Collecting Highlight (41) - No One Noticed the Cat

[Becky]

This book was published in 1996. ROC was the original publisher. Wildside Press also did a couple of special editions along with the Book Club edition and there are a couple of different Trade Paper Backs that are for sale on the Wildside Press website. I chose this book as my Highlight because of the special editions done by Wildside Press.

ROC proof ----- ROC 1st edition hardcover.

Wildside Book Club



Green binding of which there are 123 copies



Black Leather binding - Signed by Anne - of which there are 26 Lettered copies


Signature page and Letter copy indication at the bottom, this is copy 'I'

I am also including a picture of the printed errata sheet that is included with each of the 149 special copies.

We are very lucky to have these special editions, based on what John Betancourt put in the errata letter. The bindery John used for 6 years was given the task of printing and binding over 300 copies of No One Noticed the Cat. (He's not very specific of the original number to be bound. He just says "over half the print-run had been destroyed...total surviving books 149....") He had been trying to get the books out since December 1996. He called every couple of weeks and the bindery kept claiming they'd shipped the books, but UPS had returned them as undeliverable or they'd been shipped to the wrong company and just got them back. He was also told that the books had jsut gon out via UPS on a date that was a Saturday. He says anyone who ships with UPS knows they don't pick up regular shipments on Saturday. The bindery person had the gall to say that in their area UPS does pick up on Saturday. He called UPS and they confirmed that they don't pick up on Saturday ANYWHERE and they also checked for any tracers on lost shipments. There were none but the bindery claimed they had sent out tracers. He finally got them to admit the books were finished but had not been sent out yet. They promised to get them to him the next week. John then located another bindery and persuaded them to rescue the books. As it turned out, the books were NOT finished, the bindery had lost the cover and spine die-stamps and the signatre pages, over half had been destroyed by mis-binding and the bindery was going to close without notifying him. The new bindery saved what they could and completed the 149 copies they could within 2 weeks of rescuing them from the original bindery. THEN when John gets the books he discovers the corrections he'd entered the day it was shipped to the printer hadn't been saved. So as result he had to create the errata sheet. Errors are on pages 21, 30, 36, 44, 55, 58, 63, 68, 78 and 86 and also the Dedication page. There are three errors involving the main character name, Jamas. It was entered as James.

This book is just a sample of the headaches that can come when trying to publish a book. Granted Anne didn't have too much to worry about, but poor John sure did!

Happy collecting!!!

(I'll be posting better pictures soon, sorry for the poor quality of these!)

[Hans]

The pictures are great, Becky, don't worry!

Say, is the one you describe as the proof a full version of the book text? It seems so thin?

And do you have any idea how many of the regular Wildside paperback version there are. or is there only one?
I know about this one (link to eBay) which is clearly a Wildside book but there's also this one (another link to eBay)

Furthermore I also regularly see references to another publisher: New American Library; who publish a hardcover like the original Roc version. Do you know anything about that? I mean this one (yet another link to eBay)

Note: these links to eBay will eventually be dead.

[Jax]

Originally Posted by Becky

Green binding of which there are 123 copies

Why only 123?

JJ...

JJ sent me this signed as I think my secret santa present for 2005

[P'ter]

Another one to get. I think this is the last of Anne's books (as opposed to magazine items i've got to get (in some version of other).

[Lady Maelin]

WOW!!! Great highlight.... you have some very lovely and different copies of this little story. I had no idea that there were so many different editions of this one. Thank You for showing them to us.

[Becky]

Hans - the proof is identical to the ROC 1st edition, it's just got a paperback cover.

http://www.wildsidebooks.com/search....oticed+the+cat - according to the listings for No One Noticed the Cat on the Wildside Press the first two that you listed, Hans, are Wildside's issue.
I've never heard of the last one by New American Library, maybe they bought out ROC? I've searched online and can't find anything much on New American Library and nothing showing No One Noticed the Cat as a book they publish.

Jax - the reason for 123 is explained in the highlight. The original publisher ruined most of the printings and he was able to salvage 149 copies of which 26 were bound in black leather and lettered A - Z and the other 123 were bound in green.

P'ter - Well, I checked Wildside's site and they aren't showing any more of these copies for sale. They do have the Rescue Run copies, about a dozen left, but none of these.

