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From: [email protected] (John S. Novak, III)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
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Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) about the author Robert Jordan, his Wheel of Time series of books, and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.
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Summary of changes:

o  Fan Clubs are gone.  (None that I know of are active, nor am I
  really interested in being a clearing house for them.)

o       Jordan is not bloody dying.  Goddammit.

o  No more spoilers.

o  Fixed a few typos in URLs

----


                FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
              for rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan

Welcome to the rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan Usenet newsgroup.
Before you rush off to post, we strongly recommend and request that
you peruse this small document, which attempts to answer the most
Frequently Asked Questions about Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time
series and the rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan newsgroup.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. HISTORY AND CHARTER OF REC.ARTS.SF.WRITTEN.ROBERT-JORDAN

2. MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ROBERT JORDAN.
     1.  Who is Robert Jordan?
     2.  What is the Wheel of Time?  What are the book titles?
     3.  What's the title of the next book?
     4.  When will the next book be published?
     4.1 What was the deal with the prologue of the last book?
     5.  How many books will the Wheel of Time series end up being?
     6.  Is Robert Jordan on the Net?
     7.  Are there any other books about the Wheel of Time?
     8.  What will Jordan write after he finishes The Wheel of Time?
     9.  What else do I read while I wait for Book 10?
    10.  Are there any Wheel of Time related games?
    11.  Can someone type in an mail me a copy of SaSG?
    12.  What about the artwork?
    13.  Is Robert Jordan dead, dying, sick, or injured?

3. GENERAL COURTESY AND NEWSGROUP SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS/POLICIES.
     1. How to post so that you don't look like a fool or upset people
     2. Spoiler Policy
     3. The TAN Subject Header Convention.
     4. Parasha

4. COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

5. NEWSGROUP RESOURCES & ARCHIVES
     1. The Wheel of Time FAQ.
     2. The Jordan Archives (FTP site and WWW home page).
     3. Wheel of Time WWW Index

6. OTHER AREAS OF ROBERT JORDAN FANDOM
     1. Mailing Lists

7. HOW TO FIND THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS FAQ.

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

                               * * *

Section 1:  HISTORY AND CHARTER OF REC.ARTS.SF.WRITTEN.ROBERT-JORDAN

This newsgroup, rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, was created in July
1994 for the discussion of books written by contemporary author Robert
Jordan (a pseudonym, see next section).  In particular, this newsgroup
is concerned with his ongoing "Wheel of Time" series, but also covers
past and future works by him.  Fandom is specifically included within
the purview of this charter.  The group is unmoderated.

The discussions in this group originated in rec.arts.sf.written (the
general group for discussion of all science fiction and fantasy books),
where they were carried on for upwards of two years before this group
was created.  A more detailed history by Bill Garrett is available from
http://linuxmafia.com/~garrett/jordan/history.html

                               * * *

Section 2:  MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ROBERT JORDAN.

Q: Who is Robert Jordan?
A: Robert Jordan is actually a pseudonym for James Oliver
  Rigney, Jr., under which he has written seven volumes of the
  "Wheel of Time" fantasy series as well as seven books of the
  "Conan" series.  Other pseudonyms are Reagan O'Neal ("Fallon"
  series; historic fiction), Jackson O'Reilly ("Cheyenne Raiders";
  western), and Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals
  including Library Journal).  [Source:  Contemporary Authors vol.
  140]

Q: What is The Wheel of Time?  What are the book titles?
A: The Wheel of Time is an in-progress series of fantasy books
  with a very complex plot that has gathered a large following of
  very devoted fans.  The books in "The Wheel of Time" series are
  (so far; in order):

       The Eye of the World   ISBN 0-312-85009-3
       The Great Hunt         ISBN 0-312-85140-5
       The Dragon Reborn      ISBN 0-312-85248-7
       The Shadow Rising      ISBN 0-312-85431-5
       The Fires of Heaven    ISBN 0-312-85427-7
       Lord of Chaos          ISBN 0-312-85428-5
       A Crown of Swords      ISBN 0-312-85767-5
       The Path of Daggers    ISBN 0-312-85769-1
       Winter's Heart         ISBN 0-312-86425-6


       All nine volumes are available in hardback in the United States;
  the first eight are currently available in paperback as well.

  (Despite popular misconception, there are hardcover editions
  of the first two books.  The FAQ maintainer happens to own
  such copies, and has seen them on sale, in retail stores, recently.)

