Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 13:41:42 -0500 (EST)
From: dicconf <dicconf at radix.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Old School
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005, Mike B. wrote:

> At 01:04 PM 3/30/05 -0500, Lawhorn, William - BLS wrote:
> >
> >I'd include at least one of the Lensman and/or Skylark series.  Have to
> >think about it more to add more...
> >
> >Not familiar with them.  Of course there is too much I'm not familiar with.
>
> Both were written by "e.e. "doc" smith".  The Skylark series had 4 books I
> think, and the Lensman series was 5 if my memory at this hour is still
> working.  Mike Walsh can confirm or deny, as he's recently re-published
> them.  Mike?

It might be better to say that the Skylark series proper had three books.
"Skylark DuQuesne" was written much later, after EES had discovered about
sex selling.  (I was amused to see what happened when an essentially
clean-minded guy tried to write soft porn...)  And it included witchcraft
and psionics, which weren't part of the stfnal universe of discourse when
the three basic Skylark books were written.

Likewise, the inclusion of "Triplanetary" in the Lensman series was due to
a rewrite.  If you read the original I doubt you can find any hint that
Grey Roger was really Gharlane of Eddore, or that Doc Smith had in mind
the intergalactic concepts that appeared in the rest of the Lensman
series.

-- Dick Eney
   Certified Force for Evil.