Sponsor Letter, February 4th 2021

Hi All,

Given what was going on in the US last month when I wrote you, I'm going to assume that you didn't read the last sponsor note.  If I were in your shoes, it's quite likely that I would have, at the best, skimmed over it.  I'll not bore you with a complete recap, but I'll hit the high points again.

1)  Sponsorship renewals are ready to go and, this year more than just about any other, your continued support is a big damn deal.  You can renew on-line at https://borderlands-books.com/v2/become-sponsor/ or we'd love to see you at the shop if you want to renew in person.  You can also call anytime during business hours (11 am to 6 pm everyday) and renew via credit card.  Finally, we are also happy to accept a check -- just mail it to the shop.  

2)  As much as sponsorships are important for the store this year, I'm also very aware that last year was rough for a lot of people.  If renewing your sponsorship this year is going to be more than you can afford, there's a solution.  Every year some generous sponsors make "scholarship" sponsorships available and ask me to distribute them as I think best.  So, if you're short on cash but want to maintain your sponsorship, please drop me a line and we'll get it worked out for you.

3)  Finally, my huge thanks to all of our new sponsors and to all the sponsors who have renewed this year.  Literally, without you there would be no Borderlands.

And now, on to new business.  As I mentioned last month, I went up to Seattle to purchase a large collection.  That went very well (aside for pouring rain all the way from Seattle back to California and the gusting winds that followed) and the books are safely at the shop.  All 200 boxes of them . . . .  As you can imagine, we haven't even unpacked all of them yet (but, we've done some -- more about that in a moment).

As usual, when we make a purchase like this we offer you all the first chance at the books, usually before they are even inventoried.  This time will be no different (though the details have changed because, COVID).  The sale will be on Thursday, February 11th (yup, just next week).  The shop will be closed to the public that day but all our 2021 sponsors are invited to attend, by appointment, in groups of 4.

If you're interested in coming, please reply to this note and I'll send you further details.  When you write, it will save time if you tell us what time you would like to come to the shop.  Appointments are 45 minutes long and start on the hour.  We're going to be as accommodating as possible in terms of times so please, just let us know what is best for you.  Please be aware that, for the safety of our staff and customers, we will not be able to accommodate anyone without an appointment, so please do get in touch no later than Tuesday, February 9th.

If you won't be able to make it in person but are still interested in the sale, please let me know.  I think I have a way that you can take part remotely. It's not quite as good as in person but it's not bad at all.

As for the books -- there are some very nice ones.  Thus far in the limited number of boxes we've unpacked there have been --
One of the nicest copies of the first of Who Goes There by John W. Campbell that I have _ever_ seen.
Two copies of the Amazon.com limited edition of Beadle The Bard by J. K. Rowling.
A splendid first of The Man Who Sold The Moon by Heinlein.
Over a dozen limited lettered edition of titles from Subterranean Press.
The first four of the Centipede Press edition of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books, including a slipcase for the first three volumes.
Several nice early first editions by William Gibson
-- and those are just a few of the high points.  There are many, many good hardcovers in the $50-$100 range as well as an awful lot of desirable (though not rare) hardcovers that will sell for between half and full cover price.  Overall, this is the largest and most wide-ranging collections that I've ever bought so there is bound to be something for almost every collector.

Since we're going to need space to hold all these new arrivals (assuming they don't all sell on Thursday -- I wish), there's going to be an added element to this sale.  All the used books in the shop are going to be 25% off for this one day only.  That includes the rare and collectible titles behind the counter.  So, if there's something back there that you've had your eye on, now's the time to take advantage of that.  This element of the sale will also apply to mail orders so, if you can't make it, check our inventory on-line at Biblio.com (https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/borderlands-books-san-francisco) and come up with a list.  But, don't place the order on-line, call or email us directly so that we can give you your discount.  (For mail orders, the order must arrive on Thursday, the 11th, and books will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.)

That's all the news this month.  I'm looking forward to the summer or fall when we can maybe get a lot closer to normal.  Everyone at the shop misses the sponsor parties and monthly events.  But, 'til then, I hope you're all staying safe, warm and dry.

All Best,
Alan