BRAIN WAVE (Ballantine 80)
by Poul Anderson
- Used
- Very Good
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
N.Y., N.Y.: Ballantine Books, 1954. First Edition. Mass Market PaperBack . Very Good. Brain Wave was first serialized in Space Science Fiction magazine in 1953, before being issued in book format by Ballantine (1954) with this cover art by Richard Powers. Poul Anderston (1926 - 2001), like so many of his peers, published many stories and quite a few novels. To make a living as a writer of 'speculative fiction', being prolific was required during those many decades before science fiction, fantasy, horror and the rest was considered to be anything the tastemakers thought to be an artform. First edition, very good overall. Mild shelfwear. Clean. sound.
Synopsis
What if we're all designed to be smarter than we actually are? That is, in short, the premise of master science fiction novelist Poul Anderson's 1954 debut work, Brainwave. Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, the solar system has, for millions of years, been caught in a force field that has had the effect of suppressing intelligence. When, in the course of normal galactic movement the solar system finally breaks free of the force field and its inhibiting effects, a remarkable change begins to sweep across the earth. In fact, the entire world is turned upside-down, and Anderson's novel is devoted to detailing the sometimes-surprising, sometimes-chilling aftereffects of this watershed event. In one of the novel's opening scenes, Archie Brock, a mentally disabled man, finds himself suddenly awash in new kinds of thoughts as he looks up at the night sky. In another scene, a young boy on summer break works out the basic foundations of calculus before breakfast. Human life is dramatically transformed, as people with IQ's of 400 find themselves living within social structures and institutions designed for people of considerably less intelligence. There are also those who refuse to accept what has happened and band together to rebel against the new order. In another interesting twist, human relationships with other creatures on the planet are also thrown into upheaval, as animals rediscover their native intelligence. Archie Brock, for instance finds working on a farm with intelligent animals a frustrating, comic and confounding experience, as some animals band together and escape while others befriend their former masters.A fascinating "what if" novel, Brainwave is really an exploration into the ways human society is organized and the assumptions that are made about how life is valued. It is also a novel about equality and what happens when the hierarchical structures by which we arrange our daily lives disappear.
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Details
- Bookseller
- A Cappella Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 249753
- Title
- BRAIN WAVE (Ballantine 80)
- Author
- Poul Anderson
- Format/Binding
- Mass Market PaperBack
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Ballantine Books
- Place of Publication
- N.Y., N.Y.
- Date Published
- 1954
Terms of Sale
A Cappella Books
Books fully returnable up to ten days after purchase with prior notification.. All credit cards accepted. Postage: $4.00 for first book, $1.50 for each thereafter for USPS media mail. Postage for larger books, international orders and priority mail quoted individually. Shipping Terms: Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
About the Seller
A Cappella Books
Biblio member since 2005
Atlanta, Georgia
About A Cappella Books
https://mailchi.mp/acappellabooks/signed-books-from-online-marketplaces
A Cappella Books is a full service used, new & out-of-print bookstore located in the heart of Atlanta's bohemian district, Little 5 Points, since 1989. We stock a general selection of some 20 to 30, 000 paperbacks & hardcovers, ranging from the common to the quite scarce. Our specialties reflect the personality of our neighborhood and, to varying degrees, our staff. But don't be fooled, we really have something for almost everybody who loves books. Come see us.
A Cappella Books is a full service used, new & out-of-print bookstore located in the heart of Atlanta's bohemian district, Little 5 Points, since 1989. We stock a general selection of some 20 to 30, 000 paperbacks & hardcovers, ranging from the common to the quite scarce. Our specialties reflect the personality of our neighborhood and, to varying degrees, our staff. But don't be fooled, we really have something for almost everybody who loves books. Come see us.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Shelfwear
- Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Mass Market
- Mass market paperback books, or MMPBs, are printed for large audiences cheaply. This means that they are smaller, usually 4...
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