(ReacTor) The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed

[James Nicoll]

The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed

If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.

https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

[William Hyde]

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
Fiction" for a dime. A much better deal than that first offer.

Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
eleven cents. I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.

But I was then a member for about twenty years.

William Hyde

[Chris Buckley]

Post by William Hyde

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
Fiction" for a dime. A much better deal than that first offer.
Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
eleven cents. I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.
But I was then a member for about twenty years.
William Hyde

I took advantage of the same offer! SFBC definitely had a large impact on
my science fiction reading and buying. I was only a member for 6 years or
so; I had to drop it when I went off to college. I had no money - failing to
disapprove of their monthly pair of selections (as I was wont to do) would
eat up at least a quarter of my available money.

Chris

[William Hyde]

Post by Chris Buckley

Post by William Hyde

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
Fiction" for a dime. A much better deal than that first offer.
Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
eleven cents. I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.
But I was then a member for about twenty years.
William Hyde

I took advantage of the same offer! SFBC definitely had a large impact on
my science fiction reading and buying. I was only a member for 6 years or
so; I had to drop it when I went off to college. I had no money

I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.


- failing to

Post by Chris Buckley
disapprove of their monthly pair of selections (as I was wont to do) would
eat up at least a quarter of my available money.

I did go away for the MSc, and this did happen to me. But fortunately
the MSc was funded so I could afford the occasional unwanted book. Many
of which turned out to be wanted after all.

As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.

Silver linings.


William Hyde

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by William Hyde

Post by Chris Buckley

Post by William Hyde

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
Fiction" for a dime. A much better deal than that first offer.
Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
eleven cents. I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.
But I was then a member for about twenty years.
William Hyde

I took advantage of the same offer! SFBC definitely had a large impact on
my science fiction reading and buying. I was only a member for 6 years or
so; I had to drop it when I went off to college. I had no money

I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.

When I was a university, my office mate was a graduate student from
China. He was buying all the SF he could find and gradually shipping
it back home. He graciously allowed me to read a lot of it before
shipping it. Aside that, if it wasn't in the University or local
city library, it was out of my price range.

Once I graduated, I did the columbia house LP 'club' for a couple of
years, long enough to enable positive acknowledgement[*], and for a
few years thereafter.

[*] They'd send a card rather than the albums.

[The Horny Goat]

On Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:16:49 -0500, William Hyde

Post by William Hyde
I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.

I'm a Vancouver boy so went to UBC but went to McMaster (just down the
road from there) and got both my MBA and MRS (i.e. I met my wife
there) - now deceased but we had 37 years together; that and 2 girls
and a boy now all grown up with only a 2 year old granddaughter (born
2 months after my wife's passing) to show for it.

I lived cheap, got a small scholarship and was the Dean's Teaching
Assistant (which didn't pay any more than any other TA but looked good
on the resume) so had enough left over for some basic furniture in my
first place and her ring.

Given cost of business schools these days that wouldn't have been
possible.

Post by William Hyde
As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.

Ditto though these days that's about 1/3 of what I read (the rest
coming from the public library)

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by The Horny Goat
On Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:16:49 -0500, William Hyde

Post by William Hyde
I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.

I'm a Vancouver boy so went to UBC but went to McMaster (just down the
road from there) and got both my MBA and MRS (i.e. I met my wife
there) - now deceased but we had 37 years together; that and 2 girls
and a boy now all grown up with only a 2 year old granddaughter (born
2 months after my wife's passing) to show for it.
I lived cheap, got a small scholarship and was the Dean's Teaching
Assistant (which didn't pay any more than any other TA but looked good
on the resume) so had enough left over for some basic furniture in my
first place and her ring.
Given cost of business schools these days that wouldn't have been
possible.

Post by William Hyde
As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.

Ditto though these days that's about 1/3 of what I read (the rest
coming from the public library)

So did they have a special arm for Canada or did you have to send
international money orders and pay international postage?

[William Hyde]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by The Horny Goat
On Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:16:49 -0500, William Hyde

Post by William Hyde
I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.

I'm a Vancouver boy so went to UBC but went to McMaster (just down the
road from there) and got both my MBA and MRS (i.e. I met my wife
there) - now deceased but we had 37 years together; that and 2 girls
and a boy now all grown up with only a 2 year old granddaughter (born
2 months after my wife's passing) to show for it.
I lived cheap, got a small scholarship and was the Dean's Teaching
Assistant (which didn't pay any more than any other TA but looked good
on the resume) so had enough left over for some basic furniture in my
first place and her ring.
Given cost of business schools these days that wouldn't have been
possible.

