› ›

Adventures on the Spectrum by Mike Gerrard

BigBadMickBigBadMick
edited October 2007 in Chit chat
Back in the years of yore (1989 to be more precise) Mike Gerrard, author of the Your Sinclair adventure column, wrote a book called Adventures on the Spectrum.

He mentioned it in Your Sinclair and I sent him off ?5 in the post in order to get a copy in my hot little hand.

A few days later I got a reply from Mr Gerrard explaining that, unfortunately, the book had already sold out. He sent back my crisp ?5 note with a kind note explaining that the book had sold out and wishing me all the best.

Imagine my happiness when I discovered that the very book I had tried to get my hot little hands on eighteen years ago has actually been scanned and uploaded to World of Spectrum!

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=2000932

How cool is that?

Also - I found Mike Gerrard's current website:

http://www.mikegerrard.com

I was considering sending him a quick email telling him the above story, and explaining the wonderful website World of Spectrum (complete with full scans of all his adventures from Your Sinclair) but I'm worried that he might ask WOS to take down the book if he doesn't already know it's up here.

What do my spec-chums think? Email Mike Gerrard or not?
Post edited by BigBadMick on

Comments

  • andrew_rollingsandrew_rollings
    edited October 2007
    BigBadMick wrote: »
    Back in the years of yore (1989 to be more precise) Mike Gerrard, author of the Your Sinclair adventure column, wrote a book called Adventures on the Spectrum.

    He mentioned it in Your Sinclair and I sent him off £5 in the post in order to get a copy in my hot little hand.

    A few days later I got a reply from Mr Gerrard explaining that, unfortunately, the book had already sold out. He sent back my crisp £5 note with a kind note explaining that the book had sold out and wishing me all the best.

    Imagine my happiness when I discovered that the very book I had tried to get my hot little hands on eighteen years ago has actually been scanned and uploaded to World of Spectrum!

    http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=2000932

    How cool is that?

    Also - I found Mike Gerrard's current website:

    http://www.mikegerrard.com

    I was considering sending him a quick email telling him the above story, and explaining the wonderful website World of Spectrum (complete with full scans of all his adventures from Your Sinclair) but I'm worried that he might ask WOS to take down the book if he doesn't already know it's up here.

    What do my spec-chums think? Email Mike Gerrard or not?

    Email.

    Better to know than to not know.
    EDIT: Download the book first though ;)

    Andrew
  • Ian HamiltonIan Hamilton
    edited October 2007
    He has already allowed distribution of his game here and, even though his permit doesn't specifically mention the book, I doubt it's a problem.

    Don't take that as gospel though.

    Necros.
  • rich_chandlerrich_chandler
    edited October 2007
    I've got one by his brother Peter "Exploring Adventures on the Spectrum 48k"
    I wanna tell you a story 'bout a woman I know...
  • ArjunArjun
    edited October 2007
    Necros wrote: »
    He has already allowed distribution of his game here and, even though his permit doesn't specifically mention the book, I doubt it's a problem.

    Rest assured that Mike Gerrard knows about this site and the purpose behind the site. He was overjoyed when he heard that his efforts and that of his brother Peter Gerrard were being preserved on the site and was only too ready to give a permit for letting WoS get on with it. He is really one of the speccy greats from that age!
    Zero - A modern Spectrum emulator for Windows.
    Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
  • HernHern
    edited October 2007
    I own this book, and years ago, I emailed Mike asking for permission to type up the book for WOS. Sadly, mega personal things got in the way and I never finished it. But, glad someone beat me to it. :)

    Was weird emailing someone who I held up in high esteem, lol.
  • dekhdekh
    edited October 2007
    Arjun wrote: »
    Rest assured that Mike Gerrard knows about this site and the purpose behind the site. He was overjoyed when he heard that his efforts and that of his brother Peter Gerrard were being preserved on the site and was only too ready to give a permit for letting WoS get on with it. He is really one of the speccy greats from that age!

    What a nice thing to read. What are they doing now?

    OK don't answer

    TRAVEL WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Ian HamiltonIan Hamilton
    edited October 2007
    Arjun wrote: »
    Rest assured that Mike Gerrard knows about this site and the purpose behind the site. He was overjoyed when he heard that his efforts and that of his brother Peter Gerrard were being preserved on the site and was only too ready to give a permit for letting WoS get on with it. He is really one of the speccy greats from that age!
    I always loved reading his adventure column in YS. It was great. Never got to play 'One Of Our Wombats Is Missing' until the emulation era. When you're 14 years old, buying games through mail-order isn't something you can normally do. In fact, I never actually played it properly so I might load it up and spend a couple of hours on it soon. :)

    I'd love to get some original Zenobi games. The only ones I have are on magazine tapes.

    Necros.
  • zx1zx1
    edited October 2007
    Yea i agree i loved his adventure section in YS as well. When a new issue appeared it was the first thing i'd turn to as i was heavily into adventures (89/90 era).
    I wonder if he still plays the occasional adventure? I wrote to him once to ask him to publicise my new fanazine in 1991 but he never did (sob!).
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
Sign In or Register to comment.