On 12-9-2015 14:57, Stephen wrote:
> On 9/12/2015 12:28 PM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>> That one is one of my memories too.
>>> I did not read many magazines by the time the American ones got to
>>> Glasgow they would be in batches several months late. The British
>>> magazines would be difficult to find. It was mostly library books that
>>> kept me going.
>>>
>> I really got started on SF when I moved to Amsterdam in '66 where I
>> discovered Analog and began collecting SF books. Iirc Analog was the
>> only magazine available in stores; others (no UK) were either not there
>> or only irregularly.
>
> I was about ten when I found Kemlo the space cadet. I have been hooked
> ever since. Glasgow being a port, would get pallets of American Pulp
> Fiction that had been used as ballast. They were sold in "Second hand
> bookshops" where you could return them and get back half of what you
> paid. They were really subscription libraries for American genre
> fiction. Cowboy, WWII stories, Romantic and SF. These shops were always
> in poor parts of town, near either a railway station or the docks.
>

A treasure trove! No, I did not have that chance. For many years SF was 
restricted to Jules Verne, but I was hooked early on somehow, not in the 
least by the international space competition (Sputnik!). I still can 
remember putting my ear to the /wireless/ to listen to its 
bip-bip-bip..... :-)

-- 
Thomas

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On 9/13/2015 8:05 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> A treasure trove!

No a house of ill repute. Where those poor, sad people came to get their 
fix of trash. That's how SF was thought of, at the time.

> No, I did not have that chance. For many years SF was
> restricted to Jules Verne, but I was hooked early on somehow, not in the
> least by the international space competition (Sputnik!). I still can
> remember putting my ear to the /wireless/ to listen to its
> bip-bip-bip..... :-)


That is on the far edge of my memory. :-)
The space race was exciting viewed from afar.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 13-9-2015 12:31, Stephen wrote:
> On 9/13/2015 8:05 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> A treasure trove!
>
> No a house of ill repute. Where those poor, sad people came to get their
> fix of trash. That's how SF was thought of, at the time.

That is true. My father was a fan of detective and horror stories but 
frowned upon SF while otoh he was genuinely interested in everything 
concerning space ;-)

It must be said that some of the vintage could be openly fascist 
sometimes. The Lensman and Skylark books for example. I think that those 
aspects contributed to my father's opinion.

>
>> No, I did not have that chance. For many years SF was
>> restricted to Jules Verne, but I was hooked early on somehow, not in the
>> least by the international space competition (Sputnik!). I still can
>> remember putting my ear to the /wireless/ to listen to its
>> bip-bip-bip..... :-)
>
>
> That is on the far edge of my memory. :-)
> The space race was exciting viewed from afar.
>

We have a small age difference, young man ;-)

-- 
Thomas

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On 9/14/2015 8:07 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> On 13-9-2015 12:31, Stephen wrote:
>> On 9/13/2015 8:05 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>> A treasure trove!
>>
>> No a house of ill repute. Where those poor, sad people came to get their
>> fix of trash. That's how SF was thought of, at the time.
>
> That is true. My father was a fan of detective and horror stories but
> frowned upon SF while otoh he was genuinely interested in everything
> concerning space ;-)
>

The covers did not help them to be taken seriously. Generally a busty 
blond woman in a see through spacesuit being attacked by a BEM.

> It must be said that some of the vintage could be openly fascist
> sometimes. The Lensman and Skylark books for example. I think that those
> aspects contributed to my father's opinion.
>

True, very true. I have been trying to re-read some of my collection. 
Robert Heinlein is an author I cannot read any more. Sad. :-(
>>

>>
>>
>> That is on the far edge of my memory. :-)
>> The space race was exciting viewed from afar.
>>
>
> We have a small age difference, young man ;-)
>

Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 14-9-2015 9:45, Stephen wrote:
> On 9/14/2015 8:07 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> On 13-9-2015 12:31, Stephen wrote:
>>> On 9/13/2015 8:05 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>>> A treasure trove!
>>>
>>> No a house of ill repute. Where those poor, sad people came to get their
>>> fix of trash. That's how SF was thought of, at the time.
>>
>> That is true. My father was a fan of detective and horror stories but
>> frowned upon SF while otoh he was genuinely interested in everything
>> concerning space ;-)
>>
>
> The covers did not help them to be taken seriously. Generally a busty
> blond woman in a see through spacesuit being attacked by a BEM.
>
>> It must be said that some of the vintage could be openly fascist
>> sometimes. The Lensman and Skylark books for example. I think that those
>> aspects contributed to my father's opinion.
>>
>
> True, very true. I have been trying to re-read some of my collection.
> Robert Heinlein is an author I cannot read any more. Sad. :-(

Yes indeed. He is a typical example. The man could write though. Ron 
Hubbard was one of those others, highly doubtful, authors although I 
don't think I ever read anything from him. He was already infamous 
enough for me to refuse to read him.

