Lifting Shadows » Latest news

Lifting Shadows stock running low

Essential Works — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:07:43 +0000

It’s great to see some of the positive comments that the new editions of Lifting Shadows have attracted on the forums and on the Lifting Shadows Google Map. Having received such a positive reception, stocks of the first print runs of both the Classic Edition and Limited Edition are now running low, so if you have not yet got your copy, now is a great time to order.

If you find that your chosen edition is already out of stock by the time you come to order, don’t worry – more are on the way shortly. We will be printing extra copies of the Classic Edition, and binding the remaining unbound copies of the Limited Edition (whose total print-run remains capped at 2,000 copies). These should be ready shortly, so watch this space for more information.

Golden Book Winner Pictures

John Conway — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:48:44 +0000

We’re really pleased that Stephen Zawislinski, the winner of the Golden Book has sent us in these pictures of himself with the book!

He’s also been good enough to share some close up images of the inscription on the front of the book and the the full signatures of the band and the author on the openning endpaper.

It’s truly a one-off object and it’s great that it ended up in the hands of such a fan.

Lifting Shadows Golden Book winner Stephen Zawislinsk

Golden Book Inscription

Golden Book signed endpaper

Stephen Zawislinski Golden Book winner certificate

Stephen Zawislinski Golden Book winner certificate close up

Download Lifting Shadows gift certificates

Essential Works — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:46:29 +0000

With the holiday season here, we know that many of you will be anxiously awaiting books ordered as Christmas presents. As we’ve mentioned before, we can only estimate when books will arrive, so it’s unfortunately not possible to guarantee Christmas delivery. If you are concerned that your order may not arrive in time to be a Christmas gift, we’ve created some gift certificates that you can download and keep in reserve – just in case.

There are four varieties of the certificate, two for the Classic Edition and two for the Limited Edition. The two personalized certificates have space for you to insert your name and that of the person receiving the book. You can either just print the certificates out and write the names in by hand, or use Adobe Reader (a free download from Adobe) to type the names into the blank fields before printing. Alternatively, use one of the generic forms – these don’t have any space for adding names. Click on the link below to download the certificate you need as an Adobe PDF form.

Classic Edition Gift Certificates

Limited Edition Gift Certificates

The Golden Book is won

Essential Works — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:53:56 +0000

Everybody wanted it, but there could only be one winner of the Golden Book, and we’re delighted to announce it is Stephen Zawislinski of Eastpointe, Michigan, USA.

Stephen’s been a huge Dream Theater fan since 1989, and his prize is a real collector’s piece. It’s one of a very small number of special copies of the Limited Edition of Lifting Shadows produced for the Dream Theater guys’ personal collections. In addition to the Majesty symbol and Lifting Shadows title in gold blocking, the front cover also bears a special gold designation that reads “Special Presentation Edition for the members of Dream Theater”. Stephen’s copy is extra special, as it’s been signed by James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Portnoy themselves.

“I can’t believe I was picked out of so many fans to win the book”, says Stephen, who checked the result of the competition online. “I almost fell off my chair when I saw that I won. I’m looking forward to receiving the book.”

The Golden Book is currently winging its way to Stephen from publisher Essential Works‘ London office. Commiserations to those of you who didn’t win. If it’s any consolation, it’s still not too late to order a copy of the Limited Edition…

Add yourself to the Lifting Shadows map

Essential Works — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:47:00 +0000

With books flying out of our warehouse, we know that many have already reached their destination, and we’d love to hear what you think of the finished product. To that end, we’ve created a public Lifting Shadows map on Google Maps. Whichever edition of Lifting Shadows you own, why not put yourself on the map? You can post comments, and even pictures and videos. To add something to the map, you’ll need a Google account. For full instructions, checkout the Google My Maps support documentation.

A closer look at the Limited Edition

Essential Works — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:27:16 +0000

Here’s a closer look at the Limited Edition of Lifting Shadows, the first copies of which arrived at Essential Works yesterday. The handsome burgundy cover is decorated with shimmering gold blocking and – since the cover’s made of real leather – it even smells great. Inside, get a load of the metallic gold endpapers signed by Rich Wilson, the red and gold head and tail bands, and the handy ribbon bookmark (the text is some 40% longer than the original Box Set Edition, so it’ll probably take more than one sitting).

The finished book really does live up to the promise of a highly collectible piece of Dream Theater memorabilia. We hope you like it. As before, if your browser isn’t showing any photos below, head on over to flickr to see them there instead.

Christmas ordering information

Essential Works — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:48:51 +0000

One question we’ve been asked quite a bit is whether it’s too late to order a copy of Lifting Shadows in time for Christmas. As it’s a postal delivery service, we sadly can’t guarantee any specific delivery date. That said, we can tell you that our shippers estimate the following ordering deadlines for the best possible chance of receiving your book in time for the festive season:

For delivery to an address in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, order by Wednesday, 9th December 2009.
For delivery to an address anywhere else in the world, including the United States, order by Monday, 7th December 2009.

These delivery estimates apply to both the handsome leather-bound Limited Edition, and the regular Classic Edition. With over 450 pages of fully revised and updated text, both will give you plenty of holiday reading matter!

The Limited Edition arrives

Essential Works — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:49:44 +0000

When a great big box arrived at the Essential Works office this afternoon, it could only be the first Limited Edition copies of Lifting Shadows. We can’t reproduce the smell of the leather cover online, but we can give you a first look. It was dark outside by the time the books arrived, and the office lighting is not brilliant, but we’ll follow up with some still pictures in the morning. Trust us, it looks awesome.

Lifting Shadows hot off the press

Essential Works — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:19:13 +0000

Thanks to our friends at Cromwell Press for snapping these first-look photos of both the Classic Edition and Limited Edition at their plant in Trowbridge, England. As you can see, all the books are now printed and bound. Most excitingly of all, this is the first time anyone’s seen the finished Limited Edition – in all its burgundy leather-bound, gold-blocked glory.

These books are now off to our warehouse ready for shipping. Unfortunately some unforeseen production delays have meant that this is a few days later than scheduled and we’re now expecting the books to start shipping early next week. We’re really sorry for the delay, but hope you agree that they are worth the wait. These are really special books, and we didn’t want to cut corners by rushing them. If your browser’s not showing the pictures below, have a look at them on flickr instead.

Pre-order extended, but only for a day

Essential Works — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:42:18 +0000

Lots of people have been rushing to take advantage of the 15% pre-order discount on the Classic Edition of the new Lifting Shadows (revealed yesterday). If a dodgy internet connection has prevented you from ordering yours, don’t worry – we’re going to extend the discount until 5pm GMT today.

After that, the 15% pre-order discount for new customers will no longer be available. Due to a rise in our shipping prices, postal costs for customers in the United States will unfortunately also go up tomorrow.