I guess so. The problem I have (and, obviously it is only me who has this problem) is that artists (and sometimes authors) have been drawing in books for centuries. Over the years they have been called just that......drawings. Another term used was convention sketches. I think the term remarque started to be mistakenly applied to drawings in books by the Whelans (probably Audrey). For quite a while the Whelans at their Glass Onion website offered AP (artist proof) lithographs of the DT drawings. I was lucky enough to get #3 of all the DT lithographs that had proofs. There were usually 35 of these AP editions with sketches but for some reason only 9 AP copies of The Crimson King. Audrey had Michael do a little pencil sketch in the lower margin of these AP prints and she called them remarques. This is actually close to the true meaning of the word but still, IMO, is improper usage. A remarque is actually not hand drawn but is an image imbedded in the lithographic plate. The remarque is then removed at some point in the printing process and later prints do not have the remarque. The ones with remarques are usually more desirable than ones without.Originally Posted by Br!an
Language is fluid. I think at this point that the definition of remarque has been expanded beyond its original meaning.You are fighting a losing battle. The term "remarque" (even if properly spelled) is used incorrectly on this site over 90% of the time. I have tried to make this point quite a few times and you can see how successful I have been. Good luck with your efforts!My only comment on all this is the recommendation that improper use of "remark" versus "remarque" by any user should be a punishable offense. Might I suggest flagellation. Well ... self-flagellation; it'll have to be on the honor system. Get to it.P.S. Very disappointed we don't have a flagellation smiley.
As far as I can tell this all changed with the publication of DT7 in 2004. I am going by memory here and I'm sure I don't have the numbers exactly correct but, IIRC, the Whelans were given 10 or so copies of the Artist Edition of the Grant edition of DT7 and they offered them for sale on their website at $450 apiece. They sold out immediately because they were all going to have a full page "remarque" at the front of the book. There actually ended up being more copies with these drawings than originally offered. Audrey contacted me and at least one other collector and asked if we would send them our copy of the book for Michael to draw in rather than buying one of their few copies. This would allow them to sell more copies to more collectors. I'm sure someone knows how many were actually done.
This created quite a stir in the King collecting community. Audrey said she should have charged much more for these if she had known how popular they were going to be. I think they sold out in an hour or two and there really wasn't any advertising done. I don't remember how we initially heard about it. One collector (wizardsrainbow) publicly stated that his goal was to buy the entire series of these and lamented to me (on more than one occasion) that he knew it was fruitless because I would never sell my copy. At any rate the so called "remarqued" edition of DT7 became quite the phenomenon and (I think) planted the term in King collector's minds that drawings in books should be called remarques. And now it seems forever after that any drawing no matter how primitive or detailed is referred to as a remarque in the King collecting community.
I do understand the phenomenon of fluidity in language and, I suppose, it is possible or even likely that the misuse of the term could become universal. As it stands now the only time I see the term misused is among King collectors and booksellers and publishers who make their living primarily selling to King collectors.
But this isn't the worst misuse of language I am starting to see. There is a guy on another website that I frequent who continually refers to entitled and pampered athletes as "Pre-Madonnas" and the shocking thing is that it seems to be catching on!
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You're right, I don't have those and The Dark Tower one is especially hard to find. I've got to slow down on feeding my addiction or I'm going to have to find a second job, give up my girlfriend and trade in my car on a Yugo.
