The Birthplace of ATCAG

[George H. Smith]

If you click the "zoom in" button a few times on this Google map, you will see the building (8017 Selma Ave, Hollywood) in which I wrote Atheism: The Case Against God in 1972-73. Roy Childs lived in the same building for much of this period as well. It is where he wrote some of the installments for his "Anarchism and Justice" series, which were published in The Individualist.

The building still looks the same as when I lived there, complete with a bluish-green paint job. The place had only efficiency apartments, with a separate kitchen and bathroom (of course). My rent was $140 per month. My apartment was on the second floor of the right wing (facing the photo). Roy lived on the first floor of the left wing. You will see a swimming pool between the two wings. I used it on occasion, but Roy swam nearly every day. He was quite trim then. At 8024 Sunset, just a block away, was the legendary Schwab's Drug Store, where Lana Turner was supposedly discovered and which was featured in a number of movies. I used to go there all the time. Schwab's closed in 1983.


View Larger Map

[9thdoctor]

I know you've written about it before, but what happened to the typewriter?

[George H. Smith]

I know you've written about it before, but what happened to the typewriter?

I don't know. I think I took it with me to Tucson after I finished ATCAG in August 1973, but I'm not sure. All I know is that I no longer had it when I returned to Hollywood in late 1974. The thing was extremely heavy and clunky, and I didn't relish lugging it around with me. I got an IBM Selectric not long after I returned to Hollwood, and that's what I used until I got my first computer in 1982 (a CP/M system, if anyone remembers what that was).

Ghs

[syrakusos]

Well, that's sort of disappointing. I thought we were going to talk about DNA sequencing, Crick, Watson and their race againt Linus Pauling.

Ummm, George, pardon me for asking, but all this stuff about You You You (you and Wendy, you and your book, you and you), is this a mortality issue?

You know... I took a Turing Test (more of a game, really), at Unequally Yoked. It was suggested by Brian Caplan. He noted that Keynsians do a better job of honestly stating the free market case than libertarians do of honestly stating the Keynesian argument. He suggested a Turing Test to see if we could spot fakers. Well, the Yalie woman who runs Unequally Yoked set one up for Atheists and Christiians. I always thought I was an atheist. Both sides outed me as a faker.

So... a couple of months ago, coming off shift from a security post late at night, I was at a downtown bus stop with an array of Austinites. And the young gay guy was going on about being an atheist because he would not believe in a god who hates him. And the old guy says, "God don't hate you." And the kid was going on about being an atheist. "I'm an atheist!" he insisted. "Now," we replied in unision. The old guy said, "God will tell you when you are no longer an atheist."

[George H. Smith]

Ummm, George, pardon me for asking, but all this stuff about You You You (you and Wendy, you and your book, you and you), is this a mortality issue?

I have explained my reasons before, namely, that I have been using snippets of personal recollections in preparation for my memoirs. Some people may be interested in them, and others may not.

If they don't interest you, then don't read them, and leave me the fuck alone.

Ghs

[9thdoctor]

Ummm, George, pardon me for asking, but all this stuff about You You You (you and Wendy, you and your book, you and you), is this a mortality issue?

Ugh, smell that Eau de Phil. You don’t like reading about GHS’s dogs, briefcases, typewriters etc.? When I get bored I just skim and skip. I figure the author will get the message from the lack of replies. Either way, I can’t complain that I somehow didn’t get my money’s worth, which is how I’m liable to feel on the rare occasions I buy the local newspaper.

[George H. Smith]

Ummm, George, pardon me for asking, but all this stuff about You You You (you and Wendy, you and your book, you and you), is this a mortality issue?

Ugh, smell that Eau de Phil. You don’t like reading about GHS’s dogs, briefcases, typewriters etc.? When I get bored I just skim and skip. I figure the author will get the message from the lack of replies. Either way, I can’t complain that I somehow didn’t get my money’s worth, which is how I’m liable to feel on the rare occasions I buy the local newspaper.

