Looking for the title of an old sci fi book?

Question

It was about a space adventurer, however he was not typical. He was short, fat, and bald. He was sort of an entrepeneur and there was a chapter in the book about him claiming and salvaging asteroids. The title was something like "The amazing blank blank" the blanks were his name. for example "The amazing Harry Mudd" or something like that. I asked this before and someone said the title was "unaspectable" that is NOT it and im unsure why they even said it was a one word title when I said it was three. Then that was voted as the best answer and the question was closed. Somewhat frustrating.Therefore im trying to ask again. Anyone have any ideas?

Yeah, I put Harry Mudd just as an example (because he reminded me of him). I know it was an older book, and not the first for this character. I cant remember exactly but I think the one I read was possibly people telling stories about him because he was supposed to be dead, but in the end it turns out it was a hoax or something. Im sorry I cant remember more....if I could only find that book.grrrrr

Answer 1

I'm not sure of the book, but it reminds me a little of George R.R. Martin's "Tuf Voyaging."

I suspect the reason the person said the title wasn't seachable is because "The" isn't searchable; since you don't know the name, there's nothing to put there, leaving only "Amazing" as a word to be searched under title. There are probably hundreds of thousands of books with that word in the title, if not millions.

Do you remember any other details? When did you read the book, and was it a new book then or an old book?

(And one way to keep an answer you don't like to get "Best Answer" is to pick the answer yourself, even if it's "No Best Answer." I don't like to see "I don't know" picked as a best answer by voters, but it often is.)

Based on the additional information, it's not Tuf Voyaging. Have you tried posting it to

http://allexperts.com/ep/2157-39205/Science-Fiction-Books/Geoff.htm

He tries to id sf books for people. Good luck!

Answer 2

Err... I'm a bit hesitant to put this answer down because I know you mentioned that the title had 3 words, and had the word "Amazing" etc.

But when I read your description, I automatically thought of this book - It's called "Hard Sell" by Piers Anthony, and it's several short stories about a future salesman named Fisk Centers who's a bit too naive for his own good... yet ends up being embroiled in ridiculous schemes. I think the first story is where he's tricked into buying shares in a Martian community, and he ends up losing a lot of money. To earn back the money, he ends up in all sorts of weird situations... I think in one story he adopts a very sharp, quick-witted girl named Yola...

I don't know if this is ringing any bells, but if it's not the right book, then I wish you all the best in finding the book you seek... It annoys me too when I can't remember the title of a good book.

Answer 3

Harry Mudd is a character from the original Star Trek series. He does resemble your description. He may have been in some of the Star Trek books.

Answer 4

I read an older sci-fi that sounds like yours but the title was different,. Could it have been, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. If this is the wrong book you should read it anyway.

Answer 5

It sounds like some of Isaac Asimovs books. In his foundation series he has a character that does just what you describe. There is even a chapter named for him. Might be one of the Lucky Star series.
Ohter than that, I can't think of any.....
but, I am not a library! LOL
Hope you do find the one you are looking for. Good Luck!

Answer 6

ought to or no longer that's The Princess of Mars by employing Edgar Rice Burroughs? If no longer, it fairly is beneficial to envision Amazon for something of Burroughs' books. He wrote technology fiction interior the 1st 0.5 of the 20 th century, and that i think of even interior the nineteenth century.

Answer 7

it seems like I remember a Robert Heinlein short story that was like this. But I don't remember the title. It would have been part of his future history series.

Answer 8

it sounds to me like a book written by Aspin, can't remember the title or the authors fist name though