thanks for the brin advice
christian
hey...i asked rasfw if i should bother plowing through brightness reef
and was told it was worth the effort. i just wanted to drop a line of
thanks. i am happily engrossed now that i have worked out the
different threads and characters a bit.
thanks,
christian
--
"god's old lady, she sure is | www.sas.upenn.edu/~cstadler
a big chick."-charles mingus | www.english.upenn.edu/~cstadler/gz/main.html
JoAnne & Martin
I just finished Brightness Reef and I thought it was great. So much
better than The Uplift War - it is as if it was written by a different
author. I *still* have not been able to finish Uplift War! :)
JoAnne
John D. Owen
christian wrote:
>
> hey...i asked rasfw if i should bother plowing through brightness reef
> and was told it was worth the effort. i just wanted to drop a line of
> thanks. i am happily engrossed now that i have worked out the
> different threads and characters a bit.
>
the last page, on a veritable plethora of cliffhangers! They tell me the
next volume is out real soon now.
JDO ;-)
John Huttley
have you noticed how Doc' characters like to light up a fag..
(in subspace encounter it is some equally noxious inhalent)
I propose the Doc died slowly of smoking related diseases.
Rational:
All characters are smokers--- Except in the 1965 book (the last) "Skylark
DuQuesne"
wherein you find "Only tellurians burn their lungs out with smoke"
A judgement by the Jelmi against the Tellurians.
A sentiment unique in the Smith output.
I propose that late in life he came to the realisation that smoking is a
disgusting
and fatal affliction. Being unable to retroactively modify his characters
behaviour,
he opted to comment on it in the third person. The correct method IMHO,
because it
maintains the integrity of the characters.
My hypothesis that Doc smoked, therefore this characters smoked. Doc died of
SRD's
therefore his last book obliquely reflects this.
Replies from his doctor greatly appreciated.
John Huttley jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz
"DuQuesne shut his book of 9 place logarithms with a snap..."
W Kenner Rawdon
John Huttley (jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz) wrote:
: have you noticed how Doc' characters like to light up a fag..
: (in subspace encounter it is some equally noxious inhalent)
: I propose the Doc died slowly of smoking related diseases.
Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
company," there may have been other contributing factors.
But thanx for mentioning him. I have just found my 6 Fantasy Press
early 50's volumes of the Lensmen. Looking through them, I think I recall
once reading that the series originally began with Galactic Patrol, not
Triplanetary, that the background conflict between Arisia and Eddore
was not disclosed for several volumes and that Triplanetary and First
Lensman were written and published only after the disclosure. Can you
(or anyone) fill me in on this? Seems to me that the premature
disclosure in the hardbacks was probably a mistake.
Thanx,
Kenner
Great line:
: "DuQuesne shut his book of 9 place logarithms with a snap..."
Some of us remember log tables.
Stefan E. Jones
In article <4vi8dg$c...@news-central.tiac.net>,
W Kenner Rawdon <raw...@max.tiac.net> wrote:
>
[speculation on Doc Smith's cause of death omitted]
> But thanx for mentioning him. I have just found my 6 Fantasy Press
>early 50's volumes of the Lensmen. Looking through them, I think I recall
>once reading that the series originally began with Galactic Patrol, not
>Triplanetary, that the background conflict between Arisia and Eddore
>was not disclosed for several volumes and that Triplanetary and First
>Lensman were written and published only after the disclosure. Can you
>(or anyone) fill me in on this? Seems to me that the premature
>disclosure in the hardbacks was probably a mistake.
_Triplanetary_ and _First Lensmen_ were added after the original books.
They come first and second chronologically, and every edition of the
books I know of list them as the first and second book of the series.
But . . . you're right in that this is probably a mistake. I usually
tell people to start with Patrol and save the first two for later.
(Historical background, if you will!)
--
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
S...@aol.com ~ sjo...@andrew.cmu.edu ~ ste...@io.com
http://www.ini.cmu.edu/~sjones/
Bob Riemenschneider
In article <4vi8dg$c...@news-central.tiac.net> raw...@max.tiac.net (W
Kenner Rawdon) writes:
> ... Looking through [the Lensman books], I think I recall [essentally
> correct version of history]. Can you
> (or anyone) fill me in on this?
