Rebooting Electronic Literature: Documenting Pre-Web Born Digital Media

Photos of Sarah Smith's "King of Space"

The Electronic Literature Lab owns two copies of Smith's King of Space. One had long been in use in the lab and so is a bit worn; the other remained in its original shrink-wrapped packaging, presumably in pristine condition. For photographing the work, we opted to open the fresh copy, thinking it would provide better and clearer images. Unfortunately, the vinyl used in the early packaging of Eastgate Systems, Inc.'s publications caused the lettering on the vinyl to stain the pages of the booklet and made the pages of the booklet stick together. Our only recourse for documenting all of the materials was to carefully pry the folio and the booklet open. As the photos show, significant damage still occurred. The tears and stains provide insight into the struggle to provide a durable package for early hypertext literature and a suitable way to present it to the public. Later, Eastgate Systems, Inc. dropped the vinyl packaging and moved to cardboard folios. In either case, the folio, which was made to resemble a book that could sit on a shelf, served as a breadcrumb leading from the late 20th Century print culture to the early 21st Century digital one.
 

Folio, Front
The folio measures 6 7/8” x 9” in size and is made of a light grey, heavy duty–vinyl with dark grey image and text printed in ink. The lip of the outside the folio measures 1/16” in size and the spine has four peaks and five valleys 1/16” in size spanning the edge of the folio from top to bottom. The blank space between the image and text to the edge of the lip and the spine measures 1/4” bottom, 3/16” left, 3/16” top, and 1/4" right. The top of the folio is a dark grey block around Sarah Smith’s name measuring 5 7/16” x 1 3/16”. Sarah Smith’s name is not inked, centered, serif font, and measures approximately 5 3/16” x 1 2/3”. The outline that extends out of the Sarah Smith block measures 1/16” in width and extends down the left by 7 ¼” and down the right by 4 1/8”. The title King of Space is set underneath the author’s name and covers the top half of the folio. The title is separated into two lines. Line one reads: "King of”, and line two reads: “Space”. The bottom of the author’s grey block to the top of the letter F in King of Space measures ¼” and 1/8”. The Title is centered, serif font (same as author name), and measures approximately 5 3/16” x 2 5/8”. The 1 to 2-pixel border is underneath the title and centered in the right half of the cover and measures 1 5/8” x ¾” and has a dotted 1/16” drop shadow shifted to the bottom right and the bottom by 1/16”. The border location is 7/16” from the right dark grey line and bottom of the border to the bottom of the art measures 3”. The text in the border is separated into three lines. Line one reads: “Macintosh TM edition”, line two reads: “1M memory”, and line three reads: “hard disk required”. The text inside the border is left adjusted, sans-serif font, and measures approximately 1 3/8” x ¼”. The dark grey ASCII art is 3 3/16” x 5 7/16”, and the image is of a person bending over Lady Nii who is lying down and encased in a half-moon bubble of ice. The ASCII art bottom is ¼” to the edge of the lip; the left side is flush with the grey border, and the right side is ¼” to the lip.

