I agree that the likelihood is vanishingly small, but I let Google Reader do for me the work of checking blogs for updated content. I have a long list of blogs I subscribe to and set my Google Reader preferences to display only blogs that have new (to me) content, and within each blog, display only blog posts I haven't already read. I have the option for each individual post to reset it to Unread status after I've read it. Very handy.

Just changed my shipping address (moved to San Francisco) with Leah at VE, got a notice that 5 more books are at the printers now.

Here's the notice from the blog, posted this morning:

by LemonPi

We have NEWS!

Today I will finally send in the last of the permission forms, which means 5 more books will begin printing. I know this has taken quite a long time, but these are some of the larger volumes and most of the material has never been published before.

A lot of time consuming double checking, while necessary, delayed the release of these volumes. For example, do you know what a mustache trainer is? or do you think he meant mustache strainer? While most of the original letters were typed (on a typewriter), some of them were hand written. The deciphering of both is complicated by the fact that the archives are not necessarily in chronological order or necessarily arranged by name and that the scanning process leaves much to be desired. Maybe there will be an effort to stream-line the collection more, albeit a daunting task.

For those of you who are not aware yet - Sean is back at the office helping with the proof reading, etc. His presence means we should be able to move double time on the last 5 books. That is right - THE LAST 5 BOOKS. We are almost done for real.

In appreciation of your patience and belated acknowledgement of Heinlein's birthday, we will be sending everyone some posters based on Heinlein's novels. There are 6 different posters. Blow is the one of Glory Road. The poster layout was done by Eric Gignac and the original paintings were done by Steven Hickman.

(See the poster here)

We will get started on mailing these out after the current 5 books are fully turned over to the printer.

The status of the last 5 books is a follows:
Volume 41 - Letters 3 -- is here and I am just about finished with checking potential errors against the archived sources.
Volume 43 - Tramp Royale -- is here and Sean is just about finished with it.
Volume 44 - Screenplay 1 -- should be ready for its first proof read.
Volume 45 - Screenplay 2 -- should be typeset this week.
Volume 46 - Requiem -- is waiting on the index for the collection.

We hope to get these 5 turned over to the printer by the end of August. In order to do so I had best get back to work.

I got this email today:

Virginia Edition Update and Gift
From: Leah Ott <lemonpi2186@gmail.com>
To: Leah McCarrick Ott <leahmccarrick@virginiaedition.com>

Dear Virginia Edition Subscribers,

We writing to make sure everyone is aware of the current status of the collection. You should currently have volumes 1 through 36. There are another 5 books at the printer now, volumes 37-40 and 42. We are still working on getting the covers finalized before they begin printing, but the material is turned in. They estimate that the books will be finished printing on September 6th and will be on their way to all current subscribers by September 16th. If you have moved, or have had trouble receiving shipments before, please respond with your updated shipping address.

The last five books–that's right, The Last Five Books–are at various stages of completion.

Volume 41 – The Heinlein Letters: Volume III
Volume 43 – Tramp Royale
Volume 44 – The Screenplays of Robert Heinlein: Volume 1
Volume 45 – The Screenplays of Robert Heinlein: Volume 2
Volume 46 – Requiem: The Heinlein Century Edition [Tentative Full Title]

I have just finished proofreading Letters III and turned my list of changes in yesterday. Tramp Royale is just about finished. Work still to be done on it relates to an index generated by the Heinlein Society that needs to be reviewed. Screenplays 1 was mailed to the first proofreader yesterday with typesetting work continuing on the second volume. Requiem is next on the docket and should be smooth sailing; most of the work to be done on Requiem relates to an index of the complete collection prepared by Bill Patterson.

As a gift honoring Robert Heinlein's birthday, we would like to send each of you a set of commemorative posters of paintings commissioned by the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust based on Mr. Heinlein's work. We also have a number of copies of Variable Star which, while not part of the scope of the Virginia Edition project, we would be happy to provide to each of you. If you would like the posters, Variable Star, or both, please email HeinleinPrize@dula.com by Monday, August 1st. These are provided free of charge to Virginia Edition subscribers as a token of our gratitude for your patience as we complete the project.