Have a look at <http://168.150.253.1/~zlensman/lensfaq.html >
> Seems to me that the premature
> disclosure in the hardbacks was probably a mistake.
I agree. Seems like the books were written/revised on the assumption that
everyone had already read the stories in Astounding, so there was no point
in trying to keep the existence of Gharlane and Co. a secret.
-- rar
John Huttley
In message <4vi8dg$c...@news-central.tiac.net> - raw...@max.tiac.net (W Kenner
Rawdon)22 Aug 1996 18:20:32 GMT writes:
:>
:>John Huttley (jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz) wrote:
:>: have you noticed how Doc' characters like to light up a fag..
:>: (in subspace encounter it is some equally noxious inhalent)
:>
:>: I propose the Doc died slowly of smoking related diseases.
:>
:> Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
:>company," there may have been other contributing factors.
:> But thanx for mentioning him. I have just found my 6 Fantasy Press
:>once reading that the series originally began with Galactic Patrol, not
:>Triplanetary, that the background conflict between Arisia and Eddore
:>was not disclosed for several volumes and that Triplanetary and First
:>(or anyone) fill me in on this? Seems to me that the premature
:> Thanx,
:>
:> Kenner
I understand that you are correct and that Vortex Blaster was a bit of an add
on.
Someone started a most interesting thread on that some time back.
I haven't noticed any 'spoilers' when I read it, because I'm too engrossed
in zooming around the universe at 90 parsecs/hour
:> Great line:
:>
:>: "DuQuesne shut his book of 9 place logarithms with a snap..."
Yes, from Skylark Duquesne, I think, 1964.
I just love the 'way back when' futures. And thats what annoyed me about
Kyles'
rehash. He tried to update it and just ruined its best features.
:>
:> Some of us remember log tables.
And slide rules.!
John Huttley jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz
Lawrence King
Kenner Rawdon < raw...@max.tiac.net > writes: (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
|> Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
|> company," there may have been other contributing factors.
I had always theorized that, as the nation's leading "cereal chemist",
he invented the formula that keeps Cap'n Crunch crunchy in milk.
(It really does stay crunchy, unlike flakes. It's gross, but crunchy.)
larry king
univ of washington
Avram Grumer
In article <4vpk40$q...@nntp4.u.washington.edu>, lk...@math.washington.edu
(Lawrence King) wrote:
>I had always theorized that, as the nation's leading "cereal chemist",
>he invented the formula that keeps Cap'n Crunch crunchy in milk.
Now that you mention it, Cap'n Crunch is shown, on the commercials, to be
struggling against "the Soggies," shapeless glob-like creatures that look
much as I imagine the Eddorians are supposed to.
--
Avram Grumer Home: av...@interport.net
http://www.users.interport.net/~avram Work: agr...@crossover.com
"My whole life is interactive, and that doesn't mean a lot
of it doesn't suck" -- Daniel Radosh
John Barnstead
John Huttley (jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz) wrote:
: Note that none of his characters sit down for dinner (exception Skylark
: Duquesne, having dinner just before DuQuesne jumps thems)
: Or have breakfast.. (can't think of anything notable in the way of
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
: exceptions)
[Possible spoiler note: below I discuss some minor material from "Children
of the Lens and Galactic Patrol, unlikely to detract from anyone's enjoyment
of these novels, but just in case: CAVEAT LECTOR!]
Sorry, John, you need to reread "Children of the Lens", where Clarissa has
breakfast with one of her daughters, whose remark: "Bacon and eggs! Goody!"
has for a rather unusual reason stuck with me...
You see, I have been learning German by reading the Lensmen series in
translation, and the translator rendered the above-mentioned exclamation
as "Eier und Speck! Koestlich!", which, my native speaker tutor informs me,
gives the German audience an entirely different picture of the breakfast,
since "Eier und Speck" is more like scrambled eggs with pieces of bacon
mixed in (or so I'm told)...
As a sidelight: it is fascinating to see what has been omitted from the
German translations -- in "Galaktische Patrouille", for example, the entire
episode of Kinnison's blindfolded examination of a murderer with his fake
"mind machine" is cut out -- whether for reasons of space or as a concession
to German post-war sensibilities (the books were translated in the early
fifties), I am unable to say.