 Folio, Back
The folio measures 6 7/8” x 9” in size and is made of a light grey, heavy duty–vinyl with dark grey image and text printed in ink. The lip of the outside the folio measures 1/16” in size and the spine has four peaks and five valleys 1/16” in size spanning the edge of the folio from top to bottom. The title King of Space is in dark grey ink, centered, sans font (the same as the front cover’s font), and measures approximately 4 15/16” x 7/8”.  The location of the title is 5/8” from the top of the letter f to the top lip of the folio. The ASCII art is right-aligned, covers the top half of the folio, and measures 3 7/16” x 3 3/4". The location of the ASCII art is 5/16” from the bottom of the letter P in King of Space, the left side is 1 7/8” from the left folio lip, and the right side is 3/4” from the right folio lip. The image of the ASCII art is the left side profile of a woman who is has her left hand in a fist near her mouth and seems to be looking down at something. The biographical information about the author is underneath the ASCII art and nearly covers a quarter of the folio back. The biographical text is separated into eight lines. Line one reads: “Hypertext pioneer SARAH SMITH led one of the first efforts to put a”, line two reads: “large documentation library on personal computers. A science fiction”, line three reads: “fan since she got the adult librarian to let her read The Day of the Trif-, line four reads: “fids, she is one of the authors of the SF novel Future Boston and of the”, line five reads: “fourthcoming novel, The Child Killers. She holds a Ph.D. in English”, line six reads: “from Harvard University, and studied at the Slade Film School in Lon-, line seven reads: “don. She lives in Brookline, Mass., with her husband and kids, four”, and line eight reads: “computers, and a 22-pound Maine Coon Cat, Vicious”. The bottom of the ASCII art to the top of the text “SARAH SMITH” measures 3/16”. The biographical information is in a dark grey ink, centered, serif font (same as title), each line measures approximately 4 3/16” x 1/8”, and the entire text from top to bottom measures 1 5/16”. The publisher’s information is underneath the biographical information about the author. The publisher’s text is separated into six lines. Line one reads: “Eastgate Systems, Inc.”, line two reads: “CIVILIZED SOFTWARE”, line three reads: “PO Box 1307”, line four reads: “Cambridge MA 02238”, line five reads: “(800) 562-1638”, and line six reads: “(617) 924-9044”. The bottom of the biographical text to the top of the publisher’s information measures 5/16”. The publisher’s information is aligned left, serif font (same as title), and the entire text from top to bottom measures 1 1/8”.

Folio, Inside, Opened
Both side of the folio measures 6 7/8” x 9” in size and is made of a light grey, heavy duty–vinyl and the curved spine measures 1/8”.  On the left side is a horizontal flap that measures 5 7/8” x 3 5/8”, and the unusable part that extends to the center of the curved spine measures 1/8”.  Within this flap is the pouch where the diskettes are inserted. On the right side is a flap that opens vertically and measures 5 7/16” x 9”. This is where the rest of the package’s contents are placed.

Floppy Disk #1, Macintosh, Front
The floppy disk is grey and measures 3 1/2” x 3 11/16". The label on the front measures 2 7/8” x 2 1/16” and wraps over the top of the disk. The top part of the label measures 2 7/8” x 3/16” and is red with white text that reads: “CIVILIZED SOFTWARE from Eastgate Systems, Inc.” The bottom part of the label is white and measures 2 7/8” x 1 ½”. The text and images on the white part of the label is red. The left side of the white label contains the Eastgate Systems logo of a stone doorway and underneath the logo is their address that reads: “Eastgate Systems, Inc. PO Box 1307, Cambridge, MA 02238”. The right and topside of the white label contains the author’s name and title in two centered lines that read: “Sarah Smith” and “King of Space”. Underneath the title and aligned right is the number one in white text within a small square created with tiny red dots. The bottom right of the label contains the phone number of Eastgate Systems that reads: “(617) 924-9044”.

Floppy Disk #1, Macintosh, Back
The floppy disk is grey and measures 3 1/2” x 3 11/16". The red label folds over from the front and measures 2 7/8” x 9/16”. The label text is white and reads: “Copyright 1990 by Sarah Smith. Software Copyright 1990 by Eastgate Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CIVILIZED SOFTWARE is a service mark of Eastgate Systems, Inc.”

Floppy Disk #2, Macintosh, Front
​The floppy disk is grey and measures 3 1/2” x 3 11/16". The label on the front measures 2 7/8” x 2 1/16” and wraps over the top of the disk. The top part of the label measures 2 7/8” x 3/16” and is red with white text that reads: “CIVILIZED SOFTWARE from Eastgate Systems, Inc.” The bottom part of the label is white and measures 2 7/8” x 1 ½”.  The text and images on the white part of the label is red. The left side of the white label contains the Eastgate Systems logo of a stone doorway and underneath the logo is their address that reads: “Eastgate Systems, Inc. PO Box 1307, Cambridge, MA 02238”. The right and topside of the white label contains the author’s name and title in two centered lines that read: “Sarah Smith” and “King of Space”. Underneath the title and aligned right is the number two in white text within a small square created with tiny red dots. The bottom right of the label contains the phone number of Eastgate Systems that reads: “(617) 924-9044”.