  All of the Wheel of Time books in the United States and Canada are
  published by Tor Books ( http://www.tor.com/ ).  UK/International
  versions are published by Orbit.  See the Wheel of Time FAQ for
  ISBN numbers and prices (see Section 5.1 for directions on where
  to get the Wheel of Time FAQ).

Q: What is the title of the next book?
A: The title of the tenth volume is almost certainly unknown, even to
  Jordan, as of the update of this document.

Q: So when will I be able to buy it?
A: Obviously, not for a long time.  Sheer speculation based on past
  performance indicates that the tenth book might possibly be released
  some time in 2002.  This is a personal speculation, not associated
  with Tor books or Robert Jordan.

       As always, Tor promises to keep this newsgroup informed.

Q: What is the deal with the prologue of the last book?
A: As most are probably aware, Simon and Schuster have acquired
       electronic rights to "Snow" which is the prologue
       to _Winter's Heart_.  They released the prologue in
       electronic form on September 13th, 2000, at a price of $5.00.
       They did NOT purchased the rights to the entire book, only
       to the prologue.  They will not publish the entire book
       electronically, now or ever, unless they purchase the rights
       to do so.  There are no plans we know of which indicate this.

       http://www.simonsays.com/book/default_book.cfm?areaid=170&isbn=0743215478

  Note:  THE TOR PRINTED EDITION CONTAINS THE ENTIRE PROLOGUE!
  Therefore, buying the electronic version is not necessary.

       Tor books, the publisher of the paper and ink version, had
       nohing to do with this development.  They have the rights
       to the entire book, and obviously published the book complete.

Q: How many books will the Wheel of Time series end up being?
A: Recent question and answer sessions, or electronic chats, indicate
  that Jordan still needs on the order of three more books to complete
  the series.  He explicitly makes no promises on this.


Q: Is Robert Jordan on the Net?
A: No.  He understands its addictiveness and can't afford the
  time.  If you want to write to him, send a letter in care of Tor
  Books:

                       Robert Jordan
                       c/o Tor Books
                       175 Fifth Avenue
                       New York, NY 10010

Q: Are there any other books about The Wheel of Time?
A: In fact, yes,

       1)      _The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time_ by
       Robert Jordan with Teresa Patterson has been published.
       (ISBN 0-312-86219-9)

       This volume contains a significant amount of information previously
       unknown about the Age of Legends, the Trolloc Wars, Hawkwing's era,
       and the Seanchan.  It also contains a large number of color
       illustrations, which buyers may wish to peruse before parting with
       their cash.

       The newsgroup members are split as to whether the information in
       the Guide is considered 'canon' or not.

       2) _Legends_, a volume of short stories editted by Robert
       Silverberg, contains a novella named "New Spring" detailing
       Moiraine's and Lan's first meeting.  It is written by Robert Jordan
       and considered canon.  (ISBN 0-312-86787-5)

  3)   There is a recently written short story called "The Strike at
  Shayol Ghul" by Robert Jordan.  The story was published as part of
  the Balticon XXX program guide, and details a bit of the events
  leading up to and including the strike at Shayol Ghul.

  WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, you can obtain one by sending seven stamps, a
  request for the program guide, and a donation the Reading is
  Fundamental charity in any amount you can afford to the folks at
  Balticon at:

  B30 BSFAN
  P. O. Box 686
  Baltimore, MD  21203-0686

  Make any donation checks or money orders payable to the RIF
  charity.

  This short story is now available on-line at the Tor books web
  page, specifically at

  http://www.tor.com/shayol.html

Q: What will Jordan write after he finishes the Wheel of Time?
A: Robert Jordan has said that he has plans for a series
  tentatively titled "Shipwrecked", based on a Seanchan-like world
  and events revolving around a character who washes ashore.  But he
  doesn't plan to start writing it until he finishes the Wheel of
  Time series.

Q: What else can I read while I wait for Book 10?
A: Tor is capitalizing on Jordan's popularity by rereleasing
  some of Robert Jordan's older works.

  A hardcover compendium of three of Jordan's seven "Conan" novels
  is currently in stores as "The Conan Chronicles", and includes
  "Conan the Invincible", "Conan the Defender" and "Conan the
  Unconquered".