Always happy to meet another E. E. Smith reader!
John Barnstead (whose family is forever associated with fayalin by the
footnote to chapter 3 of "Gray Lensman")
John Huttley
In message <4vpk40$q...@nntp4.u.washington.edu> - lk...@math.washington.edu
(Lawrence King)25 Aug 1996 13:23:12 GMT writes:
:>
:>Kenner Rawdon < raw...@max.tiac.net > writes: (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
:>
:>|> Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
:>|> company," there may have been other contributing factors.
:>
:>I had always theorized that, as the nation's leading "cereal chemist",
:>he invented the formula that keeps Cap'n Crunch crunchy in milk.
:>(It really does stay crunchy, unlike flakes. It's gross, but crunchy.)
:>
:>
:>larry king
:>univ of washington
Don't have that here,
But can imagine...
Kim Kinnison .. Charging to the rescue with a box of Capt crunch. Somehow
I think 'Doc' created space opera to get *away* from that, no matter how
crunchy.
Note that none of his characters sit down for dinner (exception Skylark
Duquesne, having dinner just before DuQuesne jumps thems)
Or have breakfast.. (can't think of anything notable in the way of exceptions)
{no crunch}
Jeff
In article <503d2m$n...@aklobs.org.nz>, jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz wrote:
...
> Note that none of his characters sit down for dinner (exception Skylark
> Duquesne, having dinner just before DuQuesne jumps thems)
>
> Or have breakfast.. (can't think of anything notable in the way of exceptions)
>
>
> John Huttley jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz
> "DuQuesne shut his book of 9 place logarithms with a snap..."
Wellllll, IIRC, two examples come immediately to mind:
1. Their reception in Marondal(sp?) in the first book
2. Richard and Margaret sit down to a very healthy meal after escaping
from the Hypermen in the third book
(or am I just misrecalling something that was only implied? Jeez, it's
been too long since I last re-read those books...hmmm, sounds like
something fun to do over the coming holiday...)
Jeff.
bob
jot...@kcbbs.gen.nz (John Huttley) writes:
>But can imagine...
>Kim Kinnison .. Charging to the rescue with a box of Capt crunch. Somehow
>I think 'Doc' created space opera to get *away* from that, no matter how
>crunchy.
>Duquesne, having dinner just before DuQuesne jumps thems)
>Or have breakfast.. (can't think of anything notable in the way of exceptions)
You don't remember the scene where Kim Kinnison is recovering
in Hospital and complaining about not being fed his usual
diet of steak and alien vegetables?
Bob.
Gareth Husk
This is sad but
* there's a lot about food in Spacehounds of the IPC;
* several meals, including sandwiches and a fishing net in Skylark as
well
as the Copper Sulphate condiments, dinner followed by violin
lullaby...;
* Kimball Kinnison has dinner as the reformed miner William Williamson
&
whilst posing as Cartiff.
* Mentor cons the first lensman with a drink.
Even sadder is that I haven't read any of these books for years.
--
===============================================================
This message comes to you from: gar...@thaw.demon.co.uk
I am a person of very small brain and long addresses bother me.
========Another missive from The Hundred Acre Wood=============
James Collins
lk...@math.washington.edu (Lawrence King) wrote:
>Kenner Rawdon < raw...@max.tiac.net > writes: (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
>
>|> Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
>|> company," there may have been other contributing factors.
>
>
>I had always theorized that, as the nation's leading "cereal chemist",
>he invented the formula that keeps Cap'n Crunch crunchy in milk.
I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
powdered sugar for doughnuts...
James
Laura Burchard
In article <3228c070...@news.deltanet.com>,
Does this mean that the ceremonial meal for sf fen has to be
Pringles and Hostess donuts?
Someone out there tell me we have a biochemist who specialized in
carrots, or something...
Laura
W Kenner Rawdon
James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
: I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
: powdered sugar for doughnuts...
: James
!!! Can anyone confirm this?
Kenner
Emmet O'Brien
In article <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>,
No, that was Gene Wolfe..
Emmet
--
"Naked is your colour."
