Alert: Johnny Dixon & SF Gateway

In what probably will be our last post for 2011, we make note of yet another round of Bellairs e-books. Yes, we mentioned the American editions published by eReads earlier this summer and now we’re pleased to pass word along about the UK counterparts.

SF Gateway, an eBook publisher of classic SF and Fantasy and an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, recently released the first eight titles in the Johnny Dixon series. By our count this makes the Dixon series available in the UK for the first time since those editions published by Corgi in the mid-1980s. But we probably won’t be seeing copies of these here in the States. According to SF Gateway:

We have acquired rights...from the authors or their estates, and in many cases the rights they were willing or able to grant us were only for the UK and Commonwealth countries (excluding Canada, which is usually bundled with USA rights). It's not that we don't want to allow you to buy the books; it's outside the terms of our contracts.

So if anyone wants to compare the American and British texts of the electronic editions...and let us know the results...go for it.  Have fun.

Anyway, the UK editions don’t share the same spunk as their American cousins – whose covers featured garish colored wallpapers with spooky-shaped silhouettes – because their covers are straight-up yellow. There’s a kinda-sorta eerie looking font and some whiffs of red but the first thing that catches your eye is the yellow. Why? Again, SF Gateway:

The SF Gateway covers are designed to reflect, and slightly update, the classic Gollancz 'yellow jacket' style that holds an iconic place in the history of British SF publishing.

We can live with that.  No matter the color, no matter the country, it’s always good to know that John’s fans can find copies of their favorites at their fingertips and that these new editions pave the way for new readers, too.

Happy New Year, all.