# newbie seeks info?

*The Urth list — 4 messages, 4 voices, 19 Aug 1998*

<https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/1049>

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### Jonathan Laidlow and Rachel Williams
*19 Aug 1998, 14:08*

Hi - just subscribed to the list, and I was wondering if anyone could 
give me details of the book (or books) listed in joan Gordon's 
Starmont readers guide to Wolfe in which he describes the writing of 
the Book of the New Sun.

If anyone knows a UK retailer which stocks the book, all the 
better....

Jonathan Laidlow
********************************************************

Jonathan Laidlow
Dept of English - staff pigeonholes
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT, England

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### Stephen Witowski
*19 Aug 1998, 13:25 · follows Jonathan Laidlow and Rachel Williams*

Jonathan,

Another English fan here. You could do worse than picking up a copy of
Wolfes non-fiction/fiction  book "Castle of Days" which contains "The Book
of Days" an excellent short story collection, some new essays and "The
Castle of the Otter" which is described as a book about The Book of the New
Sun. Unfortunatly I don't think it is in print anymore my edition is a US
hardback from Tor. Try the Waterstones or Dillons websites for in print
details. If you want more info E-mail me privately and we'll take it from
there. 

Good Hunting

Stephen Witkowski
Librarian/Information Officer
City Architect's Library , Manchester. UK.
E-Mail : stephenw at libraries.manchester.gov.uk
Phone : (0161) 234 4357

PS I presume you've tried Andromeda bookshop in Birmingham?

Jonathan Laidlow wrote :-

> Hi - just subscribed to the list, and I was wondering if anyone could 
> give me details of the book (or books) listed in joan Gordon's 
> Starmont readers guide to Wolfe in which he describes the writing of 
> the Book of the New Sun.
> 
> If anyone knows a UK retailer which stocks the book, all the 
> better....

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### m.driussi
*19 Aug 1998, 14:08 · follows Stephen Witowski*

Hello Jonathan Laidlow.

Re: book(s) listed in Joan Gordon's GENE WOLFE; pertaining to THE
BOOK OF THE NEW SUN; specifically (?) Gene Wolfe writing about how he
wrote TBOTNS (?).

The book in question would be THE CASTLE OF THE OTTER: A BOOK ABOUT
THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN (1982).  It has been reprinted by Tor in an
omnibus edition with GENE WOLFE'S BOOK OF DAYS (1981) as CASTLE OF
DAYS (1992).

The only other book about TBOTNS (that I'm aware of) is LEXICON
URTHUS (1994), but it is not listed in Joan Gordon's GENE WOLFE
(1986), nor does it have articles by Wolfe about the writing of
TBOTNS.

Otherwise, the book(s) listed in Joan Gordon's GW in the chapter
about TBOTNS: only THE BIBLE (the other citations are reviews of
TBOTNS, an interview with Gene Wolfe, and an article for writers by
Gene Wolfe).

I hope this helps.

=mantis=

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### Peter Westlake
*20 Aug 1998, 20:50 · follows m.driussi*

> At 14:25 1998-08-19 +0100, you wrote:
> Jonathan,
> 
> Another English fan here. You could do worse than picking up a copy of
> Wolfes non-fiction/fiction  book "Castle of Days" which contains "The Book
> of Days" an excellent short story collection, some new essays and "The
> Castle of the Otter" which is described as a book about The Book of the New
> Sun. Unfortunatly I don't think it is in print anymore my edition is a US
> hardback from Tor. Try the Waterstones or Dillons websites for in print
> details. If you want more info E-mail me privately and we'll take it from
> there. 

I bought "Castle of Days" a few weeks ago in Cambridge, so some copies
are finding their way over here. The ISBN is 0-312-89042-7, and the
publisher is Orb.

SBear.

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