Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim by Jason Sanford

“Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim” is a 2007 science fiction short story by Jason Sanford. It is about a man who collects first edition science fiction novels, and the two amazing people he meets along the way.

Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell:

“Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim” follows Bartholomew Higgins as he scours the country for first edition science fiction books. The story begins as he loses a valuable book in a “gasoline” accident, and then goes on to detail his relationship with Denise, a thorough (if somewhat careless) collector with a fantastic collection of vintage magazines. Along the way Barth has mishaps with bad luck, an other-worldly book scout competitor and strange dreams involving sci-fi plots!

The library was a twenty-by-twenty room built onto the house, its floor slanting slightly so Barth glided to the right with each step he took. No one was in the room, but Barth barely noticed as he caught sight of the library’s books. On shelf after shelf sat countless first editions. Robert A. Heinlein’s Rocket Ship Galileo. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. But what truly stunned him were the hundreds of vintage copies of Amazing Stories.

Barth carefully pulled out an issue from October 1928, featuring the conclusion to “Skylark of Space” by E.E. Smith. On the cover a robot wrestled a lion to the death beneath a burning red sky. Barth ran his finger along the cracked and crumbling spine, then flipped open the dog-eared pages. To Barth’s distaste, handwritten notes covered each page, the note-taker critiquing all aspects of the magazine’s stories. Barth glanced down the shelf and figured every copy of Amazing Stories from 1926 through the 1950s sat there. Next to them sat every issue of Astounding Stories and Astounding Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction from the 1930s through the present. He had never seen a complete run of that series. Even in this collection’s poor shape, the magazines were worth tens of thousands of dollars.

My Two Cents:

• The good:

• Barth’s love of collectible science fiction novels is infectious – especially if you have ever been a collector.
• A very fun and readable story. I found it enjoyable following Barth’s thrifty style of living, constant concern for cash, and growing feelings for the new lady in his collecting life!
• The constant references to science fiction novels and magazines is pretty cool. If you are a fan of printed science fiction you are bound to love this story!

• The bad:

• There are a couple instances of mild profanity – but they’re kind of funny!
• Even though this is a story about science fiction stories, the sci-fi element isn’t too prominent. It is mostly a story *about* science fiction.

Fact Sheet:
• Page Count: 6,606
• Word Count: 15
• “Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim” garnered the following awards:

• This story was initially selected for the 2007 Million Writers Award but never made it past the initial stages. Why? Well, the author is one of the editors for StorySouth – the web zine that hosts the award! Conflict of interest and all that… you know.

Where you can find “Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim”:

• This short story first appeared in the December 2007 issue of Menda City Review.
• You can read a free online version of “Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim” at the Menda City web site.

Some Interesting Links:

• Jason Sanford, the author of this story, is also an editor for the online magazine StorySouth. A site whose mission is to “showcase the best fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that writers from the new south have to offer.”
• Not only is Jason Sanford an editor, but his own stories have been published in a variety of magazines (like Interzone and Analog) as well. You can learn more about this author on his website.

Craving More Stories?
If you enjoyed this story then you might also like Craphound, about a feud between two yard-sale buddies, one a human and the other an alien, by Cory Doctorow.

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