What were you reading in 1968?

[Charles Packer]

Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0

(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

[Mad Hamish]

On Sat, 27 Jul 2024 07:59:39 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

Nothing, maybe if reincarnation is real and counts

[Paul S Person]

On Sat, 27 Jul 2024 07:59:39 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

Theoretically, I might be able to find out what I /purchased/ in 1968
and kept all the years since, as they would have an "F-<number>"
written on them, but it would take a while and still wouldn't be
complete.

I mostly read mass-market PBs and SFBC (and MG, LG, DBC and maybe
others) editions, so /in/ 1968 I would likely have been reading things
published in 1967. Or before.

[Robert Woodward]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpu
s=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I didn't buy very many SF titles (if any) in 1968. I did have access to
libraries and read many library books. I have read many of the 42 titles
in that list from Wikipedia, but, IIRC, not that many of them in 1968.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Robert Woodward

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpu
s=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I didn't buy very many SF titles (if any) in 1968. I did have access to
libraries and read many library books. I have read many of the 42 titles
in that list from Wikipedia, but, IIRC, not that many of them in 1968.

I would have been 7. I suspect I was reading Tom Swift Jr. books
by "Victor Appleton II". I know I had them then, and was probably
working at figuring out the whole "reading" thing in first grade.

[Ahasuerus]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

The ISFDB database is aware of:

* 600 English language novels
* 114 English language collections
* 113 English language anthologies
* 1,408 English language stories/novellas
* 47 English language serial installments

which first appeared in 1968. The first three categories include
translations from other languages, first appearances of retitled
books/stories and first book appearances of works originally serialized
in magazines.

"Zeitgeist-wise"? Well, J. G. Ballard's "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald
Reagan" first appeared in 1968.

[Garrett Wollman]

Subject: What were you reading in 1968?

I believe my parents were dating, but they were not yet married and I
was not yet conceived. This makes me something of a youngster on
Usenet today despite being over 50, which certainly was not the case
when I was 16 and fresh out of high school.

On the other hand, I think I am a bit more judicious in my posting
habits.

I'll be leaving for Worldcon in a few days and I entirely expect to
feel thoroughly middle-aged there, sandwiched in between the Young
People and the American retirees.

-GAWollman

[Don_from_AZ]

Post by Garrett Wollman

Subject: What were you reading in 1968?

I believe my parents were dating, but they were not yet married and I
was not yet conceived. This makes me something of a youngster on
Usenet today despite being over 50, which certainly was not the case
when I was 16 and fresh out of high school.
On the other hand, I think I am a bit more judicious in my posting
habits.
I'll be leaving for Worldcon in a few days and I entirely expect to
feel thoroughly middle-aged there, sandwiched in between the Young
People and the American retirees.
-GAWollman

I didn't have much time to read in 1968: within a month's time I
graduated college, got married, and left for Officer Training School for
the US Air Force (in that order).

I do remember though, just after finals and before graduation, going
over to a friend of my roommate's house. In their living room I picked
up a copy of "Colossus" (later made into a movie "The Forbin Project")
and just sat there and read it through in one sitting.

-Don-

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Garrett Wollman
I'll be leaving for Worldcon in a few days and I entirely expect to
feel thoroughly middle-aged there, sandwiched in between the Young
People and the American retirees.

Well, say hello! I'm not working this Worldcon and I won't know what
to do with myself.
--scott

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

In 1969, none.

Since then, about 11.

pt

[Chris Buckley]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I actually have already answered this question! James had a similiar
"what were you reading when you were 12?" and I turned 12 in 1968.
My answer was very little new but the next few years would be more.

Of these particular 41 (or 42 if you count the Galouye twice as Wikipedia did)
I eventually read just a bit over half, 22 (or 23). A surprising number (8?)
of the 41 were originally non-English; that seems like a high percentage for
that time.

Favorites include _Chocky_, _Dragonflight_, _Pavane_, and _Stand on Zanzibar_.
_The Last Starship from Earth_ was a marginal Favorite at one time and I
think _Nova_ made it up to a Favorite for a brief appearance on the Bookcase.
A good year for me.

