24 August 2006

[inspiration] I'm for this book, See...

A fair time ago I reviewed a movie from 1985, The Quiet Earth (and here's how I wrote about it). Subsequently I found that it was a 1981 novel by a New Zealand writer and academic named Craig Harrison. Naturally I'd like to get a look at this book...

But in a world (NB if the preceding clause were outlawed from the language 93% of the motion pictures now made would have to have thier promotional shorts redone) where, even to this day, Beanie Babies (yes, Beanie Babies) can still occasionally have a show at the Baja Gresham Mall of America, where books like Battlefield: Earth can still sell (well, that's what they say, anyway), one may reasonably, I think, expect to find a single copy of a 1981 novel floating around somewhere.

One would be proven very soon wrong, ABEbooks, Alibris, Amazon, the lot...all them come up empty.

So, I'm throwing this message in a bottle (and tagging it appropriately), in hopes someone somewhere might have an connection. I'd really like to read this book!

Title: The Quiet Earth
Author: Craig Harrison
Year: 1981
ISBN: 0340265078

Let's see where this gets us.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is one of my fave films, and currently the subject of a group project I am engaged in for Uni. I was hoping to track down a copy of the novel fairly easily, as I know one was on hand within the public library system in Darwin, AU back in 2000 when I went on a whimsical search... Alas now a) I'm no longer in Darwin, b) According to their online database, the novel is no longer available, and c) No one else seems to have it either...

Oh well... took me 5+ years to find a copy of "Children of the Dust" (Louise Lawrence)... I'm sure I'll find it one day...

Samuel John Klein said...

Well, let us know how your project turned out, won't you?

Grimly, the search is joined. At least I know it's not just me...thanks.

Anonymous said...

Amazon now has one listed. Also ebay ( 250109930051 )

Samuel John Klein said...

Thanks...but, holy moly, the cost!

Mind, I don't begrudge anyone selling a rare first edition, but I just don't have US$500 to throw down on a book right now–well, maybe, but then only if I were dying of a terminal disease only reading this book would cure.

But there's hope...any time we see that the book actually exists somewhere (and we didn't dream hearing of it) there's a chance we might find it somewhere at a price we can afford.