Collecting computers - the book and the web site.

From: Noel Fields <nfields_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Mon Feb 1 15:21:21 1999

Where can someone purchase a copy of your book? Its not listed on amazon.com.

    Thanks

        Noel

Unusual systems wrote:

> Greetings. There was a two month gap in my participation on the List until
> recently. Somehow, and no one has yet explained it, my subscription was
> removed (this happened again two weeks ago). Unfortunately, I missed a brief
> discussion of the book I wrote - it was reviewed in Dr. Dobb's Journal. Had
> I known, I would have contributed. To make matters even worse, the
> Classiccmp archive maintained by Kevan Heydon (many thanks man), also
> suffered from a technical glitch and needed to be restored. Now I've finally
> read the thread and please accept two observations and two invitations.
>
> Observation #1 - the books' identity crisis
> The book is a guide about the hobby of collecting computers and not a
> traditional collector's price guide. In a perfect world one would first read
> the guide to collecting and then want to read a collector's guide - the
> first guide stokes and refines the interest while the second guide assists
> in ensuring a collection is complete and in determining how much to buy and
> sell for.
>
> Observation #2 - the book's other identity crisis
> The book is for both seasoned collectors and beginners. It is not JUST a
> book for anyone who thinks collecting computers could be neat. Sure the
> guide will, by design help the novice, but it's equal strength is in helping
> the existing collector by affirming our practices and techniques and, by all
> means, sharing some of the practice and techniques the veteran collector
> might not know about. We should all be open to accepting our knowledge-gaps.
> In fact, a computer collector might not consider their collection complete
> without a copy of the first-ever book about collecting computers.
>
> Invitation #1 - answering questions about profilees
> I've been asked why some collectors were omitted and even why some were
> included. I expected such questions. As an author with a deadline and goal
> in mind I invited collectors who exemplified the experienced collector, the
> new collector, the big collector, the small collector, the international
> collector, etc trying to show how collecting is the same all over the world
> - same passions and problems. These collectors would/could also be
> role-models. The book might have included more profiles if the collectors
> had responded on a timely basis and with answers to the questions I asked.
> One collector didn't remember the dates and circumstances surrounding his
> most important acquisitions so I rejected the story because it was
> incomplete (even after several attempts to help improve its accuracy).
> Please send your questions about the book to me directly.
>
> Invitation #2 - my first attempt at building a web site
> Please take a moment to visit my site. See the orphan 360/22 mainframe
> (orphan because it was announced the same year the 370 series was!) and a
> few other systems that aren't that popular.
>
> Thank you. Happy collecting.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------------------
> Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca
> +1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5
>
> Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from
> the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles.
>
> Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers &
> Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6
> .
Received on Mon Feb 01 1999 - 15:21:21 GMT