"The strange thing about coincidence is that it doesn't happen more often." -- Richard Feynman

[dr_whuh]

Casa KathBob recently received the following postcard from the brilliant, witty and lovely

Comments

[kaffy_r]

About those bees ... Quick, honey, the Flit! I'm glad you found the book, too - it even had the same background color. Heh ....

Love you more than cookies!

[dr_whuh]

Re the bees: I've no evidence as to their sexual orientation, and besides, we don't say things like that now.

And I love you more than a new toy firetruck, Oh Snookiest of Ookums!*

*I have this vision of Cooper reading this and saying, "Gawd, what treacle well did those two crawl out of?" But it's the truth.

[maruad]

It would have been interesting to see what the original cover was when it had been published as "Outpost Mars" in 1952. I must admit I like this title better.

[dr_whuh]

Dunno if this is the original, but it's the one that shows up most on Google Images:

[maruad]

I prefer the Sin in Space cover because, while there is a certain coolness to the Outpost Mars, there is somthing wonderful about those smirking leers though I think those leers better suit two people who are just getting their clothes back on, not two people taking them off.

Cyril Judd book

[markiv1111]

At some point in my life, I have owned both the *Sin in Space* version with that cover, and the *Outpost Mars* version, which I may very well still have in some box somewhere. Note that Cyril Judd is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Cyril Kornbluth and Judith Merrill, and that the book is a very good read.

Nate

Re: Cyril Judd book

[dr_whuh]

I agree that the book's pretty good. And the cover's always been one of my faves. It's Kaffy's book, as are almost all of the SF books we have. Not that I haven't read a barnload of 'em; it's just that my library card sits third in my wallet, behind my ATM and Costco cards.

I was spoiled. Battle Creek, my home town and locale of the first Slan Shack, had a library with a huge collection, including stuff going back to the 1920s, and they did a great job of keeping it current. It was separated from the rest of the fiction, and, in the old library building, had its own room. I've asked around some, but nobody seems to know whether the collection's and the Slan Shack's existence were connected.

These days my reading is primarily non-fic, although I am currently in the midst of my Annual Complete Cordwainer Smith Read.

[dr_whuh]

A.) Yes, you do, thank you, and so do I.

B.) Nah; note that he has the good sense to be wearing a spacesuit, while she's attempting to undress in a vacuum. Ergo, blond.

[apostle_of_eris]

If “How did she know?” had referred to Judy Merrill, the polite phrasing of the answer would be, from personal experience.

[dr_whuh]

Guffaw!

[bibliofile]

I bow before your superior knowledge.

ETA: Oh, and I've just started reading LJ again, after a couple of weeks away....

[dr_whuh]

Thanks for the postcard! I've had more fun with this....

Seriously, I'm beginning to think that you've been paying far more attention to us over the years than I'd ever imagined. To say that most folk know that we're twisted is belaboring the obvious. But you've been catching nuances. Your previous card featured a photo of some of Wisconsin's delightful bovines. It was perfect. Kath & I saw the card, turned to each other and murmured softly, "Mmmm.... Cows." We do this whenever we see cattle, and began the stupid habit long before Homer Simpson expressed similar feelings about doughnuts. Thus the "How did she know?" reaction to the "Sin in Space" card.