What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
-- %%%%%%%%% "Glenn P.," <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> %%%%%%%%%%%%
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?[....]
For completeness, I suppose the *very* first SF in our household
was (a signed copy of) Olaf Stapleton's "Last and First Men",
...but one of the first books I bought was "Interplanetary Stories/
Invasion from Mars" (depending on whether you read the front cover
or the spine!.) I still have it. It was a pretty good start,
("Selected by Orson Welles") with tales by Bradbury, Asimov, Boucher, Leinster, Fredric Brown, and others, *And* the complete script of
Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast!
A little later on, I bought (mostly first editions of) Clarke's
"Against the Fall of Night", Asimov's "I, Robot", Raymond F. Jones'
"This Island Earth"...
For completeness, I suppose the *very* first SF in our household
was (a signed copy of) Olaf Stapleton's "Last and First Men"...
Maybe more than you wanted to know!
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,<snip>
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
<SNIP>But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
In article<alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
On 2021-06-24, Ted Nolan <tednolan> <ted@loft.tnolan.com> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
I have no memory of what my first SF books were. I started reading
early and it quickly became my primary occupation. I read everything I
could get my hands on, and since the library was within walking
distance, that was a lot! I was reading hundreds of books a year by
age 7 or so, and the SF wasn't a major part of it.
But I remember that pretty much all the SF available was often
re-read. Danny Dunn was the first SF series I remember. I also
remember a few Oz books (they didn't have that many), Dr Doolittle,
and Mary Poppins. The Mushroom Planet books were certainly read early
as well.
I didn't pay much attention to authors in those years, except as a grouping >to find books of a series. The notion that some authors might write
better books certainly did not cross my mind!
What was important, as I realized what my interests were, was publisher! >Avalon Books. The library had 2-3 dozen SF books published by Avalon
that became my most frequently re-read books. And the librarians
would reserve any new Avalon SF book for me any time one came in. I
remember each book's back cover was a list of 20 or so other Avalon SF
books - there were books out there worth reading that weren't in the
library! I would try to guess what they were about from the titles.
With a couple of exceptions, I was guaranteed a good read if it came
from Avalon.
Looking back, I suspect it was a fortuitous library space problem that
led to my access to those books. The children's section occupied the >basement of the library and I was allowed to check out anything from
there, but there was a bookcase of genre specific (SF, Western,
Mystery) books at the base of the stairs that perhaps belonged
upstairs.
We moved when I was 11 and I was quite disappointed when the new
junior high school library didn't have any Avalon books. I had to pay >attention to authors finally, like Herbert, Asimov, and Heinlein.
Looking back at Avalon's list of books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_Books
it's now clear that the attraction of the Avalon books for me was that they >were adult science fiction rather than good science fiction - Avalon
was definitely a second tier SF publisher.
Chris
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
On 6/24/2021 6:16 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
I was forced to read The Hobbit in jr high lit class.
It was like I was sentenced to a slow agonizing death
that went on and on and on with no end in sight.
On Sat, 26 Jun 2021 08:41:11 -0400, Jonathan <LSA@UMich.edu> wrote:
On 6/24/2021 6:16 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
I was forced to read The Hobbit in jr high lit class.
It was like I was sentenced to a slow agonizing death
that went on and on and on with no end in sight.
In article <00medg5e48kfpi1d7k00bk2i72k3sp1h5v@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jun 2021 08:41:11 -0400, Jonathan <LSA@UMich.edu> wrote:
On 6/24/2021 6:16 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured >>>>> two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist >>>>> and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
I was forced to read The Hobbit in jr high lit class.
You bettah off. In the same level lit class, *I* was made to
read Willa Cather and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
It was like I was sentenced to a slow agonizing death
that went on and on and on with no end in sight.
Hmmm. Tastes, of course, differ. As the apocryphal Scotsman is
supposed to have said, "It's good that we don't all like the same
things, or think what an oatmeal shortage there would be!"
And, of course, _The Hobbit_ *is* a children's book. It's based
on the stories Tolkien told his children while working on the
huge mass of material, some of which would eventually become _The Silmarillion._ And when he submitted it to the publishers,
Unwin's young son gave a very positive review of it *as a
children's book,* which got it published.
Which may be part of the reason why I found not only _The Hobbit_
but also _The Lord of the Rings_ in the "Children's Books"
section of the Education/Psychology Library on the UC Berkeley
Campus.
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
[T]here would appear to be a middle-of-the
road definition of any term that is generally accepted by
group, and definitions further out in one direction or another
that are held by a few, and this will generate discussion. The
discussion can stop short of "lambasting" if both sides try to
keep their language moderate and their tone polite, as, "Well,
I just don't consider x an example of Y," and "Well, you're going
to get a fair amount of disagreement then, because most of us
do."
