentioned purchasing in Entry 0006.  I didn't do much more than give the items a cursory inspection.  I made sure that the correct items were sent, and that they were as advertised in the listings.  (The more detailed inspections came later, when I got home.)

Sometime later that afternoon, I went to the library to use one of their computers.  I sent an email to the seller, and I signed on to Ebay to leave feedback on the transaction(s).

I'm satisfied with the way things turned out.  One slight gap was filled in (SciFi Now still has a big gap; more on that in another entry), and I have a replacement for one of the items that I lost last month.


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Feedback Firsts

ENTRY #0008


If you have bought anything on Ebay, you're familiar with feedback ratings -- that little number in parentheses that appears next to a user ID.  It's always something of a welcome surprise when I sign in to Ebay, and discover that my rating has increased.  If nothing else, it's a definite sign that a seller has received payment from me, and I can look forward to finding that item in my mailbox soon.

I would have to say that there have been a few times when receiving feedback has brought a special thrill.  Getting that very first feedback, of course.  Getting my first feedback star -- the yellow star -- once my feedback rating reached 10.  Seeing my star change from yellow to turquoise when my feedback rating reached 100.  (No, I didn't get the blue star, which is awarded at a feedback rating of 50.  By the time Ebay introduced that star, my rating was already above 100, so I missed it.)

When my account was reinstated a few weeks ago, my feedback rating was 232.  When I signed in yesterday, though, the number had jumped to 233.  The seller of the issues of Doctor Who Insider and Sci-Fi Now had received my payment, and left feedback, along with some nice things to say about me.

All of which means that I have something to look forward to when I go to the post office sometime this week.


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First Gap Filled

ENTRY 0007


At the time I purchased that issue of Asimov's that I mentioned in Entry 0005, I also filled in the first true gap in my collection.  For reasons that shall be soon revealed, I haven't been able to write about it until now.

This missing item was an issue of Dreamwatch.  Now, this was not the long-running British magazine, but a US edition published by the same publisher (Titan Magazines) beginning in 2004.  As I recall, the US edition ran for 24 or 25 issues before Titan discontinued both the British and American editions and turned the magazine into a website.

The issue that I was missing was Dreamwatch #16, the February 2006 issue.  There is nothing particularly unusual about my missing the issue.  I saw it when it was on the stands.  I merely miscalculated when Dreamwatch #17 would be going on sale.  Most of the time, when I see a new issue going on sale, and I have not picked up the previous issue, I can usually find it at another outlet, because not all stores put out their new magazines at the same time.  This was not the case with Dreamwatch #16, though.  It was one of those rare occasions when every place that normally carried Dreamwatch had issue #17 out before I could acquire issue #16.  (This, by the way, is the usual reason for most of the gaps in my collection -- not paying attention.)

As I have mentioned, I started back on Ebay by doing a number of searches.  Dreamwatch #16 was among those searches.  I contacted one of the sellers, asking the usual question of whether or not she accepted money orders.  She did, and I put the item on my watch list.

A little over a week ago, I decided that I had watched the item long enough, and I clicked the Buy It Now button.  I also sent a message to the seller, asking where I should mail payment.  There was just one little snag.  I got an automated message saying that the seller was a couple of days, and would be contacting me once she returned home.

I already knew what the total amount would be, so I picked up a money order for that amount.  And I waited for a couple of days.  I finally heard from her Friday, and I quickly got the payment ready to mail, and in the mail.

Now, it's a matter of waiting again.  But I have filled one gap completely -- that was the only issue of Dreamwatch that I was missing.


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Now, Insider

ENTRY 0006


I've actually had a few successful conclusions in rapid succession.  I've just been a little busy with other matters to write about them until now.

The issues of Asimov's weren't the only magazines that needed to be replaced.  Fortunately for me, these would be a little easier to replace, since they were more recent magazines.  One of those was the first issue of Doctor Who Insider, a magazine that premiered earlier this year.  (As of this writing, issue #5 is the current issue on the stands.)

