ASTOUNDING DAYS

Rating:
Summary: Astounding Arthur C. Clarke
Review: In this memoir, Arthur C. Clarke describes the early days of science fiction, when he as a schoolboy in England thrived on the sci-fi pulp magazine Astounding Stories. Later he would contribute stories to this magazine, as would most of the other greats in the world of sci-fi: Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, H. P. Lovecraft, to name but a few.
Astounding Days is divided into three parts, describing in short chapters the development of the magazine under its three first editors: Harry Bates, F. Orlin Tremaine and John W. Campbell, Jr. There's also an epilogue, containing among other things a reprint of Clarke's short-story "The Steam-Powered Word-Processor," and an appendix with a listing of Clarke's contributions to Astounding Stories (nowadays Analog), and reprints of some of his letters to the magazine.
Clarke writes with his usual elegance and gentle wit, and offers some insights into the early development of his career. There are some interesting and amusing anecdotes, but mostly he comments on the contents of Astounding Stories during the 1930s and 1940s. The visions of the future laid out in its pages had a profound impact on Clarke, and came to play a significant part in directing the course his later life would take.
Astounding Days is an interesting and entertaining book, easy to read and often captivating. But you do have to be a fan of sci-fi in general and Arthur C. Clarke in particular to get the full enjoyment from this book. From that point of view, it's highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: 4 and 1/2 Stars
Review: Perhaps it is inaccurate to call this an autobiography. A good portion of it (particularly the first part of the book) is Arthur critiquing the early issues of Astounding Science Fiction magazine. Later, he tells quite a bit about his own life, but mostly this is a memoir of his experiences with Astouding. It is interesting for several reasons: first, we learn what Clarke thinks of a great many of his colleagues (including heavies like Asimov and Heinlein, both friends of Arthur's). But what makes the book really interesting for the hard-core ACC reader is later in the book where he tells a lot about his own life. We learn of his experiences at college, as a civil servant, and his time in the military. We also get a lot of his views and ideas on many things relating to science, as well as a good deal he says about his own subsequent books, the ideas behind them, and how the writing of other authors influenced him. And of course the book is all written in Clarke's trademark witty style.

This will all seem very boring for the casual Clarke reader, or for those who only know him as "that guy who did 2001". But for those true fans who recognize Arthur for what he is, a brilliant, creative, and witty writer who is unquestionably one of the literary greats of the 20th century, and possibly the greatest science fiction writer of all-time. The only thing about this book that disappoints me is that ACC elaborates so little on his own works for Astounding. I figured that would be the main point of the book, but it isn't; although he mentions many times his works, they are rarely the ones found in Astounding. Still, this is a worthwhile and book for the Clarke devotee; casual fans should look elsewhere.