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The Definitive 1950s Reading Challenge
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-04-24 7:58 AM (#10293 - in reply to #9162)
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I guess we have to ask: How long does a book have to go unnoticed before it deserves to be discarded by the library? It really is a matter of room, but I would think they'd have some way around that. Like temporary storage, or long term archives.

One of the best deals I've seen lately is https://www.scribd.com/ - which is an online subscription library. It's far better than the Kindle Library. Not only does it have a better selection of ebooks but it has a huge library of audiobooks, comic books and graphic novels for $8.99 a month. But it's not perfect. It has few Heinlein ebooks, but a huge list of his books on audio. It did have a bunch of Henry Kuttner, including Robots Have No Tails. Such ebook libraries might be the future of true archival libraries.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2015-05-02 12:12 PM (#10413 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: Middle TN, USA		Ok I was talked into signing up for this challenge, not that there was much arm twisting! I have managed to find a book from each year from my libraries digital library, and a different author for each year. It took me over an hour and I was so excited because 2 of the novels on the list were ones I had already read this year. Failed to see the "READ IN ORDER" directive. I am super exited about this challenge because I have not read much of the old "pulp" of the genre. I know I'm late to the party but I'm jumping in with both feet starting with "First Lensman" by E E "Doc" Smith. And yeas I already read above where it is not great, so I have been warned, but it was the only 1950 book Library had that I have not read yet, I'm trying to avoid rereads.
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Weesam
Posted 2015-05-02 3:41 PM (#10424 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: New Zealand		Welcome aboard. Good thing about this challenge is that the books are mostly short, so even starting late you should be able to catch up quite quickly.
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Weesam
Posted 2015-05-03 4:33 PM (#10437 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: New Zealand		And I'm finished. Book number 20 for this challenge was Dorsai! by Gordon Dickson. I really didn't have much expectation around this one. It's cover made it look a bit bland and typical 1950's military SF, but I surprised myself by quite enjoying it. So there you go, don't judge a book by its cover.
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DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-04 3:35 AM (#10438 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		Congratulations.

I read Dorsai! for one of last year's challenges, and didn't think much of it. Maybe I was hoping for a bland and typical 50s mil-SF.

I've just finished The Long Tomorrow for 1955, and I liked it a lot. It felt like the first proper modern novel I have read for this challenge. And I guess it is, really. Everything else I've read so far has been a fix-up or collection or extension of shorter, older works. Also it probably helps that it mostly stays away from future tech.

I was thinking of setting up the sixties challenge to start in June, if you find yourself getting bored.
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Weesam
Posted 2015-05-04 4:15 AM (#10439 - in reply to #10438)
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Location: New Zealand		June sounds good. I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime!
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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-04 6:19 AM (#10440 - in reply to #10439)
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Location: UK		@ Weesam - Congrats on finishing the challenge. Unfortunately my internet has been off for 4 days,and apart from Case of Conscience and Sirens of Titann the others on my challenge are all to read on line,so I have been frustrated.,as I am trying to read in order!. Hope I can complete them this month,.
@ Doc Nefario. I too was impressed with The Long Tomorrow. That and Dreaming Jewels have been my favourite reads for this challenge. Of course I had read many of the famous books previously to the challenge,but its been great fun reading some of the rather pulpy stuff. I would often be surprised at the way a story would develop,or what a character would say. The familiar tropes we come across today and take for granted in our reading are subtley slightly off kilter in these books of around 60 yrs old. I cant quite put my finger on what the differences are. Its not just old tech,having slide rules,the oldfashioned attitude to women etc. Its something about the storytelling style,and story developement I think. Will have to ponder on it a bit more.
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-05-04 6:47 AM (#10441 - in reply to #10440)
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dustydigger - 2015-05-04 6:19 AM  Of course I had read many of the famous books previously to the challenge,but its been great fun reading some of the rather pulpy stuff. I would often be surprised at the way a story would develop,or what a character would say. The familiar tropes we come across today and take for granted in our reading are subtley slightly off kilter in these books of around 60 yrs old. I cant quite put my finger on what the differences are. Its not just old tech,having slide rules,the oldfashioned attitude to women etc. Its something about the storytelling style,and story developement I think. Will have to ponder on it a bit more.

I think these older books for the most part are poorly written compared to modern science fiction. I think fiction writing as a whole has evolved a lot in the last 60 years. Often these old novels have some neat ideas, but the storytelling is crap. Some books do stand out, and I think it's because they were much better written than their peers - stories like On the Beach, Alas, Babylon and The Day of the Triffids. To me, Heinlein stands head and shoulders above the other SF genre writers of the time.

 I'm now wondering if newer, better written science fiction isn't pushing out older science fiction because of writing and not newer ideas and science.