Floppy Disk #2, Macintosh, Back
​The floppy disk is grey and measures 3 1/2” x 3 11/16". The red label folds over from the front and measures 2 7/8” x 9/16”. The label text is white and reads: “Copyright 1990 by Sarah Smith. Software Copyright 1990 by Eastgate Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CIVILIZED SOFTWARE is a service mark of Eastgate Systems, Inc.”

Booklet, Front
The booklet measures 5 ½” x 8 ½” in size and is made of a white thin paper with dark black images and text printed in ink. The title of the booklet is centered, sans serif font, and reads:

“Sarah Smith
King of Space
art by Matthew Mattingly
music by Michael Druzinsky”.

The text underneath the title is left aligned, sans serif font, and reads:

“Oh woman, mystery, Terra—
In that faraway place, the Moon has such gravity that tides and winds follow it round the planet. Great Terra exerts such force that air does not rise but is held down by its own weight… In space not a bee can escape its place in the arcology, but on Terra animals have breathed their lives and died, unseen by any human, as if man were not the king of space.”
 
The black ASCII art is 3 ¾” x 2 1/16” and the image is of a person bending over lady Nii who is lying down and is encased in a half-moon bubble of ice (full version of the folio front image). The ASCII art drop shadow is dotted in black ink, above the art by 1/16” and on the left by 1/8”. The publisher’s information is underneath the ASCII art by ¼”, left aligned, and reads:

“Published and distributed by
Eastgate Systems, Inc.
PO Box 1307
Cambridge, MA 02238
(800) 562-1638
+1 (617) 924-9044”.

The publisher’s logo is to the right of the publisher’s information by approximately ½” and is an ASCII image of a stone doorway.
The copyright information at the bottom of the booklet is left aligned and reads: “1991 by Sarah Smith. Software 1987-1991 by Eastgate Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication by any means without express written consent is prohibited.”

Booklet, Pages 2 & 3

Page 2: The title of the page is left aligned, sans serif font, and reads: “Getting Started”. The 1-pixel black border under the title measures 5 3/16” and 7/8” from the top of the page. The top black border connects to a 1-pixel black line that extends down at 2” when measuring from the left. The vertical 1-pixel black line separates content on the page and measures 7 10/16”. The text on the right side of the vertical line is centered, sans-serif font, and separated into two sections. The text on top reads:

King of Space runs on all Macintosh TM computers, models Plus, Classic or larger. A hard disk is required, and 2M of memory is recommended. To begin, create a new folder on your hard disk to hold the King of Space files. Next, copy all files from the three King of Space disks into the new folder. To begin, double-click the icon King of Space. If your computer has only 1M of memory, you may wish to limit memory consumption by system extensions and control panel devices; remove these programs from your system folder and restart the computer before starting King of Space.”

The bottom half of the text is in a 2-pixel border that measures 2 15/16” x 3 1/2”. The border has a thick ink drop shadow approximately 2/16” x 3 ½” and the bottom is not visible due to poor condition. After providing directions, the booklet adds:

“We wrote King of Space for a group that isn’t the usual teenaged games player. Sexual mythologies are a major theme. How major, I’ll admit surprised me when I came to write it. There are beautiful loves scenes and sex comedy but in a few scenes sex combines with violence…”

The words become unreadable because the quality of the copies. The next text that becomes legible reads: “King of Space contains scenes of sex and violence; please keep it away from children who use your computer.--Sarah Smith”

The left side of the vertical line contains the black inked ASCII art of the program’s icon that measures approximately 5/16” x 6/16”, 1 6/16” from the top border, 1 6/16” from the left, and 5/16” from the right vertical border. The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 3/16” and 5/8” from the bottom of the page. The page number is left aligned, sans-serif font, measures 7/16” from the left side, and 5/16” to the bottom page.

