Some of my favorite Arthur C. Clarke books

It’s been a challenge, thinking of the best way to eulogize Arthur C. Clarke. It is doubly difficult because I’ve never met him, and because so many other sources have done such a tremendous job that there’s little to add. (One that you might not have seen is from the International Telecommunications Union.)

Instead, I’ll mention a few of my favorite Sir Arthur’s books — the ones whose pages are crinkled, and whose spines are cracked. These books have spoken so eloquently over the years, but aren’t well known today.

You’ll note that many of these are his earliest fiction, which I read as a teenager. (I’m leaving out 2001, 2010 and Rendezvous with Rama, because they’re so well known, but they’re also excellent.)

Imperial Earth (1976): Introduced us to an Earth colony on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and their society and politices. There was amazing predictions of personal communications technology. This book introduced me to Pentominoes, and after reading the book I wrote a pretty good Pentomino solver in FORTRAN. I wish I had that source code.

Childhood’s End (1953): This was the first Clarke novel I read, and the copy I have has my brother’s name written inside. I hope he doesn’t miss it. The book discusses the next stage in human evolution, and the sad story of how we get there. Very haunting, very moving. (The graphic is the cover art in my 1969 edition.)

Against the Fall of Night (1953) and The City and the Stars (1956): Clarke wrote two versions of this story. Against the Fall of Night was his first novel, telling the tale of Diaspar, the last city on Earth, a billion years in the future. Later on, he changed it substantially. I like both versions. Tales of Diaspar, of Lys, and of Alvin, appear frequently in my dreams.

Tales from the ‘White Hart’ (1957): Tall tales told by scientists over drinks at the local watering hole. The stories are quick reads, and demonstrate Clarke’s easy writing style and sense of humor.

Earthlight (1955): A tale of espionage and intrigue on the Moon, as an accountant tries to stop a war between two Earth factions fighting it out for scarce resources.

A Fall of Moondust (1961): What happens when a lunar tourist bus sinks into a lake filled with moondust? A true adventure story, and very thought-provoking from an engineering perspective.

The Fountains of Paradise (1978): One way to get into orbit is to ride in a rocket. Another is to take the elevator. This is the story of how the elevator was built, and the visionary who pushed it through.

Ahh, I could go on… but of all of Clarke’s books, I think these mean the most to me.