I’ve been highlighting books I’ve written, edited, or contributed to throughout my career, with a new entry posted every Thursday. It’s “Throwbook Thursday,” ya’ll! (But please do not throw books. It can hurt someone and damage the books.)
This week’s Throwbook Thursday is bittersweet, as I am spotlighting a pair of lexicons written by my sadly departed friend, spiritual brother, and business partner, Paul C. Giachetti. Back in 2014, Paul wrote two massive tomes devoted to the British science fiction comedy Red Dwarf. That was his favorite television show, and he pulled me into it not long after I met him a couple decades ago. The books were titled Total Immersion: The Comprehensive Unauthorized Red Dwarf Encyclopedia Volumes I and II.
When Paul and I launched Hasslein Books, we envisioned independently publishing not only our own work, but others’ as well. We released around a dozen titles before Paul’s tragic passing in 2017, after which I put Hasslein to bed since it was too painful for me to continue it without him. With regrets, I ceased publication of the various authors’ books (which they understood), allowing them to take those titles to other publishers. These days, Hasslein sells only seven titles: the five written or cowritten by me (which Paul designed and laid out), as well as Paul’s Red Dwarf encyclopedias (which I edited). I was determined to keep his legacy alive, and this seemed the best way to do so.
Sadly, Paul never saw himself as a writer and didn’t recognize the talent he possessed. Between the two books, he wrote close to 700 pages of fantastic material, yet somehow that didn’t make him an author in his own eyes. I view it quite differently. For every person who succeeds in writing a book, there are hundreds—maybe thousands—who say “I want to be a writer” but never do any actual writing. The answer to the question “How do I become a writer?” is pretty simple: “Write something.” Well, Paul wrote something. He wrote a lot, in fact, and he was good at it. He became an author in his final years, and no one can take that from him.
My role in the project was smaller than Paul’s. Since I had a good deal more experience on the writing end, I served as editor and helped him revise, rewrite, and polish the books. Although he’d had more than 20 years’ experience as a graphic designer and art director in the publishing sector, he was new to the author game, so I guided him on how to approach the books, as well as how to self-edit, write essays, compile lexicon entries, that sort of thing. I acted as a mentor, guide, and occasional ghost writer, offering advice while he did all the heavy lifting as the creative force behind the books. These were his babies, to be sure, but I happily pitched in as an editorial nanny.
So what exactly is Total Immersion? Simply put, Paul authored the quintessential reference guides to the Red Dwarf universe. The books contained thousands of entries based on the episodes, novels, official websites, games, comics, and more. Every person, place, thing, and event referenced in the franchise up to that point was covered—from androids to zero-gee football, from Alphabetti Spaghetti to Zogothoniumeliumoxiixiexiphulmifhidikalidrihide (no, seriously, that’s an entry)—to produce the trivia buff’s ultimate treasure trove of all things Red Dwarf.
More than 5,500 entries were culled from every Red Dwarf story produced before Paul’s passing. Total Immersion featured a foreword by Jonathan Capps, a founding member of Red Dwarf website Ganymede & Titan; more than 60 beautiful sketches from artist Pat Carbajal, produced exclusively for this set; a story guide to the episodes, novels, comics, and more; and an overview of the many universes and timelines featured in the franchise. Paul left no stone unturned. It was an extraordinary effort.
Sadly, the books covered only the first ten seasons, for seasons 11 and 12, as well as the film Red Dwarf: The Promised Land, all aired after his death. It pains me that he never got to see those wonderful additions to his favorite franchise. My son and I watched them all when they debuted, then rewatched them on Blu-ray, and though we laughed hysterically at each joke, our enjoyment was dimmed by the ever-present awareness that Paul wasn’t sitting next to us, doubled over with laughter, as he should have been. My friend is sorely missed by all who knew and loved him, but his work lives on and I am proud of the small role I played in helping him get it out there.
Total Immersion: The Comprehensive Unauthorized Red Dwarf Encyclopedia is available via Amazon here (for Volume I, covering A–K) and here (for Volume II, covering L–Z). You can also find each book at Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, and other book-selling websites. If you’re a Red Dwarf fan, I hope you’ll find them to be invaluable resources.
