We’ve had a lot of requests during the time we’ve been doing this to do a show on “Foundation.”
A lot of requests.
I haven’t put it on the schedule yet, simply because of how much work I’ve been doing lately, but for some reason I kept getting hints and reminders about Foundation over the past 2 months.
Last night, I experienced another hint. I went to a new store that deals in secondhand stuff; knick knacks, toys, videos, and of course, books. Of course, I went to the SF section to see what was there, and I found a few gems right away.
First, if anyone needs the Night Shade Books collections of Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane stories, let me know. I found hardcover copies of both “Gods in Darkness” and “Midnight Sun” rather cheap. I already own the limited editions of these, but I knew these needed rescuing, since the boys at Night Shade had told me two years ago that they’d sold completely out. These books aren’t even listed on their website anymore.
What I found next followed in the pattern of hints from the universe about Foundation. On my first pass through the SF section, I hadn’t actually noticed the books. Then I went around the corner to look at the next shelf, which turned out to be Classics, and the title that jumped out at me from the very top shelf was Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare.
Yeah. That’s what I said, too.
It’s a large book, comprised of all of The Bard’s plays, plus annotations by Asimov. Huge book, the inner page says “Two Volumes in One”.
I own a copy of the The Complete Works of Shakespeare, edited by David Bevington (huge red book, anyone who took a college English class on Shakespeare in the 80s knows what I’m talking about). This Asimov guide is larger… and I’m still trying to figure out how that happened… the Asimov guide is physically shorter than the Bevington, contains half as many pages (840 to 1730), but it’s about half an inch thicker.
Anyway, it was only $4, so I thought about buying it, just for grins. Then I went back around the corner for a second pass through the SF section, and that’s when I noticed them. One paperback printing of Foundation, from the 60s or early 70s, and 2 harcover collections of the Foundation Trilogy, one with dust jacket, one without. I decided to get the trilogy copy with dust jacket… again for $4. I figured since I’m buying Asimov, I might as well get the Shakespeare tome. I’m curious about this book, but I don’t know when I’ll get to reading it.
But now, if Brian and Dave already have Foundation, we may be able to cover that sooner rather than later. If not, I know where a mmpb copy of it is, and another copy of the trilogy in hardcover.
Oh, and if anyone wants a box full of those ancient videodiscs, lemme know. There were some good movies in there, including The Empire Strikes Back. But who has a videodisc player that still works anymore?
Not dead. Resting? I’ve...
Another vote for Foundation, etc..
If you thought it was a kick to see Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare, you should look for Isaac Asimov’s Lecherous Limericks.
BTW, Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare is, I think, a unique Shakespeare reference. It does not revolve around the plays per se, it focuses on background information that might have provided source material for the playwright. Some of it is just knowledge that would have been common in Shakespeare’s day, but not ours. Really excellent stuff.
This should be fun. I haven’t read Foundation since high school (mid-1980s). This will give me an excuse to re-read it.
One of the interesting things about Asimov is that he and Robert Heinlein knew each other early on, but not for sci-fi. They were both involved in the same progressive political circles back in the 1930s and worked together for the US Navy during WWII.
Yes, I’m a bit of a Heinlein-phile, so I probably know more than is healthy about ol’ RAH.
I third that. I loved that trilogy (I’ve not read, nor plan to read any of the later books).