What an interesting post! I had no idea The Whole Earth Catalog was so influential.
One of my favorite living authors, Neal Stephenson, is involved in the Long Now Project, I think. He's also encouraging contemporary sci-fi authors to write more optimistic stories instead of all the dystopian ones publishers are currently churning out. He says that if we don't give young adult readers stories that inspire hope and innovation, we are hurting ourselves and our future. Makes sense to me.
Yes, Stephenson is involved—same with Kevin Kelly and Brian Eno. I totally agree on the optimistic stories. That’s one thing I loved about Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, a hopeful postapocalyptic novel.
Another fan of paperback books here. Their cheapness means I can take one to work and drop it in the mud or get egg salad stains all over it and that's okay. But "cheap" in this case doesn't need to mean "low quality"; a paperback with a sewn binding is of the same durability as a hardbound book and won't fall apart like perfect bound paperbacks are always doing.
Yeah, a well made paperback is a thing of beauty. I hate getting one with stiff paper and an overly tight binding—almost guaranteed to crack the spine. But the majority I read are well made.
My writing instructor at the University of Kentucky and fellow Eastern Kentuckian, Gurney Norman’s novel Divine Right’s Trip was published in the margins of one of the volumes of The Whole Earth Catalog.
LOL, I’d love to see yours! I find Stewart Brand a fascinating character. He’s good friends with Kevin Kelly. There’s something unique about Northern California. I don’t think people really appreciate it.
What an interesting post! I had no idea The Whole Earth Catalog was so influential.
One of my favorite living authors, Neal Stephenson, is involved in the Long Now Project, I think. He's also encouraging contemporary sci-fi authors to write more optimistic stories instead of all the dystopian ones publishers are currently churning out. He says that if we don't give young adult readers stories that inspire hope and innovation, we are hurting ourselves and our future. Makes sense to me.
Yes, Stephenson is involved—same with Kevin Kelly and Brian Eno. I totally agree on the optimistic stories. That’s one thing I loved about Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, a hopeful postapocalyptic novel.
Another fan of paperback books here. Their cheapness means I can take one to work and drop it in the mud or get egg salad stains all over it and that's okay. But "cheap" in this case doesn't need to mean "low quality"; a paperback with a sewn binding is of the same durability as a hardbound book and won't fall apart like perfect bound paperbacks are always doing.
Yeah, a well made paperback is a thing of beauty. I hate getting one with stiff paper and an overly tight binding—almost guaranteed to crack the spine. But the majority I read are well made.
My writing instructor at the University of Kentucky and fellow Eastern Kentuckian, Gurney Norman’s novel Divine Right’s Trip was published in the margins of one of the volumes of The Whole Earth Catalog.
That’s fantastic! Typical of how creative and adventurous the whole Whole Earth project was.
Did you hack my substack, Joel? I have been working up an article on WEC and its quirky inventor. You did a better job than I would have anyway.
LOL, I’d love to see yours! I find Stewart Brand a fascinating character. He’s good friends with Kevin Kelly. There’s something unique about Northern California. I don’t think people really appreciate it.
Back in the day, I loved the Whole Earth Catalog. Thanks for the memory.
You’re welcome!