Book Collectors' Database

News for book collectors ...
The JUSTIN THYME web site now was a Book Collectors' Database. This will ensure collectors get accurate information about the Tatan of Thyme books ... editions, print runs, dates, signatures, doodles and bookplates ... as well as full details of promotional items available for both the Inside Pocket imprints of JT and TRO, and the original Interrobang JT.
To access the database simply enter "book collector" at the password page, or click here.

TRO - The Bookplated 100

As with the original edition of JUSTIN THYME, the first 100 copies of THYME RUNNING OUT have now been bookplated and numbered.

The bookplate designs are new, but, like the previous bookplated 100, are all double-signed by Panama Oxridge and one of the author's anagram pseudonyms. These are also fingerprinted and stamped with a letter (all 100 spelling out a mystery message).

There are nine different bookplate designs, each limited to a prime number (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 23 - totalling 100). So, for example, the five bookplated copies featuring Eliza the Gorilla are obviously rarer than the twenty-three showing Nessie.

Each book comes with a matching double-signed bookmark and postcard.

The #1 copy has all 100 anagram signatures, plus a photo of "Panama Oxridge" concealing the author's real name and signature hidden beneath.

If you're interested in owning one of these unique copies, they are available from Anderida Books - although it appears they're selling out quite quickly.

More news for book collectors coming later this week ...

TRO BOOKLAUNCH REPORT

On Friday morning, still half-asleep, I found myself waiting at the village station, ready to start my two-day TRO adventure. I'm not overly fond of travelling through the single dimension of space, (spatiotemporal transport is more my style) - and, to make matters worse, my reserved seat just happened to be next to some abandoned luggage, creating a delay while "security" examined and removed it! Otherwise, the journey went smoothly, and Tony (from the Cotswold Bookstore) was waiting to collect me.

I arrived at the shop about 3.30 pm. After chatting with Nina and David, who'd been finalising the preparations, I went up to the stockroom and began working my way through the pre-ordered copies needing to be mailed out a.s.a.p. I signed almost continuously until 8.30 in the evening, then stopped for a well-earned cup of tea!

On Saturday morning, the TRO Booklaunch was due to start a 11 am - but when I arrived at 10.30 there was already a queue running the length of the shop, so I decided to get busy right away as it was rather drizzly and I didn't want anyone having to wait outside again like last year.

Signing your name a gazillion times isn't the most fun a person can have - but what makes a signing event special is meeting fans of the books. First in line was Arthur, who, like many of the people I met, I remembered from last year; determined to get the very first copy, he and his sister, Nia, had been waiting since nine o'clock! I also met Josh, (winner of the recent JT competition), so I was able to hand over his prize doodled copies in person. Another young man brought in a sheaf of notes detailing the various hidden clues he'd found ... something that always brightens my day! I wish I could've talked to him for longer.

Another thing that pleased me enormously was the amount of people who'd been loyal fans of JT since the original 2006 "Interrobang" version, some of whom had travelled long distances to get their long-awaited copies a few weeks early. I enjoyed chatting to them all, and regret being unable to spend more time with them ... but the queue didn't seem to be getting any shorter.

I said goodbye to the last customer about two o'clock, after signing for over three hours non-stop. I then dashed upstairs to sign some spare copies in case any late orders came through. By the time I finished, all of Mrs Kof's Banana & Chocolate-chip Cake had vanished, (I blame Eliza), and we all decided that the wonderful Clock-Cake was simply too nice to cut into! Once again, there wasn't enough time to chat to Nina and find out what clues she'd found ... or discuss her theories as to what will happen to the Thyme family next. (After a few years of studying JT's "hidden clues" in microscopic detail, she's now scarily good at deductions (or fluke guesses, as Tony calls them!) Maybe she's starting to see how my brain works ... or perhaps a future version of me has travelled into her past and loaned her book three!

At three o'clock, my time in the Cotswolds was over. I caught the return train "just in time" (with barely 10 seconds to spare) ... and a few hours later I was safely back in good old Drumnadrochit!

I dozed for most of Sunday ... but it was nice to think of all those people busily reading their copies of "Thyme Running Out". I hope they're all enjoying themselves!

My thanks to everyone who came to the event - and extra-special thanks to the entire team at the Cotswold Bookstore; it was a day I'll never forget!

COMPETITION THYME ... The WINNERS!

Thank you to all the book-bloggers who hosted clues, and to everyone who took part in the JUSTIN THYME competition. I was thrilled by the enormous amount of entries ... far more than I'd imagined.

The names of all those who emailed in their answers were put into my trusty panama hat and Burbage picked the winners out at random. Here's the result:

First place - Josh - winning the hardback doodled copies of JT & TRO.
Runner up - Kim - winning a signed paperback copy of JT.
Bookmark winners - Simon and Kathy.

Eliza has kindly donated both of her bookmarks too ... so I'm pleased to announce a further two bookmark winners : Aleksandra and Hannah.

I'll be emailing you later today to check your snail-mailing addresses!

COMPETITION THYME ... Time Running Out!

The "Justin Thyme" Competition closes at midnight tonight (Wednesday) so if you haven't entered already you have just a few hours left to find the clues! So, get busy ... the links you need are in the previous blog-post immediately below this one ...