GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing

chaviro · 08-06-2009, 01:58 PM

Hi all,

Please excuse me if I am not in the right forum to ask this, but I could not find the following piece of information about the GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition. This page mentions two versions (standard and revised) and several printings (8 for the standard, and 6 for the revised one) for this book. On the other hand, one can find many covers for this book (the black-and-red landscape for the revised is well-known, but you have at least two "bubbles" covers for the un-revised version)...
What I'm looking for is a comprehensive listing of all these printings with their date of issue (year and month, at least, if possible), and their cover. I suppose there are also hardcovers and softcovers, which may complicate the matter all the more.

Thank you for your help,

C.

JMason · 08-06-2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaviro

Hi all,

Please excuse me if I am not in the right forum to ask this, but I could not find the following piece of information about the GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition. This page mentions two versions (standard and revised) and several printings (8 for the standard, and 6 for the revised one) for this book. On the other hand, one can find many covers for this book (the black-and-red landscape for the revised is well-known, but you have at least two "bubbles" covers for the un-revised version)...
What I'm looking for is a comprehensive listing of all these printings with their date of issue (year and month, at least, if possible), and their cover. I suppose there are also hardcovers and softcovers, which may complicate the matter all the more.

Thank you for your help,

C.

My Basic Set 3rd ed. Revised softcover has bubbles on it. I think the landscape started with the hard cover, but I don't know what printing that is.

chaviro · 08-06-2009, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMason

My Basic Set 3rd ed. Revised softcover has bubbles on it. I think the landscape started with the hard cover, but I don't know what printing that is.

Thanks, that's a start. Things look indeed complicated. I really hope that with all the guys here, we will be able to sort out all the printings and their covers...

C.

capnq · 08-06-2009, 09:17 PM

My softcover copy of 3rd ed. is 2nd printing, has the bubbles cover with silver lettering, and the last year mentioned in the copyright notice is 1989. ISBN 1-55634-127-X (Wait a minute, that's the same ISBN as dcarson's 3rd. ed. revised from nine years later. I thought ISBNs were unique?)

My hardcover of 3rd ed. Revised is 4th printing, has the landscape cover, and the copyrights run up to 1999. ISBN 1-55634-357-4

Edit: added ISBNs; good idea, dcarson.

chaviro · 08-07-2009, 02:27 PM

Thanks !
C'mon, guys, dig up your libraries ! :)

dcarson · 08-07-2009, 06:43 PM

chaviro · 08-08-2009, 11:26 AM

Well, ISBN's may help, but only partially : different printings of a book have the same ISBN, as the ISBN manual confirms it

A separate ISBN must be assigned to every title, or edition of a title by each publisher, but NOT to an unchanged impression or unchanged reprint of the same title in the same format by the same publisher. Revised editions require a new ISBN. A price change does not call for a new ISBN. Changes of the format induce a new ISBN. The same title being published in a series and individually is treated as two different editions.

For the distinction between the hardcover and the softcover, the SJG item number is also helpful : the softcover is SJG6022, the hardcover is SJG6031. At least, it's shorter than the ISBN...

Up to now, here is what I have.

There are three covers for the 3rd editions :

A bubble cover where "GURPS" is in silver letters, presumely used for the original 3rd edition
A bubble cover where "GURPS" is in yellow (and the picture is different from the above, also), used for some printings of the 3rd edition, and presumly for the revised one, too.
The landscape cover (by Jeff Koke), used for the 3rd edition revised only.

The hardcover appeared in june 2001, the date when SJG also abandoned the "paperback" one (softcover). There is a change of ISBN, BTW. At that time, this was the 3rd or 4th printing of the revised Basic Set (I suppose this was the 4th, but is yet to be confirmed), and the landscape cover was already being used for some time.

For the printings and the dates, here is what I have :

For the 3rd edition, original :

2nd printing, SJG6022, yellow bubbles, (c)1989
3rd printing, SJG6022, jan 1989 ?
No information for the other printings (huge black hole, indeed).

Yellow bubble may be still here in 1991, I don't know for which printing.

For the 3rd, revised :
1st printing, SJG6022, probably bubble yellow, date unknown
2nd printing, SJG6022, first landscape ?, july 1998
3rd printing, SJG6022, landscape from now, january 1999 or december 1998
4th printing, SJG6031, (c)1999 (still here in august 2000)
5th printing, ? but we are around 2001, SJG6022 is no longer published. 5th printing is the "current one" in august 2002
6th printing ?
7th printing exists in dec. 2003 and in june 2004

For the 3rd revised data, my source was SJ's web page in the web archive, but this still leaves us with huge gaps in the history...
I have to check out one of my friend, who may have a 3rd revised with bubble cover...

Note : you cannot rely on amazon for the dates or the covers or anything else (even ISBN are sometimes false...). It may be correct, but it's sometimes false (and in our case, they do not bother make a distinction between the printings...).

Let's keep up the good work !

capnq · 08-10-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaviro

Revised editions require a new ISBN.