Chris

[Jay E. Morris]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

[1]Slight advantage was it was all grades school so I had access to
books considered too advanced for my grade level, which I was reading
well above.

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.

Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

"Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (Official Audio)"

https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2024/07/29/mon-july-29-2024-busy-day-today/

Lynn

[Dimensional Traveler]

Post by Lynn McGuire

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then.  I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules
Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books.  These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written.  But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies.  I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

"Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (Official Audio)"
https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2024/07/29/mon-july-29-2024-busy-day-today/

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Dimensional Traveler

Post by Lynn McGuire

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then.  I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules
Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books.  These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written.  But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies.  I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

"Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (Official Audio)"
https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2024/07/29/mon-july-29-2024-busy-day-today/

http://youtu.be/4jOMcAlO7rQ

Oops ! I meant to give this URL for "One Piece At A Time" by Johnny Cash:

Lynn

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

They started out pretty prosaic with just a motorcycle, but eventually
Tom was doing Skytrains, through-the-walls "Television Detector"s
and electric bullets.

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

They started out pretty prosaic with just a motorcycle, but eventually
Tom was doing Skytrains, through-the-walls "Television Detector"s
and electric bullets.

Don't confuse Tom Swift Jr & Sr. Tom pere started with 'Tom Swift and
his Motorcycle', in the first series, 1910-1941.

In 1954 we get Tom fils, That's the one I remember, with the series
continuing up to 1971.

The third seriew, 1981-1984, is ambiguous whether we're dealing with
Jr, or Tem Swift III.

The latest series (6th) brings us up to 2022, so 'Victor Appleton'
(sometimes V.A II) has been cranking them out for over 120 years. :-)

pt

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

They started out pretty prosaic with just a motorcycle, but eventually
Tom was doing Skytrains, through-the-walls "Television Detector"s
and electric bullets.

Don't confuse Tom Swift Jr & Sr. Tom pere started with 'Tom Swift and
his Motorcycle', in the first series, 1910-1941.
In 1954 we get Tom fils, That's the one I remember, with the series
continuing up to 1971.
The third seriew, 1981-1984, is ambiguous whether we're dealing with
Jr, or Tem Swift III.
The latest series (6th) brings us up to 2022, so 'Victor Appleton'
(sometimes V.A II) has been cranking them out for over 120 years. :-)

And don't forget the short-lived recent streaming TV series. I didn't
watch past the first ep.

I grew up on the TS Jr books, myself.

[Paul S Person]

Post by Scott Lurndal

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

They started out pretty prosaic with just a motorcycle, but eventually
Tom was doing Skytrains, through-the-walls "Television Detector"s
and electric bullets.

Don't confuse Tom Swift Jr & Sr. Tom pere started with 'Tom Swift and
his Motorcycle', in the first series, 1910-1941.
In 1954 we get Tom fils, That's the one I remember, with the series
continuing up to 1971.
The third seriew, 1981-1984, is ambiguous whether we're dealing with
Jr, or Tem Swift III.
The latest series (6th) brings us up to 2022, so 'Victor Appleton'
(sometimes V.A II) has been cranking them out for over 120 years. :-)

And don't forget the short-lived recent streaming TV series. I didn't
watch past the first ep.
I grew up on the TS Jr books, myself.

I recalling one or two of them.

Also Hardy Boys, Bobsey Twins, and Nancy Drew. That I recall.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Jay E. Morris
I would have been checking books out of the small town school library so
anything I was reading in 68 wouldn't have been published in 68. Or 67,
or 66 and maybe a couple year before.[1] Well, there may have been the
rare exception in the drugstore revolving book rack that I convinced Mom
to buy.

