Publisher talk:Science Fiction Book Club

This page was created with the goal of listing all selections published by the Science Fiction Book Club with links to the ISFDB pub records. I've started the list with 1970, circa the time that I became a member. Earlier years will be added as the information becomes available. Mhhutchins 10:21, 10 Feb 2008 (CST)

Add new listings
I have a number of SFBC books in my "to verify next" stack and am wondering if there's a good way to add them to these pages. The trouble is, I don't have the SFBC fliers, etc. and so could only go by the gutter code or other dating resources. 00:04, 13 Feb 2008 (CST)
 * Until the yearly listings are created and linked to the main page, you can list any gutter codes you come across either on this page or on the Gutter code talk page. I'll keep an eye on both and then transfer the codes as the listings are populated. I can also contact the verifier of any SFBC pubs as I list them and they might be able to provide the codes. Thanks. Mhhutchins 09:00, 13 Feb 2008 (CST)


 * Thank you. Will do as I go through my SFBC books plus I want to get rid of some of the examples on the gutter code list so that it only shows one example per code/year.  13:46, 13 Feb 2008 (CST)

SFBC catalog #
Do you think there's any value to documenting the catalog # on the SFBC wiki pages? I've often wondered if there was a pattern to the code. 13:46, 13 Feb 2008 (CST)
 * I thought about it for a minute then realized that the link to the ISFDB record should provide all the information needed, including the catalog number. And whether or not there's pattern or logic in the catalog numbering, I've never been able to figure it out! Mhhutchins 17:59, 13 Feb 2008 (CST)

Source of information
What's the source for the dates on the year-by-year pages? I've been saying "The source is unknown but is assumed to be accurate" when verifying publications that are dated. Marc Kupper (talk) 02:50, 2 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Sources for information on dates and selections:
 * 1953-1968: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy through 1968, Volume 3: Miscellaneous, pp. 911-913
 * 1969: rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup posting, March 16, 2003
 * 1970: rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup posting, March 18, 2003
 * 1971: rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup posting, March 20, 2003
 * 1972: rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup posting, March 21, 2003
 * 1973: rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup posting, March 24, 2003
 * 1974-1983 Things to Come, SFBC announcement flyers


 * The rec.arts.sf.written postings also corroborate Tuck's listings. My announcement flyers (I was a member from 1974-1983) are corroborated by the rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup postings.  Both have been verified by the Books Received listings in Locus (from 1976 forward). MHHutchins 04:25, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

SFBC "numbers"
I've started entering my book collection (most of which is sci-fi/fantasy) into a database (Book Collector from collectorz.com), and I have a lot of SFBC books from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's to enter. I was able to use this article to figure out which of my books are most likely SFBC editions (Thanks! ), but I just recently found a discrepancy. In the article here, it states:

Five-digit numbers were used until mid-2004, when a new seven-digit numbering system began. These numbers, assigned roughly in numerical order, started in the 116nnnn range, and as of 2009 reached the 126nnnn range.

However, looking at the back of the dust jacket for the book "The Course of Empire" by Eric Flint and K.D. Wentworth (Nov 2003), it actually has two numbers listed. One matches the entry for the book on this site, 60415, but the other isn't mentioned: 1152843. Also, the number begins with 115, not 116 as stated in the article. So I'm wondering if the article needs to be corrected, or amended?

If I can help anyone with this, please e-mail me, andonsage at gmail.com.


 * Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Data for the SFBC era in which most of the books in your collection were published comes from a variety of secondary sources, with only a few primary ones.  The conclusions drawn from those sources may be wrong.  Your contributions to the database will help us fill in the gaps and provide solid verifiable information to form more solid conclusions.  I wrote the notes for the page and will gladly adjust them when the data supports it.  We welcome your submissions to the ISFDB.  (I've also sent an email with this info to the address you give.)  Thanks again. Mhhutchins 13:51, 2 November 2010 (UTC)


 * The book you're referring to appears to have been numbered during a transition period between the old and new numbering systems. Only the updating of other records will provide us with more solid data to base further conclusion. Mhhutchins 14:00, 2 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I've updated the entry for The Course of Empire SFBC edition with the second SFBC number and the cover image. I guess I now have to wait for someone to process my changes, and then I can Primary verify the book. Is that how it works? I'll try to verify as many of my SFBC books as I can. I figure the regular hardcover and mass market paperback editions are more common, and therefore likely already verified. Please let me know if I'm doing anything incorrectly, or if there is anything else I can help with. Thanks :) AndonSage 22:43, 2 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I accepted the submission and left a message on your user talk page concerning the linking of images. About the verifications, please don't hesitate to check to see if any of your books have been verified.  Even though your logic is valid, quite often some well-known titles and their associated pubs remain unverified.  Thanks. Mhhutchins 23:46, 2 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I saw the message, thanks :) I'll be sure to use the correct image URL in the future. I have more questions, though, which I'll e-mail you as they don't have to do with this page. AndonSage 22:42, 3 November 2010 (UTC)


 * All questions can also be answered on the Help Desk page regardless of their nature. Or you can click on the "Community Portal" link (also here) on these Wiki pages which will give you a list of other pages on which to ask questions and get quicker answers.  Most moderators don't watch this particular page, but all watch the Community Portal pages. Thanks. Mhhutchins 01:31, 4 November 2010 (UTC)