Ebay Alert 1/27/12

Books

Odds On by John Lange
Michael Crichton’s first published book

Approaching Oblivion by Harlan Ellison
This short story collection contains a foreword by Michael Crichton

Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
Franklin Library leatherbound Signed First Edition

Jasper Johns by Michael Crichton
revised 1994 edition

Travels by Michael Crichton
Franklin Library leatherbound Signed First Edition

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
This illustrated edition contains an introduction by Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park & The Lost World – Signed by Michael Crichton - Easton Press
These are the leatherbound editions were part of the Grand Prize in the Micro Photo Contest.

Magazines

TV Guide - November 25 - December 1, 1972
This issue contains an article written by Michael Crichton about the experience of directing his first film Pursuit.

Playboy January 1988
Contains the essay “Panic In The Sheets” by Michael Crichton

Playboy February 1989
Contains the essay "Men's Hearts" by Michael Crichton

Playboy Magazine Dec 1991
Contains the essay “How to Argue” by Michael Crichton

1989 POPULAR MECHANICS Magazines - 11 Issues
The May 1989 issue contains the article “Spaceport America” by Michael Crichton

Fangoria 126 JURASSIC PARK
Contains an interview with Michael Crichton

LIFE magazine March 3, 1972
Contains short article with interview of Michael Crichton

Playboy November 1968
Contains a Jeffery Hudson short story “How Does That Make You Feel?”

EBay Alert 1/25/12

Here are some Michael Crichton collectibles currently up for sale through eBay:

Signed Books

Travels (inscribed to "Peter")

Jurassic Park

Electronic Life (inscribed to "Peter")

Sphere (inscribed to "Peter")

The Lost World

A Case of Need

The Great Train Robbery (inscribed to "Peter")

Magazines

FILMS AND FILMING 1/78 - MICHAEL CRICHTON interview

Playboy Magazine January 1999 – Michael Crichton interview

TIME Cover story - Michael Crichton

Firsts: The Book Collector's Magazine; July/Aug 1997 – Michael Crichton interview

Saturday Review - January 1973
Michael Crichton reviews “The Odessa File” By Frederick Forsyth

Other Collectibles

Amazon by Michael Crichton for Commodore 64/128

CHRISTIE'S CATALOG - THE COLLECTION OF MICHAEL CRICHTON - 5/10
(A must-have for the dedicated MC fan and collector)

Jasper Johns by Michael Crichton - 1977 Edition

Richard Preston Radio Interview 1/9/12

There’s a fantastic radio interview of Richard Preston on Some Books Considered. The Jan. 9 program is quite informative about the process of writing Micro.

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the long silence. My productivity has been temporarily impeded by my working in retail during the holiday season, and recently by a slightly strained shoulder. Be back soon….

In the meantime, here's something on Ebay that I really wanted. A book that had belonged to Michael Crichton. His name is written in it. There are underlined passages, and notes in the margins. (See the photos) Somebody else got it for the Buy-it-now price of $350. Killed me not to be able to buy it.

A Michael Crichton Christmas 2011

By Marla Warren

On the first day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
A T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the second day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the third day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the fourth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the fifth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the sixth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the seventh day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the eighth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Eight Airframes crashing
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the ninth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Nine E.R.s in peril
Eight Airframes crashing
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the tenth day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Ten Congos drumming
Nine E.R.s in peril
Eight Airframes crashing
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the eleventh day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Eleven Spheres a-humming
Ten Congos drumming
Nine E.R.s in peril
Eight Airframes crashing
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

On the Next day of Christmas Michael Crichton gave to me
Twelve Micros munching
Eleven Spheres a-humming
Ten Congos drumming
Nine E.R.s in peril
Eight Airframes crashing
Seven States a-Fearing
Six Prey a-fleeing
Five Eaters of the Dead
Four Timelines
Three Lost Worlds
Two Jasper Johns
And a T-Rex who tried to eat me

I wrote the original version of this on December 22, 2007. I intended it to be a fun treat for the holidays. With Michael Crichton's untimely death, it's poignant to think about what he gave us.

In 2009 I revised “A Michael Crichton Christmas” to include Pirate Latitudes. My good friend Erik and his friend Angel, with some help from their families, created a video based on it.



It’s amazing and I can’t believe they put all that work into it! Merry Christmas to all!

The Best of Musings on Michael Crichton

For those who work in retail, the phrase “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” has a very different meaning. I’ll write more about Micro as soon as I come up for air.

In the meantime, enjoy our ten most popular posts:

Pirate Latitudes – Matanceros
This is overwhelming the most popular post I’ve ever written.

The Origin of Pirate Latitudes – Part 1

The Origins of Pirate Latitudes - Part 2

What Michael Crichton Said About Micro

Micro Cover Revealed!

Pirate Latitudes - Additional Reading List

Interview – “Travels of Michael Crichton”

Michael Crichton’s Recommended Reading

Michael Crichton Artwork – Quoted by Joseph Kosuth

Stephen King Tribute to Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton Trivia – 12/11/11

What was the original title of “ER”?

Last week’s trivia question:

Which of Michael Crichton’s novels is the longest? And which is the shortest?

First, let me clarify that the question concerned only the novels Michael Crichton published under his own name. Length was determined by the number of pages in the first edition hardcovers.

The longest Crichton novel, Dan answered correctly, is State of Fear (2004) with 603 pages.

Charles Epting gets credit for identifying the shortest Crichton novel -- Eaters of the Dead (1976) with 193 pages.

Remember to vote for your favorite photos in the Micro Yourself Photo Contest!