New (old) Book of the week

Even though I haven't been playing, I still shop for books and here is the coolest one I received lately. Oriental Adventures was Gygax's take adventuring using Asian cultures. It just arrived and I am looking forward to reading it. BTW I got it off of PaperbackSwap.

Someone found it! (Put a APB out on this book! part II)

I would like to thank Derek for finding the book I discussed in my post Put an APB out on this Book! It is The Cross-Time Engineer by Leo Frankowski. Now I just have to buy a copy :)

Put an APB out on this book!

I am trying to find the title of a book I read sometime around the age of 10. So I am guessing it was written in the 1980’s. I cannot, after a long and exhaustive search, find anything about this book. I know it was part of a popular series. It was loaned to me by a friend who does not remember the title either and I only read the first book in the series, leaving me very little to go on.

Here is the description of our perpetrator:

It is a Science fiction novel, a couple hundred pages long, about a man who is transported back in time by accident. If I remember correctly he has a common name like John or Richard. He arrives in Europe in the middle ages and in the middle of winter. Here he meets a barefoot monk who’s “feet are warmer then his hands” and gets into a fight with a knight. One of the parts I remember the most clearly is when the protagonist goes shopping for armor and weapons. He finds a folded steel saber or scimitar with a diamond edged blade. At that point the book flashed to the people monitoring him from the future; apparently, they had agents go back in time and plant items to help the protagonist. They say something to the effect of the “We planted the sword and if he had gone to another armor shop he would have found a set of full Turkish plate his size.” The protagonist knows a bit about history and fencing and I believe he is pretending to be a knight on a quest by the end of novel.

Please if you know this book, leave a comment and let's capture this criminal!

"A SHELF FULL O' BOOKS"

Dear Readers,

I recently met a gentleman (well, I really just talked to him online) who had decided to relieve himself of a large part of his D&D collection. (1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e) This was due to a “shortage of shelf space and a recent and complete conversion to 4e.” When I first spoke to him I was a recipient of some of his collection’s initial culling. Unknowingly, I asked that if he had more items and that I would gladly take them off his hands. He responded that he did and planed to make them available soon. (Shipping gets expensive) So in comes my “Hail Mary” pass, I asked if we could deal directly with each other, instead of within the confines of the previous middleman. (This would allow me first pick on every item instead of getting the scraps) Luckily, I didn't have to resort to my superior negotiation skills. Which in this case, would of consisted of whining and saying please a lot. The gentleman agreed to allow me first crack at the remaining titles. We then arranged a set price for each item and he emailed me a list. I perused the list and I am still smiling because there were books on there I have never even had a chance to look at much less use in a game. I emailed him back and I told him I would take it all! I will not discuss specifics but I can say that this deal has demolished a significant portion of my Amazon wish list. Plus, there is a bonus. The gentleman’s wife, who is from the city in which I live, is visiting family here this weekend. Since she will be here anyways he would forgo shipping and she would bring the books down with her and we can arrange to meet. How awesome is that, an entire shelf of materials driven to the city in which I live for a very reasonable price. I can not seem to thank this man enough, so here I go, one more time… Thank you Pat for your generosity!

RECYCLE YOUR RPGS @ PAPERBACK SWAP

I love books and have found a new way to acquire them. PaperBack Swap (PBS) is a excellent book swapping service. After posting 10 books on their website, any ten books, you get two free book credits. This allows you to request any two books from another member. You pay nothing! Here is the catch, when someone requests a book from you, you pay for shipping. PBS offers a service which does all the leg work for you, you just print, wrap, tape and place in your mail box for pickup. PBS has a huge catalog, hard covers and paperbacks, and lately I have been ordering stacks of gaming materials and novels. It is an amazing service and I encourage everyone to join! You can find the link on the right side of my page. READ ON!