Christopher Carrell

Quite a curiosity; this is the programme book for a science fiction festival (as opposed to a convention) held in Sunderland in 1973, with a lot of fiction and non-fiction from many key writers. It also included poetry and a range of other articles. It also included some short stories from the likes of Brian Aldiss and Bob Shaw, and some "work in progress" from novelists such as Christopher Priest and Ramsey Campbell. Included in this was a piece entitled Stars in my pockets, like grains of show more sand by Samuel R. Delaney. I have since found out that this was an unpublished fragment of a sequel to his original novel of that name, and so should be of interest to Delaney completists and scholars.

I found a pile of these remaindered in a bookshop in Derby some six or seven years later for the grand sum of £1 each. Picking through the pile to find a copy in best condition (as one does), I found that I had in my hand a copy autographed by the poets attending the festival, including D.M. Thomas (of "White Hotel" fame), Edward Lucie-Smith and George MacBeth! I dug through the rest and found another two, which I immediately added to my pile. There were 70 of these, of which only fifty were sold (at £6 a pop!). (Other editions had different combinations of signatories.) One of the best collecting finds I've ever made! show less