Page 3: The title of the page is right aligned, sans serif font, and reads: “Reading King of Space”. The 1-pixel black border under the title measures 5 3/16” and 7/8” from the top of the page. The top black border connects to a 1-pixel black line that extends down at 1 9/16” when measuring from the right. The vertical 1-pixel black line separates content on the page and measures 7 1/4”. The text on the left side of the vertical line is centered, sans-serif font, and separated into two sections. The text on top reads:

“This story was created with HypergateTM, a hypertext program which is both an author’s tool and a reader’s medium. Hypergate is available separately from Eastgate Systems, Inc.; for more information, call us at (800) 562-1638. Because King of Space is a hypertext, it invites you to take an active part.

•    You may move through the story by pressing the …button
•    You may make choices (or consult reference materials) by clicking on labeled buttons that appear within and beneath the text and illustrations
•    You may skip to the beginning of key episodes by clicking one of the thumbtabs that appear beneath the text
•    From time to time, you may participate in the story within complex simulation windows
•    You may back up to an earlier page using the History pop-up menu”.

 The bottom half of the text is in a Hypergate window that measures 3 7/16” x 2 2/16”. The title inside of the Hypergate window is centered, sans-serif font, and reads: “King of Space”. The text underneath the title is left adjusted, serif font, and reads:
“Sunside of the Asteroid Belt, the fertile Empire of Terra stretches from Venus to Mars. The Emperor reigns here with his Children, the Priestess and the Red King. The Terrans flourish on three worlds, two inhabited moons, and hundreds of bats, the spaceborne colonies run by the Six Houses. Darkside lies the Io-Europa Complex, home of the Inhumans, rebels against the Empire.Between them are Rocks—the Asteroid Belt, quarantined against men and unmen.”

The right side of the vertical line contains a rectangular icon that measures approximately 7/16” x 5/16”, 12/16” from the top border, 3/16” from the left vertical border, and 1” from the right side. The inside of the rectangular icon is three centered dots in a row. The l-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 3/16” and 5/8” from the bottom of the page. The page number is right aligned, sans serif font, measures 1 7/16” from the left side, and 5/16” to the bottom page.


Booklet, Pages 4 & 5

Page 4: The title of the page is left aligned, sans serif font, and reads: “Questions?”. The 1-pixel black border under the title measures 5 3/16” and 7/8” from the top of the page. The top black border connects to a 1-pixel black line that extends down at 2 1/16” when measuring from the left. The vertical 1-pixel black line separates the page and measures 7 5/16”. The text on the right side of the vertical line is left adjusted, sans-serif font, and reads:

“If you have any questions or problems, our support staff would be delighted to help! Just call us at: 
(800) 562-1638
(617) 924-9044
or write to
Eastgate Systems, Inc.
PO Box 1307
Cambridge, MA 02238

We can supply critical studies and pedagogical materials for most hypertexts we publish. Eastgate is the premier publisher of serious interactive fiction. If you enjoy King of Space, and want to keep tabs on other developments in interactive fiction and hypertext, give us a call!”

The black inked ASCII art underneath the text is one of the levels in the work, measures 3 3/16” x 1 15/16”, 3/16” from the left, right, and bottom edges. The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 3/16” and 5/8” from the bottom of the page. The page number is left aligned, sans-serif font, measures 7/16” from the left side, and 2/16” to the bottom page.

Page 5: The title of the page is left aligned, sans-serif font, and reads: “About the Author”. The 1-pixel black border under the title measures 5 3/16” and 7/8” from the top of the page. The top black border connects to a 1-pixel black line that extends down at 1 11/16” when measuring from the right. The vertical 1-pixel black line separates content on the page and measures 7 7/16”. The text on the left side of the vertical line is centered, sans-serif font, separated into two paragraphs, and reads:

“Sarah Smith has been involved in hypermedia since 1984, when she headed up one of the first programs to put a large documentation database online. A science fiction fan since she got the adult librarian to let her read The Day of the Triffids, she is one of the authors of the SF anthology Future Boston. Her mainstream novel, The Vanished Child, will appear in hardcover in Spring 1992 from Ballantine Books.

Smith holds a Ph.D. in English from Harvard University, where she created her own course of study in experimental fiction; she also studied at the Slade Film School in London. She lives in Brookline, Mass., with her husband and kids, four computers, and a 22-pound Main Coon Cat, Vicious. Her company, MediaSmith, designs and creates documentation and online training. She is an active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.”

