Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! [Hardcover]

Arthur C Clarke is one of the best science populisers ever. In this book we have a (small) sample of his varied non-fiction writings.

We see how Arthur's views have developed from the early days (when he was one of the 'nuts' who actually believe man would land a rocket on the moon) up to his most recent writing (including a brief history of the 21st century).

Along the way Arthur predicts/discovers communications satellites, MAD and joins with Stanley Kubrik to produce 'a little home movie'.

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It's not for nothing that Arthur C. Clarke is "the Prophet of the Space Age" (although he dislikes being called a prophet). Indeed, there's only one prophet, and it sure ain't Mohammed. No single person in modern times have had such an enormous effect on his contemporary world as Arthur C. Clarke. He invented the concept of the geosynchronous communications satellite, he co-wrote the script for the single most influential science-fiction movie ever (that's 2001: A Space Odyssey, in case you didn't know), and he has written several of the classics of modern science-fiction (Rendezvous with Rama, to name but one). And at the venerable age of 85, he's still showing little sign of slowing down, although he is mostly confined to a wheel-chair these days.
Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! is the title of this collection, edited by Ian T. Macauley, of articles, essays, and other short pieces of writing, spanning Clarke's entire career from the 1930s until the end of the 1990s. The material is divided into seven parts according to which decade it was originally written in, and each part begins with an introduction. Several of the individual articles and essays are also prefaced with new introductions by Clarke. Part I, entitled "Rockets and Radar," spans the 1930s and -40s, and contains 13 of Clarke's short pieces. Among them are such gems as "Extraterrestrial Relays," which is the famous essay in which Clarke first described his ideas about geosynchronous satellites; and "The Challenge of the Spaceship," an essay, originally delivered as a lecture, which, among other things, caused George Bernard Shaw to apply for membership in the British Interplanetary Society at the age of 91.
Part II, "Beneath the Seas of Ceylon," spans the 1950s and contains 23 short pieces, among them the concluding paragraphs from the book Interplanetary Flight: An Introduction to Astronautics (1950). Of this book, the late Carl Sagan, the world's most famous astronomer, later said that it had been "a turning point in my scientific development." Sagan was just one among the many great men and women to have been inspired by Clarke's writings. To me, Part II was the least interesting section of Greetings, however, since the last 9 essays describe that other great passion of Clarke's, diving. It was during the 1950s that Clarke moved to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), which would remain his home for the rest of his life, and he spent a lot of time there diving and running an "underwater safari" enterprise. Not being a diver myself, I didn't find these stories quite as interesting as Clarke's other writings.
Part III, "Kubrick and Cape Kennedy," spans the 1960s. Like Part I, it contains 13 short writings. Especially worth mentioning is "Space and the Spirit of Man," and the very short "God and Einstein," which is an absolute must-read. Here can also be found the speech that Clarke gave when he received the Kalinga Prize in 1962. Part IV, "Tomorrow's World," spanning the 1970s, is very short, containing as it does only six short pieces. Noteworthy is the speech Clarke gave at the ceremony when the final agreements setting up the world satellite communications system (Intelsat) were signed at the State Department in Washington, on August 20, 1971.
Part V, "Stay of Execution," brings us to the 1980s, with 15 short writings by Clarke. The outstanding piece here is "Credo," containing some of Clarke's views on religion and the great questions. Clarke doesn't pull his punches, which makes this essay a very enjoyable read indeed. Part VI, "Countdown to 2000," contains no less than 37 different short writings by Clarke, written during the 1990s. Several pieces here are previously unpublished. A lot of the material is very brief, and a bit repetitive in places. The last part, "2000 and Beyond," is the postscript, containing two articles and also the speech Clarke delivered at the 1997 Emmy Awards (although this speech consists mostly of stuff that already appeared in stories from Part VI).
All in all, this is a great collection from the master, and it is well worth delving into. It is perhaps not a book you read from cover to cover, but a book you can return to regularly over a long period of time. You will always find something new to enjoy beyond the next page. Highly recommended.

If only all collections of essays were as good. Dipped into the book but found myself repeatedly dipping into the essays as they covered so many fascinating subjects