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| Art by Jarno Kantelinen |
This is a very special foreign language edition of I Am Legend. Not only is this is the first Finnish translation of the book — this is the first version of the book that exists (at least in part) as a result of my I Am Legend Archive.
In the years since I began evangelizing Matheson's novel online, I have received questions and feedback from fellow fans, artists, and publishers from around the world, asking questions, providing information, and even helping me fill holes in the Archive Collection.
Back in 2006 or 2007, I was contacted by a representative from Vaskikirjat, a newly-formed science-fiction/fantasy publisher in Finland, expressing an interest in publishing a Finnish translation of the novel as one of their launch titles. Having come across my site showcasing a number of foreign translations, he was hoping I could help him figure out how to go about obtaining the Finnish rights to the novel. I was able to direct him to Don Congdon and Associates, who represented Matheson's publishing rights for the majority of his career.
A short while later, I received a follow up email from my contact, letting me know that he had successfully negotiated a deal and would be publishing the book. Best of all, he offered to send me a copy of the finished book for my collection upon publication.
Given my desire to help expand the reach of this amazing novel, playing even the smallest part in making it available in a new language for the first time is a point of pride.
Be here next Monday for the next curio from the I Am Legend archive!
