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VULCAN'S HAMMER

Num	N	S	Writing Date	Pub. Date	Previous	Next	Notes
112	24		Exp. Mar-Apr 1960	Sep 1960	THE MAN WHOSE TEETH WERE ALL EXACTLY ALIKE	HUMPTY DUMPTY IN OAKLAND	See: "Vulcan's Hammer"

FIRST EDITIONS

1960		ACE, pb, D-457, Sep 1960, 139pp, $0.35, (Emsh) // THE SKYNAPPERS by John Brunner

1976		Arrow, pb, 913300-8, Aug 1976, 154pp, 50p (Peter Elson)

HISTORY

The manuscript for the short-story "Vulcan’s Hammer" was received at the SMLA on April 16, 1953 and the story was published in 1956 in Future Science Fiction #29.

In early January 1960 Scott Meredith forwarded a letter to Philip K. Dick from Don Wollheim at Ace Books. This letter referred to Wollheim’s interest in having Dick do an expansion of "Vulcan’s Hammer" into a 40,000-word novel. In his reply Dick expresses concern about writing the expansion on spec for Don Wollheim, particularly after Wollheim’s negative attitude towards Dick’s earlier expansion of "Time Pawn" into DR. FUTURITY.

In his letter to Scott Meredith replying to the notice that Don Wollheim of Ace Books wanted him to expand "Vulcan’s Hammer", PKD wrote:

The letter from Don Wollheim about a rewrite of VULCAN'S HAMMER to expand it to 40,000 words has reached me. In some ways the situation looks good, but its a complex situation and I want to discuss it with you point by point, if you will bear with me.

Now, I say this only because his odd way of reacting -- both in terms of what he said and when he said it -- makes me fear on this VULCAN'S HAMMER job. From my standpoint, Don is an enigma. I honestly can't tell what will please him, obviously. It would take me several months of intensive work to get a rewrite of this story to him and I can't absorb all the risk. Therefore, to go ahead, I must discuss in detail, as I go along, what I am doing. I see no other way out, If ACE can't put up any money in advance.

(two) Defects in the story. VULCAN'S HAMMER is a botched job, in the printed version. I botched it myself. I consider it one of the worst of my efforts. However, parts are good, even superb. If I am to expand it, I must do more than literally put in two words where one now stands throughout. This may bring about another TIME PAWN situation, right? However, it would not be my intention to put in ideas not already there, as I did in TIME PAWN. I would build up the best parts, and eliminate or lessen the weaker parts. I believe that the true body of good ideas lies in the first portion of the story -- in about the first third. The ending is terrible. For three days I have studied the story, made elaborate notes. I want you to pass on to Don these notions regarding the rewrite {...} Here are the notions, expressed informally:

{There follows a page and a half of material on VULCAN'S HAMMER. See: SL-38, p51ff}

(three) If I go ahead and do this on spec, I would like Don and you to permit me to send in, not a finished draft at first, but a carbon -- or my original, if you want -- of my first rough draft. {...}

(c) If I am to do any s-f, any bread-and-butter work, since VULCAN'S HAMMER can only be marketed to ACE, wouldn't it be more practical {...} for me to go and do a wholly new s-f novel, based on new ideas, which, if ACE doesn't buy, would be marketable to other houses? I want to do a psychological s-f book in the tradition of my TIME OUT OF JOINT. {...} In other words, it seems to me that I must have some stronger assurance that when I get the VULCAN'S HAMMER work done, I will get a sale from ACE on it. I want to do it -- that is, the job. I'd enjoy it. But it would be real work for me (that TIME PAWN rework almost killed me; it was the hardest job I've done to date). I know VULCAN'S HAMMER would turn out really swell. {...}

I'll hold off further work on VULCAN'S HAMMER, hoping that you can go to Don with portions of this letter, and get from him a more complete acceptance of what I propose to do than obtains at present. I would not mind dealing with him direct, if you want me to. But only if you want it. Okay? And thanks for your willingness to read this long rather rambling letter.

In the end, he did expand the short story into the novel VULCAN’S HAMMER in March and April 1960, after sending in the manuscript for CONFESSIONS OF A CRAP ARTIST. It was sold to Ace and published by them in September 1960 as one half of an Ace Double, backed with THE SKYNAPPERS by John Brunner. The 'straight novel contract' PKD mentions is probably for THE MAN WHOSE TEETH WERE ALL EXACTLY ALIKE.

The plot of VULCAN’S HAMMER pretty much follows the short story: Government is in the hands of a computer, Vulcan 3, and when the people try to take it back a struggle ensues. A good premise but indifferently handled by Dick, VULCAN’S HAMMER, the novel, still rates ô ô

See: DR. FUTURITY

OTHER EDITIONS For Cover Pix Click Here

ACE, pb, 86608, 1972, 154p, $0.75 (Freas)
Arrow, pb, 913300-8, Aug 1976, 154pp, 50p (Peter Elson)
Gregg Press, hb, 2484-X, Nov 1979, 139pp, $11.95 (ill. Hannah Shapero) GC: [+K179] Arrow, pb, ?, 1982, ?, L1.25 (Peter Elson)
Millenium, pb, ?, 2000, ?, ? (?) in THREE EARLY NOVELS

FOREIGN EDITIONS:

