Books in your collection dedicated by the author to you

[HareBrain]

This thread by Rodders -- First editions in your collection. -- got me interested in finding out what books members had that were signed by the author to them personally, either at book signings or by some other method.

I only have one -- a paperback copy of The Grey King by Susan Cooper. And I wasn't even there for it, and so didn't meet her (one of the regrets of my life). A friend very kindly got it signed for me at a convention.

I also have a couple with dedications from people who weren't the authors. Two Doctor Who novelisations were signed to me by Tom Baker when I won a competition as a kid. And The Shark Watcher's Handbook was signed to me at a wildlife charity event by freediving goddess Tanya Streater (sighhhh).

 

[Rodders]

I have a couple of signed books, but none dedicated to me by the author.

 

[Vince W]

Ibid.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

My brother has a limited 200 special signed by Bernard Cornwell of his latest in the Sharpe series, Sharpes Assassin. I got it for his birthday.

Otherwise I have three signed books.
Jay Blades autobiography.
Robert Harris V2.
Alison Weir's short story collection.

 

[Valtharius]

I hear Parson has a copy of the Bible signed by the author.








Mods, if this joke violates the rules feel free to delete it.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I have a couple signed to me by Gwyneth Jones. Also one from Mark Charan Newton. And I guess I should mention the one from surreal artist Urs Amann...

 

[Mouse]

I have Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve signed to me, plus a doodle he did of a zeppelin. And I have another one by a lady who used to be a member here but I can't remember her name other than it was Anne and I can't remember what the book was called either. But yeah, met them both at BristolCon and I'm pretty sure both books have my name in them.

 

[The Judge]

And I have another one by a lady who used to be a member here but I can't remember her name other than it was Anne and I can't remember what the book was called either.

Anne Lyle? Alchemist of Souls? That was the first of her Night's Masque trilogy.


I've got three signed-in-person-to-me books -- a couple of novels with a near-illegible scrawl from a very weird chap called Bryan, and (obviously of far greater importance) Jekka's Complete Herb Book, by Jekka McVicar (I'd had the book for years but I took it with me like a fan girl especially to get it signed when I attended an open day at her Herbetum).

 

[Mouse]

Anne Lyle? Alchemist of Souls? That was the first of her Night's Masque trilogy.

That's it! My brain kept suggesting Anne Rice and I know it wasn't her!

 

[Bick]

I hear Parson has a copy of the Bible signed by the author.

All 40 or so of them?

 

[AlexH]

One of Michael Palin's travel books is the most famous.

 

[JunkMonkey]

A couple of Neil Gaimans signed to me but my most treasured signed book is a first UK hardback of The Weapon Shops of Isher signed by van Vogt to Brian M Stableford.

 

[AE35Unit]

Got no such books yet but I have the next best thing, a signed photo of Stephen Baxter sent to me via Interzone after I reviewed one of his stories. It now lives in one of his books on my shelf.
I also have a signed copy of Dangerous Visions, signed by Ellison at some convention. I got that for free from bookmooch!

 

[soulsinging]

I used to have a signed copy of Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. He gave a talk at our university. I think it was before it won a bunch of awards.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I have quite a few from here and other writer friends but, mostly, I don't get anything dedicated to me if I can avoid it since they lose their value the minute a person's name goes into that dedication. (Sorry. I got to make a living.... )

 

[paranoid marvin]

I've had Terry Pratchett sign a book in Waterstones (The Last Continent). We didn't speak , but it was good to see him in person.

 

[HoopyFrood]

The personally-dedicated books that I have are the reason why I ended up on this site in the first place. Back when I was at the tail-end of Sixth Form (yes I have been here for that long like some irremovable tick), I'd finished my A Levels but because I was a huge swot, I'd been given a part-time job in the English department. One task was being an unofficial teaching assistant during the visit of an author called Mark Robson...

As well as signing some books for me, he also showed me this site and the rest is history.

I met him again a couple of years later at FantasyCon, and had obviously been HoopyFrood all that time, so I also have books signed by him dedicated to that name.

 

[JunkMonkey]

I just remembered I have a copy of Edward Dmytryk's On Editing signed to me.

 

[Matteo]

By name, to me and my sister, The Living Planet. David Attenborough signed it for my mother many years ago - probably in Lears (Cardiff).

Not by name, Hyperspace by Michio Kaku - he signed "Good luck, in any dimension".

I also have a couple of legal reference books signed to me by the authors.

 

[JunkMonkey]

By name, to me and my sister, The Living Planet. David Attenborough signed it for my mother many years ago - probably in Lears (Cardiff).

Not by name, Hyperspace by Michio Kaku - he signed "Good luck, in any dimension".

I also have a couple of legal reference books signed to me by the authors.

Lears! Bottom of St Mary's Street on one of the arcades! I used to buy Worlds of If and Galaxy there every month back in the 1970s.