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From: brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Metropolis and Brunner
Message-ID: <148@hyper.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Mar-85 11:33:51 EST
Article-I.D.: hyper.148
Posted: Tue Mar 26 11:33:51 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Mar-85 01:58:08 EST
References: <topaz.980> <216@unc.UUCP>
Organization: Network Systems Corp., Mpls., Mn.
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> >Also who wrote THE SHEEP LOOK UP , ( an english guy ?) , the Best
> >SF Book of all time .
> 
> >>No.  The best SF book of all time is LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelazny.
> >>It is also the best English Language book written in the twentieth
> >>century.  
> 
> >>>The best English language book of the 20th century is very probably 
> >>>Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".  
> 
> Please, people, you're just begging for flames with postings like
> this. Each of us has books/films/songs that he or she is particularly
> fond of, but personal preference may have little to do with how well a
> particular work is received by other readers/viewers/listeners.  You
> can save yourself trouble by qualifying your claims with a simple "in
> my opinion" or "the best I've ever." Enough said.
> 
>                            -- Cheers, 
>                                        Bill Ingogly
>                                        University of North Carolina

There are several reasons more making a statement such as the above.
First and foremost, in my case, I felt like it.  I knew quite well
what I was getting into.  Another reason is that such comments are
quite good methods of starting the sort of discussion I've been
having with stever and some others.  I have been enjoying it a
great deal.

Yet again, it ought to be clear that the fewer qualifiers used, the
stronger the statement is.  Have read Strunk and White's THE ELEMENTS
OF STYLE?  It is the best book on English usage...never mind.

Another reason is that some of us like to "peg" ourselves.  As soon
as I made that statement, some alert people learned a great deal
about me.  More didn't, and still more couldn't care less, but
for those few it was a service.  "Oh," the said to themselves.  "He's
one of THOSE."

Another possible reason is as a "Turkey Detector."  That is, anyone
who doesn't see the implied In My Opinion in those statements,
and consequently Flames, is letting us know something about him.

Which of these applied to which comments I don't know.  There are
certainly some other reasons I missed, too, but I hope this gives
a general idea.

  			-- SKZB