Forum: Lost Stories

Lost book from long ago

LonelyDad 🚫

Back in the 70s I read a book that I think was called 'The Crash of 84', but it might have been some other year in the 80s. To boil the plot down one of the idiot leaders in the Middle East for reasons I don't remember bombed one of the country's oilfields with what we now call dirty bombs, to the extent that they couldn't be recovered for decades. The end result was a major world-wide financial crash, with all that entails. Anyone here old enough to remember the book? Oh, it was a mainline deadtree book, not a story here.

Dinsdale 🚫

Are you sure it was 84, not 79?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67264.The_Crash_of_79
btw, the Iranians solved the problem by having a revolution around that time and getting rid of the Shah.

LonelyDad 🚫

I found it. Paul Erdman's 'The Crash of '79'. So I was off by a few years. Once I remembered that it was Paul and not John for the author, good ole Wikipedia pointed me right to him.
Given our current situation, it might be educational to read it, along with John Ringo's 'The Last Centurion'. This could what we will be facing when the second wave hits.

Replies: Sparky-1953

Sparky-1953 🚫
Updated:

@LonelyDad

First, I an heartily endorse The Last Centurion. Next, in The Crash of'79 were the various countries constantly sabotaging each other? I seem to remember a book around that time where a minister or priest keeps blowing a fuse while running a small heater to stay warm. He gets co-opted into the various schemes.

Edit: I just looked it up and it's a different story. Google does show a PDF of The Crash of '79 available.

Replies: LonelyDad

LonelyDad 🚫

@Sparky-1953

Google does show a PDF of The Crash of '79 available.

Where? I couldn't find anything electronic so I went ahead and ordered a dead tree version, hoping it won[t be in too bad a shape used.

Replies: Sparky-1953

Sparky-1953 🚫
Updated:

@LonelyDad

I typed in "the crash of '79" and hit enter. A standard series of Google entries popped up. Then I clicked again on the search bar as if I wanted to refine my search and a drop down list of extended searches came up. About the third one down was "The Crash of '79 - PDF." I don't know if the PDF's are for sale or free but they're available. I clicked on the search bar again and one of the extended search options was "The Crash of '79 - PDF free downloads." There were various sources listed including Scoop and Open Library. I've never used them and don't know how or how well they work.

oldegrump 🚫

I just found it in the New York City library for a 14-day download. I did not try to register, but you probably can do it easily.

Replies: LonelyDad ian_macf

LonelyDad 🚫

@oldegrump

oldegrump
5/6/2020, 8:43:09 PM

I just found it in the New York City library for a 14-day download. I did not try to register, but you probably can do it easily.

I totally forgot about library loans, but since I ordered a dead tree version I'm not going to worry about it. Thanks for the info.

ian_macf 🚫
Updated:

@oldegrump

Most public libraries in my experience only allow people who live, work, or go to school in their area to register. Typically, even if you can register online, you still need to go to a physical library and show proof of ID like a driving license to get your library card before you can borrow anything even e-books.

Ian

Added : YMMV

Replies: PeckingChicken

PeckingChicken 🚫
Updated:

@ian_macf

Typically, even if you can register online, you still need to go to a physical library and show proof of ID like a driving license to get your library card before you can borrow anything even e-books.

Ian

Added : YMMV

Definitely check. My local library let me register online and had a temporary number for the better part of a year before I had to actually go into a location and verify. During that time I was able to use the two library apps that were connected to my library system and read many books on my phone and Kindle.

Replies: ian_macf

ian_macf 🚫

@PeckingChicken

Yes, that is why I said 'Typically', it is definitely not all libraries.

Ian

Finbar_Saunders 🚫

I signed up for the internet archive a while back. Part of the way-back machine.

It allows access to the open library and I tested a 'borrow' request for the book.
It provides a 14 day access to the book and is an actual scan of the dead tree book.
There's even a text to speech option .

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Forum: Lost Stories

Lost book from long ago

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