Prior to 1994, when I lost almost everything I owned in storage, I had an extensive collection of documents that went back to my high school days. I had extensive correspondence with Roy Childs, Murray Rothbard, my Nash contract for ATCAG, an unpublished critique of ATCAG by John Hospers, a letter from Madalyn Murray O'Hair regarding the book, the original ms with my alterations, and much more.

Since all of that has been gone for nearly 20 years, I have had to reconstruct everything from memory. To accurately recall events from the early seventies is difficult, so I have been using Google maps to find photos of the locations where things happened. That has helped enormously in sparking my memories.

The reason that I posted the thread about the building on Selma Avenue is because I am currently writing a lengthy introduction to an anthology of writings on anarchism by Roy Childs, which will be published by Cato -- first as an ebook and later, possibly, as a printed book. Since I lived in the same building as Roy while he wrote much of his series on "Anarchism and Justice," and since we had many conversations about the material, I have been attempting to revive as many of those memories as I can.

When my next Cato Essay is posted this Tuesday, you will see that it focuses on an argument that Roy and I had about neoconservatism in 1974.

As I said, many people may have no interest in this stuff. That's fine with me; I am not writing it for the benefit of others. Such is a perq of having one's own Corner.

As for my little essays on "Left on Madison," etc., I wrote those as exercises in style, and for practice in story-teling.

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

As for my little essays on "Left on Madison," etc., I wrote those as exercises in style, and for practice in story-teling.

Ghs

One thing I have always admired about Ayn Rand is her ability as an essayist. I distinguish between "articles" and "essays," and though the distinction is not always clear-cut, it is fair to say that essays are less formal than articles and more personal in nature.

Rand had a remarkable ability to discuss philosophical issues, which would normally appear in formal articles, in an essay format. I think "Man's Rights" is a classic in this respect. And though I don't care for some of the content in "For the New Intellectual," I regard it as a classic essay as well.

Another and more obvious example is Galt's Speech. I recall that Rand spent two years writing that stand-alone essay, and this doesn't surprise me. I suspect she spent much of that time working on the style.

I don't recall anything that has been written about Rand's essay style. If someone knows of something, please fill me in.

Ghs

[9thdoctor]

I don't recall anything that has been written about Rand's essay style. If someone knows of something, please fill me in.

There's The Art of Non-Fiction, an ARIan production with all the potential baggage that entails. I've read it, I recall thinking highly of it.

[Brant Gaede]

I think my grandfather went "left on Madison" too. Rose Wilder Lane still loved his Madison bio and thought the New Deal stuff was so above board and obvious as to be irrelevant.

--Brant

got my CP/M Kaypro 4 in 1984; still have it--paid well over $3000 with the printer--in the mid 70s the Selectric was the top of the line, the secretary in the co. I worked for got one, cost over 600 bucks--like 2000 today--some banks still have typewriters on hand to type out cashier checks--or they did some years ago

[George H. Smith]

I don't recall anything that has been written about Rand's essay style. If someone knows of something, please fill me in.

There's The Art of Non-Fiction, an ARIan production with all the potential baggage that entails. I've read it, I recall thinking highly of it.

Yeah, I have that, I and like it too. I was thinking of secondary accounts, however.

Ghs

[Brant Gaede]

Rand spent 2 yrs writing Galt's speech--hardest writing she ever did--literarily it fit the novel perfectly. Style was her biggest problem. I don't like the manner of address, but there's no improving it. One way to judge the novel a masterwork is to realize serious editing would utterly ruin it, just like the Bible. She knew her stuff.

--Brant

[Brant Gaede]

I don't recall anything that has been written about Rand's essay style. If someone knows of something, please fill me in.

There's The Art of Non-Fiction, an ARIan production with all the potential baggage that entails. I've read it, I recall thinking highly of it.

Yeah, I have that, I and like it too. I was thinking of secondary accounts, however.

Ghs

I don't know of secondary accounts, but she sure knew how to put clothes on her ideas.

--Brant

[PDS]

George:

I love your posting of stuff like this. Even when it starts out specific and narrow it usually very quickly gets interesting and educational. Please keep it up.