That's what I assumed, which is why I'm puzzled at dcarson's 3rd ed. revised having the same ISBN as my much older 3rd. ed., not-revised.

On further investigation, the title page in my hardcover lists the ISBN for both the hardcover and softcover versions, and the listing for the softcover matches the number we've reported on our respective copies. The plot thickens...

Quote:

For the distinction between the hardcover and the softcover, the SJG item number is also helpful : the softcover is SJG6022, the hardcover is SJG6031. At least, it's shorter than the ISBN...

To further confuse the issue (or at least confuse me), when I went back again to doublecheck that I'd transcribed the ISBNs from my copies correctly, I found that my books both have an additional five digit number inserted in that code:

softcover: SJG01995 6022
hardcover: SJG02995 6031

(The included space and bolding is exactly how it appears on the label.)

08-06-2009, 01:58 PM	#1
chaviro Join Date: Aug 2009	GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing Hi all, Please excuse me if I am not in the right forum to ask this, but I could not find the following piece of information about the GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition. This page mentions two versions (standard and revised) and several printings (8 for the standard, and 6 for the revised one) for this book. On the other hand, one can find many covers for this book (the black-and-red landscape for the revised is well-known, but you have at least two "bubbles" covers for the un-revised version)... What I'm looking for is a comprehensive listing of all these printings with their date of issue (year and month, at least, if possible), and their cover. I suppose there are also hardcovers and softcovers, which may complicate the matter all the more. Thank you for your help, C.

08-06-2009, 09:17 PM	#4
capnq Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pittsburgh PA USA	Re: GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing My softcover copy of 3rd ed. is 2nd printing, has the bubbles cover with silver lettering, and the last year mentioned in the copyright notice is 1989. ISBN 1-55634-127-X (Wait a minute, that's the same ISBN as dcarson's 3rd. ed. revised from nine years later. I thought ISBNs were unique?) My hardcover of 3rd ed. Revised is 4th printing, has the landscape cover, and the copyrights run up to 1999. ISBN 1-55634-357-4 Edit: added ISBNs; good idea, dcarson. __________________ Cap'n Q When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. -- Mark Twain Last edited by capnq; 08-07-2009 at 09:49 PM. Reason: add ISBNs

08-07-2009, 02:27 PM	#5
chaviro Join Date: Aug 2009	Re: GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing Thanks ! C'mon, guys, dig up your libraries ! :)

08-07-2009, 06:43 PM	#6
dcarson Join Date: Mar 2008	Re: GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing 3rd ed revised softcover, 3rd printing, landscape, copyright 1998, ISBN 1-55634-127-X

08-08-2009, 11:26 AM	#7
chaviro Join Date: Aug 2009	Re: GURPS Basic Set 3rd edition listing Well, ISBN's may help, but only partially : different printings of a book have the same ISBN, as the ISBN manual confirms it A separate ISBN must be assigned to every title, or edition of a title by each publisher, but NOT to an unchanged impression or unchanged reprint of the same title in the same format by the same publisher. Revised editions require a new ISBN. A price change does not call for a new ISBN. Changes of the format induce a new ISBN. The same title being published in a series and individually is treated as two different editions. For the distinction between the hardcover and the softcover, the SJG item number is also helpful : the softcover is SJG6022, the hardcover is SJG6031. At least, it's shorter than the ISBN... Up to now, here is what I have. There are three covers for the 3rd editions : A bubble cover where "GURPS" is in silver letters, presumely used for the original 3rd edition A bubble cover where "GURPS" is in yellow (and the picture is different from the above, also), used for some printings of the 3rd edition, and presumly for the revised one, too. The landscape cover (by Jeff Koke), used for the 3rd edition revised only. The hardcover appeared in june 2001, the date when SJG also abandoned the "paperback" one (softcover). There is a change of ISBN, BTW. At that time, this was the 3rd or 4th printing of the revised Basic Set (I suppose this was the 4th, but is yet to be confirmed), and the landscape cover was already being used for some time. For the printings and the dates, here is what I have : For the 3rd edition, original : 2nd printing, SJG6022, yellow bubbles, (c)1989 3rd printing, SJG6022, jan 1989 ? No information for the other printings (huge black hole, indeed). Yellow bubble may be still here in 1991, I don't know for which printing. For the 3rd, revised : 1st printing, SJG6022, probably bubble yellow, date unknown 2nd printing, SJG6022, first landscape ?, july 1998 3rd printing, SJG6022, landscape from now, january 1999 or december 1998 4th printing, SJG6031, (c)1999 (still here in august 2000) 5th printing, ? but we are around 2001, SJG6022 is no longer published. 5th printing is the "current one" in august 2002 6th printing ? 7th printing exists in dec. 2003 and in june 2004 For the 3rd revised data, my source was SJ's web page in the web archive, but this still leaves us with huge gaps in the history... I have to check out one of my friend, who may have a 3rd revised with bubble cover... Note : you cannot rely on amazon for the dates or the covers or anything else (even ISBN are sometimes false...). It may be correct, but it's sometimes false (and in our case, they do not bother make a distinction between the printings...). Let's keep up the good work !