A Rediscovery of Clifford D. Simak - A Reading Challenge

[Hugh]

Well, I've just finished Volume 14. Naturally I really enjoyed it, and, Dave, your introductions always add something as well.
It's so great these stories have finally been published in an easily accessible form. It must have been hard work at times, but this is a fantastic contribution both to the history of science fiction and to the memory of Clifford D. Simak. Many many thanks.

 

[2DaveWixon]

Well, I've just finished Volume 14. Naturally I really enjoyed it, and, Dave, your introductions always add something as well.
It's so great these stories have finally been published in an easily accessible form. It must have been hard work at times, but this is a fantastic contribution both to the history of science fiction and to the memory of Clifford D. Simak. Many many thanks.

I am very grateful that circumstances somehow put me in the right place and time to do that project -- who would've known, back when I was a kid, or even back when I first met him? Indeed, I still had not thought of anything like that at the time of his death...

And I must add that I'm also grateful to have found other fans who appreciated Cliff, and who have expressed that appreciation to me. My thanks to you, Hugh, and to all our other friendly Simak fans.

 

[J-Sun]

My blog is basically dead but, every now and then I post something or other. Recently, I posted a Simak checklist. I know people here have posted massive bibliographies and so on but I thought a simple little thing might be useful. (As is usually the case, I just wanted to do a rough cut for myself and then decided to brush it up and articulate the nitty-gritty for public use if it had any.) I thought of all the Simak wizards on this thread and wondered a couple of things: one, obviously, is whether I've made any terrible mistakes or if anyone thinks of just minor things that could be improved and, two, if anyone has all the Open Road collections, if they could take a spine shot like I have for the first pic and post it here so that I could use it for the second pic. I searched everywhere for something like it and finally settled on using the cover of the last volume but, while it's good enough, I just think the whole set would be much better.

 

[Bick]

My blog is basically dead but, every now and then I post something or other. Recently, I posted a Simak checklist. I know people here have posted massive bibliographies and so on but I thought a simple little thing might be useful. (As is usually the case, I just wanted to do a rough cut for myself and then decided to brush it up and articulate the nitty-gritty for public use if it had any.) I thought of all the Simak wizards on this thread and wondered a couple of things: one, obviously, is whether I've made any terrible mistakes or if anyone thinks of just minor things that could be improved and, two, if anyone has all the Open Road collections, if they could take a spine shot like I have for the first pic and post it here so that I could use it for the second pic. I searched everywhere for something like it and finally settled on using the cover of the last volume but, while it's good enough, I just think the whole set would be much better.

Looks very good J-Sun, and good to see a post on your site - I pop over and see if there's anything new occasionally. I'm still posting to my growing site... though nothing on Simak lately (actually I tell a lie - there's a book review I posted in June). I've nothing to offer regards the biblio, but there are true Simak experts on here who may have more informed thoughts.

 

[J-Sun]

Thanks, I appreciate it. (I check your site, too, but I'm really overdue - I haven't checked much of anything for quite awhile - but I should get over there tomorrow.)

 

[Hugh]

Hardly the most professional, but if it's just the collections you want...

Your checklist looks great as far as my frame of reference goes....

 

[2DaveWixon]

View attachment 109268

Hardly the most professional, but if it's just the collections you want...

Your checklist looks great as far as my frame of reference goes....

Gee. that looks just like a section of my shelves...!

 

[J-Sun]

View attachment 109268

Hardly the most professional, but if it's just the collections you want...

Your checklist looks great as far as my frame of reference goes....

Ah, that's fantastic! Thank you so much. I credited it to "Hugh at SFFChronicles" but let me know if you'd like it to say something else.

 

[Ralf 58]

My blog is basically dead but, every now and then I post something or other. Recently, I posted a Simak checklist. I know people here have posted massive bibliographies and so on but I thought a simple little thing might be useful. (As is usually the case, I just wanted to do a rough cut for myself and then decided to brush it up and articulate the nitty-gritty for public use if it had any.) I thought of all the Simak wizards on this thread and wondered a couple of things: one, obviously, is whether I've made any terrible mistakes or if anyone thinks of just minor things that could be improved and, two, if anyone has all the Open Road collections, if they could take a spine shot like I have for the first pic and post it here so that I could use it for the second pic. I searched everywhere for something like it and finally settled on using the cover of the last volume but, while it's good enough, I just think the whole set would be much better.

