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PermalinkMonday, January 28, 2013
SAN DIEGO — Ray Bradbury. Jules Verne. William Burroughs and Ian Fleming. Those are the authors of some of the first-edition books donated to the San Diego State University library by alumnus Edward Marsh.
SDSU Alumnus Donates Science Fiction Treasure Trove
Aired 1/29/13
A collection of science fiction books, letters and manuscripts, valued at more than $2 million, is now in the hands of the San Diego State University library.
The "Golden Age of Science Fiction" collection is not just books. It includes letters, manuscripts and old pulp fiction magazines in which the books were first serialized.
Robert Ray oversees the library's special collections. He said the materials donated by Marsh also include ephemera related to the great science fiction novels, including the film adaption of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds."
"You're talking about lobby cards from the theater where the film first debuted," he said.
He said the collection includes hundreds of books and thousands of related items. Gale Etschmaier, dean of the library, said the book collection is very remarkable.
"It's just filled with pristine first editions that are signed," she said. "Famous works of science fiction as well as some of the great thinkers of the time."
Marsh, who lives in Escondido, made his fortune in real estate. He got into science fiction working for the Church of Scientology, whose founder, L. Ron Hubbard, wrote pulp fiction in the 1930s and 1940s. SDSU hopes, one day, to become custodian of Marsh's entire book collection, valued at over $10 million.
Comments
Missionaccomplished | January 29, 2013 at 11:33 a.m. ― 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Having failed in writing, Mr. Hubbard decided to invent his own "religion."
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Carter | February 15, 2013 at 1:28 p.m. ― 3 months ago
L. Ron Hubbard was one of the most prolific and popular writers of the 30s and 40s. His 1980 blockbuster BATTLEFIELD EARTH is by far the best Sci Fi ever written (no offense meant to such luminaries as Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein [a personal friend of Hubbard's] or Isaac Asimov. To have such a collection is awesome.
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