Isaac Asimov Wanted to be An Historian!

In a March 1991 * article, Isaac Asimov made some very personal revelations. He begins simply, “When I was going to college, the United States was not yet out of the Great Depression … I was not going to get a job after I graduated in 1939. The only thing I could do was to go on to graduate work, obtain some advanced degrees, and hope …”

There are millions of 20-somethings today who have the same concerns as Asimov did over 70 years ago.

However, we read on, “…what subject …? I was hung up between history and chemistry. I thought I could handle either one, but there was no question in my mind that I was more interested in history.”

This point blank shocker must have made 1991 readers drop their magazine. The grand master of science fiction, and the master of explaining science to the masses wanted to be an historian? It gets more interesting.

“If I get my degree in history, then the chances are … I will get {a job} in some small college away from my beloved city of New York. … if … in chemistry … with a large research firm for an ample salary …”. The choice was made on purely pragmatic grounds. “I obtained my Ph.D. In chemistry in 1948.” He had a long delay due to WWII.

In 1949, the job he found was, ironically, at a small college away from New York at a very small salary. “Chemistry was a big flop … I didn’t like it and I was no good at it …”.

Another stunner! The great Asimov was not a good scientist? So, how did he get from the dregs of 1950 to being the notable Asimov?

“… in 1958 I was fired … by that time I had another career, that of writing … Becoming a professional writer was a third option {in college} but one that I didn’t consider for even a split-second. By the time {1949} I had begun work at the medical school, I had written 68 stories and sold 60 … my total earnings for all eleven years amounted to $7700 …”.

That was not an insignificant sum in the 1950′s, but not enough to be a full-time writer. Asimov had written a novel, and added to this, so, “…in 1958, my literary earnings amounted to only $15,000 a year, enough to keep me going … by that time I had a wife and two children …”.

Asimov made a bold choice. He decided to do what he loved the best – history. HE estimated that it would take three years of research to write a “three musketeers historical fiction novel” and little prospect of it selling well. After consulting with John W. Campbell, Jr., he decided to write science fiction historical fiction novels. Few had thought of that idea, at the time, so he began to write what would become his Foundation novels, later expanding to his Robot novels. Their popularity can scarcely be exaggerated for their time, and they allowed Asimov to essentially write anything he wanted, anytime he wanted, and make money from that time forward.

Asimov had tinkered with this idea in Astounding Tales writing eight stories between 1842 and 1950. In 1951, he published Foundation with Gnome Press. Gnome then reprinted Asimov’s original stories in two more volumes (1952, 1953) cementing his legacy and winning a 1966 Hugo award for best all-time series. [Young Lin Carter was notably influenced by this series].

Asimov circa 1965

Asimov influenced countless story writers including Gene Roddenberry (The Federation of Star Trek), and Asimov (in print) speculated on George Lucas’ Star Wars features and the possibility that the writers and producers used his novels. There is no question that Forbidden Planet‘s (1955) Robbie the Robot follows Asimov’s laws of robotics. Asimov had a 1940 story named “Robbie”, but the writer of Doc Savage (1935) predated the use of the name “Robbie the Robot”.

The iconic Asimov, later in life, as we remember him.

History will have a difficult time deciding whether Asimov, Ray Bradbury, or Robert Heinlein impacted mid-20th century culture the greatest, but Asimov – who died too soon in 1992 – is greatly missed by his many fans. He who longed to be an historian ended up making history.

* Fantasy and Science Fiction, “All Four Stanzas”, March 1991, p. 133ff. Asimov had a decades long monthly column, usually on one aspect of applied science or another, but very frequently on an historical subject such as this one: Francis Scott Key’s The Star Spangled Banner.

Two Rays and a Godzilla

A funny thing happened on the way to the movies … um, well that’s an old joke introduction, but in this case very true.

It goes back to the early 20th century when some boys – Hannes Bok, Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and Forest J. Ackerman were off-and-on members of the Los Angeles Scientifiction Club. One day, a movie came along called King Kong. The boys had never seen anything like it, and they had seen plenty, and conjured up weird and wild in their own imaginations, but Merian C. Cooper’s creation given life by Willis O’Brien struck them to their core.

Well, Ray Bradbury could not be contained – not that he wasn’t already a ball of fanaticism – and began to write with a new freedom. Ray Harryhausen set out to master what he’d seen Willis do on screen. For a while these two men had separate careers, with Harryhausen eventually capturing the attention of Willis O’Brien and working on M

ighty Joe Young. Harryhausen went on the create a new style of stop-action animation creating his own jaw-dropping effects.

