a message from Don Glut

["Mike Brett-Surman" <MNHPB018@SIVM.SI.EDU>]

This is message from Donald F. Glut to the Dinosaur List.
RE: DINOSAURS: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA by D.F. Glut, 1997

After 11 long years in the works and an additional (and seemingly
longer) year of writing, the book is finally out.

My plan has always been to keep this book a constant, with no changes
or revisions, ever. I would keep the project current with an ongoing
series of supplemental volumes (not unlike the "yearbooks" of standard
encyclopedias), rather than continually updating and revising the
original volume. I never wanted to revise and update the original
volume every few years and expect readers to keep buying it. Surely,
coming out with expensive "updates" every few years would not be fair
to the buyer and, in years to come, could result in a book physically
too big to handle.

The first of my intended supplementary books (tentatively called
DINOSAURS: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA, VOLUME II) has been in the works since
the original volume went "to press", after which time I was allowed
no more additions by the publisher. "VOLUME II" has alreadt grown
to such a size that it can be published today with none of the
illustrations from the original volume repeated in the second. All
the new taxa, classifications and ideas are covered in the second book.

But now there's a problem. The publisher, which has never produced a
book of this nature before and apparently is not fully aware of the
importance in keeping it cuurent, is reluctant, to go into these
supplementary volumes. The publisher argues that these intended
subsequent volumes will severely interfere with sales of the original
with the implication that it is out of date and riddled with errors.
Actually, the supplemental volumes only add to enrich the first volume
by keeping things current.

This is where I need the help of those of you who liked the original
book and would like to see this "encyclopedia" continue as an open
ended series of books. I need you to write to the publisher and
politely say that the supplements would be supported, and would
neither denigrate nor hurt sales of the original book. Please
explain why, in your opinion, this series should go on and why this
project is a viable one. Write to: Mr. Robert M. Franklin, Publisher,
McFarland & Company, Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640.

Thank you for your support (and the long wait).

Signed,
Don Glut.

Mike Brett-Surman    brett-surman.michael@nmnh.si.edu
or at mnhpb018@sivm.si.edu
Smithsonian Institution (not "institute" ;-)