The identify that story/book thread: Home of the gas pump boy

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The identify that story/book thread: Home of the gas pump boy

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Hey guys and girls! (Posting http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2862050 here because I didn't see this thread before)

I'll start of with a warning, this post is going beat the definition out of the word vague.

I'm looking for a book I found in a library about 12-18 years ago. It was a large (I'm guessing 12" by 12") hard cover book that was a decent thickness. Almost like a coffee table book.

Now the post goes down hill : The whole book was full of pictures. Full page pictures, with little text blurbs down the bottom describing what the picture was. The subject matter was in the future. Just pictures of large space ships and the like. I think large tanks and robots too, I can't remember 100% as it was so long ago.

Now, all the text blurbs would talk about the space ship or robot or whatever in the past tense, just describing what it is and where it came from (designed during an old war or whatever). I could describe it like an encyclopedia, or catalogue, but it was in the realm of science fiction. I would say it was aimed at the teenage demographic, maybe even right up to early adult. I wouldn't call it a childrens book, but who knows.

Recalling what the artwork looked like, it reminds me of some of the cover art on 60's, 70's & 80's Sci-Fi books like Asimov, Hogan and Dick. Kind of like this. The Librarian (same one since I was a kid) doesn't recall the book, and it is no longer on the shelf. I'm guessing the book was made in the 70's or 80's.

Can anyone help me or have any directions to point me in to find it? Hours on Google, Amazon and science fiction websites have returned nothing, as it is hard to search for something so vague.

It wasn't from a compilation of artists. I think it could have been just the one artist for the whole book, or maybe two, but it wasn't a collection of science fiction artwork by multiple artists.

hambeet fucked around with this message at 08:51 on May 29, 2008

# ¿ May 29, 2008 08:46

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:24

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

LittleSunshine posted:

I know you say it wasn't by multiple artists, but it sounds very like one of the Stewart Cowley/Steven Caldwell compilations of the time - the Terran Trade Authority Handbooks or similar.

Hmmm very close actually, even down to the art style, none of the names of those books ring a bell though, and the covers dont strike me either. I might go searching on Amazon to find different published covers or what not, and see if the library has any of the series.

Were they the only type of people doing books like this that you know of? What time of genre would this be under as graphic books bring up arts students resources or some manga and marvel comic compilations.

Thanks for you time and effort too, you really are a champion.

# ¿ May 29, 2008 12:06

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

criptozoid posted:

Perhaps your book is mentioned somewhere in the blog Paleo-Future.

I had a look through it and couldn't find anything related to it, but that is a pretty cool site. I've book marked that for future reading. Thanks.

LittleSunshine posted:

They were the first, but they started a fad (in the UK at least) - Cowley did the similar Galactic Encounters series under his pseudonym of Caldwell*; Bob Shaw, I think, did a Galactic Tour version; I'm sure there were others... I'll have a rummage through the boxes in my spare room at the weekend, I might have some of them still. I don't know if the genre has ever been given a specific name, sorry.

*Here's a site with the covers of both - any of those ring bells?

None of those covers ring a bell, no, but the more I see of the spaceship designs and colour schemes I am sure that you've put me on the right track. There's definately the feeling of familiarity looking at those spaceships.

I guess I have to try to source them, or find a library that has them so I can see if it is what I'm thinking of.

In my original thread I started (and have since closed) Anapaest thinks it could be one of the Spacecraft 2100 to 2200AD series as well.

Anapaest posted:

I think I may own this book, although it's at home now and I'm not. Were the ship/robots etc. grouped by "faction" of some sort? And were those factions something like "proximan," "alpha-centaurian" and possibly others? Were the descriptions of the ships in relation to a past war had between Earth and one or more of these factions?

Sorry if this isn't what you were thinking of, but your description really sounded like the book I have, though I can't think of the title off the top of my head.

edit-
was this it? http://www.amazon.com/Spacecraft-21...8229&sr=8-3
That's the one I have. (pretty sure, though mine is missing its dust jacket, so I don't know what the cover looks like.)

