on editions of The Crying of Lot 49

[Natália Maranca]

Yeah, but that's not the first Harper edition with an unmuted horn
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n0/n1053.jpg,
http://cdn.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/6/9780060913076.jpg,
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Crying_of_lot_49.jpg/210px-Crying_of_lot_49.jpg
It looks like the cover designers only saw other editions and thought they
could simplify the horn thing there, make it a bit more "hip and beautiful".

On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 6:27 PM, <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:

> Yeah, that unmuted horn really bothers me too.  Like what would happen if
> Verizon bought W.A.S.T.E.  Or how about Tristero-Mobile?
>
> Laura
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
> >Sent: May 3, 2009 1:47 PM
> >To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> >Subject: on editions of The Crying of Lot 49
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>


-- 
Natália Maranca
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