The right side of the vertical line contains the black inked ASCII art of Sarah Smith’s self-portrait that measures approximately 1 7/16” x 1 9/16”, 1/8” from the top border, and 1/16” on the left and right side. The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 3/16” and 5/8” from the bottom of the page. The page number is right aligned, sans-serif font, measures 5/16” from the right side, and 2/16” from the bottom page.

Booklet, Pages 6 & 7

Page 6: The title of the page is left aligned, sans-serif font, and reads: “License Agreement”. The 1-pixel black border under the title measures 5 3/16” and 1/4” from the top of the page. The top black border connects to a 1-pixel black line that extends down at 2 1/16” when measuring from the left. The vertical 1-pixel black line separates the page and measures 7 7/16”. The text on the right side of the vertical line is left aligned, sans-serif font, and reads:

“SOFTWARE AGREEMENT LICENCE
You may:

I)   Use the program on any computer;
II)  allow anyone else to use the program, so long as there is never more than one user per licensed program at any time;
III) make copies of the program in machine-readable form, but only for archival purposes, and only so long as all proprietary notices are reproduced on each copy

You may not:

I)    Modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, create derivative works based upon or copy (save for archival purposes) the program of the accompanying documentation;
II)    rent, transfer or grant any rights in the program or accompanying documentation in any form to anyone else without the prior written consent of Eastgate Systems, Inc.;
III)    remove any proprietary notices, labels, or marks on the program and accompanying documentation;

Non-compliance with any of the above restrictions will terminate this license. This license is not a sale. Title and copyrights to the program and accompanying documentation and any copy remain with Eastgate Systems, Inc.”

The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 3/16” and 5/8” from the bottom of the page. The page number is left aligned, sans-serif font, measures 1/4” from the left side, and 3/16” to the bottom page.

Page 7: The title at the top of the page is left aligned, sans serif font, and reads: “Limited Warranty and Disclaimer”. The text underneath title is left aligned, sans-serif font, and reads:

“LIMITED WARRENTY AND DISCLAIMER

Eastgate Systems, Inc., warrants that this product shall prove suitable to its intended use. Eastgate Systems, Inc., further warrants that for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase the diskette upon which this program is furnished will be free from defects in materials and workpersonship, and that the software is property recorded therein.

The liability of Eastgate Systems, Inc. in the events of any unsuitability or defects in materials or workpersonship as described above, shall be limited to the replacement of the product or the refund of the purchase price. This is the entire liability of Eastgate Systems, Inc., and your exclusive remedy.

Save for the above express limited warranty, Eastgate Systems, Inc., makes no warranties or conditions express, implied, statutory or in any communication with you.

In some states some of the above exclusions may not apply to you. (text unreadable due to poor condition.)
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event will Eastgate Systems, Inc., be liable for any damages, (text unreadable due to poor condition.)…loss of use, including but not limited to specific, incidental, consequential, or indirect damages arising from the use of the program, however caused and on any theory of liability, even if Eastgate Systems, Inc., has been advised of the possibility of such damages. You acknowledge that the license fee reflects this limitation of liability. (However, some states do not allow the limitation on exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limition may not apply to you.)

This agreement is the entire agreement. If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the remainder of this agreement shall continue in full force and effect.”

The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally at the bottom of the page measures 5 1/16” and 1 5/16” to the bottom of the page. The text underneath the bottom line is left aligned, sans serif font, and reads:

“HypergateTM and StoryspaceTM are trademarks of Eastgate Systems, Inc. MachintoshTM is a trademarks of Apple Computers, Inc. Other trademarks are included for descriptive purposes only, and are property of their respective owners.”

The 1-pixel black line that extends horizontally underneath the bottom page text measures 5 1/16” and 1 5/16” to the bottom of the page.

Booklet, Back
The back of the booklet is unmarked and does not contain text or art.

Registration Mailer, Front
The registration card measures 5” x 3 ½”. The address on the registration card reads:

“Eastgate Systems, Inc.
PO Box 381307
Cambridge MA 02238-918”.

