‘The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate’

The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate

London: Quartet, 1976 (June 17th) hardcover;
original price: £3·95;
170 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-704-32110-6;
cover artist: Patrick Woodroffe.

Elric of Melniboné — proud prince of ruins, kinslayer — call him what you will. He remains, together with maybe Jerry Cornelius, Moorcock’s most enduring, if not always most endearing, character…

The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate slots — in terms of the overall saga’s internal narrative chronology — between The Fortress Of The Pearl (1989) and The Weird Of The White Wolf (1977). It was collected in The Elric Saga Part One (1984), the Elric Of Melniboné omnibus (1993, itself retitled and revised as Elric: Song Of The Black Sword in 1995), Duke Elric (2009), Elric: The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate (2013) and The Elric Saga Volume One: Elric Of Melniboné (2022).

‘Sailing To The Future’, the first section in The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate, retells from Elric’s viewpoint a part of the Hawkmoon/Count Brass novel, The Quest For Tanelorn. Its third and final section, ‘Sailing To The Past’, is an absorption of the 1973 novella, The Jade Man’s Eyes, revised in order to bring it in line with the developing series.

London: Orbit (Quartet), 1977 (July 5th) mass-sized paperback;
original price: 70p;
170 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-7043-1301-4;
cover artist: unknown.

London: Granada paperback, 1981 (June 4th);
original price: 95p;
190 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-583-13099-2;
cover artist: Melvyn (Grant).

First American edition: New York: DAW Books, 1976 (December) mass-sized paperback;
original price: $1·25;
160 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-87997-270-X;
cover artist: Michael Whelan;
illustrated by Whelan? (frontispiece) & James Cawthorn (title page), both uncredited.

**DAW p/b ed., 4th & 5th printings,** **0-87997-434-6** **($1·50).**

**DAW p/b ed., 6th printing, 0-87997-714-0 ($1·95).**

DAW p/b ed., 7th printing, 0-87997-797-3 **($2·25)** + later reprints?

**New York: Berkley, 1983 (July) paperback;**
original price: $2·50;
160 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-425-06158-2;
cover artist: Robert Gould;
**(+ later reprints).**

**New York: Ace, 1987 (September) paperback;**
original price: $3·50;
181 pages;
I.S.B.N.: **0-441-74863-5**;
cover artist: Robert Gould;
**+ later reprints**…

... for example:-

London: Granada paperback, 1984 (July);
original price: £1·95;
I.S.B.N.: 0-583-13099-2;
190 pages;
cover artist: Michael Whelan.

**Reprinted Grafton, **1986 (£1·95)**; **1988 (£2·50)**; 1989, 0-586-20877-1 (**£2·99)**;**
**1990 (twice + later reprints @ £2·99, **£3·50**, £3·99, etc.).**

Lakewood, CO: Centipede Press, 2019 (January 17th) hardcover;
dated “2018” on copyright page;
a limited edition of “300 [numbered] signed copies for sale, plus extras for contributors, and a special deluxe edition”;
edited by John Davey;
original price: $150·00;
263 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 978-1-61347-218-7;
cover artist: Richard Hescox (also interior);
introduction by Michael Chabon (pp. 7 & 8);
signed by Moorcock, Hescox & Chabon.

**Includes additional short fiction: ‘Introduction To The AudioRealms Version Of *The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate*’ (pp. 11–16** [11–15 in deluxe ed.]**), ‘The Dreaming City’ (pp. 207–247** [179–216]**) & ‘A Portrait In Ivory’ (pp. 249–263** [217–231]).

Chapel Hill, N.C.: AudioRealms (5-C.D.) audiobook, 2006;
original price: $29·95;
I.S.B.N.: 0-8095-6246-4;
narrated by Jeffrey West;
cover artist: Dalmazio Frau.

Includes exclusive introduction specially written & read by Moorcock (**first appearance**, **later **‘Introduction To The AudioRealms Version Of *The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate*’**)**.

**Centipede Press, 2021** (dated 2018) **“special oversize deluxe edition, limited to 22** [numbered] **copies for sale”** (not to scale), in decorated black-and-red slip-case;
original price: $750·00;
231 pages;
I.S.B.N.: none;
**signed by Moorcock, Hescox** **& Chabon**.

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