Creating a Permanent Science Fiction Library -- Al
Zeki Huysman
Previous Post: http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.written/browse_thread/thread/52baaafa0e04a4f1?hl=en#
I think it would be too confusing to ask people to parse authors Ala-
Ale, so I'm putting all of the "Al" authors together. My understanding
is that the "al-" in the name "al-Aswamy" is included for purposes of
alphabetization; I welcome any correction on the point.
1) Alaa al-Aswamy
2) Brian Aldiss
3) Ray Aldrige
4) Alma Alexander
5) Lloyd Alexander
6) Roger Macbride Allen
7) Sara Allen
8) Aaron Allston
9) Hans Joachim Alpers
10) Steve Alten
11) Genrich Altov (Altshuller)
AUTHORS I MISSED ON PREVIOUS POSTS
12) Luis G. Abbadie
13) Rafael Abalos
Which of these authors would make your cut?
Thanks for playing,
Zeki
Brian M. Scott
<zhuy...@gmail.com> wrote in
<news:3562ade1-3ea0-493e...@r35g2000prj.googlegroups.com>
in rec.arts.sf.written:
> 1) Alaa al-Aswamy
> 2) Brian Aldiss
> 3) Ray Aldrige
> 4) Alma Alexander
> 5) Lloyd Alexander
> 6) Roger Macbride Allen
> 7) Sara Allen
> 8) Aaron Allston
> 9) Hans Joachim Alpers
> 10) Steve Alten
> 11) Genrich Altov (Altshuller)
I'm not an Aldiss fan and am unlikely to read anything of
his that I've not read or to reread the ones that I have
read, but he certainly belongs on any general list. Both
Alexanders are on my list. I've read some R.M. Allen, but
I'd not include him. Allston's Doc Sidhe novels were fun,
but they'd be my only reason to include him; if he went back
to that setting, I'd be interested, but I couldn't care less
about the tie-ins. The others I don't know.
Brian
Butch Malahide
>
> I'm not an Aldiss fan and am unlikely to read anything of
> his that I've not read or to reread the ones that I have
> read, but he certainly belongs on any general list.
Moreover, if the Permanent Library of Science Fiction is going to
contain anthologies, Brian Aldiss has edited some good ones. For some
reason, I like the stories he selects for his anthologies better than
the ones he writes himself.
David DeLaney
>I think it would be too confusing to ask people to parse authors Ala-
>Ale, so I'm putting all of the "Al" authors together. My understanding
>is that the "al-" in the name "al-Aswamy" is included for purposes of
>alphabetization; I welcome any correction on the point.
>
>5) Lloyd Alexander
>6) Roger Macbride Allen
>
>Which of these authors would make your cut?
These are the ones here I've heard of, and I think all of them qualify. You
could also arguably add Dante Aligheri, I think.
Dave "and I don't have anything to mention by an Am author" DeLaney
--
\/David DeLaney posting from d...@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.
Zeki Huysman
I have the Hellconia books, but have never opened them. Don't know
why.
My thoughts on editors are mixed. Picking a well-known editor seems a
good shortcut for finding neglected story writers, but then once we
have the story, what do we need the editor for, except to give him
credit for his good taste?
Practically, I think including notable editors (Aldiss, Campbell,
Ellison...) is a good idea, because more than anything this is a hunt
for more good stories and book. It does tickle my OCD, though.
The earlier question--in a previous thread--about Charles Addams I've
answered to my own satisfaction. I want stories and novels. Comic
strips, comic books, graphic novels, film scripts, movie posters, sci-
fi art, criticism, &c. we put in an annex. After the eccentric
billionaire builds us our core library--in my head it looks like
Borges' Library of Babel but floating menacingly towards the Earth
like Rama--we can add a Dyson sphere full of other stuff.
Just my stupid opinions,
Zeki
Zeki Huysman
> could also arguably add Dante Aligheri, I think.
No denying the supernatural in Dante.
For myself I would exclude Dante because there's an avalanche of
religious allegory and magical realism suspended above our library. I
think it's useful to ask the question: "Do I REALLY think of the
Inferno as science fiction?" (...or as fantasy?) My answer is no, but
I recognize somebody's answer could reasonably be yes.
It's also tempting to make the argument that Dante is not in danger of
disappearing from the shelves, and so does not require our assistance.
But that's a different slippery slope.
