For today’s participation in the meme created by Judith, I want to travel outside my state, and back in time, to one of my Best Days.
I do have a couple of notes on today’s post: the “insane” times that were part of the inspiration for this meme were the rapid and unexpected changes in our lives brought on by COVID-19, not the horrific and senseless deaths that have happened of late. “Insane” is not used to make light of the situation we remain in as human beings.
This post is about remembering something special and mourning its loss, a loss that is in no way, shape or form comparable to the loss of life. We can mourn the loss of a special place without using this as an opportunity to vilify any person or group and we can mourn the loss and have our own feelings about it while still supporting the black community and working together to change attitudes, education, and training so that the equal rights promised to Americans are truly a reality for ALL Americans.
This is all about books.
In late June of 2015 I had the privilege of visiting America’s oldest science fiction and fantasy bookstore, Uncle Hugo’s, while on a trip to Minnesota. It truly was a pilgrimage for me, a place I wanted to visit from the time Jeff Smith mentioned it to me when he was staying in a hotel near there on business trip. [I also visited DreamHaven Books that day…wow!]
It was a truly amazing place. My wife further solidified her status as the greatest wife in the world by spending the whole day in these two bookstores with me. At one point I stated to her “I am overwhelmed” because there was so much at Uncle Hugo’s to look through and love for a SFF geek.
Uncle Hugo’s was burnt down, almost literally to the ground, in the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd, the tragic homicide, as it has now been ruled.
One of my bucket list items was to travel there again, this time with Jeff Smith, on a guys bookstore road trip. It was an iconic place, and now it is gone. I wanted to acknowledge that and share just how happy I am to have had the opportunity to go there and to share the pictures I shared in my 2015 post of the treasures I picked up there. As book lovers the world over can acknowledge, traveling anywhere often involves a diversion into a bookstore (and in Mary and my case, library) if one presents itself.
Here is what I got at Uncle Hugo’s, books that still reside on my shelves:
James White: The Escape Orbit— I’ve only read one book by James White, the first in his Sector General series, but I enjoyed it and suspect I will enjoy the rest. This Wayne Barlowe cover interested me and the story’s description did as well.
James White: Final Diagnosis— The Sector General novels with John Berkey covers are the ones I am trying to collect, and I was thrilled to find this one in such amazing shape.
James White– The Dream Millennium— This is not a Sector General novel, but it too has a John Berkey cover and now it is home with me. I didn’t think it was right to separate these two shelf-mates.
Larry Niven: The Flight of the Horse— I am a big fan of the man’s work, and this Dean Ellis cover made it irresistible.
William C. Dietz: By Blood Alone— I gave Dietz a try for the first time a several years back with his Legion of the Damned prequel, Andromeda’s Fall. I enjoyed all three novels of the trilogy and have been snagging used copies of his Legion of the Damned paperbacks whenever I find nearly new copies. Cover art by Bruce Jensen.
Isaac Asimov: Asimov’s Mysteries— Interesting that Asimov actually wrote mysteries, yet this collection of short stories is a science fiction collection entitled “Asimov’s Mysteries”. That oddity intrigued me, but it was the John Berkey cover and my affection for Asimov’s work that made this the first book I put in my basket.
Robert A. Heinlein: Podkayne of Mars— I have a habit of collecting multiple covers for books that I enjoy. I think I have more Podkayne of Mars covers than any other books in my collection and I keep finding new ones. [Although Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov is a close second in the number of different covers I have]. This cover art is by Carl Lundgren.
Robert A. Heinlein: The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein— It is possible that I have all of these short stories in other Heinlein collections, but the retro cover by Ed Valigursky was one I hadn’t seen previously.
Robert A. Heinlein: 6 x H— Another Heinlein short story collection that I had to buy because the cover caught my eye. This cover is by artist Jack Gaughan.
Alan Dean Foster: Mission to Moulokin— I have been a Foster fan since my early preadolescent science fiction days, starting with his Star Wars novel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. I have been wanting to read the Icerigger trilogy and could not find the second book. Until I went to Uncle Hugo’s, that is! Cover art by Michael Herring.
Harry Harrison: Make Room! Make Room!— Despite my Harry Harrison fanaticism, there are several of his novels I have yet to read. The Richard Powers cover on this one made it a must-buy.
Elizabeth Moon: Lunar Activity— It was the Vincent di Fate cover that first caught my eye, but seeing that this collection of short stories had a Paksenarrion story in it sealed the deal. I have read many wonderful things about Moon’s Paksenarrion fantasy stories and I’ve slowly been collecting the books.
A. Bertram Chandler: To the Galactic Rim— I have talked with a friend about Chandler’s work and was interested in trying out this short story collection. I sometimes like, and sometimes loathe, Baen covers, but this Stephen Hickman cover is fun.
Julie Czerneda: A Thousand Words for Stranger— I recently came across a review for this book series that caused me to put the first novel on my shopping list, and I’m a fan of the work of Luis Royo and have been familiar with Czerneda for some time entirely because of Royo cover art.