  A hardcover of "The Fallon Blood" under Tor's 'Forge' imprint is
  also currently available in stores.  It is a historical novel set
  in the Revolutionary War period, and is the first of a three-part
  series.  (The sequels are expected to be reprinted in the future
  as well, but are currently out of print.)

  A bibliography of Jordan's works is maintained at:
  http://cegt201.bradley.edu/~jsn/bib1.html

Q: Are there any Wheel of Time related games?

       There are two.

  Legend Entertainment Company, has produced a Wheel
       of Time themed computer game.  More niformation can be found at their
       website:

  http://www.wheeloftime.com/

       Also, there is a collectible card game produced by Precedence
       Entertainment, which also produces the Babylon 5 collectible card
       game.  More information can be found at:

  http://www.eyeoftheworld.org/ and at:
       http://www.dragonmount.com/CCG.asp

  Legend Entertainment Company, which produced the game "Death
  Gate", has reputedly picked up the license to create a Wheel of
  Time PC Game.  According to the designer, it will be first person,
  set in a DOOM like engine, but be geared toward multi-person
  play.  There is no firm information on a release, but it isn't
  past the concept stage at this point, so the game is a long way
  off.

Q: Can anyone type up and send me SaSG (or anything else)?
A: No.  No.  A thousand times, no.

  No.  Not legally.

  Nothing which Robert Jordan has written is in the public domain.
  Everything which Robert Jordan has ever published is covered under
  copyright laws.  That means everything.  Please note that under
  the Berne Convention, an international agreement to which almost
  all nations (including the United States) are signatory, _all_
  written works are under copyright automatically, even when no
  explicit copyright is mentioned.  Seriously.  This applies to
  EVERYTHING, most especially published materials.

  For emphasis, no prologues to any volume is public domain, even
  though available through Tor's or Simon and Schuster's Web site.
  You may of course add a link to that page in any page you create,
  but the text itself is not public domain.

  For emphasis, the story "The Strike at Shayol Ghul" is not public
  domain.  If you receive an electronic copy of this story, be
  advised that it is stolen property in a very real fashion, and the
  person from whom you received it is a thief.

  Asking for electronic copies of Robert Jordan's material to be
  posted or mailed is asking for commission of theft.  It is in
  extremely poor taste.  Please do not do it here.

Q: What about the artwork?
A: That's slightly different.

  Artwork falls into two categories, cover art and chapter icons.

  Cover art may be used, as long as you do not delete any of the
  text from the coer (for instance, Robert Jordan's name, the title,
  quotes on the back, etc.)

  Chapter icons were originally off limits.  According to PNH,
  this has changed.  It is now permissible to use scanned in chapter
  icons on Jordan-related web pages or printed materials, so long as
  you note that the icons are copyrighted by Tor books and used with
  permission.  You MAY NOT place chapter icons on any consumer good,
  nor may you sell them or make money from them.

  Interior maps, unfortunately, are still off-limits.  You may not
  scan in and use interior maps.

Q: Is Robert Jordan dead, dying, sick, or injured?
A: No, no, a thousand times no.

  This is a persistent rumor spread by idiots and malcontents, both.
  Asking this question on the newsgroup will irritate people.
  Spreading it around will incense people, and very likely cause you
  to be flamed and mocked.

  If something should eventually happen along these lines for real, it
  is highly likely that the nice people at Tor would let us know very
  quickly, and that would be reflected in this document within twenty
  four hours.

                              * * *

Section 3:  GENERAL COURTESY AND NEWSGROUP SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS/POLICIES.

Section 3.1:  General Courtesy:

  Before you post, please read the newsgroup for a while.  This is
  the best way to see how things are done, and you'll probably find
  that whatever question/point you wish to pose has already been
  discussed before.  You will want to take this into account if and
  when you bring it up.

  We urge all readers to follow these few points of "netiquette" to
  avoid irritating people and to increase the likelihood that people
  respond to your ideas.  The idea behind these recommendations is
  two-fold.  First, to make the newsgroup run as smoothly and
  pleasantly for all concerned, both old-timer and new user.
  Second, to help the new user communicate efficiently, because
  communication is the prime goal of Usenet.  The idea is NOT to
  stifle discussion or add unnecessary restrictions.

  It should also be noted that all of these maxims can and should be
  applied to every Usenet newsgroup, not only this one.


  Section 3.1.1:  Read the Wheel of Time FAQ.

