A Rediscovery of Clifford D. Simak - A Reading Challenge

[Extollager]

As much enjoyment as Simak's writing has been giving me since I started seeking it out in 2008, I'm thinking that one thing that dulled my interest for so long was the titles of quite a few of his short stories. See if you can imagine a time when you weren't a dedicated Simak fan, and suppose you ran across these titles in an anthology of stories that you'd checked out from the library. You like the sense of wonder, you like clever plots and engaging characters... and then you see titles like these:

Carbon Copy
Green Thumb
Immigrant
Neighbor
Good Night, Mr. James
The Sitters
The Fence
The Answers
Installment Plan
Conditions of Employment

Those are drab titles!

I'm not saying that Simak was wrong to use these titles. There's something to be said for deliberately choosing an unassuming title so that the reader doesn't feel that he or she knows what to expect. And I can well understand why editors, wanting to disassociate their magazines from the bug-eyed monster/brass brassiere/blazing ray gun image of sf, would appreciate titles pointedly free of pulpishness. Stories by other authors too had drab titles. Take these titles of Asimov stories: Trends, History, Reason, Evidence, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Hostess, Youth, Kid Stuff, Question, Franchise, Someday, Profession, Anniversary, etc., etc.

 

[Extollager]

In other words -- there were probably many times when I would have liked the Simak story at hand if I had read it, but I didn't read it, put off by a drab title. Once you read around in Simak, you know that a drab title might appear at the top of a great little story -- but I'm thinking of readers, such as myself till the past few years, who hadn't really read very much by him. Why was that? Well, again, I think those titles had something to do with it. My loss! But the loss also of other prospective readers? I wonder.

 

[Hugh]

In other words -- there were probably many times when I would have liked the Simak story at hand if I had read it, but I didn't read it, put off by a drab title. Once you read around in Simak, you know that a drab title might appear at the top of a great little story -- but I'm thinking of readers, such as myself till the past few years, who hadn't really read very much by him. Why was that? Well, again, I think those titles had something to do with it. My loss! But the loss also of other prospective readers? I wonder.

When I used to buy SF in bookshops in pre-internet days, if I did not know the author already I'd buy the book based on the cover and what I thought of the first page of text. At the time I thought that worked pretty well.

For years City sat in my father's science fiction shelves, and I didn't read it or even look at it because I had in my mind that it was really dull and was something about a city. I finally braced myself when I became interested in reading all of Simak, and, after struggling with the introductions, realised that I'd read it in my early teens and had always wanted to read it again. Each time I've read City, maybe four times now, I've had to skip the introductions and read them at the end. Sometimes I've started out intending to read straight through, but I've never managed it.

 

[BAYLOR]

When I used to buy SF in bookshops in pre-internet days, if I did not know the author already I'd buy the book based on the cover and what I thought of the first page of text. At the time I thought that worked pretty well.

For years City sat in my father's science fiction shelves, and I didn't read it or even look at it because I had in my mind that it was really dull and was something about a city. I finally braced myself when I became interested in reading all of Simak, and, after struggling with the introductions, realised that I'd read it in my early teens and had always wanted to read it again. Each time I've read City, maybe four times now, I've had to skip the introductions and read them at the end. Sometimes I've started out intending to read straight through, but I've never managed it.

When i picked up a copy of the book , I had no great expectations of it. I couldn't put the book down. I know this will sound a bit corny, but this book has so much heart, love and wonder. I was sad when I got to the end of it.

 

[Hugh]

When i picked up a copy of the book , I had no great expectations of it. I couldn't put the book down. I know this will sound a bit corny, but this book has so much heart, love and wonder. I was sad when I got to the end of it.

"Desertion" may be my favourite of all his short stories. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so as apparently it was reprinted more than any of his other stories (according to the William G. Contento database of pre-1984 anthologies/collections). Twenty three times in all.

 

[2DaveWixon]

"Desertion" may be my favourite of all his short stories. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so as apparently it was reprinted more than any of his other stories (according to the William G. Contento database of pre-1984 anthologies/collections). Twenty three times in all.