One day, Harryhausen and Bradbury were entertaining executives working on a new movie that would use Harryhausen’s animation. They were keen on getting Bradbury* to give them – probably free – advice. Bradbury took the script, paged through it, and was stunned.

It was his story.

He wrote The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and placed it in the Saturday Evening Post (23 June 1951) – then a veritable stalwart in American homes – and undoubtedly the script writers had purloined and expanded upon the story hoping not to be caught. The executives quickly made arrangements to pay Bradbury thus securing his story, his help, and getting extra publicity from his famous name.

The movie later helped the two Rays come full circle from their love of dinosaurs, horror, and science-fiction adventure, and in their own way paying a temporary homage to Kong as their monster began to crush, kill, and maim New York.

Many others have also followed suit, including the original Godzilla (with Tokyo a stand -in for NYC).

Oh and one more little item. A certain 2008 movie with jerky camera action seems awfully similar to this previous movie-beastie …

_____

Original “20,000″ trailer with a lot of Cold War rhetoric mixed into it. Note the oblique reference to Bradbury’s story in typeface in part of the trailer.

Updated for the 21st centruy, and using CGI rather than Dynamation, it still follows a rather close format in methodically destroying New York and ating people.

*… of course one always has to take a Ray Bradbury anecdote with a grain of salt.

This Week’s New and Notable at Miskatonic Bookstore

THE COLLECTED FICTION OF WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON Five volume set (first edition hardcover)

Five volume set of William Hope Hodgson’s most valued fiction. Set is getting very tough  to find these days in first edition with some volumes fetching hundreds of dollars over original cover price.

This series collects all of Hodgson’s novel’s and short stories into a matching five volume hardcover set. It will include many stories that have not been available since their initial magazine publication, or only collected in the original Eveleigh Nash collections. Each book shall be over 400 pages long, and will feature over 200,000 words of fiction.

Volume I: The Boats of Glen Carrig and Other Nautical Adventurs
Volume II: The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places
Volume III: The Ghost Pirates and Other Revenants of the Sea
Volume IV: The Night Land & Other Romances
Volume V: The Dream Of X & Other Fantastic Visions

SONG OF KALI by Dan Simmons (1st Edition Hardcover)

The novel Song of Kali, relates the gruesome action that ensues when the daughter of an American journalist is kidnapped in Calcutta, India, by deranged, bloodthirsty worshippers of the Hindu goddess Kali. Faren Miller, writing in Locus, described Song of Kali as “harrowing and ghoulish,” adding that it “makes the stuff of nightmare very real indeed.”

Winner of the 1986 World Fantasy Award

Book is in fine condition in a fine dust jacket

THE DOLL WHO ATE HIS MOTHER by Ramsey Campbell (signed first edition)

A woman’s car hits a lamp-post and her brother loses his arm in the crash, literally. She then finds a nightmare unleashed in Liverpool, with overtones of witchcraft, possession and cannibalism.

Authors first published novel and nominated for a World Fantasy Award. Book is signed by the author on the title page.

Book is in near fine with a bump to the back bottom corner else fine. With a fine dust jacket.

UNIVERSE by Robert Heinlein

Their world was a giant spaceship, its purpose and destination lost in centuries of drifting among the stars.

New York: Published by Dell Publishing Company, Inc., [1951], 1951. Small octavo, cover painting by Robert Stanley, pictorial wrappers. First edition. Dell 10¢ Book 36. Paperback original, a “Dell 10 cent book.” Later expanded into Orphans of the Sky. Part of his future history series.

This copy looks to never have been read and has been carefully cherished for 60 years. With the exception of some toning to the pages due to age and some very very light rubbing to spine this is a perfect copy.

DAY DARK NIGHT BRIGHT by Fritz Leiber (Limited Edition)

From the publisher

“Midnight House is pleased to announce a landmark event for devotees of the best in science fiction: a new collection of stories by Fritz Leiber! Assembled here we have a selection of some of Mr. Leiber’s most renowned tales with a liberal dose of rarities that have been unavailable in any form for many years. Considered by many to be the greatest writer in the field of fantastic fiction, Fritz Leiber’s long and productive career spanned fifty years. This present collection assembles stories from sources ranging from the pulp magazines of the 1940’s to modern “slicks” like Esquire. As a special treat, this book includes a “lost” novelette, “Night Passage”, which was recently discovered in the author’s papers at the University of Houston. Most of the stories gathered here are making their first appearance in book form or have been virtually unobtainable for many years. Fritz Leiber was the winner of every major award for science fiction, fantasy, and horror during his career. While many of his novels remain in print, much of his great short fiction has been virtually unobtainable for decades.”

This copy is in new unread condition. One of only 500 copies published this is a PC or publisher’s copy.