James Collins
l...@netcom.com (Laura Burchard) wrote:
>>I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
>>powdered sugar for doughnuts...
>
>
>Does this mean that the ceremonial meal for sf fen has to be
>Pringles and Hostess donuts?
>
>Someone out there tell me we have a biochemist who specialized in
>carrots, or something...
Well, you it explains why the sci-fi/computer geek crowd has always
been linked with junk food... :)
James
Mardi (or T)
Laura Burchard (l...@netcom.com) one day spoke, thusly:
: In article <3228c070...@news.deltanet.com>,
: James Collins <hun...@deltanet.com> wrote:
: >lk...@math.washington.edu (Lawrence King) wrote:
: >>Kenner Rawdon < raw...@max.tiac.net > writes: (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
: >>|> Since his day job was as "batter chemist for a doughnut [80% fat]
: >>|> company," there may have been other contributing factors.
: >>I had always theorized that, as the nation's leading "cereal chemist",
: >>he invented the formula that keeps Cap'n Crunch crunchy in milk.
: >powdered sugar for doughnuts...
: Does this mean that the ceremonial meal for sf fen has to be
: Pringles and Hostess donuts?
YES!!!! :):):)
: Someone out there tell me we have a biochemist who specialized in
: carrots, or something...
Ack! HEALTHY stuff? We can't do that!!!
: Laura
Thomas
--
----------------------------------------
Note: No animals were harmed in the making of this post/email.
------Okay, okay! I had *one* kitten sandwich.
Email: mach...@du.edu
http://phoebe.cair.du.edu/~machambe <--for you who have nothing REAL
to do, and need your minds bent.
----------------------------------------
StuShank
In article <2Qm*qD...@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>, eaob...@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk
(Emmet O'Brien) writes:
>In article <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>,
>W Kenner Rawdon <raw...@max.tiac.net> wrote:
>>James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
>>
>>: I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
>>: powdered sugar for doughnuts...
>>: James
>>
>> !!! Can anyone confirm this?
>
> No, that was Gene Wolfe..
>
>
It was previously posted on rasfw that Wolfe helped design the machinery
that produced Pringles and that Doc Smith figured out how to get powdered
sugar to stick on donuts. Correct me if this is wrong.
Stu
StuS...@aol.com
**Exit kitchen tyrant pursued by pages unclad and maids in a state of
nature, leaving our hero beset by an ogre and two -- or is it three --
ogresses.** --- Fritz Leiber
Bill Higgins
In article <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>, raw...@max.tiac.net (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
> James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
> : I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
> : powdered sugar for doughnuts...
>
Despite a fair interest in this question, I have not been able to
confirm this, and I regard it as apocryphal.
I am trying to track down facts about what Doc *did* do in his years
in the doughnut industry. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
--
O~~* /_) ' / / /_/ ' , , ' ,_ _ \|/
- ~ -~~~~~~~~~/_) / / / / / / (_) (_) / / / _\~~~~~~~~~~~zap!
/ \ (_) (_) / | \
| | Bill Higgins Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
\ / Internet: HIG...@FNAL.FNAL.GOV
- - Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNAL
~ SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet: 43009::HIGGINS
Gharlane of Eddore
James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
> I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
> powdered sugar for doughnuts...
In <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>,
raw...@max.tiac.net (W Kenner Rawdon) writes:
> !!! Can anyone confirm this?
In <1996Sep1...@fnald.fnal.gov>
hig...@fnald.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins) writes:
>Despite a fair interest in this question, I have not been able to
>confirm this, and I regard it as apocryphal.
>I am trying to track down facts about what Doc *did* do in his years
>in the doughnut industry. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
Besides, the Field Research is so *danged* much fun.. particularly
the *chocolate* ones......
W Kenner Rawdon
Bill Higgins (hig...@fnald.fnal.gov) wrote:
: I am trying to track down facts about what Doc *did* do in his years
: in the doughnut industry. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
Locate Forrest J. Ackerman and ask him.
Kenner
John Boston
In article <1996Sep1...@fnald.fnal.gov>, hig...@fnald.fnal.gov (Bill
Higgins) writes: > In article <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>,
raw...@max.tiac.net (W Kenner Raw > don) writes:
> > James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
> > : I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
> > : powdered sugar for doughnuts...
