The Neverwhere limited edition was blighted with printing problems when the since-defunct Hill House Publishing announced the project a few years ago. They had opted to collaborate with Polish printers who unfortunately did not delay on their promises. Thankfully, I was not one of those who made a pre-order with Hill House of my money would have ended up in limbo for years.
Harper Collins took over the project after Hill House folded in 2009 with Neil Gaiman's editor ensuring that all pre-orders from Hill House were filled in addition to taking on new orders such as mine late last year. I placed an order with the confidence that Harper Collins (being the big publisher they are) would be able to deliver on the much-anticipated limited edition of Neverwhere. And they did!
Neverwhere is a novelization of the BBC television mini-series by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry (of Comic Relief fame). It tells the story of Richard Mayhew, who travels to the world of London Below in aid of Door, whom he encounters on a street. More details about the plot can be found on the Neverwhere (novel) Wikipedia page. I have a particular affinity for the locations and characters given that many of them are based on real locations or Underground stations in London, where I had been vacationing recently. For instance, there is a Night's Bridge (after Knightsbridge) and the angel, Islington after the station of the same name.
The limited edition:
-Limited to one edition of 1000 hand-numbered copies, of which my copy is no. 967
- Signed by Neil Gaiman
- Each volume and slipcase is handbound in rich midnight blue cloth
- Volume and front are gold-stamped
- Slipcase features a die-cut aperture through which is seen the gold-stamped door illustration on volume front case
- Elegant two-color interior design
- Printed endpapers feature map of the London Underground, faithfully reproduced from the book's original trade edition
- Large 7" X 10" format
- Text is the "Author's Preferred Text"; this volume includes a special introduction to the book by the author
- Special addendum to this limited edition: "The Neverwhere Files"--material from the author's files that give a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the evolution of Neverwhere
- Each volume comes in its own protective cardboard case--labeled with title, author, price, publisher information, and barcode
External box cover
No. 967 of 1000 copies
Slipcase and cover with gold foil
Inside front cover with London Underground map
Hand numbered title page and Neil Gaiman signature
Chapter page
Introduction by Neil Gaiman for this edition
Here are the rest of my Neverwhere-related items:
Neverwhere audio book
US 1st edition 1st print ex-library; Book club edition hardcover
Index page with complete number line
Back covers
Addendum 4 Apr 10 - I managed to dig up a few more items of my Neverwhere collection.
Neverwhere comic adaptation by Mike Carey (w) and Glenn Fabry (a)
The two-disc DVD set for the BBC series of Neverwhere that started it all
I'll start working on the long overdue account of Neil Gaiman's visit to Singapore soon... promise.