My elementary school had a small library but one that had been
excellently-curated some time in the 1920s and not really updated
since then. I thought this was very cool and read a lot of Jules Verne and
souvenir booklets from the Sesquicentennial.
Then I discovered that in the attic of the school were stacks of books
that had been removed from the library, including a full set of the
original Tom Swift books. These probably didn't have quite the effect
that they would have had on the original readers, since the idea of
building your own cars and airplanes was not as farfetched as when the
books were originally written. But I think this might have made them
more appealing since they were relatively achievable fantasies. I have
since then built my own car out of scrap parts.
--scott

They started out pretty prosaic with just a motorcycle, but eventually
Tom was doing Skytrains, through-the-walls "Television Detector"s
and electric bullets.

Don't confuse Tom Swift Jr & Sr. Tom pere started with 'Tom Swift and
his Motorcycle', in the first series, 1910-1941.

Thus, I mentioned his motorcycle.

Post by Cryptoengineer
In 1954 we get Tom fils, That's the one I remember, with the series
continuing up to 1971.

The last two were quite different and worse as I recall.

Post by Cryptoengineer
The third seriew, 1981-1984, is ambiguous whether we're dealing with
Jr, or Tem Swift III.

Awful. All continuity dropped among other things.

Post by Cryptoengineer
The latest series (6th) brings us up to 2022, so 'Victor Appleton'
(sometimes V.A II) has been cranking them out for over 120 years. :-)

No experience with this one.

[William Hyde]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

As far as fiction is concerned:

LOTR, Stand On Zanzibar, Wollheim&Carr 67, TMIAHM Glory Road, Starship
Troopers (rereads), Foundation, 2001, The Languages of Pao, To live
Forever, the Blue world, Gladiator at law, Search the Sky. The Last
Starship from Earth.

Those I am pretty sure of. LOTR absolutely.

Plus whatever Anderson, Dickson or Herbert came out with that year. And
probably other rereads, Dune, Earthlight, The Caves of Steel, etc, and a
dozen anthologies.

I raided my parent's book collection also. A Neville Shute novel went
down well, but I abandoned Marlowe' Faust partway through.

William Hyde

[Paul S Person]

On Sun, 28 Jul 2024 14:49:22 -0400, William Hyde

Post by William Hyde

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

LOTR, Stand On Zanzibar, Wollheim&Carr 67, TMIAHM Glory Road, Starship
Troopers (rereads), Foundation, 2001, The Languages of Pao, To live
Forever, the Blue world, Gladiator at law, Search the Sky. The Last
Starship from Earth.
Those I am pretty sure of. LOTR absolutely.
Plus whatever Anderson, Dickson or Herbert came out with that year. And
probably other rereads, Dune, Earthlight, The Caves of Steel, etc, and a
dozen anthologies.
I raided my parent's book collection also. A Neville Shute novel went
down well, but I abandoned Marlowe' Faust partway through.

I don't think I ever read Marlowe's, but Goethe's is in the collection
called /The Great Books of the Western World/ so I read that.

And forgot it as soon as possible. OK, Part 1 at least told a story,
if a tragic one; but Part 2 was entirely idotic and there just for the
show.

The pictures I have seen of the recent nonsense in Paris would have
fit right into Part 2. Nonsense is nonsense, after all.

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I was eight years old. Too dadgum long ago to remember. Shoot, I don't
remember what I read a week ago, that is why I write reviews.

Lynn

[BCFD 36]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I don't think I had discovered SF yet. I do remember reading a lot of
Hardy Boys from a complete (I believe) collection my great uncle had and
gave to my dad. I could put one of those away in an afternoon. It beat
going outside into the Houston heat, humidity, fire ants, and mosquitos.

[The Horny Goat]

Post by BCFD 36

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

I don't think I had discovered SF yet. I do remember reading a lot of
Hardy Boys from a complete (I believe) collection my great uncle had and
gave to my dad. I could put one of those away in an afternoon. It beat
going outside into the Houston heat, humidity, fire ants, and mosquitos.

1968 was when I was 13 and I was reading Asimov but it was his 3
volume series on physics.

I didn't discover the Foundation series till the following year. (I
mostly remember because that was the year I discovered girls and fell
for Second Foundation's Arkady Darrell)

[Mike Van Pelt]

1968 ... Junior high, then. I'd read a bunch of Hardy Boys
books, one or two of which had SFNal elements in them. (The
Mad Scientist (TM) with the freeze ray, for instance.)

