A few Holmes comments from A&E
A&E #20
From - Many Worlds By Margaret Geminani pg#4
Holmes: An enjoyable tale.
From - The Portal To Temporalana #13 By Wayne Shaw Pg#3
Eric and Chris Holmes (or vice versa): I don't know guys. I never read the story because I am too busy laughing at Chris' drawings. This is right up there with the mage fireballing the mouse.
A&E #24
From - A page from the Verdigris Testament By Steve Marsh Pg#2
Eric Holmes Writes, "In addition to playing Dungeons and Dragons every week-end, other projects at present include work on a new novel based on the game. My sequel to Mahars, Red Axe of Pellucdar, is never going to be released by ERB, Inc. I had hoped to do several more, the next to be Swordsman of Pellucidar, etc., but chances of getting any of it published is presently nil.
"Probably all your subscribers have read Sword of Shannara by now... the problem with the book, I feel, is that Brooks has undertaken to tell the story of Lord of the Rings all over again... I hope Brooks decides to do a story of his very own, soon.
"Minifigs is out with a whole new D&D line... and Old Guard has beautiful Empire of the Petal Throne figures. I have gouth(sp) them all. ....As a friend of mind(sp) remarked to Gary at the Aero Hobbies in Santa Monica, "You've found the secret! You've discovered how to turn lead into gold!
A&E #25
From - Many Worlds By Margaret Geminani pg#4
Eric Holmes: Fred Bolin is working on a theory of the Blink system which will enable people to teleport between his two worlds and Tellus.
From - I Would Have Made a Great Platinum Dragon #10 By Bill Seligman Pg#3
Eric Holmes: the new revised D&D is written extremely well, at least. Kudos to you, sir, at least future DMs will not have to struggle with what we had.
A&E #26
From - Many Worlds By Margaret Geminani pg#3
Eric Holmes: you might contact the Burroughs Bibliophiles
Many thanks, Jason! I'd seen Holmes' brief letter in #24 (August 1977), but not the other comments. A&E #25 is September 1977?
ReplyDeleteGary at Aero Hobbies is presumably Gary Switzer, the owner. He provided photos for minis in Holmes' 1981 FRPG book, and may be the one responsible for inspiring Gygax to put the Thief in D&D. See Jon Peterson's post here:
ReplyDeletehttp://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/gygaxs-thief-addition-1974.html
Bill Seligman also gave us an Origins III convention report in the August 77 issue of Wild Hunt (East Coast APAzine, info via Jon Peterson). This report mentions Holmes Basic being available there, and thus gives us the earliest date for public availability - late July 1977.
ReplyDeleteJason, do you also have A&E #27? Apparently Lee Gold made some comments on the "new D&D beginner's book". I have this info via a comment in A&E #30 by John Sapienza, who responds that he hasn't seen it yet.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't and I think I am missing A&E #21 as well. #27 is for sale on ebay at the moment, and while fairly expensive I am thinking of picking it up.
ReplyDeleteI will have to scan these issue for more information. There is a great deal of commentary about Origins III, mainly do to Tim Kask's seminar and speech about TSR tracking down and suing everyone who photocopied the D&D rulebooks or tried to publish their own variations, starting with tunnels&trolls and the Arduin books.
ReplyDelete