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Bormgans
Posted 2015-05-06 9:53 AM (#10458 - in reply to #10441)
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Location: Belgium		I think the answer to your question is definitely a yes.
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-05-07 12:41 PM (#10470 - in reply to #9162)
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I end up writing a blog about why I think it's writing rather than science that dates these old novels.

http://auxiliarymemory.com/2015/05/07/why-writing-dates-older-scien...
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Bormgans
Posted 2015-05-08 10:04 AM (#10472 - in reply to #10470)
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Location: Belgium		Wow, that's an excellent, well conceived article!
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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-14 4:19 AM (#10528 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		I should have finished this challenge by now,but upped the ante to Double Star and had to go back to fill in spaces. I had Doc Smith's First Lensman on my list,so had to read Triplanetary first to get the feel of the series,so that delayed me even more. Should finish Lensman in a matter of days,and I already have Russell's Wasp,Blish's A Case of Conscience in progress,so I have hopes of completing the challenge this month.
Many congratulations to Weesam,who of course has already finished - naturally!
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DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-15 7:39 AM (#10539 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		I am expecting to finish my 1956 book, The Death of Grass, today. It's a surprisingly un-cosy cosy catastrophe. Very readable and very English. In a way it slightly reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but I'm not too sure I can say why. It's another strong book, still in print in the UK as a Penguin Classic.

We're getting into territory where I've read a few more books, now. I'd already read at least four from 1956: Double Star, The Man Who Japed, The Stars My Destination and They Shall Have Stars.

I'm considering going for a women-only month in June, and I'd like to be ready for my Andre Norton book in 1958 by then. That will mean I can't possibly finish the 50s until July, since there are no female authors in the 1959 selection, but I'm still intending to create the 60s challenge next month. I already have my 60s list decided.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2015-05-15 8:44 PM (#10555 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: Middle TN, USA		I am half way through my 1950 book First Lensman and it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The conversations between the two "master" aliens is almost intolerable but the story itself is good old fashioned pulp. I hit the used book store today looking for some of the missing books from my list specifically Death of Grass for 1956 and The Midwich Cuckoos for 1957. No luck but I found a book in the corner with a 1968 copy of Gray Lensman in MINT condition , along with a Double Star, Farmer In The Sky, and a Babel-17. Total price $1.10. I love this store!
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2015-05-17 1:53 PM (#10565 - in reply to #9162)
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DrNefario - 2015-01-05 1:53 PM

This is the discussion thread for the Definitive 1950s Reading Challenge, to read a book from each year of the Defining Books of the 1950s list in chronological order.


So if I decided to bump up up to "Double Star" on this challenge how does the "read it in order" commandment work, can I go through the list twice or do I have to read two from each year back to back? This is of course directed to you DrNefario, Grand Poohbah of the challenge. What was your vision fearless leader?

By the way I just finished First Lensman and I think pulp 50's sci-fi might be my new guilty reading pleasure, right next to cozy mysteries!
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DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-17 4:22 PM (#10568 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		I'd say you just need to read ten in order, and can mix in another ten in any order you like.

I didn't think much of Galactic Patrol, or of Forgotten Planet, so I don't think the pulpy stuff is for me. I seem to be much happier with the end of civilisation as we know it, which seems to happen quite a lot in the 50s.
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-05-17 5:28 PM (#10569 - in reply to #10568)
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DrNefario - 2015-05-17 4:22 PM I'd say you just need to read ten in order, and can mix in another ten in any order you like. I didn't think much of Galactic Patrol, or of Forgotten Planet, so I don't think the pulpy stuff is for me. I seem to be much happier with the end of civilisation as we know it, which seems to happen quite a lot in the 50s.

 Galactic Patrol was first published in 1937, and The Forgotten Planet was first published in 1920 and 1921. So they are true 1950s stories. Many of the famous novels that first came out in the 1950s was first published in the 1940s - like The Foundation Trilogy, but some were much older. Books that were actually written in the 1950s are much better still.



Edited by jwharris28 2015-05-17 5:29 PM
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-05-17 6:48 PM (#10570 - in reply to #10569)
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I meant to say, they "aren't" true 1950s stories. Home come I can edit a message sometimes, but not other times?
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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-18 1:21 AM (#10575 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		Jim,you can only edit for a short period and then thats it!. I cringe sometimes when I look back and see mistakes I cant put right. Sometimes I am in a real rush,hurrying to do posts before making breakfast,and there just isnt time for careful scrutiny. Then there are my mistakes glaring at me forever
I I read once about a printer of the Bible back in the 17th century who inadvertantly left out the word ''not'' in ''thou shalt not commit adultery',which certainly went down well with adulterers but very badly with the Church!'. He was heavily fined 300, about $80000 today, the bibles were all recalled and burned,and he lost his printing license! I think there are only about a dozen copies left in existence.

