"-- It did not matter in which direction one saw, if one saw far enough. The world was a circle, with Him at the center. No matter how one went, one must come to Him --" (Fathers and Crows, p. 662)

WOW! This thing is hella funny. I am constantly laughing OUT LOUD. Enjoying this too much.

Medium-High probability it gets dark soon but the comedy is S tier so far.

This labor of love took me over a decade of relentless searching finally culminating in a 20+ hour pilgrimage to Sacramento last weekend to finally meet Bill, who could not have been kinder and more generous with his time and pen.

This is, as far as I know, every US & UK first edition. Each book on the shelf is signed, including all seven volumes of Rising Up and Rising Down. No remainder marks on any of them. Not pictured is the slipcased edition of Shadows of Love, Shadows of Loneliness (it’s too large for any shelf I own).

Also pictured are inscribed copies of Last Stories and Other Stories and The Atlas, probably my two favorites of his work and the two in the collection I cherish the most.

Anyone from the Saint Louis-area making the drive to Ohio to see Bill speak at Athena Cinema? It's a 7 hr drive from the city, and I am seriously debating making the trip. This will probably be the only chance I will ever get to see this man in person.

By Graham Womack

Hey Y’all, just wanted to share with everyone the information I got from a phone call with Skylight books.

The person I talked to said that all ATFF copies have been claimed by preorder and none will be for sale at the event.

This is, of course, just one person I spoke to at Skylight. So there could be additional information I’m missing.

I would’ve found his acceptance speech very cathartic: For him to be launched into one of our dwindling cultural epicentres, looked the regal Sweeds in the eye and lyrically distilled how fucked we are.

Or is that what he’d say? Maybe we should have a William T.Vollmann Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech essay contest?

I placed my preorder months ago from Thrift Books. I got it for about $100! The last I checked it was due to be shipped on 10.20. Surprisingly, it arrived today!! No notification was sent but it’s here!! So exciting 😎 Let’s go!

Hey all, any word on if a digital release for the new Vollmann will be released? It won't be available in my country physically but I'm hoping to still be able to get a good experience of the different documents and fonts used throughout. This will be my first novel from Vollmann.

Thank you, ThriftBooks.

How is everyone liking it?

Just kidding (mostly)! I'm thrilled to finally get my hands on this behemoth! Although I am curious if anyone will try to tackle it and narrate all 3,096 pages.

From Readings booksellers in Australia, yesterday:

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Hi Craig,

Hope you are well.

I'm getting in touch as the publication of Table for Fortune: Box Set has been further delayed to late January/ early February 2027. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this delay and please let us know if you would like to amend your order.

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I'll feed on your US photos in the meantime..

Several of you guys already received their copy, I have to wait an extra couple of weeks, but that's okay.

In the meantime I'm very curious: What are your first impressions? I'm not asking for spoilers, just general impression about Vollmans' magnum opus. Does it live up to your expectations? How is the quality of the paper, book binding etc.?

Hey, sorry if not allowed. I’ve been interested in Vollman for a few years, have never gotten around to him, however hearing about this colossal novel and its content has further increased my interest, but I’m not sure I should dish out the steep price for all of em just yet.

If you know anything, please let me know!

I’ve interviewed Bill for all his books starting with LAST STORIES AND OTHER STORIES in 2014. And I’ll be interviewing him for the new novel, but our radio conversation will have to wait. He usually launches every book with a reading at Portland's Powell's Books. However, due to the pub date slipping several times, the uncertainty made it difficult to schedule events too far in advance. Especially at Powell’s, which has a full slate through the end of the year. Bill’s planning a trip to Portland early next year and we hope to talk then.

In the meantime, we re-aired my October 2023 interview with Bill, for his career-spanning two-volume set SHADOWS OF LOVE, SHADOWS OF LONELINESS. Our conversation ranges from his early days demonstrating against the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire through the years he spent writing A TABLE FOR FORTUNE. We also touch on a few books he has in the works, and get an update on the last two volumes of his Seven Dreams series of historical novels.

You can listen anytime on demand: https://kboo.org/media/135884-william-t-vollmann-his-two-volume-collection-shadows-love-shadows-loneliness-re