Here’s yet another excerpt from Isaac Asimov’s autobiography. The year is 1954 and his writing income is greatly outstripping what he’s earning teaching at Boston University. I then picked up the galleys of Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus at Doubleday, and finally went off to dinner with Bob and Ginny Heinlein. I hadn't … Continue reading Shrimp Diabolo
Books
Ringing the Changes
Back in the 70s when I used to go to the Lebanon Community Library, I would sometimes hear the ringing of church bells as I approached the library door. But these were not ordinary church bells. The weren’t just pealing an announcement that the service was about to begin or end, nor were they in … Continue reading Ringing the Changes
Asimovian Stupidity
I include this Isaac Asimov anecdote because it reminds me of some of the stupid things I have done from time to time. Although I don’t think I’ve ever done anything quite as publicly as this. Or if I have, I have erased it from my memory. I feel that, as a matter of principle, … Continue reading Asimovian Stupidity
Slower Than a Ladybug
One book from my early childhood that I recall quite vividly was called Slower Than a Ladybug. It had a blue and white cover with a drawing of a large leaf with a ladybug at one end of the leaf. The idea of the book was to find things that might move more slowly than a … Continue reading Slower Than a Ladybug
The Illustrated Treasury
When I was very young, pre-school age and into at least the first grade, my parents used to read to me quite a bit. I know this because I can just vaguely remember being read to or taking a book to one of them, but mostly I know this because in later years my parents … Continue reading The Illustrated Treasury
Isaac Schussled
As I slowly re-read Isaac Asimov’s autobiography, I can’t help thinking about the parallels between his life and mine. Perhaps not so much parallels, but there are rhymes here and there. His had a student deferment during a war and later he went to work in the Navy Yard in Philadelphia along with Robert Heinlein … Continue reading Isaac Schussled
Hubris
Here’s yet another excerpt from Asimov’s memoir. I’ve known many Tom Walbs in my time, so I couldn’t help but laugh when I read this, even though, as Isaac says, it nearly could have been tragic. And then there was an accident that only I found humorous—and that, in truth, wasn't at all humorous, but very … Continue reading Hubris
A Shared College Experience
Another thing that hits home with me about Isaac Asimov’s autobiography is some of his college experiences. I still recall from the first I read it back in the 70s that he had the same experience with calculus that I had. That is, I had always thought of myself as having a special relationship with … Continue reading A Shared College Experience
Unexpected Reactions
I’ve been re-reading Isaac Asimov’s autobiography In Memory Yet Green at bedtime for the past few weeks. In some ways it’s a perfect book for that as it’s broken up into short easily digestible sections, some no longer than a few paragraphs, some as long as a few pages, so it makes it easy to read … Continue reading Unexpected Reactions
The Case of the Waylaid Wolf
My traversal of the the Perry Mason TV series has continued very slowly. I’m still in season four. When I saw that the next episode was based directly on a book by Erle Stanley Gardner, I decided to read, or in this case re-read, the novel before watching the TV adaptation. I recall reading The Case … Continue reading The Case of the Waylaid Wolf