Infocom PDP-11 ZORK True First Edition Package 1980 AUTOGRAPHED by three authors! Includes business card! Start Price USD 50.00 Current Price USD 2,348.31 Time Left - Bid Count 14 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, November 17, 2008 End Time Monday, November 24, 2008 Location Massachusetts See more about 'Infocom PDP-11 ZORK True First Edition Package 1980' Description PDP-11 Zork (1980) The true first commercial edition of this seminal computer game. Autographed by Blank, Lebling & Berez. Includes period Infocom business card and letter of authenticity. Offered in this no-reserve auction is an original owner's manual from the PDP-11 edition of Zork: The Great Underground Empire - Part 1, the classic computer adventure game published in 1980 by Infocom. The manual is personally autographed by three of the game's authors: Mark Blank, Dave Lebling and Joel Berez. Also included is an original Infocom business card, dating from the same period as the manual. Please note that this auction is for the signed manual and accompanying business card only. It does not include the 8" floppy disc that was included in the original package. The true first edition This edition of Zork I was offered for sale in autumn of 1980, before the more common TRS-80 edition published in December 1980 by Personal Software. It is the true first commerical edition of this important work. A history of the creation and early marketing of Zork is available here. Written by Tim Anderson, co-author of the game, the history includes the following reference to this PDP-11 edition: "We had another product in which PS [Personal Software] had no interest: the PDP-11 version of Zork I. We sent product announcements to various places, including a newsletter for PDP-11 users, and as a result, the first copy of Zork I sold was a PDP-11 version! It came on an eight-inch floppy disk with a manual that I wrote and Joel [Berez] had reproduced from a typewritten master." According to Joel Berez, less than 100 copies of the 1980 PDP-11 edition of Zork I were sold, making it the rarest of all Infocom game packages. Provenance This copy of PDP-11 Zork I is from the private collection of Brian Moriarty, author of three later Infocom titles. It comes with a signed letter of authenticity from Mr. Moriarty, stating that the booklet and business card are genuine, and that he personally obtained the three autographs. Condition The 12-page, 8.5" x 5.5" pamphlet is in like-new, museum-quality condition. The autographs (in black ballpoint pen) are extremely clear, fresh and dramatic against the canary yellow paper cover. The interior pages are perfectly clean and unmarked. The business card is also in excellent shape. Payment terms PayPal is the only form of payment I accept. I ship to confirmed PayPal addresses only, except to those countries where they are not available. I do not accept personal checks or money orders under any circumstances, and I do not end auctions early. Do not ask. If you have zero or significant negative feedback, email me before you bid or I reserve the right to cancel your bid without explanation. Your bid is a legally binding contract. Please do not bid on this item unless you expect to pay for it promptly. Full payment must be received within 10 business days or the auction will be cancelled, the item will be re-listed, and eBay's delinquent payment police will be notified that you are a deadbeat loser. Free shipping This item will be carefully packaged and shipped free via USPS Express Mail (or FedEx, depending on availability) to anywhere in the world. A signature will be required for delivery. Questions? If you have any questions about the item, payment or shipping, please ask before you bid. The bottom line This is one of the earliest and rarest computer game packages ever offered on eBay, or anywhere else. The photo accompanying this auction is the first chance most collectors have ever had to see what this package actually looks like! No trophy case of Infocom memorabilia, interactive fiction or classic computer games is complete without it. Don't miss this opportunity to obtain an exquisite, triple-autographed specimen of the true first edition of Zork I. You may never get another chance. Remember! eBay auctions are won or lost in the last thirty seconds of bidding.On Nov-18-08 at 17:25:35 PST, seller added the following information:International bids now accepted I have modified the listing to make it possible for bidders outside the USA to participate in this auction. Sorry for the inconvenience. Place a Bid!