In article <sbd87p$b8d$1@dont-email.me>,
Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
The ".sf" tag is agreed upon by this group to mean "speculative
fiction," including hard science fiction, soft and squishy
science fiction (Darkover, e.g.), and all the flavors of fantasy.
On 28/06/2021 15.24, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
In article <sbd87p$b8d$1@dont-email.me>,
Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
The ".sf" tag is agreed upon by this group to mean "speculative
fiction," including hard science fiction, soft and squishy
science fiction (Darkover, e.g.), and all the flavors of fantasy.
I was addressing the original post, which specifically said "Sci-Fi",
not "sf". So I limited my response to Sci-Fi and neglected all of the
fantasy that I was reading at the same time.
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
When I was 7, I got a library card and devoured all of the Doctor
Dolittle that our library had, along with all of the Freddy the
Pig books. Then, I got permission to use the adult section, and
read all of their Andre Norton books. She was the first author
that I ever sought out by name.
Meanwhile, at my grade school library, I read all of Lang, and--
Travers (well, all that they had). And, of course, Danny Dunn,
Miss Pickerell, and the Mushroom Planet stuff.
On Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:34:17 -0500, "Michael F. Stemper" ><michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
When I was 7, I got a library card and devoured all of the Doctor
Dolittle that our library had, along with all of the Freddy the
Pig books. Then, I got permission to use the adult section, and
read all of their Andre Norton books. She was the first author
that I ever sought out by name.
Lucky you.
My local branch library would not let me into the next higher section
even though I had read everything in the kiddie section.
That's when I discovered second-hand bookstores. Who were willing to
sell a kid as much classic science fiction as he wanted to buy. And
why not? It was about as sex-free as it could get.
On Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:34:17 -0500, "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
On 24/06/2021 17.16, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
It depends upon what you mean by "science fiction", of course.
I assume that fairy tales don't count.
When I was 7, I got a library card and devoured all of the Doctor
Dolittle that our library had, along with all of the Freddy the
Pig books. Then, I got permission to use the adult section, and
read all of their Andre Norton books. She was the first author
that I ever sought out by name.
Lucky you.
My local branch library would not let me into the next higher section
even though I had read everything in the kiddie section.
That's when I discovered second-hand bookstores.
In article <alpine.DEB.2.11.2105270116450.595@bfjrtb.sbkinyyrl.arg>,
Glenn P., <C128UserDELETE-THIS@FVI.Net> wrote:
What was the first Sci-Fi you ever read?
I'll start off; I have *two* memories. :)
The first Science Fiction BOOK I ever read, was Eleanor Cameron's,
"The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet" (and, later on, its
sequel, "Stowaway To The Mushroom Planet." Both, after being long
out of print, are now IN PRINT omce more.) The former title featured
two boys who, with the assistance of a mysterious, wizened scientist
and inventor, outfit their homemade spaceship (!) and journey to
an invisible second moon of Earth called "Basidium X," where
they help the Mushroom People who live there to bypass the
plague infesting their food supply.
But this wasn't actually my first exposure to Science Fiction
(actually, "Science Fantasy" would be a nearer description).
The very first Science Fantasy/Fiction STORY I ever read, came
by way of my third-grade reader, called "From Bicycles To
Boomerangs," and the story -- as hinted at in the book title --
was called, "The Magic Boomerang." (You know, I never noticed
it before, but you can kinda tell that the story would have to
be a scence *fantasy*, given the word "magic" in the title!)
"The Magic Boomerang" involved a boy's father returning from
a trip to Australia and giving the boy a boomerang that the
aborigine providing it claimed was magic. The boy then falls
asleep and dreams that the boomerang takes flight -- with the
boy holding tight to both the boomerang AND his dog (!). The
boomerang takes them both into space and eventually lands
them on a distant planet, etc. Kinda silly, really, but hey,
I was like what, nine? Ten? I loved it... and I still do. :)
It was very brief story -- about a dozen pages, twenty at the
most, in fairly large print. And *that* was my introduction
to "Science Fiction." ...Such as it was! :)
So... what about YOU...? :)
I'm adding rec.arts.sf.written, which is a more active group.
By the definition of SF used there, some Seuss would qualify
so I suspect it was one of the Bartholomew Cubbins books for me.
After that it's hard to say, but I would guess it was
_Tom Swift & His Flying Lab_ because I'm pretty sure I recall trying
to puzzle my way through a lot of the words as I was just starting to
read.
I certainly did read the Mushroom Planet books, but a good bit later.
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