Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 09:42:36 -0400 From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu> To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> Subject: [WSFA] Re: On The Shelf Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> > StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL 04/15/02 08:38AM >>> > > Mike, Thank you for the tease. Is Dr. Linebarger's work for sale >and if so at what price? This copy Goes On The Shelf. Until a signed copy wanders in . . . But copies are available online at either www.abebooks.com or www.bookfinde= r.com > 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. "I grow old . . . I grow old . . . I shall I wear the bottoms of my jumpsuit rolled ." Amazing how memory places such tricks on us. > 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. Why thank you. mjw >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 >