On my 2015 visit I had just recently finished the first book of The Man-Kzin Wars series, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve heard from several people who said that they enjoyed the first ten or so volumes every bit as much as the first, and so I had been on the lookout for these books. Thanks to my darling wife, who was actually paying attention to how the boxed books sections were organized, I found volumes II through VIII. Very excited! These covers are all by Stephen Hickman.
When I got to the “N’s” I nearly cried, there were so many Andre Norton books that I did not have, and wanted, but I opted to exercise a little self-control, knowing how much I was going to be bringing home.
Andre Norton: Android at Arms— I’m a sucker for android/robot stories, the back cover copy sucked me in, and I liked the cover. No cover credit in the book, and cannot find listing online.
Andre Norton: Postmarked The Stars— I have another copy of this with nice cover, but the cover art by Jeffrey Jones caught my eye.
Andre Norton: Plague Ship— I have the first book in this series, and cannot resist a nice Vincent di Fate cover.
I’ve grown to really love Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden series, particularly those books featuring Theo Waitley. I am wanting to have new or like new copies of all the Theo Waitley books in hardback and was so excited to find these new copies of Ghost Ship and Dragon Ship.
Both of these books are autographed by the authors, which made them extra special finds. Cover art for both is by David Mattingly.
Larry Niven/Edward M. Lerner: Juggler of Worlds— This is the only novel in the Ringworld prequel series written by these two authors that I did not own in hardback, so needless to say I was thrilled to find a really nice copy to bring home. Art by one of my favorites, Stephan Martiniere.
Orson Scott Card: The Call of Earth— I have been slowly accumulating nice hardback copies of Card’s Homecoming series as I want to read them. I now have the first three volumes. The art for these books is by the magnificent Keith Parkinson. It was a real tragedy that he died so early in life.
Jude Fisher: Sorcery Rising— I first heard of Jude Fisher, pseudonym of author Jane Johnson, because of the extras on the Extended Editions of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films. Jane Johnson is featured in all three EE’s in the video chapters talking about author J.R.R. Tolkien, and she also wrote seven Visual Companion books for the six Tolkien film adaptations. When I discovered she had authored a fantasy trilogy, with covers by the incomparable Michael Whelan, I added them to my mental list. This hardcover was in great condition and this is a beautiful Whelan painting.
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In addition to the pleasure of shopping for myself that day, I had taken along a list from my online friend Joachim Boaz who is a great collector and reviewer of classic science fiction and was able, with the help of my dear Mary, to find 19 of the books on the list. That was so much fun.
I am sorry that the store is gone. I am sorry for the loss of income and the grief and trauma that owner Don Blyly and his employees are and will suffer as a result of this. It isn’t a tragedy compared to the loss of life. But tragedy is not about comparison. It is a time to mourn for our country and the people who live here and the need for us to finally figure out how to effectively love and support one another. It is also a time where it is okay to mourn the loss of many businesses and the terrible consequences this will have on an already crumbling economy.
I am grateful for the memories of this visit. I didn’t even get a chance to go to Uncle Edgar’s, the mystery section of the store. I was in hyperactive geek mode and my endorphins were flowing and my adrenaline was coursing for hours while perusing what I could of the science fiction and fantasy shelves. It will forever be one of the best days I have ever had and I am so glad I was able to share that with my wife.
Did you ever visit Uncle Hugo’s/Uncle Edgar’s? What used bookstores are your favorites to go for a pilgrimage? Do you visit bookstores and/or libraries when you travel?
There was a GoFundMe set up by a fan that has now been officially taken over by the Blyly family if you want to contribute.
Such a tragic loss. I’m thankful I was able to visit Uncle Hugo’s but unlike Carl I was only able to spend about 30 minutes there because of work commitments and alas I never made it back. In that brief time though it was without a doubt the best Scifi bookstore I have ever visited. So many one of a kind treasures. I had always dreamed of going back with Carl and alas now that will never be.
I didn’t make it to Dreamhaven and am thankful that hopefully Carl and I can go there one day. Looters tried to burn it down as well but thankfully were unsuccessful.
I’m not going to go into any politics on this post. I just want to thank you to Carl for sharing again the memories and treasures he picked up at Uncle Hugo’s. It brought a smile to my face my friend.
That was one thing I carefully considered before posting this, which I actually put together several days ago: I didn’t want to make it about looting/rioting vs. police brutality and uncalled-for death. This was about mourning a loss without trying to diminish the tragedy that many are experiencing, while acknowledging that this is a tragedy as well. I truly hope they are able to rebuild and that you and I can still visit an Uncle Hugo’s/Uncle Edgar’s one of these days.
I saw that the owner’s daughter is collecting stories (DreamHaven posted about it on FB) and so I sent her an email with some personal notes and a link to that 2015 blog post, just so they could know how this one person experienced their amazing store.
