A day-by-day history of U2, now in its second edition.

U2-A Diary 2012 Status Update

By on December 9, 2012 in The Book with 0 Comments

A few people have asked me if the second edition of U2-A Diary is available in the U.S. yet, and it’s not — at least not directly from a U.S. seller like Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. But their questions have prompted me to write this update on the book for anyone who might be shopping for a gift for a U2 fan.

1.) You can still get the limited hardcover edition!

u2diary-hardcover

This copy of U2-A Diary just arrived at Casa McGee last week. I ordered it from Amazon UK in early November, and it took about a month to get to me. So, if you’re ordering now in the U.S., it won’t get to you by Christmas.

But it’s worth the wait! The hardcover edition is a thing of beauty. It has the updated cover (the one that I was told wouldn’t be used) with the additional purple color/lights. It’s exactly 400 pages and includes:

  • all of the same text from the first edition of the book, plus additional diary entries through the end of 2010
  • an addendum with new material and corrections covering up to 2007 (the timeframe from the first edition)
  • an updated Acknowledgments section with a new intro that I wrote for the new material

This hardback edition has been out for a year now, but has only been printed in limited quantities. I haven’t been able to get an exact number from the publisher, but I believe it to be in the hundreds, not thousands, so there may not be many left.

The original hardback version was printed in 2011 with an error on pg. 373: the entries covering December 9 through December 29, 2009 were missing. My publisher fixed the error and asked Amazon and other outlets to remove the misprinted version from their warehouses. The book above that just arrived is correct and not missing any entries. I also ordered the hardback edition back in May from Amazon UK and it was also correct. I trust that you’ll get the correct version if you order now, too, but I suppose there’s a remote chance you may get the misprint.

2.) The hardback version might be available from Amazon Canada. (And maybe Amazon.com.)

My friend Aaron from U2 Wanderer recently ordered from Amazon Canada and was sent the hardback version; not as an “import,” but as a direct purchase from Amazon Canada. I was told that the second edition would not be available at all in North America, so I don’t know how that happened … but it did.

If that happened via Amazon Canada, it might also happen via Amazon.com. But I still think the safest way to get the hardback version is from Amazon UK.

As I look at both Amazon.com and Amazon CA, the hardback version is listed as being available from some 3rd-party sellers. That’s another option, but there may be some risk in terms of book quality when buying from these sources.

3.) What’s up with the paperback version?

I have not seen what the paperback version looks like. It may have the same cover as the hardback; it may not. I’m also not aware of the printing error on pg. 373 that affected the hardback version also affected the paperback version.

I do know that, like the hardback version, it’s not supposed to available in North America — so Amazon UK is your best bet.

BUT … when I look at the paperback listing on Amazon UK, it appears to be the older/original version of the book, not the second edition. It’s also more expensive than the hardback version, so you might want to stick with the hardback.

I hope this helps update what’s going on with the book. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

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