> >
> > !!! Can anyone confirm this?
>
> Despite a fair interest in this question, I have not been able to
> confirm this, and I regard it as apocryphal.
>
> I am trying to track down facts about what Doc *did* do in his years
> in the doughnut industry. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
"Working for the U.S. Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C.,
Smith helped establish tolerances on the weight of commercially sold
butter. He established standards for oysters in New England in a laboratory
on the prow of a ship at the price of perpetual seasickness." [1915]
"At the end of the war Smith became chief chemist for F.W. Stock
& Sons, Hillsdale, Michigan, a position he was to occupy until 1936. His
specialty was the infant field of doughnut mixes, the formulation of which
is regarded as a specialized art by cereal chemists."
". . . . Personal problems interfered with his writing. Though
he was one of the few doughnut mix specialists in America (running a
$5,000,000 annual doughnut mix business) he found after years of effort there
was a low ceiling on his salary. He shifted to Dawn Doughnut, Jackson,
Michigan, in January, 1936, on a salary plus share-of-the-profit arrangement.
To get his new firm out of the red, he worked 18 hours a day, seven days a
week, for almost a year, even designing new machinery to implement his plans.
. ." " . . . . Smith was in trouble. Because of the war, any company
selling products containing sugar and flour needed no formulation specialist,
least of all one who received a percentage of the profits. Smith found
himself out of a job. . . ." [1940]
"Unable to find work immediately after Pearl Harbor, Smith applied
to the army. At 51, he was overage, but they put him to work at the
Kingsbury, Indiana, Odnance Plant, working on explosives and shells. He was
fired in 1944 for his refusal to pass shells he regarded as below standard.
This phase of his life is described in complete detail in Chapter 5, '1941,'
of the book version of _Triplanetary._ He finished out the last year of the
war as a
metallurgist for Allis-Chalmers."
"In 1945, he reentered the doughnut mix business with J.W. Allen,
Chicago, remaining there until his retirement in 1957. . . ."
-- Sam Moskowitz, SEEKERS OF TOMORROW (Cleveland: World, 1965)
John Boston
Gharlane of Eddore
James Collins (hun...@deltanet.com) wrote:
> I am not sure, but I believe his claim to fame was that he created
> powdered sugar for doughnuts...
>
In <50ei5d$f...@news-central.tiac.net>,
raw...@max.tiac.net (W Kenner Raw > don) writes:
> !!! Can anyone confirm this?
In <1996Sep1...@fnald.fnal.gov>, hig...@fnald.fnal.gov (Bill
Higgins) writes:
> Despite a fair interest in this question, I have not been able to
> confirm this, and I regard it as apocryphal.
>
> I am trying to track down facts about what Doc *did* do in his years
> in the doughnut industry. If I learn anything, I'll post it.
>
In <9609112129595.T...@delphi.com>
John, just as a general thing, be very wary of quoting SaM as a
complete authority; his memory was not always correct, and his
scholarship occasionally rather spotty; and bias, possibly
unconscious, sometimes crept in.
And in regard to his comments on E.E. Smith, I can personally
attest to EES' anger and upset over SaM's comments and historical
details; (and these reactions have been well-documented elsewhere,
too;) he was *NOT* pleased with the first appearance of that
particular bio entry, SaM's implications and insinuations, or
the validity of several of the details.
Using Moskowitz as a resource is like using Clute & Nichols;
they're great for generalized pointers, reminders, and large
bodies of information, but you can NOT rely on them for detail
accuracy, and anything you get from them should be verified with
independent sources before quotation as fact.
In this instance, SaM's dates are roughly correct, although his
interpretations are strongly suspect, if not downright arguable.
("Unable to find work," indeed. EES had a *LOT* to say about
THAT one.....)
Gary Farber
Gharlane of Eddore (ghar...@ccshp1.ccs.csus.edu) wrote:
<snip>
: John, just as a general thing, be very wary of quoting SaM as a
: scholarship occasionally rather spotty; and bias, possibly
: unconscious, sometimes crept in.
No kidding. And Doc like to use a ray or two. ;-)
--
-- Gary Farber gfa...@panix.com
Copyright 1996 Brooklyn, NY, USA
Sysop, Reinventing America II
Visit http://www.pathfinder.com/reinventing and play along.