>>>
>
>>>
>>>
>>> That is on the far edge of my memory. :-)
>>> The space race was exciting viewed from afar.
>>>
>>
>> We have a small age difference, young man ;-)
>>
>
> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.
>

That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.

-- 
Thomas

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On 9/14/2015 12:50 PM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> On 14-9-2015 9:45, Stephen wrote:

>>
>> True, very true. I have been trying to re-read some of my collection.
>> Robert Heinlein is an author I cannot read any more. Sad. :-(
>
> Yes indeed. He is a typical example. The man could write though.

True.

> Ron Hubbard was one of those others, highly doubtful, authors although I
> don't think I ever read anything from him. He was already infamous
> enough for me to refuse to read him.
>

Good old Elron. What can you say?



>>
>> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.
>>
>
> That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.
>

Almost sentient, then. :-)

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 14-9-2015 14:20, Stephen wrote:
> On 9/14/2015 12:50 PM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> On 14-9-2015 9:45, Stephen wrote:
>
>>>
>>> True, very true. I have been trying to re-read some of my collection.
>>> Robert Heinlein is an author I cannot read any more. Sad. :-(
>>
>> Yes indeed. He is a typical example. The man could write though.
>
> True.
>
>> Ron Hubbard was one of those others, highly doubtful, authors although I
>> don't think I ever read anything from him. He was already infamous
>> enough for me to refuse to read him.
>>
>
> Good old Elron. What can you say?

Better keep a thoughtful/meaningful silence.

>
>
>
>>>
>>> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.
>>>
>>
>> That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.
>>
>
> Almost sentient, then. :-)
>

I sometimes wonder if I ever shall reach that stage ;-)

-- 
Thomas

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Thomas de Groot wrote:

> On 14-9-2015 14:20, Stephen wrote:
>> On 9/14/2015 12:50 PM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>> On 14-9-2015 9:45, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>> True, very true. I have been trying to re-read some of my collection.
>>>> Robert Heinlein is an author I cannot read any more. Sad. :-(
>>>
>>> Yes indeed. He is a typical example. The man could write though.
>>
>> True.
>>
>>> Ron Hubbard was one of those others, highly doubtful, authors although I
>>> don't think I ever read anything from him. He was already infamous
>>> enough for me to refuse to read him.
>>>
>>
>> Good old Elron. What can you say?
> 
> Better keep a thoughtful/meaningful silence.
> 
>>
>>
>>
>>>>
>>>> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.
>>>>
>>>
>>> That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.
>>>
>>
>> Almost sentient, then. :-)
>>
> 
> I sometimes wonder if I ever shall reach that stage ;-)
> 


Hmmm, I was 14 around then :)
-- 

Ger

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On 9/15/2015 8:06 AM, Ger wrote:
> Thomas de Groot wrote:
>
>> On 14-9-2015 14:20, Stephen wrote:

>>>
>>> Good old Elron. What can you say?
>>
>> Better keep a thoughtful/meaningful silence.
>>


No thought involved, I am happy to say. :-)

>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at that age.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Almost sentient, then. :-)
>>>
>>
>> I sometimes wonder if I ever shall reach that stage ;-)
>>

It's not all it's cracked up to be. ;-)

>
>
> Hmmm, I was 14 around then :)
>

A grown up, almost. :-)

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 15-9-2015 10:11, Stephen wrote:
> On 9/15/2015 8:06 AM, Ger wrote:
>> Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>
>>> On 14-9-2015 14:20, Stephen wrote:
>
>>>>
>>>> Good old Elron. What can you say?
>>>
>>> Better keep a thoughtful/meaningful silence.
>>>
>
>
> No thought involved, I am happy to say. :-)
>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes but I was only seven then. It makes a bigger difference at
>>>>>> that age.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> That is true. I was almost eleven at the time.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Almost sentient, then. :-)
>>>>
>>>
>>> I sometimes wonder if I ever shall reach that stage ;-)
>>>
>
> It's not all it's cracked up to be. ;-)

So they say. So they say...

>
>>
>>
>> Hmmm, I was 14 around then :)
>>
>
> A grown up, almost. :-)
>

and it doesn't make us any younger :-)

-- 
Thomas

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