Talk:Prisoner's Base

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[edit] Notes on infobox

The infobox has been modified to conform with the novels project style guidelines, which indicate that the infobox should describe "only the media types in which the novel was originally available. For example, eighteenth-century novels were never published in 'hardback and paperback' nor in audiobook so it is inappropriate to list those print subtypes." Since the Nero Wolfe books (1934–1975) were originally available in hardcover, and only later published in other formats, the infoboxes for these Rex Stout novels and novella collections are being amended to read "Print (Hardcover)" -- with "Media type" describing only the first-edition printing.

The ISBN field will be completed, but read "NA" by request of the novels project. Subsequent releases of the book are listed with their ISBNs in a section of the article headed "Release details."

The genre in the infobox is being listed as Detective fiction, a classification that includes both the novels and the novella collections. Novels and novella collections are clearly differentiated from each other in the articles' lead paragraphs, and in categories that appear at the bottom of the articles.

A book cover will be added to the infobox soon; they're being added to the Nero Wolfe books in chronological order. — WFinch 02:16, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

First edition book cover was added to infobox June 5; "needs info box cover" has been changed to "no" to remove category. — WFinch 17:38, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unsigned edit

Oops. Thought I was logged in, but not so. The edit to PB made on 8/16/07 was made by: TurnerHodges 05:01, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

And an excellent edit it was. — WFinch 17:47, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Out Goes She

It's certainly an arresting cover. It's amazing that you were able to get such a clean scan from such an old edition. It's doubtful that it's Sarah Jaffe on the cover: the text has it that she was strangled with a doubled Venetian blind cord. So maybe it's Priscilla: the text just says "some kind of cord." But it goes on to say that she was wearing a jacket, not a full length coat.

Obviously, these are just quibbles. What I really want to know is the reason that the British edition changed the book's title. Can it have been because the term "prisoner's base" was unfamiliar in Uckfield? It would surprise me to learn that it was any more familiar in the U.S. TurnerHodges (talk) 21:06, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Here's my crop on the title/name game:

Darebase/prisoner's base was a popular children's game in the 1900s; Stout told McAleer that his publisher changed the title of the book because, although he played it as "darebase," it was more commonly called "prisoner's base" outside the Midwest. According to Stout, another alternate name for the game was "pum pum pullaway," and wouldn't that have been a helluva title.

Per a bunch of Google Results: The game originated in England, which should have made it as familiar to British as to American readers but maybe not, because King Edward III banned it in the 1300s.

"Out goes she" also originated across the Pond; it's an old children's counting/rhyming game and, no kidding, a forerunner of "Eeny meeny...."

I like "OGS" better than "PB" as a title because it gets in the idea of serial female murder victims, as opposed to just the last -- as in, "one, two, three...out goes she." And I love the stunning "OGS" artwork (one of my very favorite NW covers) which could also be interpreted as 'covering' all three victims.RRRRowcliff (talk) 16:40, 7 February 2008 (UTC)