I am a sad, das woman. I not only own the Baring-Gould annotations (bought as a 1-volume set at a used bookstore for $35) but the recent short story annotations by Klinger as well. (A lot more than $35!)
The recent version is, in my mind, very realxing for being laid out in order published. There's no hand-wring, no explaining away, no references to weather patterns. Most stories have one footnot saying, "Some people date this to here, some people date it to here." and it travels on its merry way towards elucidating the things that really need elucidating. It's still a work of lavish, fannish love, but Klinger seems a bit more laid back about it all than Baring-Gould. Baring-Gould is the rabid fan for whom the fannish object is the meaning of life, while Klinger is the guy who introduces himself to the new fen, doesn't laugh at their stupid questions, and realizes that while fandom is a way of life, it is not life.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2005-08-10 03:58 am (UTC)The recent version is, in my mind, very realxing for being laid out in order published. There's no hand-wring, no explaining away, no references to weather patterns. Most stories have one footnot saying, "Some people date this to here, some people date it to here." and it travels on its merry way towards elucidating the things that really need elucidating. It's still a work of lavish, fannish love, but Klinger seems a bit more laid back about it all than Baring-Gould. Baring-Gould is the rabid fan for whom the fannish object is the meaning of life, while Klinger is the guy who introduces himself to the new fen, doesn't laugh at their stupid questions, and realizes that while fandom is a way of life, it is not life.
I need a Holmesian icon.