Maelin - thank you! I'm always glad to hear that our highlights give good information to other collectors and even those who don't collect and just like to see these wonderful items.

[Cheryl]

Wow -- thanks for all those details on the trials and tribulations Betancourt went through! I didn't realize my own copy of the green was more special than the copyright page would suggest -- since my copy didn't come with an Errata page.

Also I wanted to point out that it looks like the correct publication date is 1997 because of how long it took for Betancourt to get the books from the bindery -- another interesting piece of data about the book!

[Allana]

WOW! I had no idea there were so many different copies, either. And that whole story about the problem with the bindery is just crazy. I have read the book, but I don't have even one copy of it. Thanks for this info. about all the copies, it may really come in handy!

[Becky]

Allana, which is exactly why we do these collecting highlights. To expand our knowledge of Annes works in all their forms. Like the New American Library edition of this book, I'd never heard of it, yet it's obviously out there.
Hans has found so many interesting foreign language editions and other goodies. I look forward to his and Cheryls highlights so that I too can learn more.

[Lady Maelin]

If it wasn't for the fantasic Highlight's pages that Cheryl, Hans and now Becky do, I wouldn't have a quarter of what I have now in my collection. Not to mention the notebook that I have been collecting each and every one of them in...it's getting to be much better than my Hargraves at really explaining about each one of the different editions.

NOTE: To the "HIGHLIGHT'S" staff !!! Thank You so very much to the three of you( Cheryl, Hans and Becky ) for your hard work and very informative articles. Keep up the wonderul work...PLEASE

[Becky]

Maelin, thank you very much! You always have great comments to help bring out more information too. Everyone here at MoM helps us with their questions and comments.

[Hans]

Maelin, I fully agree with Becky and thank you for your kind compliments.

I must say I like doing the highlights, I just need to remember myself and make time for them

[Sandi]

My copy of this one is like the top one on the right and I consider it one of my personal treasures. I love the Wildside cover art, though. It's beautiful and I've never seen it before. And I agree with Maelin, thanks for showing us these wonderful things!

[Priscilla]

Since I love cats so much and I also knew Anne did as well, this was one of the books I took for her to sign at the very first Dragon*Con I saw her at. It's one of my special favorites. I recently bought a paperback copy at a bookstore and if I'm fortunate enough to, I hope to have that signed this year!

[Becky]

Good luck getting the new book signed, Priscilla!!! I do enjoy this book also. Anne gives the cat such character yet still keeps her a cat.

[Hans]

Addendum

Just found one of the very special black leather/gilt lettering signed and lettered copies for sale for US $ 210.

(always nice to have an indication of value/price asked)

[Becky]

Wow, that's a HUGE increase in price! Thanks for posting that Hans!

[Lady Maelin]

Hans, Thanks for posting about the price of that edition, I had wondered how much one was, and if any were out there for sale, even though that is way to expencive for my book budget.

[Sandi]

Very interesting but totally out of my league

[Hans]

Out of mine too, Sandi. But... it's always interesting to know because you might come across a copy that is only a fraction of the price I mentioned, offered by someone who doesn't know its real value Then you are the better informed party and have a definite advantage!

I had this happening to me, so it is always nice to know the value of things, even if that is always relative because, like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", "financial worth is determined by the needs and funds of the buyer"

[Lady Maelin]

Hans, Thank You.... Hopefully I will be able to find one of these that I can afford in the future, and because of the information that was in this highlight. I have been able to add very nicely to my colletions because of the Highlights here on MoM.

[Becky]

Only the curious will see this.

eBay has one of the Green bound copies up for auction! See item number 180092326586. It ends March 10 with an opening bid of $9.99. Good luck!

[Hans]

And the curious bought it... Do you think 31 dollars was a good price? That's about the same what I paid for the Wildside Rescue Run, I think.

Hmm, I think I'll take it with me to Copenhagen and get me a very rare signed green NONTC

[Becky]

LOL! Glad you got it oh curious one! Yes, it was originally $30, so you done good, Hans! You lucky thing, wish I could get some things signed. But I'll just have to dream. Tho I've done good with getting some things signed at Anne's induction into the SF Hall of Fame, so really shouldn't complain. Was only to get 2 books signed but ended up getting 6 done. I was very lucky to have been there to see her induction too. Ok, so I'm not quite so bummed now, talked myself right out of it.