   Before posting your brilliant new idea (e.g. "Hey! I think Shaiel
   = Tigraine," or "Hey! Maybe Slayer = Luc + Isam!"), make sure it
   has not been discussed to death months before.  The collected
   wisdom of the jordan discussions is available in the form of the
   Wheel of Time FAQ.  It is a huge document, and even if you don't
   feel like reading it all at once, you should read it at some
   point, and at least search it for keywords before bringing up
   something that has already been discussed.  Details on how to get
   the Wheel of Time FAQ are found in in section 5.1 below.

   Note that just because a topic is covered in the Wheel of Time
   FAQ does not mean you cannot post to the newsgroup about it.
   However, it would be a good idea, and the polite thing to do, if
   you check the WoT FAQ first so that you can consider previous
   discussion of your idea and hopefully discover something we all
   missed.

  Section 3.1.2:  Keep quoting to a minimum.

   Only keep as much of the previous post post as is necessary for
   people to know what you are talking about.  Summarize wherever
   possible (i.e. instead of 20 lines of included text, summarize it
   in a sentence).  Make sure you attribute the right things to the
   right people, and ALWAYS DELETE .sigs WHEN QUOTING.  On the same
   token, don't post a reply to a specific post without quoting or
   summarizing at least some of it.  The idea is to include *just
   enough* context for people who have not seen the article to which
   you are replying (which can happen quite frequently) to be able
   to understand your comments.

  Section 3.1.3:  Use descriptive subject headers.

   If you want to discuss the intermarriages of the royal houses in
   Andor, use a subject line like "Royal Lineage in Andor".  Threads
   (lines of discussion) often drift from their original topic.
   When this happens, subject lines might have little to do with the
   content of the articles.  Try to avoid this situation by using a
   new title when you start a new thread, and try not to drift from
   the topic too much within a thread.  Drift is inevitable, though,
   and when it happens, it's usually appropriate to rename the
   thread.  To continue the example above, if the topic shifts from
   royal lineage to Rand's parents to intermarriages in the Two
   Rivers, you might rename the thread "Two Rivers Genealogy (was
   Re: Royal Lineage in Andor)" or simply "Two Rivers Genealogy".
   If it shifts to non-book related material, include TAN in the
   Subject line (see Section 3.3).

  Section 3.1.4:  Avoid incendiary language and unconstructive
  criticism.

   Words like "rip-off," "crap," and "semi-literate, brainwashed
   fools" will irritate people, even if that was not your intent.
   If you disagree with someone, tell the group why you disagree;
   don't just call that person names.

  Section 3.1.5:  Legibility, readability and other miscellenia.

   Usenet is a media designed to facilitate communication, and the
   rasfwrj newsgroup is a fairly busy newsgroup, with many articles
   streaming in every day.  A good way to encourage people to read your
   articles is to present them in a format which makes them pleasing to
   as many eyes as possible.  The following are a few helpful hints
   on how to keep your articles legible.

   Make a paragraph form by introducing a blank line between each
   paragraph, and a blank line between quoted text and your own text.

   Put "quote marks" in front of each line of quoted text.  Many
   newsreaders do this automatically, by putting a '>' symbol at the
   beginning of each line.

   Keep your line lengths to below 80 characters, preferably
   somewhere in the range of 70 to 75 characters, so that people
   reading news on standard 80 column terminals (that is, most of
   us) can both read and quote your text easily.

   Finally, make some attempt to follow the dictates of English
   grammar.  It is a given that people will make mistakes,
   mispellings and the occasional gaffe.  No one claims to be
   perfect (for very long).  Likewise, we all have our own style.
   But in general, posts which are written in good English, with
   proper capitalization and punctuation are the easiest to read.

   And we all want people to read our posts with the minimum
   possible effort.

  Section 3.1.6:  Don't Post Fucking Binary Files.

        Don't post binaries here.

        In an ideal world, this section would not be needed, as
        people would already know not to post binaries anywhere
        not dedicated to them.  Don't post them here because you
        will make some people mad, and the rest of the people will
        never see them, as they will be removed by cancelbots at
        most sites.

  Section 3.1.7:  Don't Crosspost.

   Crossposting is, in the vast majority of cases, unecessary.
        More than that, in many cases, it will actively annoy the members
   of the newsgroups to which you are crossposting.  Please don't do it
   here.

