on editions of The Crying of Lot 49

[Mark Kohut]

Yes, there have been more than of any other of Pynchon's works. Yes, at least partly because
of school adoptions but more probably because of agent decisions that TRP could not control
after he broke with his first agent---and decisions she/he might not have been able to influence back in the day---unlike now.

She/he might have had no influence on the Bantam edition, for example. That cover (but I have always liked it cause it was the first
I saw.) 

Lot 49's hardcover publisher, same as V., was Lippincott, acquired by Harper & Row in the late 80s or early 90s. 

The Harper decisions on editions might be made with no input from Ms. Donadio--and since TRP's break with her, with
no need----if it is not in the contract---for her to get agreement from TRP himself. Harper, for awhile now, must have been
refusing to license another 'mass market' decision, such as licensing to Bantam was done by Lippincott back in the sixties. 
TRPs first three books were all done in Bantam editions, as we know. One can presume other 'mass market' houses have wanted to license those editions over the years, particularly Lot 49 as it grew as a course choice--and editions of the later works. No dice. 

So, TRP through Ms. Jackson, does not license 'mm' editions of the later works and perhaps TRP has the right of refusing
such editions in his contract for L49 (and the others). After licensing back in the day when he needed to, or the distribution
mattered---very 'democratic' and cheap---he no longer wants to. If he has no control, then Harper must be loving the gross
revenues of Lot 49 and wants a large amount to license a mass market edition. 

I think it shows that Ms. Jackson certainly has no 'cover approval' for Lot 49 given that upcoming new Harper edition cover we saw. 
(btw, I have sent the plist's expressed concerns to someone important at Harper---particularly the non-muted horn. That showed the 
cover designer had not read even a proper summary of the book.) 

We await the crying of HarperCollins. 


.