Vineland Release

[Orlowsky at aol.com]

The first review copies of Vineland hit the streets just before Christmas,
1989.  The first mention of Vineland in the press was in April 1987, when
Little Brown announced that it would publish a new Pynchon book in early
1989, but gave no other details.  The first mention of Vineland by title was
in March 1989, but there was still no plot description, although Pynchon
apparently provided a short description to Little Brown around the same time
for its fall catalog.  The first description of the book showed up in the
press in September, when Little Brown said it was set in the '80s, was fueled
by the passions of the '60s, and "combined elements of daytime drama and the
political thriller."  When Little Brown sent out review copies in December,
they described Vineland as being set in California in 1984, and concerning
people "still struggling with consequences of their lives in the 60's, still
run by passions of those times, sexual and political, which have refused to
die."

In April 1994, Henry Holt announced that it would be publishing Vineland's
followup in 1996.  Holt's editor-in-chief William Strachan said that Pynchon
told him that it "may be on a certain subject and I can't say what that
subject is because he asked me not to."

Bob