books can shape your future

[mckitterick]

The first new book I ever bought with my own money was The Road to Science Fiction: Volume 3: From Heinlein to Here. The book was perfect for me: An SF anthology - my favorite type of book at the time - and every story included a wonderful discussion about SF.

Some 15 years later, I discovered that Jim was teaching a summer workshop. During said workshop, he talked me into applying for grad school at KU. Nine years after graduation, he and KU talked me into returning as faculty.

Amazing how a single book can shape your future.

I got to thinking about this because Scarecrow Press is still offering this and the other volumes at 40% off! Awesome for such a fine, big book!

Best,
Chris

Comments

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

First book with your own money. Golly that makes me feel old. When he was compiling the book I lived in Lawrence. Jim had given almost all his books to Special Collections, so he borrowed a large pile of my books so he could re-read stories he was thinking of including. We even discussed some stories in the course of collecting up the stuff for him to borrow.

The first books I bought with my own money were series books like Nancy Drew. Hardbacks were a dollar, and my allowance was 50 cents, so I bought a lot of books. And then my dad introduced me to the used book stalls at Collingswood Park Auction, where hardbacks were 35 cents.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

That must have been so fun, selecting the stories with him!

Note that this was my first new book bought with my own money; I've always been a used-book hound.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

The town I lived in had two bookstores and no used bookstores at all, When I was in high school a paperback store finally opened. I used to have to buy books at the bus stop! Good library, though. And when I was in high school the first mall opened, and it had a Brentano's. I used to go to the Brentano's on 5th Ave. in NYC since there were none in mid-NJ until a mall came to a town about 3 down the road from me. The town I came from is a total of 1 sq mi -- and even though nowadays it is an upscale tourist trap, back then it was a little town. But Fred Pohl lived there until he married Betty Anne and moved to the midwest. :)