Section 3.2:  Spoiler Policy:

  NOTE:  This section is left in so that people can see what the policy
  was last year, and what it will likely resemble for Book Ten.
  However, it is NOT CURRENTLY IN FORCE.

  When a new book comes out, some people obtain and read it before
  other people do.  People who have read parts of the book want to
  talk about them, but people who haven't gotten that far don't want
  you to spoil the surprises for them.

  After long discussion prior to the release of _Winter's Heart_,
  there was consensus for the following policy:

       1)      Try to enforce spoiler protection for _Winter's Heart_ for two
       or three weeks after the release of the book.  Trying to enforce
       anything for any longer than that simply turns out to be unfeasible,
       and very annoying.

  2)   Therefore, in the subject header, make people aware of the
  content by adding either the prefix tag WH: to the subject, or the
  word "Spoilers!" to the subject.  Preferably both.

  Additionally, do not use a title that is, itself, a spoiler.  For
  instance, if it turns out that Tam al'Thor killed Asmodean, then a
  subject of:

  WH:  Tam killed Asmodean!! (Spoilers)

  Doesn't really help up.

  3)  Finally, once you've done that, then in the body of the
  message, insert either a page break or a screen of whitespace
  before your actual spoilers.  While not all newsreaders accept
  page breaks, neither are all terminal sizes limited to 24 lines.
  It is the opinion of this FAQ writer that newsreaders that do not
  accept page breaks are broken by implementation.  It is also the
  opinion of this FAQ writer that anyone who braves a post marked
  "Spoilers!" in the header gets exactly what he or she deserves,
  whether through a broken newsreader failing to implement a page break,
  or through a post with insufficient whitespace for his screen
  settings.

Section 3.3:  The "TAN:" Subject Header

  It is inevitable that there will be threads that do not directly
  pertain to the books, and it is inevitable that this sort of thing
  will annoy some people.  In order to keep things civilized, it is
  suggested that such discussions be labeled "TAN:" for
  "tangential."  For example:

   Subject: TAN: Warder Applications
   Subject: TAN: Plot Contest
   Subject: TAN: What did Lanfear give Roy for his birthday?

       Please note that this is as official a sanction as is
       feasible regarding tangential, or off-topic discussions.
       This document makes such a sanction because, on observing the
       newsgroup since day one of its inception and having canvassed
       the newsgroup members publically, the FAQ maintainer firmly
       believes the regular participants of the newsgroup prefer
       it this way.  Therefore, please do not complain about the
       amount of off-topic conversation; especially during the
       long periods between books, it is a fact of life.

       However, as always, the first rule of newsgroup etiquette (as
       pointed out in Section 3.1 above) is "please read the newsgroup for a
       while."  Analogizing the newsgroup to a sports bar, you can be sure
       that striking up an on-topic conversation (about a current basketball
       game, in the sports bar; about Robert Jordan, here) is going to be
       safe and well-received.  Trying to branch out into off-topic
       conversations will probably not be well-regarded (in fact, will
       probably be ignored) if begun before you have gotten a feel for the
       personalities around you, and vice-versa.  It's human nature.

       This is not a call for drive-by postings, as it were, and it is
       MOST CERTAINLY NOT a sanction on SPAM.  Thinking back to the
       sports bar concept, no one likes people who walk in off the street,
       shout something and leave, or try to address the whole bar about, say,
       Tolstoy, when that person has never set foot in the bar before.  And
       annoying salesmen are ejected swiftly and painfully.

Section 3.4:  Parasha

       Parasha is a coordinated reread of the series for the purpose of
  discussion, to pass the time between book releases.  The word
       'Parasha' is the Hebrew term for 'section' or 'portion' used to
       denote the weekly reading of the Torah in Synagogue.  It has been
       adopted for this purpose as well.  The Parasha reread had been
       ongoing for over one year.

