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[ProfStokes]

My copy of the book arrived over the weekend.  I was very impressed by the look of the item.  The cover in particular is pretty fancy, with flaps like a book jacket instead of a simple paperback cover, and the pages are full glossy like the Scrapbook or the original Almanac.

I haven't had much of a chance to read it yet (it looks to be mostly a promotional tool for the new movie; several of the articles I flipped through dealt with Burton's work), though I've already spotted two inaccuracies within the first 25 pages.

ProfStokes

[michael c]

thanks prof,

i'm attending a book signing that she's doing in new york next week and will pick it up then.

given the mixed reaction the film is getting could be a strange event.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I was honestly surprised by how little of the book is about the new film - maybe about 40 pages. That leaves more than 150 pages that are about the original DS right up through the Big Finish audio dramas. And actually, fans of the'91 series will be pleased because there are several new color photos from that show (including a color photo from the cut Dr. Fisher scene from Ep #4).

[Midnite]

i'm attending a book signing that she's doing in new york next week and will pick it up then.

There's an ad for the signing (April 3, 7 pm at the B&N on 86th and Lex) in today's NY Post.  And she's having a drawing for 2012 movie posters-- hope you win one.

[michael c]

thanks midnite...

i'm sure you know which one i want.

[Uncle Roger]

Just received my copy in the mail. A day too late to make it to the NYC signing, unfortunately. Did anyone from the forum attend?

Skimmed through the text quickly so no comment right now. The pictures, always Pomegranate Press' major asset, are great. It's amazing to see new pictures from the original after so many years!!

[michael c]

i was in attendance.

it was quite a well attended if slightly odd affair.

as with the POMPRESS material in general KLS indulged in her usual factual inaccuracies. among last night's more notable gaffes was her "remembrance" of her 1966 audition for the series alongside grayson hall, marie wallace and kate jackson. none of whom were present of course and would not join the series until many months and even years later.

stranger still was that rather than speak of her own experiences off the cuff she gave a prepared speech of sorts where she quoted herself pretty directly from 'my dark shadows memories'. some passages verbatim. the text of much of the new book itself is largely lifted from that source as well.

then there was the usual confusion of who she played when(last night kitty hampshire was apparently an eighteenth century character)and when and how she stepped in for the clothes dummy draped in tatty cloth and assumed the mantle as josette.

with each new published "recollection" she gets a new opportunity to iron out factual inaccuracies...yet she doesn't. the people sitting in the audience of course knew more than she did and there was sort of a collective eye roll when she went off on some imagined turn of events.

still she spoke highly of her experience onset of the new film and assured guests that there was much more to it than the campy humor seen in the trailers(we'll see ourselves soon enough). i did not 'win' one of the posters she raffled off but someone who did was nice enough to give me theirs. it's HUGE. it's the cast photo with depp in the center and the rest grouped around.

[Uncle Roger]

Thanks for the account of the event. KLS can certainly be the patron saint of self-promotion. Marie and Grayson were probably in NYC at the time. But Kate was about 17 and most likely still in high school.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

i did not 'win' one of the posters she raffled off but someone who did was nice enough to give me theirs. it's HUGE. it's the cast photo with depp in the center and the rest grouped around.

That was so nice of them. And I'm happy that you were able to get one, if not also a bit jealous. 

[Gothick]

Fascinating.  How ... intriguing that she now thinks Grayson, Marie and Kate attended her audition.  I do hope this isn't a sign of anything more than the usual ditsy scatteredness.

When my current phase of budget austerity is done, I look forward to getting hold of a copy of the new book.  I am quite intrigued to see the photos and to read Darren's revised essay on the films.

G.

[michael c]

How ... intriguing that she now thinks Grayson, Marie and Kate attended her audition.  I do hope this isn't a sign of anything more than the usual ditsy scatteredness.

i shouldn't worry much about miss scott.  she's as sharp as a tack and remarkably spry.

i think was just indulging in a bit of name dropping. and her usual inaccuracies.

[Darren Gross]

I think it would be very constructive, if anyone finds inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the book itself, they can post them on this thread.  I'm curious which bits of info are causing distress.  The more specific the better...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I only read the first 6 pages before I let a friend take the book to look at - but in those first 6 pages I noticed:

The year DS ended on the Sci-Fi Channel is wrong. The book says 2001, yet it actually ended in December of 2003. (And there's abundant proof of that right here on the forum.)

And also, the book says something like in 2006 Depp finalized his rights deal to do a film version of DS, yet Variety and any number of reputable publications reported in late July of 2007 that the deal had just closed then. (The complete text of, as well as a link to the Variety article is in reply #6 of the topic that you started ("It's official: Dark Shadows returns as a film with Johnny Depp") on the Current Talk board back on July 26, 2007.)

[Gothick]

If she would hire a professional researcher and editor to go over her books, errors such as this could easily be avoided.

But then I've said for years that editors are going the way of the dinosaur... and English is now my favorite dead language.

cheers,

G.

[KMR]

... and English is now my favorite dead language.

Love it!