THE PKD LIST FAQ (as of September 2002)
Welcome to the PKD List. This online list is devoted to the
discussion of the creative works and life of Philip Kindred Dick. In addition to
sharing thoughts on this central topic, the list welcomes other messages on
things phildickian. Some examples of this might include: PKD sightings (in the
media, in other books, in song lyrics, or on tortillas); writers and writings
influenced by PKD; information on where to buy first editions and other
hard-to-find books by or about PKD; and news items with a phildickian flavor
("Scientists Admit: Reality Not All It's Cracked Up To Be").
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE TO THIS LIST?
Send an email message to pkd-admin@jazzflavor.com with the words SUBSCRIBE PKD in the body of the message.
HOW DO I GET OFF THIS !@#$%&* LIST?
This list is automated and run by Majordomo. While the list
owner may be subscribed to the list, posting unsubscribe requests to the list
will be ineffective. It just doesn't work that way. To unsubscribe, send a
message to pkd-admin@jazzflavor.com
and and simply type the word 'unsubscribe' in the body of the message. It's that
simple.
WHOM DO I CONTACT IF I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE LIST?
If you are having problems with the list itself, the list
software, or other list members, please contact the list owner at owner-pkd@jazzflavor.com.
IS THE PKD LIST MODERATED?
No, the PKD List is not moderated. As long as all the members
behave responsibly and the list stays SPAM, flame, and mostly problem free, it
will continue this way. However, due to several past disturbances, the PKD List
now has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy towards flaming.
'Flaming' is defined as the repeated posting of email messages
that are insulting or derogatory toward an individual member (or members) of the
list. Those who are deemed by the list owner to be 'flamers' will be asked to
stop. If they continue to flame, they will be asked to leave the list. If they
don't leave and don't stop their flaming, they will be removed from the list.
And if they come back under another name... well, we can't speak of such things.
Let's just say something very bad will happen to them.
HOW DO I TELL A FRIEND TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PKD LIST?
Like this: "John, all of us noticed lately you seem to be
having some trouble with reality. We all put our heads together and we came with
this incredible idea: a vacation on Mars!"
Seriously: To subscribe to the PKD List, send a message to pkd-request@jazzflavor.com
, In the body of the message, just type the word 'subscribe.' You will then be
asked by Majordomo to confirm your request: this annoyance is made necessary by
the fine people who brought you unsolicited commercial email. Respond to the
verification message as instructed and you will be added to the list and be able
to post messages. It's that complicated.
HOW DO I POST A MESSAGE TO THE PKD LIST?
The list's email address is pkd@jazzflavor.com
-- just send mail to that address and it will post to the list. Rumors that Phil
Dick himself actually posts the messages are unconfirmed. Other rumors that Mr.
Dick works at Jazz Flavored Coffee are difficult to confirm due to the policy of
rampant hyperbole practiced by the staff.
HOW MUCH TRAFFIC DOES THE PKD LIST GET?
That's hard to say. The list probably averages about ten
messages a day. However, it does tend to be somewhat manic depressive. There can
be days without a single message followed by a week of frantic activity with
over 20 or 30 messages a day. Possible film versions of PKD novels seem to
generate the greatest amount of mail, as do sightings of Phil's visage on flour
tortillas in Escondido, New Mexico. So make sure to check your email account
regularly.
DOES THE PKD LIST HAVE AN ARCHIVE?
This list is new, so there is no archive (yet). Posts will be
archived, but since there are no posts (yet), there are no archives (yet).
The "old" PKD List had archives. (In fact it has two
of them, thanks to the efforts of Jamie Rowse, Joe Morris, and Tony Pfarrer.)
They may or may not still be accessible. If you are interested in checking out
previous discussions on the old PKD List, visit the following site:
http://jolomo.net/pkd.html
New subscribers please note that some of the older subscribers
have been on the various PKD lists for as long as six years and have already had
their fill of certain topics. So, if you ever wonder why there is little or no
response to a your post about whether Deckard is or is not a Replicant, this
might be an explanation. (This might also explain your torched front lawn and
why someone has carved the word HUMAN on your front door.) Please browse the
archives to see what has been talked about in the past. Please.
DOES THE PKD LIST HAVE A WEBSITE?
The unofficial web site of the PKD List is run by Jason Koornick. This site has a lot of excellent information about PKD and contains
links to most of the other PKD resources available on the Web. Make sure you
bookmark the following URL:
HOW MANY SUBSCRIBERS DOES THE PKD LIST HAVE?
The PKD List is run by Jazz Flavored Coffee. A few words from
the sponsor:
The official policy of Jazz Flavored Coffee is to respond to
such questions with a wildly inaccurate number so as to put off any further
inquiries of this nature.
Over three hundred thousand people are subscribed to the PKD
list. Please be aware that while English is the language of discussion on this
particular list, it may or may not be the first language of many of your fellow
subscribers.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER PKD DISCUSSION LISTS OUT THERE?
