book nostalgia

R is for Rocket--My first book of Ray Bradbury stories. Includes the classics "A Sound of Thunder", "The Long Rain", and "The Golden Apples of the Sun". I vividly remember reading "The Long Rain" and suddenly understanding metaphor.

Our Universe--One of the more popular geek books in my elementary school library (probably tied with the Gnomes book and a book on the Rankin and Bass Hobbit cartoon), and one of the heaviest as well. Some of the information in this book is now out-dated, but I loved the paintings of Greco-Roman gods heading each planet chapter, as well as conceptual paintings about how life might exist on other planets in the solar system. Thanks to this book I still remember the names of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter. And what a fantastic cover (by the late great sci-fi artist John Berkey).

Superman and Spider-Man--One of the first comics I owned, this over-sized special teamed up Superman and Spider-Man against Doctor Doom and the Parasite (the Hulk and Wonder Woman appear, as well). This comic is the reason it took me years to figure out that Superman and Spider-Man don't actually exist in the same continuity. It was also my first exposure to John Buscema's particular brand of anatomical dynamism.