Hope this helps...

Now this is going right down memory lane, I do recall something about factions (actually I'm getting increasingly confident there were two or three factions) and something about a previous war. I'm getting closer I believe, thanks all for you help. I'll have to try to find one to look inside of so I can confirm it now.

edit: An update for all of those on the edge of their seats following my harrowing trip down memory lane :P. Reading all the links provided, I'm 100% the book is on of the Terran Trade Authority. Mentions of the "deVass drive" tripped my memory. I'm going to go get them regardless now. Thanks LittleSunshine, criptozoid and Anapaest, I owe you all E-Beer's!

hambeet fucked around with this message at 08:32 on May 30, 2008

# ¿ May 30, 2008 08:04

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

I have a slightly odd one I want to throw out there. I recall reading a couple of books when I was younger, possibly 25 years ago. They were children's / young teen books but from the art work and the humour seemed to be from the mid twentieth century - I'm vague about that because my memory has gone fuzzy on its exact contents but I recall reading it in the late 80's and thinking they were from 'before the war'. That being said they were brand new books when I read them, the style was obviously older.

They were compendiums and consisted mainly of art, lots and lots of drawings and picture all humorous in nature, puzzles etc. Lots of puns, etc. They weren't stories they were just lots of unconnected cartoons(I hesitate to use that word) and drawings. Two of the books I recall were hard cover, black, had I think three stripes on the binding or along the bottom (red, yellow, green). Sizes were probably 10x12 inches? I'm wondering if it had an art deco flare to its cover design?

Cannot remember anything regarding the name of it. Collins or Colliers keeps popping into my head but that could be a red herring due to how obvious they are and I would discount them completely in my search but they do keep popping up in my head.

They're very vague memories at this stage, I've only just started trying to recall it in the last week or so and have had no luck with my very vague searchers. The only reason I remembered it was reading one of my old childhood books with my daughter (Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World) and recalled I used to read these others books too, but that they belonged to a friend of the family and I have no way of tracking them since.

hambeet fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Sep 26, 2013

# ¿ Sep 26, 2013 13:24

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Project1 posted:

Was it Cole's Funny Picture Book?

Holy poo poo, from what I thought was a fairly vague description you got it in one! I'm completely floored someone got it so quickly I thought this was a massive stretch. That is indeed what I was after and I recall those pictures quite clearly.

Thank you so much. I see you have plat, can I buy you a no-ad upgrade or archives?

# ¿ Sep 26, 2013 23:42

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Project1 posted:

You're welcome, but no upgrades are necessary.

So you know, there were three books in the series. 1 and 2 were put together by E. W. Cole in the late 1800s, and the 3rd was done by his son a generation later, and seems to be just a compilation of what he thought were the best bits of his father's books. So the 3rd one is probably not as good, unless it's all you can get hold of.

Slight derail before I stop talking about it: There is an interesting article about Cole's Book Arcade in Melbourne on Urban Melbourne. It sounds like it was an amazing sight, now sadly gone. I doubt we'll see it's like again.

Funnily enough number 3 is the one I remember first , I think we had #1 and #2.

I'm a Melburnian and never realised these books were from Melbourne. Surprised again!

# ¿ Sep 27, 2013 04:31

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

SeanBeansShako posted:

I asked this a while back and I'm not sure if I ever got an answer, but lets give this another go.

A few years ago I read a book that was set in some alternate universe where apparently the Olympics went free for all in the worst possible ways. Most of the plot was set in nineties Communist China where government officials are looking for the perfect athlete. They find a guy who is pretty much Bruce Lee and his old man is who is somehow a hundred year old dude who took part in the Boxer Rebellion.

They arrest and force the dude into a degrading and humiliating training program where they castrate him and in the end he peels off his face live on the telly during the Olympics and somehow this ends with Nuclear War on the last page.

It was incredibly surreal and weird to read and I want to have another pop at it.

