Justin Piercy

I am a HUGE fan of this literary genre. I could eat it up all day and all night. Even though I have a pretty broad range of tastes as far as reading goes, time and time again I find myself drawn back to this very specific genre, time period, and geographic origination.

What is so magnetic about it? It’s more complicated that you may think. Hopefully I can give you a better appreciation for this niche body of works.

Let’s start with the content.

Science fiction works written between 1930-1970 were written in a time where science was much less sure of itself. The writers never needed to go into much physical or technical detail because the society on the whole was much less knowledgeable about the capabilities of technology. When reading these books there is one side of my brain that says “That would never work” or “That isn’t physically possible.” One great example is in an early work by CS Lewis called “Out of the Silent Planet”. In it, the main characters leave earth in a small spherical ship with absolutely no explanation given to the method of propulsion or internal gravity. Modern works spend paragraphs detailing how the engines and other systems of the technology itself phyically work. To me this actually detracts from the story line itself.

The absence of this in early works adds to the romance, and also enhances and better highlights the plot and character development.

Even though the books are often vague on the details, people were dreaming during this time period like they never had before. These books were written just prior to the dawn of the space age, so people’s imaginations were on fire. I find that adventurous and pioneering spirit carries though quite clearly in the books written in the science fiction genre in this time period.

One other thing I love about them is the vocabulary used. While modern works use lots of technical terminology, the mid-century works use a vocabulary that hearkens back to a different time. Also the British, particularly of that time period, tended to be much more wordy than modern western authors. While this makes for some long and often obscure word usage, they’re an absolute pleasure to read. On the whole, I find these books much more generally eloquent than their modern equivalents.

Lastly, their plots are often laced with overtones evaluating the human condition, the balance between good and evil, and often are much more philosophical than books of the same genre released today. I think this may be due to the fact that they were written in the shadow of two major world wars, when the men writing them were forced to think about what was really important in their own lives, as they never knew from one month to the next if the war would take a turn for the worse.

Next, let’s get down to a more tangible reason. The format.

I just love holding and reading these books! Everything about them is awesome. Let’s look at the various parts combining to collectively form their awesomeness.

The covers. Just look at these:

How can you not love that gorgeous vintage graphic design? Enough said.

The print. For some reason I just love the really small print, the tight spacing, the heavier weight of the printing itself. It makes the works feel…. denser, more substantial than newer works. Have a peek:

Compare this to the more delicate and wider spaced printing of an equivalent modern work:

The paper color and smell. I don’t know how to describe it, but the older a book gets the more distinguised an air it aquires. The yellowing of the paper, and that musty smell all help pull me into the story.

Here’s a big one, the size. Look at these two books:

I love both, but which one am I going to want to curl up with? Not personally looking to snuggle with something encyclopedia sized. However, that is common size in modern day works. Mid century british written and published works (printed in that era) all share the same, small, comfortable footprint that.. just fits.

Lastly, they’re cheap! You may have noticed a few of the ORIGINAL printings have price tags on them of about 2.50. Can’t beat that! Some of the cheapest “antique” items you can find!

All in all, I just think that every element of this genre leads to a very enjoyable reading experience. Do you have a favourite genre? If so, have you every thought about why it’s your favourite? What love to hear what it is and why.

If you’d like to have a go at reading one of these awesome books, then any of the ones pictured are great. If you have any suggestions for me too I’d love to hear them!