Registration Mailer, Back
The registration card measures 5” x 3 ½”. The title text is in white and surrounded by a black box. The title text reads: “Please Register Here”. The instructions under the title reads: “Please fill in and return this card to Eastgate. We’ll make sure you get updates and hear about important new developments." 

The sections that can be filled in include: PRODUCT, Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Country, and a space for comments. The left of the comment section is a black box with white text that reads:

“TALK TO US
Tell us about how you use Eastgate’s CIVILIZED SOFTWARE. Tell us how to make it better. We read every card at our weekly design meeting, and send free gifts to the best!”

Installation Insert
The installation directions is printed on a thin paper and measures 3 5/8” x 8 ½”. The title is separated into three lines. Line one reads: “Installation”, line two reads: “Update”, and line three reads: “King of Space”.  The first line and second line are inked in black, bold, centered, and sans serif font that matches the border font on the folio front. The third line is inked in black, centered, and sans font that matches the folio title font. Surrounding the title is the ASCII art from the front of the folio that shows a person bending over Lady Nii who is lying down and encased in a half-moon bubble of ice and measures 3 1/8” x 1 ¾”.
 
The instructions state:

King of Space is now provided on two high-density disks. If you have an older Macintosh (such as a Mac Plus, or a Mac II) and you need double-density disks, give us a call and we will send you new disks posthaste. To install King of Space from your high-density disks:
  1. Create a new empty folder on your hard disk. Name it ‘King of Space folder’, or the equivalent.
  2. Insert the King of Space disk number 1 into your floppy disk drive.
  3. Drag all six files from the floppy disk into your new King of Space folder, to copy them to your hard disk.
  4. Eject the King of Space disk number 1, and insert the King of Space number 2 into your floppy disk drive.
  5. Drag the two files from the floppy disk into your new King of Space folder, to copy them to your hard disk.
  6. Eject the King of Space disk number 2, and store both King of Space disks in a safe place.

To read King of Space, just double-click its icon, within your King of Space folder.”
 
On the right of instruction number 2 is an icon of a floppy disk and centered words underneath that read: “King of Space (1 of 2)”. On the right of instruction number 4 is an icon of a floppy disk and centered words underneath that read: “King of Space (2 of 2)”.  On the right of the last line of text is the Storyspace icon and centered words underneath that read: “King of Space”.


Advertising Insert, Front
The full advertisement measures 1’ 9” x 5” and folds inwards in two places.  The advertisement sections measure 7” x 5”. The advertisement on the left side is black with the white Uncle Buddy image of a man’s face covering the right side. The information on the advertisement is aligned left and reads:

“Five disks.
Two basement tapes.
One chocolate box.
Too many links to count.
A postmodern classic.
 
John McDaid
Uncle Buddy’s Phantom Funhouse
 
‘The most ambitious hyperfiction yet attempted by a single author. The variety of its imaginative hypertextual innovations alone makes this imposing enterprise a major electronic publishing event and a lot of fun.’
--ROBERT COOVER, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
 
‘Profoundly frivolous…a fractal web that could never be downloaded off the computer and reprinted in paper form.’
--GAVIN EDWARDS, THE VILLAGE VOICE”
 
The advertisement in the middle is white with an image in the center and text on the side. The image is Michael Joyce’s Afternoon, a story and the text inside the image reads: “Michael Joyce Afternoon, a story”.

The text around the advertisement from left to right and top to bottom reads: “‘a graceful and provocative work… utterly essential to an understanding of this new art form’
--Robert Coover, New York Times
 
the hypertext classic 
‘an information-age Odyssey’
--Pamela McCorduck, Whole Earth Review
 
‘an arresting, intricate, delicately contoured prose sculpture’
--Richard Grant, Washington Post”.
 
The advertisement on the right is grey with black and white text. The title is separated into two text lines and by a black inked line the width of the text. The first line reads: “J. Yellowlees Douglas” and the second line reads: “I Have Said Nothing”. The left aligned descriptive text in white reads:

“Later he would come back looking for some things: the diamond earrings she’d been wearing when they set out that night but which never quite made it to the morgue. The octagon of skin she’d left against one curb, as opaque and delicate as a fragment of ice skimmed from the surface of a pond not yet frozen over.”

