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Arthur C. Clarke

Science Fiction

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Arthur C. Clarke
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Titles to Look Out For:
[in ascending date order, dated to earliest edition. Each listing includes later editions and printings]
1962. Profiles of the Future
1970. Childhood's End
1973. Rendezvous with Rama
1975. Imperial Earth: A Fantasy of Love and Discord
1983. The Sentinel
2000. The Light of Other Days

About the Author:
Arthur C. Clarke was born in Somerset in 1917 and is a graduate of King's College, London. During the WWII, as an RAF officer, he was in charge of the first Radar talk-down equipment during experimental trials. In 1945, he published the first technical paper laying down the principles of satellite commuincation. The author of over forty books and many articles, he won the 1962 Kalinga prize, the 1965 Aviation-Space Writers' prize and the 1969 Westinghouse Science Writing Prize; he also shared an 'Oscar' nomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screen-play of 2001: A Space Odyssey (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD]

Clark for some years lived in Ceylon doing underwater exploration along that coast and along the Great Barrier Reef. Together with two other commentators, he covered the lunar flights of Apollo 11, 12 and 15 for American CBS television.

The Author at Amazon:

Clarke, Arthur C. 'Profiles of the Future' published by Pan paperbacks in 1973, 256pp, ISBN 0330236199. Sorry, sold out, but click image to access prebuilt search for this title on Amazon UK
1973, Pan, pbk
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  • Profiles of the Future [top]
    First published in 1962 in Great Britain by Victor Gollancz
    Published in 1964 in Great Britain by Pan Books
    Revised & updated edition published in 1973 in Great Britain, ISBN 0330236199
    & reprinted in 1974 & 1976

Contents: This book originally appeared in 1962, and was based upon essays written during the period 1959-1961. Arthur C. Clarke recommends keeping up with articles and books about the future through the World Future Society, who publish a bi-montly magazine called 'The Futurist'

In this book, Arthur C. Clarke launches an inquiry into the limits of the possible such as problems on Jupiter, Mercury, Venus-conquering time-transport in the future-overcoming gravity-communications across space; and the creation of benevolent electronic brains. The range of this book is immense:from the re-making of the human mind to the vast reaches of the universe. Newly revised, even the remarkable events of the 1960s-1970s when this copy was published have affected few of the exciting speculations that Clarke makes in this book. He was, and remains, a scientist whose expert and wide knowledge is matched only by his brilliant imagination.

Chapters:
1. Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Nerve
2. Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination
3. The Future of Transport
4. Riding on Air
5. Beyond Gravity
6. The Quest for Speed
7. World without distance
8. Rocket to the Renaissance
9. You Can't Get There from Here
10. Space, The Unconquerable
11. About Time
12. Ages of Plenty
13. Aladdin's Lamp
14. Invisible Men, and Other Prodigies
15. The Road to Lilliput
16. Voices from the Sky
17. Brain and body
18. The Obsolence of Man
19. The Long Twilight
Chart of the Future





1970, Pan Books, pbk
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  • Childhood's End [top]
    First published in 1956 in Great Britain in hardback with dustjacket by Sidgwick & Jackson
    First published in 1956 in Great Britain in paperback by Pan Books, 189pp, no ISBN
    Reprinted in 1961 (2nd printing), 1963 (3rd printing) and 1966 (4th printing)
    Reprinted in 1970 in Great Britain in paperback by Pan Books, 189pp, ISBN 0330105736

Storyline: Blotting out the light from the starts they had linked so effortlessly, the silent ships hang suspended over the great cities of Earth...and a long and bloody chapter of history comes to an end.
Armed with a staggering power and an infinite wisdow, the invaders from outer space shock Earth into submission - but what is their purpose?

Clarke, Arthur C. 'Rendezvous with Rama', published in 1991 in Great Britain in paperback, 252pp, ISBN 0708849458. Condition: good, clean copy with some slightly worn edges and corners on the covers and a small crease on the top right corner on the front cover. The internal pages are clean & tidy
1991, Orbit, pbk
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  • Rendezvous with Rama [top]
    First published in 1973 in Great Britain in hardback with dustjacket by Victor Gollancz, 252pp, ISBN 0330240242
    Published in 1991 in Great Britain in paperback by Orbit, 252pp, ISBN 0708849458

Storyline: RAMA - a metallic cylinder approaching the sun at a tremendous velocity; RAMA - first produce of an alien civilization to be encountered by man; RAMA - a world of technological marvels and artificial ecology. What is its purpose in this year 2131? Who is inside it? And why?

