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From: Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: (ReacTor) The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
Date: 29 Jan 2025 01:09:27 GMT
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On 2025-01-28, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
> Chris Buckley wrote:
>> On 2025-01-28, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> The Science Fiction Book Club Will Be Greatly Missed
>>>>
>>>> If reports are true, and I did not simply misunderstand, we bid a fond
>>>> farewell to an SF institution.
>>>>
>>>> https://reactormag.com/the-science-fiction-book-club-will-be-greatly-missed/
>>>>
>>> When I joined, the offer was Boucher's two volume "Treasury of Science
>>> Fiction" for a dime.  A much better deal than that first offer.
>>>
>>> Being keenly aware of the value of the Canadian dollar, I sent them
>>> eleven cents.  I'm sure that gave someone a chuckle at the office.
>>>
>>> But I was then a member for about twenty years.
>>> William Hyde
>> 
>> I took advantage of the same offer! SFBC definitely had a large impact on
>> my science fiction reading and buying.  I was only a member for 6 years or
>> so; I had to drop it when I went off to college. I had no money
>
>
> I went to university here in Toronto, so saved on living expenses.  I 
> couldn't have afforded to go elsewhere, but then I didn't want to.
>
>
>   - failing to
>> disapprove of their monthly pair of selections (as I was wont to do) would
>> eat up at least a quarter of my available money.
>
> I did go away for the MSc, and this did happen to me.  But fortunately 
> the MSc was funded so I could afford the occasional unwanted book.  Many 
> of which turned out to be wanted after all.
>
> As for the unwanted ones, well at least when I express my disdain for 
> them it is from an informed basis.  Painfully informed because I read 
> everything I bought.
> Silver linings.
> William Hyde

Looking at my Favorites bookcase, I see at least 2 SFBC that I'm sure
were unwanted at the time (_Five Fates_ and _Chocky_) and I wouldn't
be surprised if there was another one or two among the other 8 SFBC
there.  A nice source.

The other big attraction for me was the omnibuses, where the SFBC
would package 3-4 older books of a series together for not much more
than the price of the regular selection.  I got introduced to Pern and
the Stainless Steel Rat that way (along with a number of more forgettable
authors like Chalker.)

Chris