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jwharris28
Posted 2015-10-20 11:53 AM (#11528 - in reply to #9162)
Subject: Re: The Definitive 1950s Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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I'm looking for different ways to identify which SF books from the 1950s have remained popular.

http://scifilists.sffjazz.com/lists_books_rank1.html

Using this site, Ive extracted what 1950s SF books show up, and in order. This system is based on a poll, so it reflects current opinion. However, we have no statistics on the poll, other than to assume the population is one that likes to read science fiction and participate in the poll. These are the usual suspects again. You have to think who is getting left off. No Wilson Tucker, no Andre Norton. You have to assume the second 100 are books that are being forgotten, even though it has some famous books in it.

City and More Than Human were near the top of my system, but you can see they are fading. I doubt youll see either at a bookstore today.

#3 The Foundation Trilogy (1951) by Isaac Asimov
#7 Fahrenheit 451 (1954) by Ray Bradbury
#11 I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov
#19 Childhoods End (1954) by Arthur C. Clarke
#22 The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury
#30 The Stars My Destination (1956) by Alfred Bester
#32 The Caves of Steel (1954) by Isaac Asimov
#43 The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham
#45 A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
#50 The End of Eternity (1955) by Isaac Asimov
#60 The Sirens of Titan (1959) by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
#65 The City and the Stars (1956) by Arthur C. Clarke
#67 The Demolished Man (1953) by Alfred Bester
#68 The Door Into Summer (1956) by Robert A. Heinlein
#81 Have Space Suit-Will Travel (1958) by Robert A. Heinlein
#82 The Chrysalids (1955) by John Wyndham
#90 I Am Legand (1954) by Richard Matheson
#93 City (1952) by Clifford Simak
#99 More Than Human (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon

If you use their expanded list, which contains the second hundred top books, wed get:

#104 Cities in Flight (1955) by James Blish
#120 The Man Who Sold The Moon (1950) by Robert A. Heinlein
#126 Double Star (1956) by Robert A. Heinlein
#127 Alas, Babylon (1959) by Pat Frank
#133 On the Beach (1957) by Nevil Shute
#140 The Grey Lensman (1951) by E. E. Doc Smith
#141 The Space Merchants (1953) by Pohl & Kornbluth
#151 Player Piano (1952) by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
#155 Mission of Gravity (1953) by Hal Clement
#158 Non-Stop (1958) by Brian W. Aldiss
#191 The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950) by A. E. Van Vogt

My hunch is The Foundation Trilogy remains popular because its a whole lot like Star Wars. They both have an appeal that touches a lot of fans. Who knew that folks would love galactic empires so much.

Jim



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