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Imaginary Magnitude Paperback Book by Lem Stanislaw Used
US $10.00
ApproximatelyS$ 12.88
or Best Offer
Was US $19.99 (50% off)
Condition:
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.
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Shipping:
US $4.65 (approx S$ 5.99) USPS Media MailTM.
Located in: Medford, Oregon, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Fri, 8 Aug and Wed, 13 Aug to 94104
Returns:
30 days return. Buyer pays for return shipping. If you use an eBay shipping label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Coverage:
Read item description or contact seller for details. See all detailsSee all details on coverage
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eBay item number:186716239247
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9780156441803
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
HarperCollins
ISBN-10
0156441802
ISBN-13
9780156441803
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1385036
Product Key Features
Book Title
Imaginary Magnitude
Number of Pages
264 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
1985
Topic
Fantasy / Collections & Anthologies, Satire, Science Fiction / General
Features
Reprint
Genre
Fiction
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.7 in
Item Weight
9 Oz
Item Length
8 in
Item Width
5.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
83-018624
Reviews
In A Perfect Vacuum (1979), Leto offered a collection of reviews of nonexistent books. Here, in a companion book of sorts, he concocts introductions to nonexistent books, complete with sample pages, plus an introduction to introductions in general. (It first appeared in Polish in 1973.) And each entry displays a different facet of the formidable Lem talent. The first introduction concerns a bizarre volume of pornographic soft-focus X-ray plates. Next, with deadpan glee, Lem presents a scientist breeding bacteria that communicate in Morse code and foretell the future. A treatise on computer-generated literature includes machine-neologisms like "horseman" (centaur) and "piglet" (a filthy rooming house). There's a wildly funny sales pitch for Vestrand's Extelopedia in 44 Magnetomes: a "Prognostic-Aim Encyclopedia with Maximal Forereach in Time" which "contains information on History as it is going to happen"; not only that, but "at the sound of your voice, the appropriate Magnetome slips off the shelf, TURNS its own pages, and STOPS at the desired entry." Lastly, at his most challenging, Lem describes Golem XIV, a super-computer commissioned by the Pentagon to handle all military matters. Golem decides it doesn't want the job ("the best guarantee of peace is universal disarmament"), and instead settles down at MIT to deliver a set of devastating lectures on humanity's shortcomings; finally, then, its intelligence having progressed beyond human comprehension, Golem destroys itself. Don't look for stories, here, or fiction in any orthodox sense - but this is weirdly satisfying entertainment, with the remarkable Lem variously at his profound, provocative, or comic best.
Dewey Decimal
[Fic]
Edition Description
Reprint
Synopsis
These wickedly authentic introductions to twenty-first-century books preface tomes on teaching English to bacteria, using animated X-rays to create "pornograms," and analyzing computer-generated literature through the science of "bitistics." "Lem, a science fiction Bach, plays in this book a googleplex of variations on his basic themes" (New York Times Book Review). Translated by Marc E. Heine. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (2,733)
- e***k (6446)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat eBayer, Five Stars, Thank you. Great eBayer, Five Stars, Thank you.
- a***a (285)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseBook in great condition. Clean and looks good. The glue is starting to give way in the spine, but that’s because it is a fairly old book. Great deal. Thanks!
- r***r (237)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseVery well packed and is in amazing shape for a 88 year old magazine
Seller feedback (2,733)
- e***k (6446)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat eBayer, Five Stars, Thank you. Great eBayer, Five Stars, Thank you.
- a***a (285)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseBook in great condition. Clean and looks good. The glue is starting to give way in the spine, but that’s because it is a fairly old book. Great deal. Thanks!
- r***r (237)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseVery well packed and is in amazing shape for a 88 year old magazine