The OF Blog: Fun with signatures

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Fun with signatures

Earlier today, my copy of the limited-edition Shriek: An Afterword arrived from Wyrm Publishing. Apparently, it did as well for its author, Jeff VanderMeer. Seeing Jeff's post reminded me of a little amusing thing I noticed about his signed books, so I thought I'd share them with you (since it's a boring Saturday and all):



From this signed copy of Jeff's The Situation, you can see he only signs half of his last name, which is a bit different from...


Secret Lives, where little more than initials are given. But for...




...my personalized copy of Steampunk, it's a full first name, but after the initial V, it all is a lined blur, but then looking at...

Shriek, one can see a full signature. Almost makes one wonder if Jeff gets bored with signing his books or if each book gets its own special signature style. :P Anyone care to weigh in on this?

9 comments:

Charles said...

With each book, JeffV undergoes a personality makeover that dwarfs the number of times Madonna has re-invented herself for the public. He goes on a diet of magic mushrooms and elk antler powder, all the while wearing a jellyfish cap that inserts its tentacles into his ears as to massage his nervous membrane.

And then Ann gives him a good whacking for making her put up with all of that.

Charles said...

It also explains why Jeff signs in anonymously in various comments under various pseudonyms, including "Stephenie Meyer".

Larry Nolen said...

Excellent theory, Charles, but how does that explain the Orca? Unless of course Jeff's love for marine life includes mammals in addition to cephalopods?

Charles said...

If you look carefully at the drawing, the bottom fin resembles the tentacles of a cephalopod and I count nine suckers in there. That's just a ship that's meant to look like an orca but not an actual mammal.

Larry Nolen said...

Good point. And perhaps the shift in signatures is meant to symbolize his various states of cephalopod/mushroom worship ecstasy?

Anonymous said...

Both my autographs have the full name (one of them here: http://books.mostly-harmless.ro/images/nw1.jpg ), but I don't know how Jeff has the patience to sign it like that. I sign a bank slip every now and then and I can't be bothered writing more than IS (my initials).

Anonymous said...

Hmm, the last one looks more like "Caliph Vathek" then "Jeff VanderMeer". Sure you got the right one?

Oliver

Anonymous said...

His signature varies depending on the music he is listening to at the time. And it's nice to have the music, because it helps to drown out the cursing as he signs all the copies!

Long-suffering Ann.....

Larry Nolen said...

Jen,

I almost always have an extremely clear signature (then again, both my first and last names are only five letters long), although I always initial any school-related business, since I can't be bothered then.

Oliver,

I thought Jeff might be a Caliph? You mean I was wrong?

Ann,

That is hilarious! I can just imagine the VanderCursing going on, especially if he signed those sheets during the Florida-Ole Miss football game last September. Then again, I am a University of Tennessee graduate, so perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing? :P

 
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