Several Tom Swift Jr. novels. One "Rick Brant", which I
thought was kind of "meh", and never looked for any more.
The "Mike Mars" books. What little was in the junior high
library, which did include Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit,
Will Travel." Some Ace Doubles, one of which included "Dome
Around America" and "The Paradox Men".

About this same time frame, I read "Soldier, Ask Not", which
I also kind of bounced off of.

The town library had Analog Annuals, and a few Best Of
anthologies, but I'm fuzzy on the time frame of when I
got into those.

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by Mike Van Pelt
1968 ... Junior high, then. I'd read a bunch of Hardy Boys
books, one or two of which had SFNal elements in them. (The
Mad Scientist (TM) with the freeze ray, for instance.)
Several Tom Swift Jr. novels. One "Rick Brant", which I
thought was kind of "meh", and never looked for any more.
The "Mike Mars" books. What little was in the junior high
library, which did include Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit,
Will Travel." Some Ace Doubles, one of which included "Dome
Around America" and "The Paradox Men".

About that same time the _Three Investigators_ series began;
I quite enjoyed it at the time (who wouldn't want to live
in a junkyard when they're 10?)

Post by Mike Van Pelt
About this same time frame, I read "Soldier, Ask Not", which
I also kind of bounced off of.

I just (tried to) read that last week. Quit about halfway
through and went to the next in the cycle (Cletus'
story). The protaganist in _S,AN_ was completely unlikable and irredemable.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Mike Van Pelt
1968 ... Junior high, then. I'd read a bunch of Hardy Boys
books, one or two of which had SFNal elements in them. (The
Mad Scientist (TM) with the freeze ray, for instance.)
Several Tom Swift Jr. novels. One "Rick Brant", which I
thought was kind of "meh", and never looked for any more.
The "Mike Mars" books. What little was in the junior high
library, which did include Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit,
Will Travel." Some Ace Doubles, one of which included "Dome
Around America" and "The Paradox Men".

Don't know which RB you read, but in general they were awesome,
and better written than the TS & HB books (which I also loved).

Somehow I never tried Mike Mars.

[Mike Van Pelt]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Mike Van Pelt
One "Rick Brant", which I
thought was kind of "meh", and never looked for any more.

Don't know which RB you read, but in general they were awesome,
and better written than the TS & HB books (which I also loved).

Something about a roller coaster is all I can recall of it.
(google google) "Stairway to Danger", I suspect; that cover
looks very familiar.

[Paul S Person]

On Fri, 2 Aug 2024 17:14:53 -0000 (UTC), Mike Van Pelt

Post by Mike Van Pelt
1968 ... Junior high, then. I'd read a bunch of Hardy Boys
books, one or two of which had SFNal elements in them. (The
Mad Scientist (TM) with the freeze ray, for instance.)

I recall finding /The Sign of the Crooked Arrow/ to be quite
terrifying. I don't recall much else about them.

Post by Mike Van Pelt
Several Tom Swift Jr. novels. One "Rick Brant", which I
thought was kind of "meh", and never looked for any more.
The "Mike Mars" books. What little was in the junior high
library, which did include Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit,
Will Travel." Some Ace Doubles, one of which included "Dome
Around America" and "The Paradox Men".
About this same time frame, I read "Soldier, Ask Not", which
I also kind of bounced off of.
The town library had Analog Annuals, and a few Best Of
anthologies, but I'm fuzzy on the time frame of when I
got into those.

[Robert Carnegie]

Post by Charles Packer
Was there anything notable, zeitgeist-wise, in SF in the years
around 1968?
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?
content=struggle%2C%28Frankenstein+*+20%29&year_start=1934&year_end=2019&corpus=en-
US-2019&smoothing=0
(shortened: https://tinyurl.com/az93kexc )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1968_science_fiction_novels

Leonard Nimoy released "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"
In 1967. The business of __The Lord of the Rings_
bootlegs, not involving Mr Nimoy conspicuously,
was a few years earlier. He could have read one.