Is it Please don't call me Human by Wang Shuo?

quote:

Now Wang Shuo, easily Chinas coolest and most popular novelist, applies his genius for satire and cultural irreverence to one of the worlds sacred rituals, the Olympic Games. In Please Dont Call Me Human, he imagines an Olympics where nations compete not on the basis of athletic prowess, but on their citizens capacity for humiliationand China is determined to win at any cost. Banned in China for its rudeness and vulgarity, this astonishing, tripped-out novel is filled with outlandish antics that have earned Wang Shuo his own genre, hooligan literature.

http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Please_Don_t_Call_Me_Human.html?id=CRsSAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y

# ¿ Sep 27, 2013 22:56

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

SeanBeansShako posted:

Got it in one, thank you so much man!

Not a problem, someone helped me out so I'll stick around for a bit and see if I can pay it back.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2013 03:27

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Noreaus posted:

Help me, I can't remember a novel. It had various narratives at different times for the same characters. One of them was a lesbian who worked as an Air Raid Patroller in the second world war. It also had a gay guy who went to prison after his boyfriend committed suicide in a botched suicide pact. It was made into a TV mini-series in the UK. Everybody seemed to be dreadfully unhappy. What am I thinking of?

Sounds like the The Night Watch I think.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Watch_(Waters_novel)

# ¿ Sep 30, 2013 14:55

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Durette posted:

Young adult book, think it was a reprint by Scholastic.

A couple of kids discover the remains of a long dead miniature civilization (in a cave? basement?) and they slowly excavate more and more of it. Until one day they uncover a building that's designed to prick a human/animal with poison. Of course, one of the idiot kids touches it and gets poisoned.

For some reason, I think they had to cover it all over again. And there's something about a forbidden door that the civilization is locked behind?

Close with regards to the door if its Through the Hidden Door you were thinking of.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Hidden_Door

hambeet fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Sep 30, 2013

# ¿ Sep 30, 2013 15:24

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:24

hambeet: Sep 13, 2002

Food Guy posted:

Okay I've posted this a couple of times now, but I still haven't found it and I think I remember some more details. There is a series of books, I know I have read two of them probably about 7-8 years ago but I don't know if there is anymore to the series. I'm fairly certain the author is a woman.

The basic gist is that there is a society that has been completely cut off from the outside world. There are two types of people, people who have abilities and those that don't. The people that have abilities are pretty much treater like dirt, if I remember correctly, and I am pretty sure that they are segregated. The main character is a teen boy, and he lives with his mother, twin sibilings who are you and I think start to manifest the ability to float or something, his grandmother (I think), and I can't exactly remember what the situation with his father is, he may still be around. He meets a girl who has a flying carpet and, I think, communicates with his sometimes using a wind up scarab, and she also has an ability.

During either the first or second book the boy is given a hat that gives him the ability to change his appearance and he uses this to his advantage a couple of times. At one point in one of the books, there is a like Summer or Winter festival, where everybody gets into the spirit and wears costumes that are pretty much enchanted or something. In one of the books, one of the major plot points is that a couple of people from the outside have made it into the society, and I think want to go back and tell people about it. I remember at one point there were tiny little people who made a living, I think, as like wedding cake decorations, tiny little models that sort of thing. I swear there is plot point involved with a broken clock inside of an old puppet theatre and there is a statue missing from said clock which is a really bad thing for reasons.

EDIT: Looking back, turns out I haven't actually really thought of any new details. But I have been searching for a really long time to try and find this book.

I have another story I have been trying to remember. It is an old sci fi story, probably published in the 70-80s. I'm pretty sure the cover had a person and a insectoid alien on it. If I can remember correctly, a party from a space ship found a small alien baby through some means and decided to, I think, keep it under observations or something.

Some of your descriptions reminded me of a trilogy of books called Five Children and It. It's a very long shot as it doesn't cover everything.

The Five Children and It

No recollection of what the authors name could be or what the cover looked like?

hambeet fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Oct 29, 2013

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 22:57

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The identify that story/book thread: Home of the gas pump boy