Zeki
Butch Malahide
> On May 6, 6:08 pm, Butch Malahide <fred.gal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> My thoughts on editors are mixed. Picking a well-known editor seems a
> good shortcut for finding neglected story writers, but then once we
> have the story, what do we need the editor for, except to give him
> credit for his good taste?
I'm not sure exactly how this "Permanent Science Fiction Library" is
supposed to work, but I note that we're listing authors, not titles.
Presumably, if an author makes the cut, then his entire body of
fiction goes on the shelves. Well, by putting some good anthologies on
the shelves, you cover the one-hit wonders, people who may not worth
including in toto but have written one story that deserves to be
preserved for eternity. Or you avoid cluttering the list with names of
people who have only ever written one SF story, but that was a lulu.
I'm thinking of stories like "Built Up Logically" or "Von Goom's
Gambit" or "In Hiding" or "No Land of Nod".
Stewart Robert Hinsley
<3562ade1-3ea0-493e...@r35g2000prj.googlegroups.com>,
Zeki Huysman <zhuy...@gmail.com> writes
>Original Post:
>http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.written/browse_thread/thread/
>6d668a6ac00b77ad?hl=en#
>Previous Post:
>http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.written/browse_thread/thread/
>52baaafa0e04a4f1?hl=en#
>
>I think it would be too confusing to ask people to parse authors Ala-
>Ale, so I'm putting all of the "Al" authors together. My understanding
>is that the "al-" in the name "al-Aswamy" is included for purposes of
>alphabetization; I welcome any correction on the point.
>
>1) Alaa al-Aswamy
>2) Brian Aldiss
>3) Ray Aldrige
>4) Alma Alexander
>5) Lloyd Alexander
>6) Roger Macbride Allen
>7) Sara Allen
>8) Aaron Allston
>9) Hans Joachim Alpers
>10) Steve Alten
>11) Genrich Altov (Altshuller)
>
>AUTHORS I MISSED ON PREVIOUS POSTS
>12) Luis G. Abbadie
>13) Rafael Abalos
>
>Which of these authors would make your cut?
>
>Thanks for playing,
>Zeki
Gollancz/Sunday Times Best SF Stories anthology), Karl Alexander (author
of Time After Time, which I recall to be a Wells pastiche), Tom Allen,
and Joe Allred.
ISFDB produces too many records for easy study, but it reminds me that
Buzz Aldrin coauthored a couple of novels.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
David DeLaney
>On May 6, 9:15 pm, d...@gatekeeper.vic.com (David DeLaney) wrote:
>> could also arguably add Dante Aligheri, I think.
>
>No denying the supernatural in Dante.
>
>For myself I would exclude Dante because there's an avalanche of
>religious allegory and magical realism suspended above our library. I
>think it's useful to ask the question: "Do I REALLY think of the
>Inferno as science fiction?" (...or as fantasy?) My answer is no, but
>I recognize somebody's answer could reasonably be yes.
There's some arguments to be made that it does count; he was using the best
astronomical science he could get at the time, for one thing, though it's
nearly all background material. I've seen an analysis of this, but I forget
whether it was Asimov, Sayers, or someone else...
>It's also tempting to make the argument that Dante is not in danger of
>disappearing from the shelves, and so does not require our assistance.
>But that's a different slippery slope.
Well, you didn't have "in danger of disappearing" as a qualifier for every
entry, only that you were wondering what to put in so that all of it stayed
around.
Dave
Zeki Huysman
> On May 7, 2:29 am, Zeki Huysman <zhuys...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Well, by putting some good anthologies on the shelves, you cover the one-hit wonders, people who may not worth
> including in toto but have written one story that deserves to be preserved for eternity. Or you avoid cluttering the list with names of
> people who have only ever written one SF story, but that was a lulu.
I think you're right on all these points.
The only thing I was trying to bring into discussion was how we
conceive of the authorship of an anthology. Is it a collection of
primary authors or is the editor authoring the anthology? Either way,
I would want anthologies in my version of the library.
Zeki
Zeki Huysman
> There's some arguments to be made that it does count; he was using the best
> astronomical science he could get at the time, for one thing, though it's
> nearly all background material. I've seen an analysis of this, but I forget
> whether it was Asimov, Sayers, or someone else...
I remember thinking Dante's discussion of the location of Purgatory--
at the antipodes of Jerusalem--showed a kind of scientific
sophistication, as do his pre-Newton views of mass and distance from
the center of the Earth. As I recall, those latter views are almost
perfectly wrong.
