Journal Entry 1 by Skyrider from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, April 26, 2004

Journal Entry 2 by Skyrider from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 29, 2004

I'm hoping to release this book as a bookray (my first one!). If you're interested, PM me and I'll insert you into the list (under a basic rule of first-come, first served, but putting people from the same country/continent together to keep postage down — not an issue at the moment since it only seems to be Americans wanting to read it!).

PM me when you receive the book and I'll move down the red highlight to show who's in possession at any time.

• SkyRider (Cambridge, UK)
  
• Ladybug01 (Virginia, USA)
  
• Lpree (Maryland, USA)
  
• pammykn (Florida, USA)
  
• chance22 (California, USA)
  
• Eucalia (California, USA)
  
• deadsteen (New York, USA)
  
• mlbish (Illinois, USA)
  
• katayoun (Tehran, Iran) <---- The book is here!
  
• Kyrissaean (New Hampshire, USA)
  
• ...you?
  

Journal Entry 3 by Ladybug01 on Thursday, May 27, 2004

This book arrived a couple of weeks ago and I've enjoyed reading a few letters each evening before bed. Was a quick read.

The entire book is a collection of letters, the correspondence between the inhabitants on the island of Nollop, trying to cope with the rapidly diminishing pool of letters of the alphabet still available for their communications, both written and spoken. This is a very clever and original tale told in a most challenging format!

Sending PM to Lpree for her address.
>(:::) 

Journal Entry 4 by Ladybug01 on Thursday, June 24, 2004

Sorry this took me too long to mail---was busy with end of school year, daughter's graduation and trip to her university Freshman Orientation!! Now summer begins! (time to read more! and get packages off to P.O.)
>(:::) 

Journal Entry 5 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Friday, June 25, 2004

This arrived in today's mail. I've reading one bookring book now and have one additional bookring ahead of this one... so this is #2 in the TBR pile. When it rains, it pours... I'm really looking forward to this one! 

Journal Entry 6 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Saturday, July 03, 2004

This was a clever idea for a book - fun but difficult to read towards the end! I really enjoyed reading this!

I have PMd pammykn for her address and will try to get it mailed out sometime this week.

UPDATE - Sent media mail to pammykn today. 

Journal Entry 7 by pammykn from Decatur, Alabama USA on Sunday, July 11, 2004

Received in the mail Saturday 07/10 and looking forward to reading it. Thanks! 

Journal Entry 8 by pammykn from Decatur, Alabama USA on Sunday, July 11, 2004

Thanks so much for sharing this clever, creative book w/ me. I enjoyed it so much and read it straight through this morning. Will mail off to Chancy this week. 

Journal Entry 9 by chance22 from San Leandro, California USA on Tuesday, July 20, 2004

I received this in the mail yesterday and will start it very soon. Thanks for sending it my way. 

Journal Entry 10 by chance22 from San Leandro, California USA on Wednesday, July 21, 2004

What a book! While the story wasn't great, it is such a clever idea. And I can't imagine the task the author had in writing the letters with certain letters omitted. I found myself skimming the letters after I had read them to make sure the "z"s and "d"s were really gone. And when people had slip ups, I found myself going back and searching for them. What a feat to write this book. Bravo.

I will pm the next person on the list right away. 

Journal Entry 11 by chance22 at A fellow bookcrosser in Sacramento, California USA on Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Released on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 at A fellow bookcrosser in Sacramento, California USA.

Sent this one off to Eucalia today.
 

Journal Entry 12 by Eucalia from Snoqualmie, Washington USA on Monday, August 02, 2004

I received this book in the mail today. I look forward to reading it as soon as I can! 

Journal Entry 13 by Eucalia from Snoqualmie, Washington USA on Monday, August 16, 2004

Journal Entry 14 by Eucalia at sent to bookcrosser in Mailed, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, August 19, 2004

Released on Thursday, August 19, 2004 at sent to bookcrosser in Mailed, Bookring Controlled Releases.

I mailed this to deadsteen this morning! 

Journal Entry 15 by deadsteen from Cortlandt Manor, New York USA on Monday, August 30, 2004

Found this in the pile of mail upon returning from vacation! Looking forward to it. 

Journal Entry 16 by deadsteen from Cortlandt Manor, New York USA on Thursday, September 02, 2004

This is a creative wacky epistolary adventure in lipograms!! That's 2 new words I learned before I even got to page 1. I had to look up a bunch of words. This was a fun quick read. I don't know if I would have stuck with it if it was much longer. By the time they were down to 12 letters, it required significant brain power to decipher. I'm glad I had the chance to read this. 

Journal Entry 17 by deadsteen from Cortlandt Manor, New York USA on Monday, September 13, 2004

Mailed to mlbish this morning. The journey continues!! 

Journal Entry 18 by mlbish from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Caught. Thank you very much, deadsteen and Skyrider. I will read it and pass it along ASAP. 

Journal Entry 19 by mlbish from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, October 17, 2004

Finished last night.

Well, Mark Dunn took on quite a job when he decided to write this book, huh? What an interesting idea. And along with his word acrobatics, he took on some weighty ideas about the wisdom (or lack thereof) of people in power.

I agree with most of you that the story was not the main event. It's a good thing the book wasn't long, because I wasn't really interested in the characters or events. But the language was fun, and the efforts the author took to write the lipograms were very interesting. I suddenly realized how difficult it would be to omit a letter from daily use. At every reference to a 'letter violation' I discovered that I had skipped right over it without even noticing. I had to go back and search (sometimes futilely) for the infraction.

Thanks for sharing this unique book, Skyrider. I have something else I have to send to Katayoun too, so I may wait until that is ready before sending this one out. 

Journal Entry 20 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Monday, January 17, 2005

here! there another book and then it's this, HURRAH! :) thanks mlbish
 

Journal Entry 21 by katayoun from Tehran, Tehran Iran on Tuesday, February 01, 2005

will be mailing the book tomorrow, it should probably, hopefully, touch wood, get to Kyrissaean in a month at most, that is probably, hopefully and touch wood! :)
so about the book, well it was scary, scary because it looked impossible for such a thing to happen, for such people to be in power and yet i have this awful feeling that i see them and their crazy announcements each day. i've seen pyres of books, i've seen webloggers arrested, i've seen journalists and authors in jail, clubbed to death. written word has so much power and crazy, mad, power hungry people do get to the top, people follow them and think they might be right, zealot do awful things because they feel that it's right and divine and prophets and martyrs are created just because of a scribbling of a not to bright kid... it was scary and oh so sad.