A couple of days ago I stumbled on two 1966 Scholastic Sci-Fi paperbacks. Literally I tripped over a small table when I reached for these on the shelf at the flea market. Glad I caught myself or I might've had to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of pink depression glass that was sitting on the next shelf. If I had accidently smashed that glassware, it would've been a depressing development. Anyway, check out these two cool spaced-out covers
This first book is about a kid who lives on the planet Ganymede (sounds like some type of ointment) who has a robot pet/companion named Rex. This kid named Paul and his family are moving back to Earth, but poor Paul can't take Rex with him. Shenanigans take place as Paul tries to sneak his robot back to Earth.
The cover art was illustrated by Wayne Blickenstaff.
This book asks the question, “Are the Old Martians really a lost race - just withered mummies lying in dark caves?” You know, for years I’ve been asking myself this same question. According to the back of the book, the year is 2017 and Sally and Jim help their father discover if the Old Martians still exist.
The cover art for this book was illustrated by Leonard Kessler.
Great stuff! Runaway Robot was a favourite from my childhood, and the illustrations are perfect.
ReplyDeleteI see both of these turning up at thrift stores and second hand book stores from time to time.
I have both of these and they are classics --both written by SFWA Grandmasters, Robert Silverberg and Lester Del Ray, the latter who founded DelRay books in the '70's. Many of the great SF writers started with kids books, notably Robert Heinlein with a whole slew of stuff like, _Have Spacesuit, Will Travel_.
ReplyDeleteI still have my copy of The Runaway Robot that I ordered through scholastic books around '69. I only noticed the illustrator's name recently and wondered if he was related to an artist named Stephen Blickenstaff who draws some neat Basil Wolvertonian monsters.
ReplyDeleteLord, I wish I had a copy of Runaway robot! I read it about 1969 when I checked it out of my school library, and I still remember it vividly. It had the same cover!
ReplyDeleteI hope I find it somewhere.
I still have a copy of Lost Race of Mars. It was a good book when I was a kid, still like it.
ReplyDelete