My first thought was to contact the publisher to see if they had back issues available.  But while DWI is geared toward an American audience, the publisher is in England, so acquiring another copy of DWI #1 that way was not the best option.  Once again, Ebay proved to be the better option. Searching "doctor who insider" yielded an abundance of results, and several of those were of the first issue.

At the same time, I was also doing a few searches for issue #50 of the British magazine Sci Fi Now.  I had missed the issue when it appeared on the stands a few months ago.  Oh, I had seen it; I had just miscalculated when issue #51 would be on the stands to replace it.  (I've done that with more than a few magazine issues, hence the need to fill in a few gaps here and there.)  I did some double-checking, and I found one seller who was selling both magazines.  The good news -- he was willing to combine purchases into one package to save on shipping.  The better news -- when I asked if he accepted payment other than PayPal, he said yes.  He also had multiple copies of both magazines.

I waited another day or two, and decided that I wasn't going to find a better opportunity.  So, I clicked the "Buy It Now" button for both items, and sent a message asking for the combined total and mailing address.  He sent the information, I got the money order, and it went in the mail.

And once again, it's a matter of waiting.  I have a feeling that over the next week or two, I shall be quite pleased when I go to the post office to check my mailbox.


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First Success

ENTRY 0005


I finally got tired of auction stalking.  Yesterday, I finally made my move, and took the first steps in filling some of the gaps in my collection.

First, though, a little bit of exposition is required.  There was one very big reason I decided to get my account on Ebay reinstated.  Several weeks ago -- July 19, to be precise -- I lost a backpack.  Or it was stolen; I'm not certain which.  All I do know is that I know that I had it at one point, and suddenly discovered that I didn't have it at another.  I retraced my steps, and tried everything I could to find the backpack, all without success.

There wasn't anything particularly valuable in the pack -- at least, probably nothing of value to anyone but me.  But I did have a few magazines in the pack that I am now trying to replace.  Among those were a couple of old issues of Asimov's Science Fiction; the July 1997 and August 1997 issues, to be precise.  I had a feeling that Ebay would probably be the most likely place for me to find replacement copies.

Once my reinstatement was in place, I started running a number of searches on Ebay.  In this particular case, the search was "asimov's magazine 1997."  Lady Luck was on my side; there was a listing for the July 1997 issue.  I sent the seller a message, asking him if he accepted forms of payment besides PayPal.  I don't have a PayPal account, and to be quite frank, I don't see any particular reason or advantage in getting one.  At least, I don't see any at the moment.

The seller replied, saying that he did accept money orders, which is my preferred method of payment.  And so I began waiting.  I put the listing on my watch list, and waited.  Now, I'm not particularly certain why I was waiting.  This listing was a "Buy It Now" listing, meaning that anyone could have swooped in and snatched it out of my eager hands at any time.

Last night, I decided that I had waited long enough.  The time left on the listing had ticked down to under 10 days, and I decided that I was pressing my luck just a little too much.  So, I clicked on the "Buy It Now" button, confirmed that I wanted to buy the item, and sent a message to the seller asking where I should mail the payment.

I received a reply earlier today.  I wrote a very businesslike letter, restating what I had purchased, and that payment was enclosed.  I purchased a money order, filled it out, put everything in an envelope, and went to the post office to mail the letter.

Now, all I have to do is wait.  And at this point, I can be patient.  That is how I'm going to fill in all of the gaps in my collection, after all.  Just taking things one at a time.

One gap filled . . . more than a few left to fill.

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An Argument For Confidence

ENTRY 0004


In my last entry, I mentioned one item that still proves to be most elusive.  On the face of it, finding a copy of The DRINK #3 would seem to be an impossible dream.  But there is a part of me that is confident that I will be able to find a copy somewhere.

Why am I confident?  Well, it's mainly because I tracked down something similarly elusive once before.

