Aaron's Book of the Week :: Tales of the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Completing our tribute to the late Arthur C. Clarke, the Book of the Week is Tales of the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke. This is a paperback original, published in 1957, cover art by Richard Powers.

Tales of the White Hart reflects Sir Arthur's lighter side, a collection of tall tales related by the patrons of the White Hart tavern. It is one of the most successful examples of the "space bar" subgenre, bizarre science fiction or fantasy stories swapped by the regulars of a particular pub, almost always to comic effect. (As Tales of the White Hart demonstrates, this subgenre long predates the space bar scene in the original Star Wars film.) My personal favorite space bar collections will appear in future BOTW's, but first we will pay tribute to an outstanding science fiction artist who passed away last week.

Aaron's Book of the Week :: 20 Million Miles to Earth by Henry Slesar

The Book of the Week is 20 Million Miles to Earth by prolific pulp and screenwriter Henry Slesar, published in 1957 by Amazing Stories. This was the first and only digest novel Amazing Stories issued, and it is the digest-format book most prized by collectors today.

20 Million Miles to Earth is a novelization of the 1957 film of the same title, featuring a rampaging monster created by special effects legend Ray Harryhausen. A great part of the book's appeal to collectors is its campy cover image of the salivating monster. We'll have another digest book that is collectible for its outrageous cover art (and title) next week.

(Oddly enough, after writing this week's BOTW posting, I discovered that the film version of 20 Million Miles to Earth is on television this weekend -- on Saturday, January 12th at 4:30 p.m. Mountain time on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Check it out for some campy fun, even if you may notice a slight difference in production values between it and the film that follows it on TCM, also made in 1957, The Bridge on the River Kwai.)