This is a great rundown of the LOA's function and publications Michael; I wish we had a similar publisher here in Australia (it could still be abbreviated as LOA too). I finished Matheson's "The Shrinking Man" two days ago, it's an awesomely good novel. Matheson's ability to control the story and shift from pathos to action to introspection to social commentary is masterful. Now on to the film, which I haven't seen in decades. "Flowers For Algernon" is one of those rare stories that can be adapted into other media without losing its impact or lessening its message. "The Simpsons" did a great job adapting it in Season 12 with the episode "HOMR".
The Lovecraft volume got trashed in reviews in the general media. "How can they put out this pulp junk in a prestige series?" I believe one reviewer said (or words to that effect). Ironically, Edmund Wilson conceived the idea of an American classics series like the French had, & he published a notorious review trashing Lovecraft back in the day. Again ironically, the intro to TARZAN OF THE APES that LoA issued called the book racist (again, words to that effect).
I'm really glad you talked about these sets, Michael. They are the most beautiful sets LOA has put out, IMO. And I share your love of LOA books--from the construction to cover cloth to binding to paper quality to typography, they are my most prized books.
The first book I bought from library of America was a PKD collection. I highly recommend this book specifically Ubik which is vastly underrated. If you are looking for sci fi grab the PKD addition
I love these books also and am glad they are doing more SF titles. I've bought some as gifts for friends. They are really good books. As far as science fiction being overlooked in the past, a lot of younger people may not realize that science fiction was not respectable for a very long time. Authors were not considered serious writers and fans were criticized for liking "that kid stuff.” Science fiction very much lived in a ghetto.
Actually, considering how much you might have had to pay to get books with the same content, they're often really cheap, though of course it will vary depending on what it is. Classical books in the public domain can often be had for cheap elsewhere since everyone republishes them in hardback editions, though most such editions are of dubious quality, often just the same quality as a paperback but several times as expensive as one because it has a hard cover designed to tempt those who can't tell the difference. I've got one or two hardbacks that are so poorly made they are far less durable than paperbacks, but when new they would have cost more than twice as much as the superior paperback editions did. LOA hardbacks are great quality books, however, not skimping where it matters, meaning it might be worth it even at a slightly higher price. Everyman's Library is another publisher that does it right, with properly sewn hardbacks printed on good-quality acid-free paper. As for value for money, a case in point is the Philip K. Dick box set of 13 novels that I recently bought. Even shipped from America to the UK, it came to £4 per novel, which is less than half of what the novels usually retail for, in paperbacks that are far more perishable than these quality hardbound books. Unlike companies like Folio Society (who technically make good quality bound books, but they are way overpriced and also riddled with poor design, using outdated non-authoritative texts of classics, inconsistent styling, often poor font and illustration choices, presumably to show they are still edgy and different) and other purveyors of bound books, they don't price them for profit, but to cover costs, and it does make a huge difference to the final retail price. If LOA books were priced for profit, they would probably cost at least 50% more. Anyway, it's great to see LOA embrace fully the richness of literary quality that can be found, particularly in science fiction of the golden age 50's and 60's. I only got into reading SF last year, but I quickly gravitated to that era since that's where most of the truly interesting, innovative and philosophical stories originated. A lot of later work is derivative of the pioneering efforts made in those decades.
Witam z Polski...chyba wszędzie są drogie ksiązki np dobra ksiązka w twardej oprawie ok 100 zł sztuka a zarabia się średnio od 3200- 4000 tys 😯a jeść trzeba ,bęzynę kupić ( litr 8 zł ) , czynsz , prąd , gaz ,Apteka leki ( drogie )- i co dalej jak dobrze pójdzie to jeden tytuł w miesiącu a w miesiącu wydają nawet 30-40 tytułów rózne wydawnictwa z róznej tematyki SF, Fantasy , sensacja , romans , groza, thriller itd itd 😯🫣👋👋👋👋📚📚📚📚Pozdrowienia miłośnik literatury Regi 👍
Even though I've recently heard about library of America; I do love reading books that were published before I was born. It's interesting to read what was science fiction at that time. The sets you showed in this video look gorgeous. 🙂❤📚
Just got the 1968-1969 volume myself! Have yet to read it, but it sounded great. Been meaning to read Delany for a while now, and Picnic on Paradise sounded just like my thing
First person I thought of who I'd love to see a volume of was Delaney. I completely agree that they really should. Also, Tiptree. I read The Girl Who Was Plugged In this year, and it's remarkable how relevant it still feels.
I have this set, I would also highly recommend the LOA volumes of Elmore Leonard and Ross MacDonald. Both collections are excellent. I also hope the LOA puts out a two volume 70s SF collection.
I have several LoA books, mostly writings of American political figures but also a few story collections, but I don't have any of their science fiction books. I do have many books by those included in the LoA but not published by them. I should probably get those just because of the quality of the printing
Todd here. Nice video M.K.V. Those American Science Fiction volume's would be a great edition to anyone's library who loves science fiction! Happy Autumn!
Anything that arguably has cultural significance probably deserves a place in the LOA. Howard has that sort of significance, as does Edgar Rice Burroughs. I guess it's harder to argue that for Clark Ashton Smith, but...c'mon, he's Clark Ashton Smith! And Matheson's influence is unquestionable. As precedent for my criteria of 'cultural significance,' I present "What's Opera, Doc?", the famous Bugs Bunny cartoon. The Library of Congress chose to include it in the National Film Registry because it has been so influential. "Kill the wabbit!"