In this case, the item was another newsletter.  The title was Sci-Fox, and it was produced by 20th Century Fox to publicize their science fiction films.  Sci-Fox not only had articles on upcoming releases (such as Independence Day), but also covered some of their classic SF films, such as Planet Of The Apes and Star Wars.  The latter was covered in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of its release.

Sci-Fox ran for six issues, in 1996 and 1997.  I'm guessing that someone at 20th Century Fox decided that whatever money was being budgeted for it could be better used elsewhere in the publicity department.  I mean, it was a really nice newsletter -- full color, and lots of photos.

My first encounter with Sci-Fox was at LACon III.  The second issue was on the freebie table, and I picked up a copy, or more likely two or three, to pass out to friends when I got back home.  There was a form in the issue for signing up to get on the mailing list.  Once I got back to Louisville, I photocopied the page, filled out the form, and I mailed it to 20th Century Fox.  I also added a letter asking if they still had any copies of issue #1.  Unfortunately, this time, I was not as successful.  a few weeks later, they sent me a very nice letter saying, "Sorry, but we no longer have any copies of that issue."

Sci-Fox was published quarterly.  I know I found issues on the freebie tables at other conventions.  I quite distinctly remember seeing Sci-Fox #2 again a couple of months after LACon III, at Windycon.  But I also received all the other issues in the mail -- until it ceased publication after issue #6.

I honestly thought that the chances of acquiring a copy of Sci-Fox #1, like The DRINK #3, would be astronomical, to say the least.  But then Ebay came along.  I don't even know why I did it, but one day I tried a search for "sci fox."  Oh, I got plenty of results -- most of them having to do with the Back To The Future movies.  (Those listings mentioned both "sci-fi" and "Michael J. Fox," which of course is what the search algorithm picked up.)  But much to my surprise, someone was offering a copy of Sci-Fox #1 for a low minimum bid.  The minimum bid was $1, and as it turned out, I was the only bidder.  Once the auction ended, I contacted the seller, did the usual where-do-I-send-payment thing, and about two or three weeks later, it was in my mailbox.

Unfortunately, my attempts to do a search for The DRINK on Ebay have not been as successful.  There would be references to it in listings for books published by Del Rey, but I haven't seen anything beyond that.  As I said, though, I am not going to give up.  Finding Sci-Fox #1 had to be something of a miracle, and I am more than willing to believe that a miracle is perfectly capable of happening again.


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A Most Elusive Search

ENTRY 0003


Last time, I said that I wouldn't be mentioning the specifics of any current auctions, for what I think are fairly obvious reasons.  This time, though, I will be talking about an item I have been trying to find for more than a few years.  The problem for me is that it is proving to be a most elusive search, and there is a part of me that thinks that this may be the most difficult item that I will ever acquire -- if I do indeed acquire it.

The item in question is an issue of The DRINK.  This was a promotional newsletter that Del Rey Books produced for a few years in the mid-1990s.  The newsletter's title stood for "Del Rey INK."  It came out three times a year -- the issues were January-April, May-August, and September-December.  Each issue gave a brief rundown of what new releases would be forthcoming from Del Rey during the next four months, and featured a brief interview or two.

I once asked someone who worked for Del Rey why they only published every four months, instead of a more logical (at least to me) quarterly schedule.  From what I was told, the publishing industry had three major release cycles during the year, and The DRINK's publishing schedule reflected that.  Okay, I suppose that made some sense out of the rather unusual schedule.

As I recall, I picked up a copy of the second issue of The DRINK in 1995, at Dragon*Con/NASFIC in Atlanta.  Del Rey had a booth at the convention, and they were passing out copies of The DRINK, as well as free books.  Obviously, I picked up a copy of The DRINK #2, and I decided that I wanted to get issue #1 as well.