Clarke, Arthur C. 'Imperial Earth', published in 1982 in Great Britain in paperback by Pan Books, 287pp, ISBN 0330250043. Condition: good, clean and tidy condition. Price: £3.50, not including post and packing
1975, Pan Books, pbk
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Storyline: Colonists from the entire solar system converge on the mother planet for the 2276 celebrations. Duncan Makenzie, scientist-administrator from the underground colony of Titan, one of the outer moons of Saturn, has a delicate mission to perform - for his planet, his family and himself...

Clarke, Arthur C. 'The Sentinel', published in 1996 in the United States in hardback with dustjacket, by Barnes and Noble, 303pp, ISBN 0760701784. Condition: we have 2 copies, 1 in good condition (£8.00) and the other in vgc (£16.00)
1996, Barnes and Noble, hbk
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  • The Sentinel [top]
    First published in 1983 by Byron Preiss Visual Publications
    Reprinted in 1996 in the United States in hardback by Barnes and Noble, 303pp, ISBN 0760701784. Book design by Alex J/Studio J. Cover painting by Lebbeus Woods.

Contents:
Introduction: Of Sand and Stars
Rescue Party
Guardian Angel
Breaking Strain
The Sentinel
Jupiter V
Refugee
The Wind from the Sun
A Meeting with Medusa
The Songs of Distant Earth
Contributors

About this book: The Sentinel is a brilliant collection of Clarke's best short fiction. The haunting title piece of this exciting collection inspired "2001: A Space Odyssey", one of the most famous science fiction movies of all time. In the provocative "Breaking Strain", Grant and McNeil are plodding along the trade route from Earth to Venus when a meteor pierces their freighter and depletes their oxygen reserve. As the frightening reality of emergency sinks in, neither wants to be the first to speak the shattering truth - that if one man dies now, the other might just have enough oxygen to survive the trip...
"Guardian Angel", the seed for the novel "Childhood's End", offers an ironic look at the nature of freedom. Perched in the sky above London's UN headquarters is the ship of Karellen, emissary of the alien Overlords, who rule the world as benevolent dictators. Reluctant to show himself, Karellen transacts business with UN Secretary-General Stormgren on board the ship from behind a screen, while on the planet below, the defiant Freedom League resistance demands to learn the identity of their subjugators. And soon, even the cooperative Stormgren is more than a little curious about them. In fact, he has a plan...
"Refugee" introduces us to Prince Henry who, as heir to the British throne, can have just about anything he wants. Just about anything. For Captain Saunders of the spaceship Centaurus literally holds the key to the one thing Henry wants most, but cannot have...
You'll also join the crew of an alien ship sent to rescue Earthlings from an impending nova, only to find the planet empty...discover the incredible secret of a lost civilization on Jupiter's innermost satellite...participate in a truly possible yacht race to the moon
This especially beautiful volume boasts ten plates by the noted artist Lebbeus Woods, along with a delightful and intimate introduction by the author




Clarke, Arthur C. and Baxter, Stephen. 'The Light of Other Days', published in 2000 in hardcover by Voyager (HarperCollins) with dustjacket, 312pp, ISBN 0002247046. Sorry, sold out, but click image to access a prebuilt search for this title on Amazon UK
2000, HarperCollins
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Story: 'Space is what keeps everything from being in the same place. Right?'
Hiram Patterson, head of the giant media corporation OurWorld, is launching the greatest communications revolution in history. By manipulating wormholes in space, his WormCams can connect any point to any other, faster than the speed of light.

Realtime television coverage is here: earthquakes and wars, murder and disaster can be watched, exactly as they occur, anywhere on the planet. And that's just the beginning.

The New Past

When WormCams are made to work across time as well as space, humanity encounters itself in the light of other days. We witness the life of Jesus, go to the premiere of Hamlet, solve the enigmas that have baffled generations. Blood spilled centuries ago flows vividly once more. And privacy, of course, is a thing of the past. No personal treachery or shame can be concealed.

Mutual Assured Surveillance

Fuming inwardly about decadent technology and excess wealth, journalist Kate Manzoni goes to work for Hiram, who has his own reasons for hiring her. Hiram wants her close so that he can the more easily destroy her-to bring to an end her affair with Bobby Patterson, his son. Hiram seeks to keep his deadly schemes secret-but even he, its creator, cannot anticipate the power of the all-seeing Wormcam.




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