At a glance
Kellogg writes frequently about detective fiction and the world of science fiction. He is the creator of a popular series of books for children featuring boy detective Barry Baskerville. The most recent entry, “Barry Baskerville Traps a Thief,” is available at the Amazon website.
Dr. Richard Kellogg, professor emeritus of psychology at Alfred State, is the author of an article appearing in the most recent issue of Paperback Parade, a quarterly journal for readers and book collectors. The article is titled “Tales of Cosmic Disaster.”
In the article, Kellogg discusses two classic novels in the science fiction genre penned by Philip Wylie (1902-1971) and Edwin Balmer (1883-1959). “When Worlds Collide” (1933) and “After Worlds Collide” (1934) present a future scenario in which two rogue planets have strayed from their normal orbits and are hurtling through outer space toward earth. Mankind will only survive if a powerful spacecraft, aptly christened the Ark, can be built to transport a select group of people to another planet before the catastrophic collision in space.
The author points out that Wylie and Balmer were speculating on the possibility of space travel decades before the American space program and the successful flight to the moon. It is likely that many future pilots, engineers, and scientists were inspired by reading these thrilling tales of space exploration in their youth.
Kellogg writes frequently about detective fiction and the world of science fiction. He is the creator of a popular series of books for children featuring boy detective Barry Baskerville. The most recent entry, “Barry Baskerville Traps a Thief,” is available at the Amazon website.