WHY NO U.S. ARC OF VIXEN 03?

During the 25 years I’ve been collecting Clive’s works, I’ve often wondered why I never came across a U.S. ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of his 1978 book, Vixen 03. I always thought that a bit strange. I pretty much have (or know of) every ARC for every other Clive book. The obvious exceptions are The Mediterranean Caper (Pyramid Books) and Iceberg (Dodd Mead & Co). For years now I’ve come to the conclusion that none were produced for either book. To be honest, I thought the same for the U.S. edition of Vixen 03. There is an ARC for the U.K. edition (published by London: Hodder and Stoughton), but I never saw or heard of one for the U.S. edition. I now think I know why. Recently, I obtained a U.S. first edition of Vixen 03 with an accompanying press release and publisher’s letter. The two-page news release discusses the book’s plot and lists its upcoming release date (October 23, 1978). The release also includes the schedule (and cities) for Clive’s book tour for the book. With this was also a letter from the Associate Director of Publicity (Viking Penguin) indicating the possibility of setting up an interview with Clive. I tend to think the three items (book, press release and letter) have been together since 1978. So with the evidence at hand, I believe that the hardcover book was the ARC, sent to reviewers and editors alike, along with the press release and letter. I know that in lieu of printing a separate ARC, some publishers did sent out copies of the first hardcover to reviews and editors. Although an isolated case—at least for Clive’s work—I’m convinced that’s what happened with the U.S. ARC of Vixen 03. For now, that’s the theory I’m sticking with—unless I discover something else.