There is at least one at Yahoo Groups called the PKD-Guide:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PKD-Guide/
As to what happened to some of the old PKD lists, it is quitean
interesting tale. The WANG PKD List became the DRACO PKD List. The DRACO PKD
List then disappeared. It was eventually replaced by the BEST PKD List, which
also absorbed the PKD TALK List and the LO-FI PKD List. Someone finally put a
stop to the mad feeding frenzy of the BEST PKD list; that someone was Sir Eric,
a gallant Knight of the Wire [KoW] and defender of the PKD Immortal Flame of No
Flaming. The battle was fierce, and Sir Eric retired due to exhaustion.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT ACQUIRING RIGHTS TO PKD MATERIAL?
philipkdick.com is not associated with the estate of Philip K. Dick. For information about acquiring rights and permissions to Philip K. Dick material, contact:
Mr. Russell Galen
Scovil, Chichak, and Galen Literary Agency
381 Park Avenue South, Suite 31020
New York, NY 10016 USA
WHERE CAN I FIND A GOOD PKD BIBLIOGRAPHY?
The most highly recommended is Philip Kindred Dick Metaphysical Conjurer by Phil Stephensen-Payne and
Gordon Benson, Jr. It appears to be out of print but the listing at Amazon.com lets you order a used copy.
ARE THERE ANY GOOD SOURCES FOR HARD-TO-FIND PKD BOOKS?
Besides emailing Chris Drumm and asking to be put on the mailing
list for his catalog, Willis Howard ( wehoward@alphane.com
) has put together a web site devoted to helping people find PKD's books. Check
it out:
http://www.alphane.com/moon/index.html
While many of them are found linked on Willis' pages, you might
want to check out what PKD items are currently available from the following
stores and publishers:
Mark V. Ziesing Books [_The Dark-Haired Girl_ + new/used PKD]
http://bigchair.com/ziesing
Charles F. Miller Books [_In Pursuit of VALIS_ + new/used PKD]
708 Westover Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601, USA
Cambrian Publications [_Gather Yourselves Together_]
http://www.cambrianpubs.com/PKD/PKD.html
Underwood Books [_The Selected Letters of PKD_]
PO Box 1609, Grass Valley, CA 95945, USA
Edwin Mellen Press [_Search for PKD_ by Anne Dick]
PO Box 450, Lewiston, NY 14092-0450, USA
Help keep the small press and independent booksellers alive by
buying directly from the folks listed above. If it weren't for them, many of
PKD's works would never have been published and would be even more difficult to
find than they are now.
These days, there are also several Internet sites that will
allow you to browse the collections of thousands of used book stores at once. A
particularly good selection can be found on Bibliofind's site (amazon.com uses
them all the time and charges you extra for it):
http://www.bibliofind.com/
Another source is PKDTraders@Yahoogroups.com. The focus of the PKD Traders mailing list is
on collecting, trading and availability of PKD works and related works.
More info can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pkdtraders/
including a searchable archive.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PKD THE PERSON?
The most accepted and widely distibuted biography of PKD is Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick by Lawrence Sutin. It is available new at Amazon.com and at many used bookstores as well as at Barnes & Noble, Borders and other national bookstores.
ARE THERE ANY PRINT ZINES DEVOTED TO PKD?
Yes. There have been at least three PKD zines to date. They
include:
1) _The Philip K. Dick Society Newsletter_ which was
published from 1983-1992. If you are interested in acquiring any
of the 30 back issues, you might want to try contacting the editor, Paul
Williams ( paul@cdaddy.com ) or visit the web page here. You might
also want to ask Mr. Williams if he still has any copies of his memoir
of PKD, _Only Apparently Real_. The PKD Society is currently dormant.
2) _For Dickheads Only_ which began in 1991 with the goal of
devoting one issue to each PKD novel. Issue no. 6 was the last issue published
and it appeared in 1996. This project is now on hold because the editor, Dave
Hyde, is otherwise occupied. If FDO comes back to life, you can expect to hear
about it on the PKD List. Check out the online version here (with some errors, sorry).
All print zines include a vast amount of information about
PKD, his life, and his work. They are a good resource for answering many of the
more obscure questions asked on the PKD List.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FILM _BLADE RUNNER_?
The Blade Runner Bible is Paul M. Sammon's _Future Noir: The
Making of Blade Runner_ published by HarperCollins. The ISBN is 0-0610-05314-7
and you might want to get your copy now while it is still in print. It will
answer every question you ever had about _Blade Runner_ including "Is
Deckard a replicant?" You might also want to check out the following _Blade
Runner_ resources on the web:
http://www.bit.net.au/~muzzle/bladerunner/
http://www.devo.com/bladerunner/blade_runner.html
WHAT--OR WHO--IS A DICKHEAD?
You are. If you are on this list. Welcome aboard.
* * *
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints
about the PKD LIST FAQ, please send them to the list owner ( owner-pkd@jazzflavor.com
).
