Comments on: Pocket Book of Science-Fiction

By: In My Not So Humble Opinion: the Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman

In My Not So Humble Opinion: the Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:28:41 +0000

By the way, thanks for the inspiration:

http://benjaminherman.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/not-all-futures-are-created-equal/

By: Not all futures are created equal « benjaminherman

Not all futures are created equal « benjaminherman — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:24:47 +0000

[...] paperback short story collection (UPDATE: I finally located that post again, which can be viewed at this link) . The art was what you might regard as your typical mid-20th Century vision of the future: an [...]

By: wingsart

wingsart — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:21:05 +0000

There is certainly a charm to these classic short stories. Similar to that of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Something timeless about them.

By: Joachim Boaz

Joachim Boaz — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:10:13 +0000

I suspect both the Heinlein and Sturgeon story are worth reading…. The others are probably average/bad.

By: mfearing

mfearing — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:59:38 +0000

It’s fun too look through them. I love the older sci-fi books and the pulp covers from the 50′s.

By: mfearing

mfearing — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:59:02 +0000

It’s interesting to me how those BIG sci-fi ideas of the 1930′s mostly missed computers. I remember watching the old Buck Roger’s serials, and at one point they are on their ship, flying towards some ominous planet and they decide they need to get some information. They walk back and there is a shelf with books and encylpedias on it. They quickly ‘look it up’ in that super-modern device – The Book. The ability to fly through space was imagined, but not a way to electronically store and retrieve information. That sheds some light on how we think about the future and how sci-fi often misses the baby-steps on the way to the big stuff.

By: mfearing

mfearing — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:53:55 +0000

I have a great story, very fitting to Philip K Dick’s work, on how I discovered him. My mom told me I could pick out one book at a bookstore one day. I was in maybe 7th grade. I walked to the sic-fi section and just picked a book. It was VALIS. I’ve been obsessed with his writing ever since. But I always found it odd that I was drawn to that single book amongst shelves of books.

By: Lance

Lance — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:45:27 +0000

Damn, I wish we still lived in the same town so I could come over and borrow a few books; I love me some Golden/Silver Age sci-fi!

By: In My Not So Humble Opinion: the Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman

In My Not So Humble Opinion: the Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:03:14 +0000

Flying cars always remind me of that comment from Mystery Science Theater 3000 about “the old future.” Remember how eveyone thought we’d have those flying cars and be ttaveling all around outer space by the 21st Century, but no one predicted the Internet or iPads or MP3 players? When January 1, 2001 rolled around, i made a comment to my friends, “Wait, aren’t we supposed to be living on the Moon by now?” Somehow the future is always cooler in sci-fi. Anyway, that book is a cool find. Thanks for sharing.

By: wingsart

wingsart — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:37:33 +0000

That cover is superb! I have an equally knackered paperback from the 70′s titled Final Stage which includes a Philip K. Dick short story ‘A Little Something for Us Tempunauts’. Read it in the bath just the other day! Classic.