> >It's also tempting to make the argument that Dante is not in danger of
> >disappearing from the shelves, and so does not require our assistance.
> >But that's a different slippery slope.
>
> Well, you didn't have "in danger of disappearing" as a qualifier for every
> entry, only that you were wondering what to put in so that all of it stayed
> around.
You're right; I didn't. I was just sketching a possible viewpoint,
not my own.
Zeki
Zeki Huysman
wrote:
> In message
> <3562ade1-3ea0-493e-9395-355e54f11...@r35g2000prj.googlegroups.com>,
> Zeki Huysman <zhuys...@gmail.com> writes
Thanks for the suggested entries, Stewart. There is very little
information in the ISFDB for Tom Allen or Joe Allred. One has a story
and a short novel; one has just a story. Have you read either?
Thanks,
Zeki
Stewart Robert Hinsley
<51affc3e-b43d-4d62...@17g2000prr.googlegroups.com>, Zeki
Huysman <zhuy...@gmail.com> writes
I read ISFDB as ascribing two stories to Tom Allen. I've read (and own)
on the stories, but don't recall anything about it.
I've also read (and own) the short story ascribed to Joe Allred. Again I
don't recall anything about it. But is was reprinted in a "The Best of
Analog" anthology, so someone must have thought well of it.
>
>Thanks,
>Zeki
>
>
>
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
Konrad Gaertner
>
> I think it would be too confusing to ask people to parse authors Ala-
> Ale, so I'm putting all of the "Al" authors together. My understanding
> is that the "al-" in the name "al-Aswamy" is included for purposes of
> alphabetization; I welcome any correction on the point.
The Library of Congress' official author record spells the name:
Aswa?ni?, 'Ala?'
(the ? are weird horizontal lines over the gaps between letters)
with these recognized variants:
Aswany, Alaa Al
Al Aswany, Alaa
as well as the Arabic (I assume) version.
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to link directly to the record
itself (URL includes a session ID that expires in ten minutes), but
you can do your own search from here:
http://authorities.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First
--
Konrad Gaertner - - - - - - - - - - - - email: kgae...@tx.rr.com
http://kgbooklog.livejournal.com/
"I don't mind hidden depths but I insist that there be a surface."
-- James Nicoll
Ahasuerus
> The earlier question--in a previous thread--about Charles Addams I've
> answered to my own satisfaction. I want stories and novels. Comic
> strips, comic books, graphic novels, film scripts, movie posters, sci-
> fi art, criticism, &c. we put in an annex. After the eccentric
> billionaire builds us our core library--in my head it looks like
> Borges' Library of Babel but floating menacingly towards the Earth
> like Rama--we can add a Dyson sphere full of other stuff.
An eccentric billionaire? Oh no, it's not that expensive. For years I
purchased everything by authors on my "master list", which was quite
extensive: among the "Al" names mentioned earlier, it included Brian
Aldiss, Karl Alexander, Lloyd Alexander, Roger McBride Allen, Aaron
Allston and Genrikh Altov. I also own almost all SF pulps and digests
going back to the mid-1930s, so my collection also includes
unreprinted stories by Abernathy and other second tier authors.
I am reasonably sure that I never had to pay more $10-20K/year, so it
would be doable on a middle class income, especially if you eschew all
other pursuits. FWIW, when I stopped some years ago (because ISFDB
takes up so much of my time), I had about 20,000 SF books and
magazines.
Zeki Huysman
> An eccentric billionaire? Oh no, it's not that expensive.
But I'm very insistent the whole thing be housed in a gigantic
spaceship.
Checking the top moderators list, I see 74982 posts. (I assume, it's
posts.) Hats off. Thanks for all the hard work on an incredible
resource.
Zeki
Michael A. Terrell
Giganews shows 938,585 messages.
--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid™ on it, because it's
Teflon coated.
Zeki Huysman
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.written/browse_thread/thread/920326b19fa396e4?hl=en#
Thanks,
Zeki
Evelyn Leeper
> Zeki Huysman<zhuy...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I think it would be too confusing to ask people to parse authors Ala-
>> Ale, so I'm putting all of the "Al" authors together. My understanding
>> is that the "al-" in the name "al-Aswamy" is included for purposes of
>> alphabetization; I welcome any correction on the point.
