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What other Author on this page has such devoted fans that a number of them got together and produced a complete re-editing and re-printing of nearly everything he ever wrote?

The Vance Integral Edition

Looking at Jack Vance's books on Amazon, many from the 2nd page onwards are not in print, which is a huge shame.

The only way to get some of his older stuff was to spend thousands on the VIE.
(MS's Paul Allen bought dozens of these collections for libraries around the world.)

The (Jack) Vance Integral Edition was a volunteer effort to produce a limited edition 42 volume set of the complete works of Jack Vance, restored to as close to the author's original manuscripts as possible.

(The project is complete, and an amazing success.)

The team scanned and edited many of Jack's early works for which there was no good clean manuscript. They developed software tools that would compare scans from different editions to automatically find errors. It turns out that even the best human editor still missed "scanos" (typos produced by the scanning process) that the automated tools found.

Even so, in the final books there were a handful of errors that slipped through, despite extremely careful editing by hundreds of volunteers.

Another SF book (a classic IMHO) that touched upon how language shapes thought, and even culture, is "The Languages of Pao" by Jack Vance . In the book, a planet has a partner teach the people on different continents different languages, with the result that different cultures arise on each. As for what the partner wants... read the book (though you could get it a lot cheaper at eBay or something).

http://www.vanceintegral.com/

Not any more -- check out Vance Integral Edition. The entire corpus in a uniform edition of 44 volumes. "The V.I.E. project was begun in 1998; it is composed of hundreds of Vance readers world wide. In 2003 we published 22 of 44 projected volumes." Please send me one for Christmas.

Do yourself a favor and read his entire collection not just the non-OOP ones.

ok fine so right now I only have half of his total works, the second half will not ship until next year.

Vance writes forward-looking SF (but please do not ever call him a SF writer, he hates that!) as well as beautiful detailed fantasy, not to mention some mysteries and verse on the side.

Thanks to the Vance Integral Edition, which reprints all of Jack Vance's work in a uniform edition of 44 hardback volumes. I just got my half of the set in the mail yesterday.

Of course, at $1250 for the set, it's not exactly cheap...

In the tons of sci-fi (almost exclusively) that I've read over the last 25 years, the one that's had the most impact was Jack Vance.

For sheer inventiveness, language, and the fact that the trappings of science is relegated to the background of the story, makes Vance a must read, and means that he will last well into the future.

O the worlds! The Dying earth, "Showboat world", "Alastor Cluster", not to mention the cultures: "Trills", The Pnume, "The Connatic", "The Dirdir". The list goes on.

If you love a good mix of ancient and advanced technology, with Fantasy & Sci-fi combinations pick up the Demon Princes series of novels, or the omnibus editions.

The fantastic "Demon Princes" reprint compilations are available at Amazon. I bought the hardcovers, and love them. A couple of other compilations, and his two most recent books are also available there.

To purchase his complete works (for a considerable price - I would prefer a CD/DVD myself) check out the Vance Integral Edition, as mentioned by another poster (but missed by moderators):
www.vanceintegral.com

Also, many of his books can be picked up at second hand stores in towns all over the world. I've done this from London (UK) to Manhattan (Kansas)!

It's such a pleasure to read 'soft' sci-fi that occasionally requires a dictionary at hand for complete understanding - and enjoyment. Most of all, his vivid imagery and witty, dry (though sometimes slightly formulaic) dialogue makes me cherish his works like old friends.

Spread the word!

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