Samuel "John Christopher" Youd (1922 - 2012)

[James Nicoll]

From Locus:

"British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."

http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher-1922-2012/
--
http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicoll
http://www.cafepress.com/jdnicoll (For all your "The problem with
defending the English language [...]" T-shirt, cup and tote-bag needs)

[Moriarty]

On Feb 6, 3:11 pm, jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:
> From Locus:
>
> "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>

> http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...
> --http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicollhttp://www.cafepress.com/jdnicoll(For all your "The problem with

> defending the English language [...]" T-shirt, cup and tote-bag needs)

Sorry to hear that although 89 isn't a bad innings.

My first YASID (I think) on this group lead to Joe Slater correctly
answering it as John Christopher's _The Lotus Caves_ which I'd read in
6th grade. I tracked a copy down and re-read it, it stood the test of
time well.

In the YASID reply Joe also mentioned that John Christopher used to
post here. Anyone remember him?

-Moriarty

[Moriarty]

On Feb 6, 3:22 pm, Moriarty <blue...@ivillage.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 3:11 pm, jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:
>
> > From Locus:
>
> > "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> > night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>
> >http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...

> > --http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicollhttp://www.cafepress.com...all your "The problem with

> > defending the English language [...]" T-shirt, cup and tote-bag needs)
>
> Sorry to hear that although 89 isn't a bad innings.
>
> My first YASID (I think) on this group lead to Joe Slater correctly
> answering it as John Christopher's _The Lotus Caves_ which I'd read in
> 6th grade.  I tracked a copy down and re-read it, it stood the test of
> time well.
>
> In the YASID reply Joe also mentioned that John Christopher used to
> post here.  Anyone remember him?

And just answering my own question, he posted for only a short while
in 1999 as "C.S. Youd", although he signed off with the John
Christopher monicker. This seems to be his first post (I actually
posted in that thread):

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.written/msg/aa51c5b596f49f36?hl=en&dmode=source

"As the Scythians probably were of Rome." Hahaha

-Moriarty

[William Hyde]

On Feb 5, 11:22 pm, Moriarty <blue...@ivillage.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 3:11 pm, jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:
>
> > From Locus:
>
> > "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> > night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>
> >http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...

> > --http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicollhttp://www.cafepress.com...all your "The problem with

> > defending the English language [...]" T-shirt, cup and tote-bag needs)
>
> Sorry to hear that although 89 isn't a bad innings.
>
> My first YASID (I think) on this group lead to Joe Slater correctly
> answering it as John Christopher's _The Lotus Caves_ which I'd read in
> 6th grade.  I tracked a copy down and re-read it, it stood the test of
> time well.
>
> In the YASID reply Joe also mentioned that John Christopher used to
> post here.  Anyone remember him?

Yes, I had a few discussions with him. About Shaw, among other things
- not sure why since I know little about Shaw, but that's how
discussions go. I don't think he was here long, but he was a pleasure
to talk with.

It was a good innings, but as with you, I'm sorry to hear of it.

William Hyde

[Evelyn Leeper]

On 2/5/12 11:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
> From Locus:
>
> "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>
> http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher-1922-2012/

Maybe someone here can answer this question:

Was John Christopher Jewish? His real name certainly seems to imply
that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
"I don't want to take my country back, I want to take it forward."

[Rose Youd]

On Feb 6, 8:43 am, Evelyn Leeper <elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
> On 2/5/12 11:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>
> >  From Locus:
>
> > "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> > night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>

> >http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...

>
> Maybe someone here can answer this question:
>
> Was John Christopher Jewish?  His real name certainly seems to imply
> that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>
> --
> Evelyn C. Leeper
> "I don't want to take my country back, I want to take it forward."

I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!

[lal_truckee]

On 2/6/12 5:43 AM, Evelyn Leeper wrote:
>
> Was John Christopher Jewish? His real name certainly seems to imply
> that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.

How would someone confirm "Jewish?"

Is there a keeper of the list somewhere? Maybe in a dungeon under the
ruins of the Temple?

[Dan Goodman]

On Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:19:58 -0800, lal_truckee wrote:

> On 2/6/12 5:43 AM, Evelyn Leeper wrote:
>>
>> Was John Christopher Jewish? His real name certainly seems to imply
>> that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.

From the relevant wikipedia article: "Christopher Samuel Youd was born
in Lancashire. He was educated at Peter Symonds' School in Winchester,
Hampshire in 1932. His surname, Youd, is of Dutch origin, from the French
Flemish dialect."

> How would someone confirm "Jewish?"
>
> Is there a keeper of the list somewhere? Maybe in a dungeon under the
> ruins of the Temple?

--
Dan Goodman

[Joel Polowin]

On Feb 6, 9:13 am, Rose Youd <jjlot...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 8:43 am, Evelyn Leeper <elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
> > Maybe someone here can answer this question:
>
> > Was John Christopher Jewish?  His real name certainly seems to imply
> > that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>

> I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!

My condolences to you and to your family. Your father's books
were among my favorites when I was young, and helped to bring
me into my love of SF. I've still enjoyed them on re-reading as
an adult.

[Jens M. Sørensen]

In article <14a2ab65-5b0d-4e55...@f14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>, Joel Polowin <jpol...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>On Feb 6, 9:13=A0am, Rose Youd <jjlot...@gmail.com> wrote:

>> On Feb 6, 8:43=A0am, Evelyn Leeper <elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
>> > Maybe someone here can answer this question:
>>

>> > Was John Christopher Jewish? =A0His real name certainly seems to imply

>> > that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>>
>> I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!
>
>My condolences to you and to your family. Your father's books
>were among my favorites when I was young, and helped to bring
>me into my love of SF. I've still enjoyed them on re-reading as
>an adult.

