Summoned Once More To The Land ...
Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:38 am
An interesting story I'd like to share with you.
Like most of you, I had been eagerly waiting for the release of "Runes of the Earth" when it was first announced ... and it's been an achingly long, and oft-times, intolerable wait.
So I start checking local book stores on the release date, hoping to pick up a copy. Nothing. (Our books stores aren't that good here ... )
Days pass ... I check again. Still nothing. I ask at the local Chapters to save a copy when the next shipment comes in. I get told by the clerk that they don't presently have any on order. What?? I then inquire why they see fit to carry all of SRD's other books, yet the book people have been waiting decades for isn't being ordered?? They gave me several excuses that made no real sense to me as either a consumer or a book lover, so I walked out, thoroughly disgusted.
A few more days pass ... I figure I'll have to order it through the Internet (which, I admit - I'm not fond of doing unless I absolutely have to), but I had to wait until payday.
Again ... the days pass. My girlfriend (a huge bibliophile) and I go shopping, and purely by chance end up at a little independant bookstore before heading home. When I had looked before, this shop didn't have any copies either - they had sold out of the initial shipment, so I didn't bother checking the shelves again for the elusive "Runes ... ". So I'm thumbing thru a book in the History section while my girlfriend tends to her Book List.
Next thing I know, there's my girlfriend standing with her hands behind her back, and a huge smile on her face. "You're never gonna believe what I just found."
"Are you telling me they have a copy?", I asked.
"Yup. It's the only copy. But that's not all ... it's a signed edition.", she replies.
Well, we she put the signed book in my trembling hands, I damn near fell on the floor ...
Now, I need to point out that in all my years as a book-lover, I have never, EVER owned a signed copy of a book ... not to mention one by my favourite author of all-time. This was an extremely profound moment for the ol' Metal-Demon!
We asked at the cash register just how this special book made it's way onto the shelves, when just a few days before I was told they had none left. The lady explained that it just showed up on it's own with a different book order the day before, due to a shortage in the original shipment. (They ordered 5 and only recieved 4 ...)
It was Fate ... I was destined to own this special book, there's no doubt in my mind.
Needless to say, I left the store with that SRD-siogned copy of "Runes ..." and almost in tears I was so happy.
And that's how I was summoned once more to The Land.
Like most of you, I had been eagerly waiting for the release of "Runes of the Earth" when it was first announced ... and it's been an achingly long, and oft-times, intolerable wait.
So I start checking local book stores on the release date, hoping to pick up a copy. Nothing. (Our books stores aren't that good here ... )
Days pass ... I check again. Still nothing. I ask at the local Chapters to save a copy when the next shipment comes in. I get told by the clerk that they don't presently have any on order. What?? I then inquire why they see fit to carry all of SRD's other books, yet the book people have been waiting decades for isn't being ordered?? They gave me several excuses that made no real sense to me as either a consumer or a book lover, so I walked out, thoroughly disgusted.
A few more days pass ... I figure I'll have to order it through the Internet (which, I admit - I'm not fond of doing unless I absolutely have to), but I had to wait until payday.
Again ... the days pass. My girlfriend (a huge bibliophile) and I go shopping, and purely by chance end up at a little independant bookstore before heading home. When I had looked before, this shop didn't have any copies either - they had sold out of the initial shipment, so I didn't bother checking the shelves again for the elusive "Runes ... ". So I'm thumbing thru a book in the History section while my girlfriend tends to her Book List.
Next thing I know, there's my girlfriend standing with her hands behind her back, and a huge smile on her face. "You're never gonna believe what I just found."
"Are you telling me they have a copy?", I asked.
"Yup. It's the only copy. But that's not all ... it's a signed edition.", she replies.
Well, we she put the signed book in my trembling hands, I damn near fell on the floor ...
Now, I need to point out that in all my years as a book-lover, I have never, EVER owned a signed copy of a book ... not to mention one by my favourite author of all-time. This was an extremely profound moment for the ol' Metal-Demon!
We asked at the cash register just how this special book made it's way onto the shelves, when just a few days before I was told they had none left. The lady explained that it just showed up on it's own with a different book order the day before, due to a shortage in the original shipment. (They ordered 5 and only recieved 4 ...)
It was Fate ... I was destined to own this special book, there's no doubt in my mind.
Needless to say, I left the store with that SRD-siogned copy of "Runes ..." and almost in tears I was so happy.
And that's how I was summoned once more to The Land.