       A link from the orginal coordinator:
       http://hem.passagen.se/kjnoren/jordan/parasha.html

       Current schedule (as of this writing) is at:
       http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/jjvors/myhomepage/profile.html

                              * * *

Section 4:  COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

You may note that there are many strange and arcane acronyms and
abbreviations used on this group. Here are interpretations of the
most commonly used:

TWoT         = The Wheel of Time (also just WoT)
TEotW        = The Eye of the World (sometimes just EOW)
TGH          = The Great Hunt
TDR          = The Dragon Reborn
TSR          = The Shadow Rising
TFoH         = The Fires of Heaven (sometimes just FOH)
LoC          = Lord of Chaos
CoS/ACoS     = A Crown of Swords
TPoD         = The Path of Daggers
WH           = Winter's Heart
rasfw        = rec.arts.sf.written (also "r.a.sf.w", sometimes "rasw" )
rasfwrj      = rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan (also "r.a.sf.w.r-j")
AOL          = Age of Legends (or America OnLine, depending on context)
AS           = Aes Sedai (or Amyrlin Seat)
Asm          = Asmodean
BA           = Black Ajah
DF           = Darkfriend
DFS/DS       = Darkfriend Social (Two usages:  The event in the Prologue
               of TGH, or a real-life meeting of newsgroup members.)
DO           = Dark One
DotNM        = Daughter of the Nine Moons
Eg/Egw       = Egwene
El           = Elayne
Ish/Ishy     = Ishamael
LTT          = Lews Therin Telamon
Mog/Moggy    = Moghedien
Mo/Moi/Moir  = Moiraine
MPS          = Mad Passionate Sex, (c) Mike Macchione
MT           = Mazrim Taim
NS           = New Spring
Ny/Nyn       = Nynaeve
OP           = One Power
PNH          = Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Sr. Editor, Tor Books).
Randland     = The Wheel of Time world.  Sometimes used to refer to the entire
               world, sometimes just the mainland areas shown on the maps.
RJ           = Robert Jordan (also referred to as 'The Creator')
SG           = Shayol Ghul
SS           = Siuan Sanche
TAR/T'A'R    = Tel'aran'rhiod
TS           = True Source
TV           = Tar Valon
WC/WCs       = Whitecloak(s)
WO/WOs       = Wise One(s)
WT           = White Tower
YKYBRTMRJW   = You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When...
               (also IKIHBRTMRJ = I Know I Have Been...)

And a few of the most common Usenet-wide acronyms:

AFAIK        = As Far As I Know (also AFAIR = As Far As I Remember)
FAQ          = Frequently Asked Question(s)
FWIW         = For What It's Worth
HTH          = Hope This Helps(Helped)
IIRC         = If I Remember Correctly
IMHO         = In My Humble Opinion (also IMNSHO, where NS = Not So; IMNAAHO,
               where NAA = Not At All; IMAO = In My Arrogant Opinion)
ROFL/ROTFL   = Rolling On the Floor, Laughing
RTFF         = Read The Flaming FAQ!
YMMV         = Your Milage May Vary ("Tastes Vary")
WWW          = World Wide Web
grep         = (verb) search, usually a file for key words.
               (from a Unix command to search files for words).
Ob (prefix)  = Obligatory reference to something.  (For example, an ObJordan
               is an obligatory reference to RJ, usually in an article that
               would otherwise be off-topic.  But usage varies; often, it
               indicates a reference to an inside-joke or past event.)
YHBT. YHL. HAND. = You Have Been Trolled.  You Have Lost.  Have A Nice Day.
               Indicates you interpreted words at face value when they
               were intended to be a joke.  Enjoy a good laugh, it happens
               to the best of us too.

                              * * *

Section 5:  NEWSGROUP RESOURCES AND ARCHIVES

This FAQ isn't even the tip of the metaphorical iceberg of Robert
Jordan fandom accumulated on the Internet and other venues.  We
strongly suggest that you download a copy of the Wheel of Time FAQ, a
much lengthier collection of questions, discussion, humor, and
fandom.  There is also tons more information, collections and humor
available by anonymous ftp or on the WWW. (See the end of Section 5.2
for directions on how to use ftp.)

Section 5.1:  The Wheel of Time FAQ.

  The Wheel of Time FAQ is an extensive collection of culled from
  discussions of the Wheel of Time over the past several years.  It
  includes summaries of many discussions/conclusions/ideas/theories
  from Usenet and other sources, plus a list of collected prophecies
  from the books for your handy reference.  It is STRONGLY
  RECOMMENDED that you get a copy of the Wheel of Time FAQ and check
  if your idea has been already discussed before you post it.

