''Scribblings'' is a 1972 collection of writings by American author
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...
to celebrate his appearance as Guest of Honor at
Boskone
Boskone is an annual science fiction convention ("con") run by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In the words of the convention organizers, "Boskone is a regional Science Fiction co ...
IX, a convention sponsored by the
New England Science Fiction Association. The Association served as publisher.
- publication information at NESFA Press
The book contains short works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and aphorisms. Among the stories are the complete set of de Camp's four short "Drinkwhiskey Institute" series of tall tales.
Contents
*"A Word of Explanation" (introduction)
*Probability Zero
**"The Effects of Time Travel" (story in the "Drinkwhiskey Institute" series)
**"The Negative Wugug" (story in the "Drinkwhiskey Institute" series)
**"The Moveable Ears" (story in the "Drinkwhiskey Institute" series)
**"The Lusts of Professor Adams" (story in the "Drinkwhiskey Institute" series)
*Jingles
**"Preferences" (poem)
**"Carnac" (poem)
**"The Elephant" (poem)
**"Leaves" (poem)
**"The Trap" (poem)
**"The Newt" (poem)
**"African Night" (poem)
**"A Night Club in Cairo" (poem)
**"Xeroxing the Necromonicon" (poem)
*It Might Interest You to Know
**"How to Hunt Dinosaurs" (essay)
**"Pfui on Psi" (essay on psychic powers)
**"Lost Cities" (essay)
**"Government Bug-Hunter" (essay on Clinton Hart Merriam
Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5, 1855 – March 19, 1942) was an American zoologist, mammalogist, ornithologist, entomologist, ecologist, ethnographer, geographer, natural history, naturalist and physician. He was commonly known as the "father o ...
)
**"Three Thirds of a Hero" (poem)
**"Books That Never Were" (essay on lost and imaginary books)
*"Aphorisms" (aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
s)
Notes
1972 short story collections
Science fiction short story collections by L. Sprague de Camp
American poetry collections
Essay collections
Poetry by L. Sprague de Camp
NESFA Press books
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