When I returned home from the convention, I filled out a survey form that was in the issue.  (Now that I think about it, that survey form was in every issue.)  Filling out the survey would put you on the mailing list for The DRINK.  I photocopied the form, filled it out, and mailed it.  Along with the form, I also sent a letter, asking if they still had any copies of issue #1, and requesting one if they did.  Luck was with me that time -- a couple of weeks later, I received a copy of The DRINK #1.

[EDIT:  I've been looking through my copies of The DRINK, and I was slightly mistaken.  As it turns out, the first two issues did not have the survey form.  They still had the address for Del Rey Books, so that had to be where I mailed my inquiry.]

Fast forward several months, to LACon III, the 1996  Worldcon.  Once again, Del Rey had a booth at the convention, and once again, they had copies of a new issue of The DRINK.  The problem (from my perspective, anyway) was that this was issue #4 -- and for some reason, I had never received a copy of issue #3.  When I returned to Louisville following the convention, I wrote Del Rey, requesting a copy of The DRINK #3.  This time, however, I was not so fortunate, as they did not have any more copies.

So that is the object of this particular Elusive Search.  I'm looking for a copy of The DRINK #3.  Based on the cover dates of issues #2 and #4, the cover date for The DRINK #3 would be January-April 1996.

Yes, I know that the information in that particular issue is long out of date.  I'm interesting in acquiring a copy because I am a completist, not to mention more than a little OCD.  The DRINK ran for a total of 13 issues, and I did get the other 12, whether at a convention or in the mail.  I would love to find that missing issue, just so I can have a complete set.

I would say that this particular search is bordering on the impossible.  But there have been other times that I found something when I thought the chances of doing so were almost impossible.  I have had unusual luck before; I'm hoping for a repeat.

Of course, if there is actually anyone reading this, and by some strange chance has a copy of The DRINK #3, leave me a comment.  Maybe we can do business.


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Surveying The Battleground

ENTRY 0002


I may be officially active again on Ebay, but I haven't rushed into bidding.  I've decided that I want to be methodical about how I fill in the gaps, and not run in every direction.  Focusing on one or two items at a time would seem to be the best strategy to take.

So at the moment, I'm just searching.  I don't think I mentioned this last time, but I think I at least implied it.  When it comes to magazines, I know where the gaps are.  I have a list.  Make that lists, plural.  And I'm conducting a few searches based on those lists.

No, I will not be divulging what I might be searching.  And once I start bidding, I won't be mentioning any auction until it ends.  If by some chance anyone is reading this, I don't want someone swooping in at the last minute and outbidding me.  That rather defeats the whole purpose of trying to acquire . . . well, whatever I might currently be trying to acquire, whether it's something for my library or anything else.


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I Have To Start Somewhere

ENTRY 0001


A few days ago, I finally got around to getting my Ebay account reinstated.  It had been suspended a few years ago because the email address I used when I signed up with Ebay had become invalid.  I tried to change email addresses, but I ended up making a mess of things, hence the suspension.

Once I was reinstated, I tried to change the email address.  I already had a Gmail address that was the same as my Ebay username, and my plan was to use that address.  Ebay wouldn't let me do that.  So, I transposed a couple of the elements in my username, signed up for a new Gmail address, then tried changing the email address at Ebay again.

This time, success!

And since this new Gmail address (or Google account, if you prefer) also provides a Blogger account, I thought I would use it for something a little different.

Hi, my name is Johnny Carruthers.

I am a science fiction fan (among other things), and like many of my fellows, I have managed to amass a respectable-sized library over the years.  But I admit, there are a few gaps here and there in my collection.  Books and magazines (and other things) that I have been unable to acquire, for one reason or another.  I have managed to fill in some of the gaps, but of course, more appear.

I'm planning to use this blog to document the process of my acquiring missing items, whether I find them on Ebay, in the dealers room at a science fiction convention, or wherever my luck takes me.

Acquiring new items is always fun -- but sometimes, the pursuit of acquisition can be just as enjoyable.


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