I loved the Lensmans series by E.E. "Doc" Smith.

I haven't tried it with science fiction yet, but it sounds like fun. I'm always looking for interesting titles. I'm doing a similar thing with the biographies of U.S. Presidents, though. I've tried to find the best biographies of each president, some of which have been multiple volumes and some of which have been expensive. So far, I'm through Rutherford Hayes (Presidential term: 1877-1881). I find it an interesting way to learn some of the details of political history. Did the same thing years ago with business tycoons in the U.S. from its founding.

i don't know what the purported best 100 sf (speculative fiction, thank you) novels (so short stories and collections are out) are but i have my own list, not necessarily of 100 or even nearly 100, and in no particular order, and this seems as good a place as any to try, off the top of my head, to record it:

i am only numbering these to keep track of how many i can think of. this in no way represents ranking. it is, i repeat, off the top of my sleepy old head.

1. stranger in a strange land
2. mindswap
3. door into summer
4. the moon is a harsh mistress
5. the lathe of heaven
6. tramontane
7. fahrenheit 451
8. something wicked this way comes
9. the time machine
10. the female man
11. ice and iron
12. the year of the quiet sun
13. the man in the high castle
14. crompton divided
15. a boy and his dog
16. alice's adventures in wonderland
17. alice through the looking glass
18. frankenstein
19. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
20. so long and thanks for all the fish
21. the restaurant at the end of the universe
22. life, the universe and everything
23. mostly harmless
24. riverworld
25. a clockwork orange
26. 1984
    27 animal farm
27. brave new world
28. ape and essence
29. city
30. podkayne of mars
31. dorothy and the wizard of oz
32. ozma of oz

that's as far as i can get for now. a lot of fine books are missing from the list because i have not read them, even if i have heard of them, know what they're about, maybe even saw movies based on them. if i have not read them, they're not on the list.

g

I used to read books by the suthor, trying to catch all of the publications in chronological order ( date of publication). I think I managed it with Heinlein, Asimov, Strurgeon and kate Wilhelm. The the kids started school, I went to colege and then to work. Stiill, I read the list and pick a few interesting ( to me) books and read them in audio fornat.

Sadly, with all of the professional literature I must read, I do not get to read for pleasure much these last 15 years or so. But I am an avid sci fi fan.

Cool. so please.. what are your top 5/10 books.