Re CITY: I particularly love the intros Cliff wrote the individual stories...
Re Desertion: in my mind, it may be the single best SF short story, and I mean among all authors.

 

[Hugh]

Re CITY: I particularly love the intros Cliff wrote the individual stories...
Re Desertion: in my mind, it may be the single best SF short story, and I mean among all authors.

(1) Re the intros: as ever, great to hear that others have different experiences from me in reading Cliff.

(2) Re Desertion: you may well be right.

 

[Extollager]

Here's an issue of Galaxy with a Simak story. Another of those drab titles -- "Worrywort"! I ask: does that sound like the title for the kind of story that turned you and me into science fiction fans?

Black Gate » Articles » Galaxy Science Fiction, September 1953: A Retro-Review

I haven't read it [and drafted this posting before reading the Black Gate description of the story]. It doesn't seem to be in the eight paperback Simak story collections that I own. Now I have to tell ya -- on the basis of that title, I don't feel like searching for it. Yet probably some of you Simakolytes have read it, and you might tell me it's great!

[Later] From Contento, it seems the story hasn't been reprinted -- till ?

 

[Ralf 58]

Here's an issue of Galaxy with a Simak story. Another of those drab titles -- "Worrywort"! I ask: does that sound like the title for the kind of story that turned you and me into science fiction fans?

Black Gate » Articles » Galaxy Science Fiction, September 1953: A Retro-Review

I haven't read it [and drafted this posting before reading the Black Gate description of the story]. It doesn't seem to be in the eight paperback Simak story collections that I own. Now I have to tell ya -- on the basis of that title, I don't feel like searching for it. Yet probably some of you Simakolytes have read it, and you might tell me it's great!

[Later] From Contento, it seems the story hasn't been reprinted -- till ?

Hello Extollager,

In my bibliography you can always check very quickly in which editions a novel or a story by Clifford Simak has appeared.

Here are the settings for "Worrywart" (English only):
Clifford Simak - The International Bibliography - Releases of WORRYWART

As you can see "Worrywart" first appeared in Galaxy, then in some anthologies. In a Simak collection it was first published in 2006: "Physician to the Universe - The Collected Stories of Clifford D. Simak Vol. 2".

In 2016 it appeared in "New Folks' Home and Other Stories: The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak, Volume Six". This edition is only available as an e-book.

Bick had written in the forum about this story: Bick about Worrywart

 

[Extollager]

Ralf, thank you for reminding me of your bibliography. I checked there and found that "Worrywort" appears in Groff Conklin's Operation Future anthology -- which I own. In fact, on a slip of paper in the book, I find that I read the story in Sept. 2014 (and liked it). It seems I didn't remember having read it. Perhaps the (intentionally) lack-luster title had something to do with my non-memory of it. I'll have to read it again soon.

 

[Extollager]

Just read "The Thing in the Stone" and loved the sense of place.

 

[Ralf 58]

“The Marathon Photograph”

Elsewhere

Book Hauls!

I’ve mentioned the gift to me of 23 Simak books, ....

Hello Extollager,

I have only now looked at your link to "Book Hauls!". There you took a picture of all the books you received as a present.

In the bottom row is a picture of "Way Station". It should be the 1994 edition of Del Rey / Ballantine.

From this issue I have not yet a reasonable cover in my bibliography. Can you do a scan? A resolution of 150 dpi would be optimal.

[Unfortunately, on your copy is a disturbing price label. Maybe you'll get rid of this without damaging the book. I always do this with a sheet of paper and an iron. Put the paper on the book and take it with the iron a few times. Then carefully remove the label. If it does not work, I would want to have the coverscan also with price label.]

 

[Extollager]

Ralf, I would be happy to try to answer your request, but, since I already owned a copy of Way Station, I gave this one away several weeks ago, with several other Simaks.

 

[2DaveWixon]

Hello Extollager,

I have only now looked at your link to "Book Hauls!". There you took a picture of all the books you received as a present.