In order to help market the remaining sets please complete the following questionnaire:

Age
In which country do you reside?
If USA, which state, if not skip.
Gender
What industry do you work in?
How did you hear about the Virginia Edition Collection?
Internet
Print advertisement
Word of mouth
Heinlein Centennial
Other – please specify

Thank you,
--
Leah Ott
Project Manager
Virginia Edition Publishing Company

This post appeared in the Virginia Edition blog on September 7. It included some graphics that won't reproduce here:

Greetings,

After much difficulty with the latest batch of covers, an issue with a graphic, and a small issue regarding wire transfer fees, we are just about ready to ship the next 5 volumes! Once the payment is transferred for the second half of the current 5 books, they will be sent to the warehouse/shipping department at Transcontinental and shipped out to you.

The cover of Letters 1 was a hassle. The digital version of the icon looked like this:

[missing graphic]

The black area is where the gold foil is stamped. However, the stamping process tends to spread or bleed, leading to :

[missing graphic]

Which is mostly a gold blob. I spent several hours trying to clean up the digital so that the negative space was increased such that the gold wouldn't over run too much of it leading to distortion.

Clearer right? Well, the gold stamping was resilient so the printing company just decided to invert the image:

[missing graphic]

And hurrah! you can tell it is a face, but it is supposed to match:

[missing graphic]

So I had to half invert the image so that the scalloped edge was gold not the space around it:

[missing graphic]

This is the final icon, it just took us days to get there.

So as it stands these books are finished printing and should ship from the warehouse to you around the 16th of September.

The remaining 5 books are as follows:
Vol 41 - Letters 3 - final edits to be applied, followed by quality check, then to printer
Vol 43 - Tramp Royale - final edits to be applied, followed by quality check, then to printer
Vol 44 - ScreenPlay 1 - undergoing 2nd proofread here, then same as above
Vol 45 - ScreenPlay 2 - undergoing 1st proofread with some work being done on the last pages at Windhaven, edits to be applied,
Vol 46 - Requiem - to be set (but it should be fast)

Order of events:
Right now SP 1 and SP 2 are in proofreaders hands and WH is working on the end of SP 2.
Following that WH will apply the edits to L 3 and send is here for a control check, it goes back to WH for polish then off to the printer.
While we have L 3 WH will set Req and send it out to its 1st proofreader.
Then WH will apply they last round of edits to Tramp and send it here.
(During this time both SPs should be turned back into WH with comments, at which point I will try and schedule the remaining 3 for the next set of passing back and forth.)

Publishing is a chaotic business.

*****

I got my shipping notice for the current batch today (Sept 16).

Last Thursday, I received the posters they offered. Several weeks ago, I got the copy of Spider Robinson's "collaboration" they sent as well. Having received the shipping notification, I'm now trying to find a website by which I can track it. I seem to recall last time they shipped, I was able to do so. This time, I'm still looking. Mostly because I've moved in the interim, and a mild amount of paranoia.

The shipping notice I got on Sept. 16 wasn't for books; it was the posters. I received them yesterday. They look nice, but I'm not inclined to invest in framing any of them.

Ok, my mileage is varying.

1. Dan, I received posters about a week ago. Never received a shipping notice. Posters are fun, btw. The Donato posters gives a good idea of what would have been had the MM books been published.

2. Bruce, I received a shipping notice for the next tranche of books a few days ago. I've been trying to track the shipment use the tracking numbers on the shipping notice, to no avail so far. FedEx is listed as the shipper.

Edit: if you've moved and paranoid about receiving the books at the proper address, you could write to "LemonPi" at the Heinlein Trust and found out your address of record. An email address is given at the blog: http://virginiaedition.blogspot.com/201 ... oming.html

You're right; I peered more closely at the shipping notice, and it *is* for the books:

Virginia Editions Vol 37-40 & 42 Set 112

I just received the posters first and presumed the notice was therefore for the posters. I should know better than to confuse correlation and causality.

I didn't get a FedEx airbill number either.

Fred,

Thanks...I'm assuming since the shipping document has the correct address, it'll get to me here, just like the posters did. That being said, since it's a semi-secure building, I'd sure love to know exactly when it will be delivered, so I can keep my eyes open at the unattended front desk. The posters were left outside our door, despite the fact that there's someone inside our office from 8AM to 9PM daily.

And looking more closely at the shipping .pdf, I do see that it claims to be via FedEx, which is counter to my memory of the last shipment. However, FedEx claims no knowledge on their web page of the Ref/Tracking number. Ah, well. I'll wait a week, and see what happens.