Mondadori, pb, 320, 1963, 152pp, Lit 300 (Karel Thole) {tr. into Italian as VULCANO 3}
Moewig, pb, Terra 395, 1965, ?, 70 pF (?) {tr. into German as VULKAN'S HAMMER}
Goldmann, pb, 0170, 1974, ?, ? (?) {tr. into German by Tony Westermyr as VULKAN 3}

		Le Masque SF, pb, 28, 1975, ?, ? (?) {tr. into French by Monique Benatre as LES MARTEAUX DE VULCAIN}

		Bruna & Zoon, pb, 9090-7, 1978, 192pp, ? (Karel Thole) {tr. into Dutch by Elly Schurink-Vooren as DE HAMER VAN DONAX}

Mondadori, pb, Urania 793, 1979, 152pp, Lit 500 (Karel Thole) {tr. into Italian by Beata Della Frattina as VULCANO 3}

		Presses de la Cite, pb, Superlights Futurama 10, 1983, ?, ? (?) {tr. into French as LES MARTEAUX DE VULCAIN} ISBN: 2-258-01258-9

		Bastei-Lubbe, pb, 094-3, 1986, 188pp, DM 7.80 (Tim White) {tr. into German by Leo Kreysfeld as VULKANS HAMMER}
		Mondadori, pb, 10, 1986, 416pp, Lit 25000, (?) {tr. into Italian by Laura Grimaldi, Beata Della Frattina and Simonetta Cattozzo as VULCANO 3 in omnibus containing VULCAN'S HAMMER, SOLAR LOTTERY, A GLASS OF DARKNESS and EYE IN THE SKY} ISBN: 88-04-28510-9. "Massimi della fantascienza 10"
		Mondadori, pb, 156, 1990, 160pp, Lit 5000 (Oscar Chichoni) {tr. into Italian by Beatta Della Fratina as VULCANO 3}

		Livre de Poche, pb, 7138, 1991, ?, ? (?) {tr. into French as LES MARTEAUX DE VULCAIN} ISBN: 2-253-05730-4.

Alterpres Company -- Kiev, hb, ?, 1994, 575pp, ?, (?) {tr. into Russian as MOLOT VULKANA in omnibus containing CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON, VULCAN'S HAMMER, "Faith Of Our Fathers", "Second Variety" and "Last Of The Masters."}

NOTES

SL:38 51ff

Dear Scott,

(one) Risk. Since this expanded version would be dead on the magazine market, we would have to sell it to Don or have it not sell at all, I presume. This gives Don all the cards in a spec rewrite. I admire and like Don, and he and I have had a rather long and happy business relationship, but his statements about my rewrite of TIME PAWN make me uneasy -- and well they might. See: DR.FUTURITY} You know that I worked hard on the TIME PAWN rewrite, and I did what I believed to be a good job, one that would please Don. If I went haywire, its news to me. Also, I got it in very early, far in advance of the deadline. I did everything I could to rebuild the story in the best possible way, and the letter that I sent outlining my intentions was a fair and accurate statement by me of what I intended to do, and what I actually did do. He was not stuck or stung. He had the legal right to reject my work entirely, to request any amount of changes he wished. Now, I say this only because his odd way of reacting -- both in terms of what he said and when he said it -- makes me fear on this VULCAN'S HAMMER job. From my standpoint, Don is an enigma. I honestly can't tell what will please him, obviously. It would take me several months of intensive work to get a rewrite of this story to him and I can't absorb all the risk. Therefore, to go ahead, I must discuss in detail, as I go along, what I am doing. I see no other way out, If ACE can't put up any money in advance.

{There follows a page and a half of material on VULCAN'S HAMMER. See: SL:38, p51ff}

(four) Other pressing work. {...} Shouldn't I be a little wary of getting too much in VULCAN'S HAMMER and this Don Wollheim s-f notion of "Phil Dick's true vocation"? It might throw me off my real work. which is of course the straight-novel contract. {possibly CONFESSIONS OF A CRAP ARTIST or THE MAN WHOSE TEETH WERE ALL EXACTLY ALIKE} (c) If I am to do any s-f, any bread-and-butter work, since VULCAN'S HAMMER can only be marketed to ACE, wouldn't it be more practical {...} for me to go and do a wholly new s-f novel, based on new ideas, which, if ACE doesn't buy, would be marketable to other houses? I want to do a psychological s-f book in the tradition of my TIME OUT OF JOINT. {...} In other words, it seems to me that I must have some stronger assurance that when I get the VULCAN'S HAMMER work done, I will get a sale from ACE on it. I want to do it -- that is, the job. I'd enjoy it. But it would be real work for me (that TIME PAWN rework almost killed me; it was the hardest job I've done to date). I know VULCAN'S HAMMER would turn out really swell. {...}

Cordially

Philip K. Dick {PKD>Scott Meredith, Jan 4, 1960}

COLLECTOR'S NOTES

Rudy's Books: VULCAN'S HAMMER//THE SKYNAPPERS by John Brunner, Ace, pb, D457, 1960. VG+ $30

Phildickian: VULCAN'S HAMMER, Ace, pb, D457, 1960. VG+ $30

Phildickian: VULCAN'S HAMMER, Arrow, pb, 1981. VG $15

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