In the bottom row is a picture of "Way Station". It should be the 1994 edition of Del Rey / Ballantine.

From this issue I have not yet a reasonable cover in my bibliography. Can you do a scan? A resolution of 150 dpi would be optimal.

[Unfortunately, on your copy is a disturbing price label. Maybe you'll get rid of this without damaging the book. I always do this with a sheet of paper and an iron. Put the paper on the book and take it with the iron a few times. Then carefully remove the label. If it does not work, I would want to have the coverscan also with price label.]

Ralf, I suspect you're aware the the image in this cover was re-used on a number of editions of the book, usually with the lettering changed?

 

[2DaveWixon]

Ralf, thank you for reminding me of your bibliography. I checked there and found that "Worrywort" appears in Groff Conklin's Operation Future anthology -- which I own. In fact, on a slip of paper in the book, I find that I read the story in Sept. 2014 (and liked it). It seems I didn't remember having read it. Perhaps the (intentionally) lack-luster title had something to do with my non-memory of it. I'll have to read it again soon.

I'm glad you found that you already have a copy. That saves me from having to tell you that the story is available in vol. six of the Collected Simak...

Worrywart: I found it to be almost horror... And so much so that I have great difficulty forgetting about it.

 

[Hugh]

Just read "The Thing in the Stone" and loved the sense of place.

One of my favourites....

 

[Hugh]

Ralf, thank you for reminding me of your bibliography. I checked there and found that "Worrywort" appears in Groff Conklin's Operation Future anthology -- which I own. In fact, on a slip of paper in the book, I find that I read the story in Sept. 2014 (and liked it). It seems I didn't remember having read it. Perhaps the (intentionally) lack-luster title had something to do with my non-memory of it. I'll have to read it again soon.

It's reassuring to hear that others forget they've read stories.

I've just taken a look at Worrywart with a view to thinking of an alternative title that could blaze out of a pulp cover, but unsuccessfully...
However, I like the description of Simak's working environment and his fellow copyreaders that begins the story:
"...a funny kind of critter. He is a comma watcher and a word butcher and a mighty tide of judgment set against the news. He's sort of cross between a walking encyclopedia and an ambulatory index.....The copyreader sits with his fellow copyreaders at a horseshoe-shaped table. If he's an old time copyreader like Charley is, he wears a green eyeshade and rolls his shirt sleeves up above his elbows."

 

[2DaveWixon]

It's reassuring to hear that others forget they've read stories.

I've just taken a look at Worrywart with a view to thinking of an alternative title that could blaze out of a pulp cover, but unsuccessfully...
However, I like the description of Simak's working environment and his fellow copyreaders that begins the story:
"...a funny kind of critter. He is a comma watcher and a word butcher and a mighty tide of judgment set against the news. He's sort of cross between a walking encyclopedia and an ambulatory index.....The copyreader sits with his fellow copyreaders at a horseshoe-shaped table. If he's an old time copyreader like Charley is, he wears a green eyeshade and rolls his shirt sleeves up above his elbows."

There is no doubt in my mind that Cliff was painting a portrait of his one-time job! And he could surely paint with words, couldn't he!?
There's a photo floating around the internet showing Cliff with co-workers and a military officer... They're sitting around the copydesk at the STAR, likely during or just after WWII...

 

[Hugh]

There is no doubt in my mind that Cliff was painting a portrait of his one-time job! And he could surely paint with words, couldn't he!?
There's a photo floating around the internet showing Cliff with co-workers and a military officer... They're sitting around the copydesk at the STAR, likely during or just after WWII...

No one seems to wear green eyeshades these days. Could be a gap in the market right there.

 

[Ralf 58]

Ralf, I would be happy to try to answer your request, but, since I already owned a copy of Way Station, I gave this one away several weeks ago, with several other Simaks.

This is a pity.

I am looking for the picture very long. For some reason, one finds it only very rarely. Probably it was only a small edition.