PDF request: Order of Hermes

If at all possible, I would be interested in buying a copy of the "Order of Hermes" book by Lion Rampart, if that ever comes up as part of your 2011 PDF plan, as its the only book to ever detail (however briefly) the Hibernian Tribunal, for sure.

SJE

The problem with the really old books is that we have no digital files, usually -- especially the books we acquired from other publishers. In the case of OoH, I don't have a lot of physical copies either (I have a personal copy, the company has an archive copy...but maybe only one), so I'm hesitant to destroy one in order to feed it into a scanner. (The big bunch of old WW-era books were digitized that way a few years ago.) Plus, OoH has been superceded by the Houses of Hermes book, and now the HoH trilogy of 5th Edition. But I know how many Ars fans are real completists... (And heck, I suppose we should consider at some point trying to get things like ArM1 available as PDF for the same reason.)

I guess from your perspective that you must be a little frustrated- you are the only one with the right to monetise and publish these PDF's but your stymied by a lack of a disposable copy. While I certainly sympathise (I wouldnt chop up my sole copy of something- it pains the bibliophile in me) this might be a time in which you employ the AM fan community to mutual advantage.

You could make a list of the books you need another copy of and how much you are willing to pay, and then see if the community can help source them- either from direct sales (some fans may have multiple copies and be willing to sell) or by keeping an eye out in old book shops, gaming convention bring n' buys or looking out for them on ebay. Maybe give out some free PDF's as a finders fee for whoever sources you a copy (which in turn will keep more of the AM material accessable to new fans or gaming archeologists who wonder how the Order of Hermes has evolved from 1990 to 2010)

John, I know it would alter the inner edge of the page, but can't you just copy the book and run the copies through the scanner? To preven the pages jolting around the page, you could countertrim the opposite edge.

Or, possibly not...I only know these things from libraries and our scans aren't for collectors, so our standards must be lower.

John, do you know Duncan Campbell? ( I seem to recall some event that involved boardgames, and possibly a bottle of malbec but it would have been several years ago and even if it did happen you might not have any reason to remember him).

He's the vice president of a bindery that does (among other things) low volume artsy work.
campbell-logan.com/index.html
If you're worried about how your book might look after being scanned (and no I'm not offering my copy) I'm sure that he'd be able to but a new cover and binding on it for a price that didn't seem too exorbitant when I last looked at the possibility (although it's been a few years since I spoke to him about his prices).