I proberly read The Tripods trilogy 10 or 15 times as a child. I can still
remember/feel the trill/horror of the Caps.

One off the great storytellers!

Jens M. Sørensen

[Cryptoengineer]

May I second both sentiments. I found 'The City of Gold and Lead' in
the Slough public library when I was quite young, and read the various
'cozy catastrophe' books later on. Wonderful stuff.

pt

[Jerry Brown]

I'm putting the tripods prequel he wrote (much later then the original
trilogy) into my "to read" pile in honour of JC/SY.

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)

[Michael Stemper]

In article <f3cd2da6-fbee-4109...@k28g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, Rose Youd <jjlo...@gmail.com> writes:

>On Feb 6, 8:43=A0am, Evelyn Leeper <elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
>> On 2/5/12 11:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:

>> > =A0From Locus:
>>
>> > "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died las=

>t
>> > night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>>
>> >http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...
>>
>> Maybe someone here can answer this question:
>>

>> Was John Christopher Jewish? =A0His real name certainly seems to imply

>> that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>

>I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!

My condolences on your loss. I discovered your father's _The White
Mountains_ when I was about twelve, and read it several times, most
recently to my son, when I was about forty.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

[James Silverton]

On 2/7/2012 11:51 AM, Michael Stemper wrote:
> In article<f3cd2da6-fbee-4109...@k28g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, Rose Youd<jjlo...@gmail.com> writes:
>> On Feb 6, 8:43=A0am, Evelyn Leeper<elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
>>> On 2/5/12 11:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>
>>>> =A0From Locus:
>>>
>>>> "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died las=
>> t
>>>> night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."
>>>
>>>> http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/02/samuel-youd-aka-john-christopher...
>>>
>>> Maybe someone here can answer this question:
>>>
>>> Was John Christopher Jewish? =A0His real name certainly seems to imply
>>> that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>>
>> I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!
>
> My condolences on your loss. I discovered your father's _The White
> Mountains_ when I was about twelve, and read it several times, most
> recently to my son, when I was about forty.
>

I would have thought "Christopher" would be unlikely pen-name for a
practicing Jew since it refers to a legendary saint (removed by the
Bollandists from the Church listing.)

--
Jim Silverton

Extraneous "not" in Reply To.

[Michael Stemper]

Maybe not for a practicing Jew. However, if he was trying to hide his
(hypothetical) Jewishness, in order to avoid possible effects of
anti-semitism on his sales, it would be a great pen-name. Not just
any saint, but one whose name has "Christ" as its root.

I don't know if this has ever actually been done, but it would have
made sense in the 1940s when he started writing.

And, we can all recite the names like "Andrew North", "James Tiptree, Jr.",
et cetera, so we know that similar things have been done.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>

If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made from meat?

[Lynn McGuire]

On 2/7/2012 12:37 PM, Michael Stemper wrote:

Wasn't Andre Norton born Mary Norton ?

Lynn

[Dan Goodman]

On Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:37:26 +0000, Michael Stemper wrote:

> In article <jgro9t$fh2$2...@dont-email.me>, James Silverton
> <jim.si...@verizon.net> writes:
>>On 2/7/2012 11:51 AM, Michael Stemper wrote:
>>> In

>>> article<f3cd2da6-fbee-4109-
beee-7b8...@k28g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,

>>> Rose Youd<jjlo...@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> On Feb 6, 8:43=A0am, Evelyn Leeper<elee...@optonline.net> wrote:
>
>>>>> Was John Christopher Jewish? =A0His real name certainly seems to
>>>>> imply that, but I've never seen it confirmed anywhere.
>>>>
>>>> I can answer that (as one of his daughters) - he wasn't!
>>>
>>> My condolences on your loss. I discovered your father's _The White
>>> Mountains_ when I was about twelve, and read it several times, most
>>> recently to my son, when I was about forty.
>>>
>>I would have thought "Christopher" would be unlikely pen-name for a
>>practicing Jew since it refers to a legendary saint (removed by the
>>Bollandists from the Church listing.)
>
> Maybe not for a practicing Jew. However, if he was trying to hide his
> (hypothetical) Jewishness, in order to avoid possible effects of
> anti-semitism on his sales, it would be a great pen-name. Not just any
> saint, but one whose name has "Christ" as its root.
>
> I don't know if this has ever actually been done, but it would have made
> sense in the 1940s when he started writing.
>
> And, we can all recite the names like "Andrew North", "James Tiptree,
> Jr.", et cetera, so we know that similar things have been done.

Or, currently, Rob Thurman (aka Robyn.)



--
Dan Goodman

[Brian M. Scott]

On Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:38:49 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<l...@winsim.com> wrote in <news:jgrukd$nkm$2...@dont-email.me>
in rec.arts.sf.written:

[...]

> Wasn't Andre Norton born Mary Norton ?

No, Alice Mary Norton.

Brian

[Suzanne Blom]

Mary Alice Norton, yes.

[Robert Carnegie]

On Feb 6, 4:11 am, jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:
> From Locus:
>
> "British author Samuel Youd, who wrote SF as John Christopher, died last
> night in Bath, England, at the age of 89."

If the family are comforted by our appreciation of his work, then
please add me to the count. That's good stuff.