When Anne and I were handling the distribution of Dancing Barefoot and the first two printings of Happiest Days of Our Lives, I just loved looking at the address labels and knowing that one of my books was going to be taking a trip to a very cool place. Even though I knew it in my brains, actually seeing that this book was going to London and that one was going to France … well, something something underpants, I guess is where that sentence should end.
When someone brings me one of my books to sign, and I realize that it's one of those books that began its journey in my living room, it delights me. I usually hug it, pet it, call it George, and then get all weepy while I thank the person who owns it, and embarrass us both.
About a year ago, I noticed that lots of people were sending me pictures of my books, usually taken while they were on some kind of awesome vacation.
"Hey, you know what would be cool?" I thought to myself, "I could make a pool at flickr, and people who have my books could upload their pictures there! Yay! Awesome!"
So it was done, and Wheaton's Books in the Wild was born. As of this moment, there are 152 members, and 134 different pictures. I haven't mentioned it since the pool was created, though, and since there seem to be enormous numbers of new readers stopping by my blog, I thought it was worth mentioning again.
All the entries are awesome, but there are a couple that I just love to pieces, so here they are (You can click each of these to embiggen them):
I'm especially proud of the Happiest Days audiobook, but I also love how Angie K's hands look like Grover.
Damn kids today, with their new covers and spiffy graphics.
My books have been places I'll probably never get to go.
Hey, look, it's me, doing what I do at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo!
Who says books aren't sexy? Jerks, that's who.
Serious cat is seriously reading with its lazer eyez.
Stratford-upon-Avon: you will never find a more wretched hive of – oh. Wait. Wrong place.
Okay, that's more than enough examples. There are a ton of others, and if you have a few minutes to spare, you can check them out at Wheaton's Books in the Wild at flickr.
PRO TIP: It would be especially awesome if you'd join the pool and add your own.
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next time i go on vacation i’ll be sure to bring you with me
Just A Geek arrived from Amazon yesterday. I’ll take it to Augusta with me next month and try to get Tiger Woods in a shot with it.
That’s quite an… uh… “elaborate” autograph. For lack of a better adjective.
Do bank tellers or credit card cashiers look at you funny?
Dude, that’s totally cool!
Grover? I was thinking cookie monster!
But very cool Flickr pool
Yeah, say what you want about Wil Wheaton, but when he signs an autograph, he doesn’t mess around.
I’ll be taking 2 of your books all across western Europe in the Fall. Other than the mammoth number of breweries at which they’ll be stopping, do you have any requests?
I *LOVE* that you like my photo. This is the bit where I geek out and get all excited because *Wil Wheaton actually likes my photo*. Woot!
I stacked you between two space biographies on purpose. I thought you might feel at home there….
Both your book and the Gene Kranz’s are autographed, and if you ever come to Australia I hope I can get one autographed in person.
Now back to my boring work day. Thanks for making me smile today! 🙂
Dagnabit! I wish I’d known about this before I went to Disneyland last week. I totally “Dancing Barefoot” AND “Just a Geek” in my overnight bag!!! Then again, maybe it’s for the best. I’d probably have caused myself or someone else some bodily harm trying to get a picture of “Dancing Barefoot” on “It’s a Small World” or “Just a Geek” on “Star Tours”. Ah well, next trip, then. 😀
Done and done. Snapped a photo of your books on my shelf. It’s a bit crap, but let it never be said that Wil Wheaton does not have a posse.
I am not sure how many other writers have photo galleries of where their books have been, but I do know that Jasper Fforde also has a gallery on his site http://jasperfforde.com/extreme.html with pictures from 2005 to present. Perhaps it will inspire more people to take your books to interesting places so you can be vicariously exposed to more of the planet.
I’ll be sure to grab my copies when I go traveling. That first pic made me quite alert this early morning—hey I live there too. That’s Kenosha, WI lighthouse.
Hey! There’s my PAX pic! I’m famous! heh!
I’m going to have to take the books out for more trips.
Also, I absolutely adore the “Get off my lawn!” pic. That’s kind of what my copies said to each other before the younger of the two said, “You don’t understand what it’s like to be young!” and put on his headphones.
Cool! Kenosha, WI is my hometown. I was back “home” on vacation when I took that picture.
Hey I’m headed to the Arctic next month. I’ll see what I can get for you.
That is so awesome! Have a great trip.
Oh Stratford Upon Avon, I have fond memories of watching Toy Soldiers on the screen of a bar there in 2002. We had six hours between getting there and a showing of MacBeth on the Shakespeare stage so some friends and I decided to drink before the show. Boy, did we enjoy ourselves. Neat picture.
The first time I heard the part in “Geek” about compressing the audio dynamic range for listening in a truck, was while driving my truck. THANKS for being so thoughtful (or prescient).
I knew there was a reason I need one of your books. Soon. Like, before I head to Italy tomorrow morning.
One of those was mine! Squee! More to come – let’s just say I travel a lot. Mmmkay?
Damn those pictures are great 🙂 I am currently listening to the audiobook Just a Geek even my 10 year old daughter cant get enough of it. She won’t let me listen when she isn’t in the car. I guess I can try to get pictures of the CD case somewhere cool?
Hey Will — Awkward to contact you like this, but I’m a long-time fan, and I wanted to make you an offer I hope you can’t refuse 🙂
I own and operate a little independent web design shop http://www.sweetblogdesign.com and wanted to offer to redesign/style/awesomeify this here TypePad blog and/or create a rad Twitter Background for you 100% free of charge. Because we love, as it were.
Lest you think me some random weirdo (well, I *kind of* am I guess — a little random as well as a little weird), we recently made a Twitter Background for Anil Dash — VP of Six Apart and ruler of all of TypePadland http://twitter.com/anildash (he knows me and can vouch for my non-crazy-personness). Mine is here http://twitter.com/sweetney and you can see more of our work at the main site URL above.
We’d love to do something for you free, tailored to your taste, style and specifications, if you’ll have us 🙂 Ping me on the email if you wanna, and thanks!