Post by William Hyde
As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.

Ditto though these days that's about 1/3 of what I read (the rest
coming from the public library)

So did they have a special arm for Canada or did you have to send
international money orders and pay international postage?

Books were priced in Canadian currency. Except that initial offer which
I found in an American magazine.

They made it easy to buy. Smart of them.

I tried, twice, to subscribe to a new chess magazine published in NY. I
sent them cheques in US$, drawn admittedly from a Canadian bank, but one
which had a presence in NY and was in the top 50 banks in North America.

They couldn't get their bank to cash the cheque.

I'm hoping it was one of those wiped out in 2009.

The magazine went under.

William Hyde

[James Nicoll]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by The Horny Goat
On Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:16:49 -0500, William Hyde

Post by William Hyde
I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.

I'm a Vancouver boy so went to UBC but went to McMaster (just down the
road from there) and got both my MBA and MRS (i.e. I met my wife
there) - now deceased but we had 37 years together; that and 2 girls
and a boy now all grown up with only a 2 year old granddaughter (born
2 months after my wife's passing) to show for it.
I lived cheap, got a small scholarship and was the Dean's Teaching
Assistant (which didn't pay any more than any other TA but looked good
on the resume) so had enough left over for some basic furniture in my
first place and her ring.
Given cost of business schools these days that wouldn't have been
possible.

Post by William Hyde
As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.

Ditto though these days that's about 1/3 of what I read (the rest
coming from the public library)

So did they have a special arm for Canada or did you have to send
international money orders and pay international postage?

There was a Canadian SFBC, which I think was a different company in
some way affiliated with the US SFBC, but it went under in the early
'00s. I think.

[The Horny Goat]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
So did they have a special arm for Canada or did you have to send
international money orders and pay international postage?

Heh heh - mostly I bought them in the university bookstore (which is
where I got the entire Many Colored Land series by Julian May)

[Chris Buckley]

Post by William Hyde

Post by Chris Buckley

Post by William Hyde

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
Fiction" for a dime. A much better deal than that first offer.
Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
eleven cents. I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.
But I was then a member for about twenty years.
William Hyde

I took advantage of the same offer! SFBC definitely had a large impact on
my science fiction reading and buying. I was only a member for 6 years or
so; I had to drop it when I went off to college. I had no money

I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses. I
couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.
- failing to

Post by Chris Buckley
disapprove of their monthly pair of selections (as I was wont to do) would
eat up at least a quarter of my available money.

I did go away for the MSc, and this did happen to me. But fortunately
the MSc was funded so I could afford the occasional unwanted book. Many
of which turned out to be wanted after all.
As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for
them it is from an informed basis. Painfully informed because I read
everything I bought.
Silver linings.
William Hyde

Looking at my Favorites bookcase, I see at least 2 SFBC that I'm sure
were unwanted at the time (_Five Fates_ and _Chocky_) and I wouldn't
be surprised if there was another one or two among the other 8 SFBC
there. A nice source.

The other big attraction for me was the omnibuses, where the SFBC
would package 3-4 older books of a series together for not much more
than the price of the regular selection. I got introduced to Pern and
the Stainless Steel Rat that way (along with a number of more forgettable
authors like Chalker.)

Chris

[William Hyde]

Post by Chris Buckley
Looking at my Favorites bookcase, I see at least 2 SFBC that I'm sure
were unwanted at the time (_Five Fates_ and _Chocky_)

Much to my surprise, a recent edition of "Chocky" had an introduction by
Margaret Atwood, a big fan of the book.

I would not have guessed that.

William Hyde

[Dimensional Traveler]

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

Sorry, it died years ago when I believe it was Andrew Wheler(?) was let go.

[Default User]

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed

I was a bit surprised that the initial fee was $1, as I got in the
first time during the 10c days. Like most subscription services, the
financially astute way was to sign up, take the bonus items, buy the
minimum required deliveries, then quit. Repeat.

I didn't do that exactly, but I did quit and sign up again a few times.


Brian

[BCFD 36]

Post by James Nicoll
The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
farewell to an SF institution.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/

I just checked bcfd.com and it still exists. However, it had mostly
OTHER genres. And their selection has not been good for many years.

I signed up in about 1974. Got lots of books I didn't manage to cancel
and even liked some of them. Especially The Black Company.