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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5781990" data-attributes="member: 22779">On the idea of obscurity.I'm not sure, Celebrim, how you measure whether or not an author is obscure.  For me, sales are largely one of the easiest metrics to use.  Tolkien is not obscure because he's hit massive sales, been made into major motion pictures (more than once) and whatnot.  He's a household name.  Pretty much the opposite of obscure.I mentioned David Eddings in my last post.  Now, I am in no way commenting on quality, but, here's an author that's hit the NYT best seller lists, both in genre and in mainstream.  If I walk into any book store in North America, I'll likely find at least one title with his name on it.  Heck, I can walk into bookstores here in Japan and still find books with his name on them.Now, name three best selling Jack Vance stories.  Two?  One?  If I walk into any mainstream bookstore, not specialist bookstore, but a mainstream one, what are the odds that I will find any titles with his name on them?  Or Roger Zelasny for that matter.  Michael Moorcock?  Sure, no problem.  Can't swing a dead cat without hitting something he's written.  REH would have been a bit dicey in the 80's, although the De Camp versions would have been an easy find, but, today?  Reprints are booming.You might find a few Vance reprints currently, mostly because the reprint market is so huge right now.  And, Subterranean Press just did a really great collection of stories in the Dying Earth tradition.  But, Subterranean Press specializes in that sort of thing.Vance is an author's author.  He's one of those authors that people refer to, but, rarely ever read.  If D&D hadn't used him as an inspiration, I daresay that the vast majority of people here on En World would never have heard of him.  As it is, they might have heard of him, but, again, I'm willing to bet dollas to donuts that not that many have actually read him.That's why I call Jack Vance obscure.  Fantastic to be sure.  One of the great authors in the genre.  But, unfortunately, not very widely read.</blockquote>

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