Notes on 'True Names' (1981) by Vernor Vinge (b. 1944)
Published more than a decade before the internet started to have an impact on people’s lives, True Names is a truly visionary work that paved the way for the at the time nascent Cyberpunk movement, drawing up the battle lines between technocratic surveillance and individual freedom.
Editions:
First SC edition (true first): published by Dell Publishing as a double volume Binary Star No. 5 publication (1981)
First single SC edition: published by Bluejay Books (1984), with an afterword by Marvin Minsky
Collectors notes:
Binary Star No. 5: Less than 5 Fine copies currently available on the market.
Binary Star No. 5: Pages subject to yellowing
Bluejay edition: Less than 5 Fine copies currently available on the market.
Bluejay edition: Cover subject to yellowing