The left aligned descriptive text in black reads: “Superb, crystalline, finely balanced between savagery and sympathy.’
Stuart Moulthrop, author of Victory Garden

Advertising Insert, Back
The full advertisement measures 1’ 9” x 5” and folds outwards in two places.  The advertisement sections measure 7” x 5”. The advertisement on the left side is white with some black boxes that contain information about other Eastgate works. The first text is white in a black box shape with white arrows pointing down on each side of the text that reads: “MORE TITLES”. The list of works and general information reads:
 
Victory Garden by Stuart Moulthrop
‘Indispensable! Exceeds all other known example of the form in complexity, sophistication, narrative richness and formal exploration.’ –New York Times
For Machintosh and Windows                     $19.95
 
Its Name Was Penelope by Judy Malloy
Eloquent subtle memories of artists, art, making art, love, sex, work, of being young and growing old. A mesmerizing blend of hypertext and randomness.
For Macintosh and Windows                       $19.95
 
Quibbling by Carolyn Guyer
A romantic, intricate, and challenging story of the intersecting lives of women and their men.
For Macintosh and Windows                       $19.95
 
The Perfect Couple by Clark Humphrey
A new age couple achieves Perfect Love. Can they be rescued?
For Macintosh and Windows                       $19.95
 
King of Space by Sarah Smith
A legend of a distant future. A cybernetic, cyberpunk ritual. Art by Matthew Mattingly.
For Macintosh                                             $24.95
 
Uncle Buddy’s Phantom Funhouse by John McDaid
For Macintosh, requires HyperCard             $39.95
 
Afternoon, a story by Michael Joyce
For Macintosh and windows                        $19.95
 
I Have Said Nothing by J. Yellowlees Douglas
Lust by Mary-Kim Arnold
Two stunning short stories. Volume 2 of the Eastgate Quarterly.
For Macintosh and Windows                       $19.95
 
Marble Springs by Deena Larsen
For Macintosh, requires HyperCard           $19.95”
 
The black text box to the right and underneath the list of Eastgate works contains white arrows at the end and beginning of the text “ORDER NOW” and “SUBSCRIBE NOW”. The text underneath the “ORDER NOW” box reads:

The Eastgate Quarterly Review A year of the best new hypertext fiction and electronic poetry. Each issue will include hypertexts for Macintosh computers, and most will also include hypertexts for Windows computers.
Individual subscription                                $49.95”
 
The Eastgate phone number text is white in a black box and reads:

“Phone orders:
(800) 562-1638
(617) 924-9044
Fax orders
(617) 924-9051
We accept Visa and Mastercard”
 
The Eastgate Systems logo and text are underneath the Eastgate Quarterly Review description. The Eastgate Systems address reads: “134 Main Street Watertown, MA 02172”.
 
The center advertisement has a white background with an image of a rocky cliff on the right half. The title Marble Springs is in black and centered. The text underneath the title is left aligned and reads:

“Explore the empty streets of a Colorado ghost town.
In the shell of an old marble church, pry open a trunk of old papers.
Uncover the intertwined stories of the women who built the West.”

The text at the bottom is white in a black box and reads: “Deena Larsen”.
 
The advertisement on the right side is white with some black text boxes, white text, black text, and a logo. The Eastgate logo and address is on the top left side and reads: “Eastgate Systems 134 Main Street Watertown, MD 02172”.

The text description in white text and in a black box reads:
“1994 is shaping up to be a wonderful year for serious hypertext. Amidst the debris of a bitter New England winter and the delights of a New England spring, we’re thrilled to announce some wonderful new hypertexts, works that will delight you, move you, and (we hope) speak to a whole generation of new writers. We’re hard at work on a number of new titles—and on major enhancements to the Storyspace hypertext system. Watch this space!
 
Yours truly,
Mark Benstein
Chief Scientist”
 
The bottom left text in black reads: “Serious new”. The bottom right text in white surrounded by a black box, and reads: “Hypertext”.

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