Alexandra Haropulos
Gharlane of Eddore wrote:
>
>[snip]
So, is there a valid and reasonably comprehensive
source for Smith's life (I say, comprehensive,
because I have read Heinlein's nice essay)?
Flash Sheridan
In article <324BEA...@co.xerox.com>,
Alexandra Haropulos <Alexandra...@co.xerox.com> wrote:
>Gharlane of Eddore wrote:
>So, is there a valid and reasonably comprehensive
>source for Smith's life (I say, comprehensive,
>because I have read Heinlein's nice essay)?
There's a brief biography in _The Universes of E.E. Smith_, Advent
Publishers, 1966, by Ron Ellik and Bill Evans, which is primarily a
concordance. (Sorry, my copy is _not_ for sale.) See also Gharlane's
Lensman FAQ, at http://WHEEL.DCN.DAVIS.CA.US/~zlensman/lensfaq.html.
--
<LI><a href="http://pobox.com/~flasheridn/">Flash Sheridan</a>
John Boston
> >
> >[snip]
>
> So, is there a valid and reasonably comprehensive
> source for Smith's life (I say, comprehensive,
> because I have read Heinlein's nice essay)?
There is considerable information on Smith's life and career in OVER MY
SHOULDER: REFLECTIONS ON A SCIENCE FICTION ERA by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach
(Oswald Train, 1983), including Smith's own capsule autobiography from a late
30s/ early 40s fanzine. How reliable Eshbach is compared to Sam Moskowitz, I
don't know. I wasn't there.
John Boston
David
John Boston
In article <52mitn$m...@dfw-ixnews11.ix.netcom.com>,
schr...@ix.netcom.com(David) writes: > Does anyone know of any SF/Fantasy
bookstores in NYC.
The Science Fiction Shop, now at 214 Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village
(I think--the street number may be wrong) is the oldest. They just moved and
things are a trifle disorganized, but they have a reasonably large stock of
new and second-hand material and generally (i.e., when they haven't just
moved) are the best organized of the three NY SF stores. Their exclusive
focus is the printed SF word.
Forbidden Planet, now at Broadway and 13th Street (walkable from the SF
Shop in good weather), has also recently moved to relatively cramped quarters.
They sell comic books and a lot of other knicknacks as well as SF and I don't
think they pay as close attention to SF as they used to. They don't seem to
have the
SF magazines.
Science Fiction, Mysteries and More is on Chambers Street. I think the
address is 200-something but I'm not sure. Anyway, they are several blocks
west of Broadway, downtown. Chambers Street runs east-west from near the
Brooklyn Bridge entrance (east) almost to the Hudson River. Their new book
selection is a bit spotty, but the last time I went there (several months ago)
they had the largest selection of second-hand books of the three.
The Strand Bookstore at Broadway and 12th Street is not to be missed.
They advertise "Eight Miles of Books" and I doubt that they are making it up.
On the main floor is a reasonably large SF section. Downstairs they have a
large selection of new and recent books for half price. There is also a Rare
Book Room on a higher floor of the building they are in which has an SF
section as well as many other interesting things. (I once bought a paperback
copy of the Ace edition of van Vogt's THE WEAPON MAKERS there. At that time,
they didn't have a separate cash register; they sent you downstairs, with an
escort, to the main store to pay. The cashier took one look and said, "THIS
is a RARE BOOK?"
John Boston
Gary Farber
John Boston (jbo...@delphi.com) wrote:
[. . .]
: Forbidden Planet, now at Broadway and 13th Street (walkable from the SF
: Shop in good weather), has also recently moved to relatively cramped quarters.
: They sell comic books and a lot of other knicknacks as well as SF and I don't
: think they pay as close attention to SF as they used to. They don't seem to
: have the SF magazines.
I was there last week for my first visit since their move, and I was
shocked by how their selection had deteriorated. They used to have a
quite nice selection of hardcovers, of small press, of harder-to-find
books.
All gone. It was largely comics, toys, and contemporary paperbacks. All
the small press and most of the "upmarket" material was gone. Very sad.
However, the Strand is just down the block.