Maybe you have already reviewed this before, but LOA also has two short story collections of female sci fi writers: The Future Is Female, vols 1 and 2.
The "special" editions of the Library of America which published Tarzan and other books like that shouls officially be retitled "Special Reluctant" editions.
I too am a fan of Library of America editions. My only complaint is that the print is so small (at least with their subscription slip-cased editions). You sold me, though on the SF collection. I just ordered the Novels of the 1950s 2-volume boxed set. I got $9.00 off! Not too bad for $51.00. :) Thanks for making these videos. Not only do they have a certain charm; they are very informative to boot. Watching your channel and a few other booktube channels provides a nice education on the subject.
They use small print and thin but durable paper in order to get as much as they can into a volume that is easy to carry. The dimensions of the books are based on the golden rectangle which was often used by the Greeks in their architecture because it's pleasing to the eye.
I really hope we get collections for the 70s and 80s. Maybe if they get really freaky, the 90s. I did notice that theres a Joana Russ volume now. Maybe hope for a James Tiptree Jr volume.
I've admired those boxsets from afar, and the two volmes of science fiction by female authors with equally cool covers. LoA needs to include the dean of science fiction .. no "American" library is complete without R.E. Howard either, they need to embrace their heroes. Who wouldn't love a fancy set of The Shadow or Doc Savage published by LoA, that would ruffle the feathers of those stuffy old geezers who need to loosen up.
I have the Philip K. Dick volumes as well. Thirteen novels in total. Most of his best. They really do need to put out a volume of his short stories as well. You can't ignore them, considering how influential they've been. Maybe even more influential than the novels.
It's a good collection. I have it and I have read (or reread) through most of them. I am thinking either the Bradbury collection or the Vonnegut collections next
Wrap this around your head right now there is most likely more than one little kid with a Cthulhu plushy that views that doll as their friend and will not go to bed without him. Right now there are parants assure their children their plushy Cthulhu will protect them from monsters and nightmares. Let that one sit on you brain for a bit.
Informative video! I love those two volumes of Chandler. He's one of my favorite writers, but I've yet to get a decent set of his books for the shelf. I always love your content, Michael! BTW, those sci-fi hardcovers are absolutely beautiful ❤
Those are good-looking collections. I have ebook versions of all four, actually started this year's reading off with the first one.... really should finish it. There are indeed an awful lot of other books that could've been included, but I suppose when you've only got so much space in each volume, something has to go by the wayside. And the choice of books and authors strikes me as pretty reasonable and representative, especially since some figures you mentioned like Le Guin or Bradbury or Dick have their own series in the LOA. "The Stars My Destination" is possibly my favourite SF novel that I've read. I wouldn't be surprised if they also tried to get Samuel Delany, though I feel they might draw the line at Hogg...
I’m glad they did this. Although, many of the titles were fairly obscure. I admit I’m ignorant of this publisher. I haven’t collected books in many years. Do you know if they are doing individual books collections for the major authors?
this type complations can be better to select for theme. only sci fi space themed storyies for example. that way choses not questionable and can feel a single book. otherwise it feels like unralated same timed brochures.
What? No Thom Disch! I'm outraged. Actually, I think his silly Santa Claus story is in one of their holiday themed anthologies. Speaking as an Australian, he has always seemed to me to be the quintessential American writer. His books are about Americans living in America, even when they're not. He's also a far better prose stylist than a number of people (particularly Vance) in these volumes. Didn't notice it so much with the 60s novels, but it appeared to me that the 50s choices almost all had movie adaptions. Who didn't come out until the 70s, Bester has had animated films, although again, not until the 80s. I think the rest were all fairly contemporaneous. Couldn;t agree with you more about the people who've missed out. Don't see how Joanna Russ, great and all she is, fits the bill better than Delaney.
Delany spelled his name without an E. It's a common mistake, & his name was misspelled on an SFBC edition of DRIFTGLASS in 1971 (on the hardback spine, not the cover). He & Russ knew each other in high school, & remained friends for as long as she lived.
I never understood why, of all genres, crime fiction tends to get a bit of a free pass among literary snobs. It is strange as for sure it can be as pulpy and silly as anything else. It doesn't have to be of course, and neither does science fiction or horror. Not that there's anything wrong with pulp, obviously. Fritz Leiber is indeed a great writer. if not The Big Time, what would you personally include by him? It would seem that that is his most significant work of science fiction, perhaps. I also think it's a great little book -- I wish someone would publish it with the adjacent Change War stories included, especially "No Great magic", which is pretty much the sequel.
DOUBLE STAR, THE BIG TIME, & A CASE OF CONSCIENCE all won the Hugo Award. Gary K. Wolfe was responsible for choosing the particular novels for the two-volume sets. EMPHYRIO is a left-field choice, as it isn't one of Vance's better-known books. Two books in the 1968-69 volumes (Lafferty & Russ) were originally issued in the "An Ace Science Fiction Special" series, which is my favorite series of science fiction novels ever.
yes, I thought the Hugo might have been taken into consideration there. but then, they chose Tyger, Tyger over The Demolished Man, as MKV pointed out. i'm sure awards were just one of many factors though. EMphyrio made it into the science fiction Masterworks series, and it is one of Vance's few notable standalone science fiction books (as in, not part of a trilogy or longer series), and I'm just happy they included some Vance. That said i read Emphyrio last year and as a fan I think I can say I was slightly disappointed by it.@@hifrommike2120