I never got to go the Uncle Hugo’s / Uncle Edgar’s but I have ordered online from there. I always thought it was so cool that there were two stores filled only with science fiction / fantasy and mystery books. It is sad that so many books are gone.
You indeed do have a wonderful wife to spend all day there with you and help you with shopping for your friend.
I love that you buy multiple copies of books for the covers. I do that with my favorite authors — Rex Stout and Agatha Christie especially. I will be going over the books in this post in detail to see if any interest me.
I have multiple different copies of Neverwhere, a couple of different Heinlein books and Asimov books…I know I have several different volumes of stories by E.A. Poe.
Yes, Mary was a saint. I know she was exhausted yet understood just what a big deal this was for me. And that includes driving a couple hours down to Minneapolis from Duluth, where we were vacationing, and driving a couple of hours back. She also stayed up until ungodly hours with me a couple nights later when I ran a midnight 5k in Duluth. I am blessed.
Such a sensitively written post, Carl. It’s been a terrible week, quite shocking for those of us outside the US so it must be doubly traumatising for those of you who live there. That said, I was so shocked when you said the wonderful bookstore is now gone in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. It is also a tragedy…. for those of us who love books and the special places where a unique collection can be found. Thank you for sharing your experience there and the books you bought.
Thank you. Yes, it’s been a rough week, but the world over is experiencing tragedy and perhaps we can all start working together to make things better for everyone.
The scope of this tragedy boggles the mind and the spirit. I am deeply saddened by this unfathomable loss. I also want to reach out to you and say how sorry I am because you are the person I know who has been so profoundly affected by this.
I do hope that the bookseller’s community can support the business in its resurrection. Ultimately. I hope that it is possible.
I loved seeing all the memorable titles that you highlighted–particularly the Andre Norton books. I recall that when I was teaching in the 1970s and 1980s, that she wrote a number of books for the age group I was teaching (middle school).
Best wishes to you!
Thank you. On a positive news front it looks like the insurance company is going to cover 90% of the value of the inventory that was in the store, which was more than they expected. Hopefully with that and GoFundMe the store will rebuild quicker than expected, even though new inventory will be a challenge to come by.
This must hurt a lot. The place where you had spent some memorable hours and which to a sci-fi fan like you must have seemed like a treasure-trove (if not paradise) to just disappear in a puff of smoke… how fragile things are and how helpless we are….I don’t understand why the books had to be burnt. What did they symbolise to the rioters?
This could have been someone with no real skin in the game, as they say, no real true passion for improving the lives of the black community, just someone who wanted to do something destructive and this was just one store in a long line of places to burn. We probably will never know.
It doesn’t compare to anyone’s death – or all the sad deaths due to Covid-19 – but it’s a real shame a resource like this has gone. it sounds like it was a brilliant place.
It was. I truly wish more places like it existed. What I hurt for is the passion that it took to collect like that for years. To find high quality used books, not worn/torn stuff. To alphabetize everything not just by author, but by title within the range of the author’s work so it was super easy to find anything you might be looking for. It took decades to stock that place with such treasures, and it was the source of income for people. All of that is gone now. To have a better life people need to have places to work and earn a living, places to rest, places to get the necessities of life, and places to educate oneself by reading and learning and growing. When that is burned it will not come back quickly or easily and it makes the foundation for a better life that much harder to find and build upon.
Love all those covers! Like you, I mourn bookstores that close whatever the reason. I think you might be interested in this: https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fentertainment%2Fbooks%2Fall-the-books-in-my-300-boxes-sparked-joy-the-lockdown-made-me-rethink-why-i-was-keeping-them%2F2020%2F06%2F10%2Ff6889088-aa85-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940_story.html&data=02%7C01%7Ckelleyg%40ecc.edu%7Ccd12e333dd7343392a9508d80e0908e9%7C621b378423384e028ca7d32d8b1921f1%7C0%7C1%7C637274779257466471&sdata=3fqbABT5%2B23NXzm8AsbZjvDa9fWLmAQYirGV0JJTvcw%3D&reserved=0
I did enjoy that very much, thanks for sharing that article. I don’t have the merest fraction of books that you, or this gentleman, have and yet thoughts of needing to cull the herd, which I do need to do, fills me with sorrow and regret. Some books I know I’ll never read and their acquiring doesn’t hold some special memory, so I can easily let them go. Others have such a sentimental hold on me that I cannot bear to part with them, despite knowing I may never read them again in the 20, 30 years I may have left on this earth. The book lover’s dilemma.
How the heck are you coping with WordPress’ new block editor?
It took a while to figure out, but I’m getting there. You can click on the three dots (vertical dots) on the far right near the top of the post you are creating to open up “more tools and options” and it will give you the option under the Editor heading to choose Code Editor, vs. Visual Editor, which what it defaults to. I have to switch over to Code Editor every time I add in the “Continue reading” break as I don’t know how to do it any other way.
I’d guess I have about half of those. Sounds like you had a great visit that day.
That was a great trip overall, and this was certainly one of the highlights.