>>
>> 2) Brian Aldiss
>> 5) Lloyd Alexander
>> 6) Roger Macbride Allen
>> 8) Aaron Allston
>>
>> Which of these authors would make your cut?
>
> These are the ones here I've heard of, and I think all of them qualify. You
> could also arguably add Dante Aligheri, I think.
>
> Dave "and I don't have anything to mention by an Am author" DeLaney
I'd probably put him under "D".
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
I never trust anyone who's more excited about success than
about doing the thing they want to be successful at. -xkcd
Evelyn Leeper
Anthony Alban
Are we including fantasy? If so:
Sholom Aleichem
Isabel Allende
David DeLaney
>Zeki Huysman wrote:
>> On May 7, 1:42 pm, Ahasuerus <ahasue...@email.com> wrote:
>> > An eccentric billionaire? Oh no, it's not that expensive.
>>
>> But I'm very insistent the whole thing be housed in a gigantic spaceship.
>>
>> Checking the top moderators list, I see 74982 posts. (I assume, it's
>> posts.) Hats off. Thanks for all the hard work on an incredible resource.
>
> Giganews shows 938,585 messages.
... for the ISFDB??
Zeki Huysman
> Anthony Alban
>
> Are we including fantasy? If so:
Most of us have been, so it's up to you.
> Sholom Aleichem
> Isabel Allende
Which works of Aleichem's are you thinking of? (Not arguing, just
asking.)
Thanks,
Zeki
Ahasuerus
> Michael A. Terrell <mike.terr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> >Zeki Huysman wrote:
> >> On May 7, 1:42 pm, Ahasuerus <ahasue...@email.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> But I'm very insistent the whole thing be housed in a gigantic
> >> spaceship.
Oh. Well, in that case I suspect you will need to recruit a multi-
billionaire and he will need to be *very* eccentric.
> >> Checking the top moderators list, I see 74982 posts. (I assume, it's
> >> posts.)
Oh no, it's the number of submissions that I have approved since the
moment when the counters were reset after we migrated to ISFDB 2.0.
There are many types of submissions, e.g. "Edit Author", "New Novel",
"Edit Publication" and "Make Variant Title"; approving/rejecting them
is what ISFDB moderators do. However, I am also the administrator, so
I handle all kinds of other things including creating publicly
available backups, maintaining robots, testing new software created by
our developers, installing patches, monitoring log files and so on.
> >> Hats off. Thanks for all the hard work on an incredible resource.
Thanks, we try :)
> > Giganews shows 938,585 messages.
>
> ... for the ISFDB??
I suspect there is a misunderstanding involved, but FWIW, the ISFDB
Wiki, our supporting tool-cum-discussion forum, consists of 39,000
pages.
Zeki Huysman
> Oh. Well, in that case I suspect you will need to recruit a multi-
> billionaire and he will need to be *very* eccentric.
It would also help if he were an engineering genius. If that "he"
seems sexist, ladies, let me say it's easy for me to imagine a female
engineering genius, but difficult to imagine a woman with so little
common sense.
> Oh no, it's the number of submissions that I have approved since the
> moment when the counters were reset after we migrated to ISFDB 2.0.
> There are many types of submissions, e.g. "Edit Author", "New Novel",
> "Edit Publication" and "Make Variant Title"; approving/rejecting them
> is what ISFDB moderators do. However, I am also the administrator, so
> I handle all kinds of other things including creating publicly
> available backups, maintaining robots, testing new software created by
> our developers, installing patches, monitoring log files and so on.
Okay, now I have to take my scalp off too.
Evelyn Leeper
Checking around, I may have been confused. I was sure SA had written
some fantasy, but other than possibly some of his children's stories, it
appears not.
Michael A. Terrell
David DeLaney wrote:
>
> Michael A. Terrell <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >Zeki Huysman wrote:
> >> On May 7, 1:42 pm, Ahasuerus <ahasue...@email.com> wrote:
> >> > An eccentric billionaire? Oh no, it's not that expensive.
> >>
> >> But I'm very insistent the whole thing be housed in a gigantic spaceship.
> >>
> >> Checking the top moderators list, I see 74982 posts. (I assume, it's
> >> posts.) Hats off. Thanks for all the hard work on an incredible resource.
> >
> > Giganews shows 938,585 messages.
>
> ... for the ISFDB??
No, for this group. I repied to a Google groups poster and it looked
like he was talking about google. Not that it really matters.