# Any fiction told through documents? Example in OP. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057 "2007-09-30T19:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/61 "2007-10-04T02:42:21Z")
[QUOTE=Hometownboy] If you really want to get into this style, check out [Space Mail](http://www.amazon.com/Space-Mail-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0449243125/ref=sr_1_4/103-4061001-7435838?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191206987&sr=1-4), a collection of SF short stories edited by Asimov, Greenberg and Waugh. The table of contents divides the stories into diaries, memos and letters. Included are some choice stories including “View From a Height,” by Joan D. Vinge. [/QUOTE] I would also recommend this book. It’s got several of the science fiction stories mentioned in this thread: - “He Walked Around the Horses” by H. Beam Piper (no relation 🙂 ) which **Baker** mentioned; - “Computers Don’t Argue” by Gordon R. Dickson, which is the riff on _Kidnapped_ mentioned by **John DiFool** (although _Kidnapped_ is by Stevenson, not Kipling); - and “Who’s Cribbing”, by Jack Lewis, the one mentioned by **OtakuLoki**. There’s also “One Rejection Too Many” by Patricia Nurse, which features Isaac Asimov as one of the letter-writers, in his capacity as editor of “Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine,” with a fun little twist at the end: Asimov keeps rejecting short stories written by a time traveller from the distant future. The time traveller finally goes back to the future, pledging to make “some long overdue improvements to the time frame.” The closing letter is from the general editor of “Arthur C. Clarke’s Science Fiction Magazine,” who is puzzled at receiving a letter addressed to someone named Isaac Asimov, who is completely unknown to anyone in the science fiction community. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/62 "2007-10-04T02:46:57Z")
Thank you, **Norther Piper**! ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/63 "2007-10-04T03:07:02Z")
:smack: I can’t believe I missed seeing **Hometownboy** ’s post earlier (especially considering it was right after one of mine), because I definitely would have recommended it too. “One Rejection Too Many” was one of the stories I was trying to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/64 "2007-10-04T03:13:37Z")
You’re welcome! I just noticed _Space Mail_ also has the novella version of “Flowers for Algernon” as well, mentioned by **CalMeacham**. I’ve had my copy of _Space Mail_ since it came out in 1980 years (Gad, I’m ancient) and it’s survived all the culls of my books and all my moves - it’s a great book to read cover-to-cover, or just to dip into from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/65 "2007-10-04T15:19:03Z")
There’s a neat book called _Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason_ that looks like a woman’s scrapbook. The story is told through clippings, emails, letters, journal entries, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057/66 "2007-10-04T15:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=DeadlyAccurate] There’s a neat book called _Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason_ that looks like a woman’s scrapbook. The story is told through clippings, emails, letters, journal entries, etc. [/QUOTE] I was trying to think of the name of this one…I thought it was very cool, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fiction-told-through-documents-example-in-op/421057.md?page=3)