  Pam Korda has archived a large number of past versions of the FAQ.
  These can all be found through the her web page at:

  http://student-www.uchicago.edu/~kor2/WOT/WOTindex/faqinfo.html

  For easy reference, the newest version of the FAQ, which
  incorporates information from the most recent book (The Path of
  Daggers) is available at:

  http://linuxmafia.com/jordan/

  There is a UK mirror site available at:

  http://www.arkane.demon.co.uk/WOTFAQ/

  Andy Carlson has set up an automatic server to email copies of the
  Lord of Chaos version of the Wheel of Time FAQ.  Send an email
  message to [email protected] (subject and body don't matter.)

  Versions of the Wheel of Time FAQ are also available on America
  Online, Prodigy and Compuserve, though they may be out of date or
  modified.  On America Online, the WoT FAQ is in the Fantasy
  Library section of the Fantasy and Science Fiction Area (Keyword:
  SF).  On Compuserve, it is in the Science Fiction Literature Forum
  Library in the Fantasy Section (GO: SFLIT).  On Prodigy, a
  variation of the WoT FAQ is posted on the Science Fiction/Fantasy
  Bulletin Board in the Robert Jordan Topic about once every two
  months in three parts, under the subjects FAQ, GTW, and
  JORDANFAQ.  Info on Prodigy Exporting can be found by JUMPing:
  Bulletin Boards under the section entitled "BB How To's."


Section 5.2:  The Jordan Archives (FTP site and WWW home page).

  The Jordan Archives contain an extensive collection of information
  culled from the discussion on rasfwrj and from earlier discussions
  on rec.arts.sf.written.  In addition to this FAQ and the Wheel of
  Time FAQ, it contains numberous other submissions ranging from
  humor (filksongs, The Dark One's Dictionary, etc.), results from
  surveys and plot submission contests, collections of information
  from the books (an Old Tongue dictionary, character lists, etc.)
  and much more.

  The Jordan archives are available at:

  http://linuxmafia.com/waygate/no-haunt/jordan.html

  The Wheel of Time Home Page contains links to the web pages of
  several of the regular posters to rasfwrj, some of whom also have
  Jordan related web pages.

Section 5.3:  The Compleat Wheel of Time WWW Index

  Pam Korda also maintains an index of all the Wheel of Time related
  resources on the WWW at

  http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/~kor2/WOT/WOTindex.html

                              * * *

Section 6:  OTHER AREAS OF ROBERT JORDAN FANDOM

Section 6.1:  Mailing Lists:

Ron Festine runs and maintains the Robert Jordan List, for those
overwhelmed by the bandwidth of the newsgroup:

   A great discussion group, especially helpful to readers new to
   Robert Jordan's books, takes place via email. To subscribe send a
   brief message to [email protected]. Advanced readers are
   welcome also, but please, no jumping on newbies.

A list is maintained at:

http://www.icon-stl.net/~samsysd/rjl.html

                              * * *

Section 7:  HOW TO FIND THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS FAQ.

  As always, the most up-to-date version of this FAQ can be obtained
  via anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu (the official news.answers
  archive site, where all FAQs that are posted to news.answers are
  kept), in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/sf as the file
  robert-jordan-faq.

  On the WWW (World Wide Web), use the URL (Uniform resource locator)

  http://www.landfield.com/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/
  rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.html

  (Join the lines)

  or use ftp://joeshaw.bevc.blacksburg.va.us/pub/jordan/robert-jordan-faq
  or ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sf/robert-jordan-faq for
  a plain text version of the FAQ.

  This FAQ is also available on the rasfwrj archive site
  (ftp.cc.gatech.edu) mentioned above, but it is not currently
  updated automatically every time the FAQ is posted.

  Andy Carlson has set up an automatic server to email copies of
  this FAQ.  Send an email message to [email protected]
  (subject and body don't matter.)

  Or, you can always send me email at [email protected] and
  just ask me for a copy.

  As a last resort, you can use the news.answers ftp-by-mail
  server.  Send a message to [email protected] with the
  following two lines in the body (not the subject) of the message:

       send usenet/news.answers/sf/robert-jordan-faq
       quit

  Be warned that the turnaround time for the rtfm mail server can be
  rather slow.


                              * * *

Section 8:  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This FAQ was created by Bill Garrett, Pam Korda and Joe Shaw, and
  is maintained by John S. Novak, III.  The authors and maintainer
  wish to thank the many people who have contributed information,
  with Special Thanks to Patrick Nielsen Hayden of Tor Books.  This
  document was prepared under strict supervision by the Secret
  Usenet Cabal and has been brought to you by the letter U.