From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: On The Shelf
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 08:38:52 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	Mike, Thank you for the tease.  Is Dr. Linebarger's work for sale
and if so at what price?
	I must respectfully disagree with your statement that Old Earth is a
myth in Cordwainer Smith's future history.  He used the word "earth" as a
generic term for an Earthlike planet and "Old Earth" distinguished Sol III
from all the other earths.  The Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem
also uses "earth" in this manner.  Regardless, Old Earth Books is an
eloquent name and I recommend it to my friends.
Lee

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 4:44 PM
To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] On The Shelf

On Friday I received a copy of:

The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-Sen: an Exposition of the San Min Chu I =
by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger.

Some might ask . . . "so?"

Linebarger's god father was Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Chinese =
Republic in 1911.  Linebarger attended George Washington University, where =
one of his classmates was a Lafayette Ronald Hubbard.  Both contributed to =
the school literary magazine.  Hubbard later went on to "fame" and =
fortune.  In 1950 Linebarger, in a magazine remembered essentially for =
this one story, had published  "Scanners Live in Vain" under the pseudonym =
of Cordwainer Smith.

In Smith's future history, our home world is a myth, referred to as Old =
Earth.  (The source of the name of my publishing venture.)

"Political Doctrines" was Linebarger's first published book, published by =
the Johns Hopkins Press, where I work.  (The Press does not have a copy of =
the copy.  It  was probably lost when Greenwood did a reprint of it in =
1973.)  This copy was formerly in the Centerville Public Library (MA), a =
gift of the late journalist Walter Lippman.

Further fascinating connections is that the book dealer, Ben Muse,  who =
sold me the book is also a JHUPress customer, in addition to used books, =
he also sell new books.  He was also my connection to his next door =
neighbor, the now deceased Edward Gorey.   Through Ben, I had approached =
Gorey about doing a cover design for the eventual (don't hold your breath) =
Robert Aickman omnibus.  He called me, said he'd be delighted to.  As far =
as I know he never got around to it before he died.

mjw