Edited by dustydigger 2015-05-18 1:25 AM
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DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-18 5:34 AM (#10577 - in reply to #10575)
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Location: UK		I hadn't realised Forgotten Planet was that old. It does actually raise my opinion of it.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2015-05-18 3:02 PM (#10579 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: Middle TN, USA		I've decided to go through each year once then try again for a second go round. I want to get all the books through library sources, but these older books can be hard to find. When I asked the librarians they said it was because of limited space. I found I have the best luck with our R.E.A.D.S. overdrive digital library.

Edited by Badseedgirl 2015-05-18 3:05 PM
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jwharris28
Posted 2015-05-18 4:42 PM (#10580 - in reply to #10577)
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DrNefario - 2015-05-18 5:34 AM I hadn't realised Forgotten Planet was that old. It does actually raise my opinion of it.

 If you don't consider the writing, but the ideas, these old stories have a lot of far out ideas in them for the time. I think E. E. "Doc" was one of the first writers to imagine interstellar and intergalactic travel. When The Forgotten Planet was written we still thought the whole universe was the Milky Way galaxy. 



Edited by jwharris28 2015-05-18 4:43 PM
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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-23 10:37 AM (#10596 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		Long time since I gave a year report for this challenge. I increased my total to 15 and had to go back to fill in some reads,then upped it to twenty,once again had to fill in the gaps.
So,now its 1955. I had previously read 3/16 books: - The Body Snatchers,great fun, an iconic work about possession/replication of humans by aliens. I actually preferred the film versions to the book which was rather poorly written,but the themes of identity etc certainly struck a chord with the public. Loved The Crysalids about a post nuclear war society ruthlessly trying to eradicate radiation caused mutations by destroying such unfortunates . Like The Long Tomorrow we have a fundementalist anti technology society., but whilst society is capable of destroying physical mutants,some people have developed telepathic traits. Another excellent read by John Wyndham. I had also read Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky,one of my favourite RAH juveniles,where high school students of the future go on a survival test on a distant planet,getting there through the Gates,but unfortunately a malfunction leaves them stranded on a dangerous planet far away. Great fun!
For this challenge I read Leigh Brackett's The Long Tomorrow,one of my favourite reads this year. I particularly liked the way Brackett was even handed about the pros and cons of eschewing technology after a nuclear holocaust,especially by having the main character heavily conflicted about technology. No black and white certainties here. Excellent book. I also read Pohl and Kornbluth's Gladiator-at-Law a light amusing story about a young lawyer fighting big corporations of the future,seeking to destroy the stranglehold they have on society.Typical sharp satire from P & K
There were no less than 11 of the books unavailable in the library. In fact I had to buy a copy of the Brackett book. A pity I couldnt get hold of so many. It seemed to be a year totally given over to Mars and Martians! I would have enjoyed reading them all!
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DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-26 3:45 AM (#10622 - in reply to #9162)
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Location: UK		I've just finished The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham for 1957. Another good, readable book, if a bit short on surprises. I guess it's one of those books where I'd kind of absorbed the story already, through secondary sources.

I'd previously read:
Big Planet - Jack Vance - I don't really remember much about this, to be honest. I'm fairly sure I've read it.
Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert A Heinlein - I read this as a child. I think even then I realised that Heinlein and I weren't going to get along.
The Cosmic Puppets - Philip K Dick - One of my least favourite PKD novels. It's possible I read the other PKD this year, too, but I'm never that certain which ones I've read unless they really stick in my mind.
The Forever Machine - Mark Clifton & Frank Riley - Famed as being the worst ever Hugo winner. There are some other winners I didn't much like, and they're all much longer than this, but it's really not very good.
On the Beach - Nevil Shute - I read this for the End of the World challenge last year. Good but bleak.

So, overall, not a favourite year, for me, but there are some decent books in there.

I'm planning to read The Time Traders for 1958, but not just yet.
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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-26 9:17 AM (#10624 - in reply to #10622)
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Location: UK		There seems to be a preponderance of P K Dick in the 50s and 60s challenges. I tried Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and wasnt too keen on it or Man in the High Castle. It must be me.. Certainly someone likes PKD in my library because they have no less than 25 of his novels. Not a single Vance,or Silverberg,and only 3 Zelaznys,but so many PKDs!
I thought The Forever Machine was very peculiar,I couldnt fathom out what they were getting at,it seemed vague and confused.. So glad that there was a Wildside Megapack of Clifton's work,as I wouldnt have forked out about $40 for it! lol $1 was a sweet price
Agree about On the Beach,''good but bleak''. Boy,there were some real downbeat books in the 50s,when half of the population were fixated on materialism and hedonism,and the rest were sweating in fear of the End of all Things. Produced some very fine work,but the laughs are few and far between!
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