Hello J-Sun,

I find your small bibliography very successful. Especially it explains well the connections between the hardcover editions of the big collections and the corresponding paperbacks.

In the chapter "1986-97: Severn House/Methuen/Mandarin Group" you could perhaps make clear that "Off-Planet" was also published as a hardcover. (Not by "Severn House" but by "Methuen").

In the chapter "Other (Short Fiction Singles)" one should perhaps consider that "The World That Couldn't Be" was already published as a single edition before the double edition with "The Wailing Asteroid" by Murray Leinster. (2010 by General Books and 2011 by Aegypan).

Other printed single editions of Simak stories are:
- Second Childhood (2016) (Positronic).
- Mr. Meek Plays Polo (2020) (Independently published).

It's a problem, of course, that many editions that were listed on Amazon and other platforms at one time or another later disappeared, so that - if they are then also missing from the ISFDB - they are almost impossible to trace. (The ISFDB is, of course, the best there is, but it is not complete.)

I can't find the print edition of "Mr. Meek Plays Polo" on Amazon anymore myself, but "Second Childhood" is still there, so I would include that edition if I were you.

You may find more useful information in my bibliography: Clifford D. Simak - The International Bibliography - Home

Kind regards
Ralf

 

[Matteo]

Just saw this, rather beat-up, Simak at the book drop at the local train station.

 

[AE35Unit]

Beat up? Looks in good nick to me. You should see my copy of Night of the Puudly. More sellotape than book!

 

[Matteo]

Sorry, the photo is a bit deceptive - the glue binding was in bad shape and pages were falling out.

 

[BAYLOR]

View attachment 109268

Hardly the most professional, but if it's just the collections you want...

Your checklist looks great as far as my frame of reference goes....

Impressive

 

[Ralf 58]

Before it is forgotten:

Today (August 3, 2024) Clifford D. Simak would have been 120 years old.

Happy birthday, Cliff!

Thank you for the wonderful novels and stories that have been with me for most of my life.
Forums like this one prove that you are not forgotten. And perhaps you are in a parallel universe and read what we write here.

To mark the anniversary, I have finally updated my bibliography again:

simak-bibliography.com - Update

Best regards
Ralf

 

[J-Sun]

Hello J-Sun,

I find your small bibliography very successful. Especially it explains well the connections between the hardcover editions of the big collections and the corresponding paperbacks.

In the chapter "1986-97: Severn House/Methuen/Mandarin Group" you could perhaps make clear that "Off-Planet" was also published as a hardcover. (Not by "Severn House" but by "Methuen").

In the chapter "Other (Short Fiction Singles)" one should perhaps consider that "The World That Couldn't Be" was already published as a single edition before the double edition with "The Wailing Asteroid" by Murray Leinster. (2010 by General Books and 2011 by Aegypan).

Other printed single editions of Simak stories are:
- Second Childhood (2016) (Positronic).
- Mr. Meek Plays Polo (2020) (Independently published).

It's a problem, of course, that many editions that were listed on Amazon and other platforms at one time or another later disappeared, so that - if they are then also missing from the ISFDB - they are almost impossible to trace. (The ISFDB is, of course, the best there is, but it is not complete.)

I can't find the print edition of "Mr. Meek Plays Polo" on Amazon anymore myself, but "Second Childhood" is still there, so I would include that edition if I were you.

You may find more useful information in my bibliography: Clifford D. Simak - The International Bibliography - Home

Kind regards
Ralf

Thanks so much for the kind words and that information and sorry I've been so long in using it. I sort of fell off the interactive interwebz for awhile, but I've updated that blog post and credited you as "Ralf 58" - let me know if you'd rather have it otherwise.