this is gonna drive me nuts

[pauraque_bk]

When I was a kid I had one of those big hardcover books about earth and space. I thought it was called "The Big Book of Earth and Space", but evidently it was not, because I can't find it online. I don't even have a reason for wanting it, but now that I know I can't find it, it's going to drive me insane.

It had cartoony illustrations and one of the pages had a map of the solar system, with anthropomorphized planets. One of the pages talked about stalactities, stalagmites, and troglodytes. The cover might have been orange. This isn't exactly narrowing things down, is it?

Okay, one of the pages shows a king and queen meeting with various wise men who explain how the universe works. One of them says the thing about elephants standing on a turtle, and there are some other mythic models. Then the last guy says the Earth and planets orbit the sun, and they get angry and kick him out of the palace, and the queen goes, "What a nut! And he dares call himself a wise man!"

Is there some kind of forum for people trying to find books based on vague descriptions? I need that forum.

ETA:

Okay it is the big book ABOUT earth and space. Holy poop, why was that so hard to find when I had all but one word right? Internets, I am disappoint. But also thrilled. Thrillpointed.

Comments

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

Thrillpointed

You have created a word for an almost unimaginable emotional state.

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

Thrillpointed IS an awesome word. And you know, I think there is a website called something like "Find that book" where you can type in descriptions of a long-lost book. I came across it when I was looking for a book out of my own youth, but I'm not sure now if it was a forum where helpful people would take your vague (or not-so-vague) description and offer suggestions, or if it was just an out-of-print bookfinding place run by one person, and the "search" costs money. A (free) forum would sure be great, though.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

There are indeed some subscription databases for librarians and the like that have options for cover colour and all that sensible stuff, but on the free front, there's whatwasthatbook here on LJ, which has quite an impressive success rate.

[pauraque]

Ooh. I will keep that in mind for next time (and there will surely be a next time).

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

I like this thing on that book webpage: Sorry, the item above appears to be one of a kind.

IT APPEARS TO BE AS SUCH.

(and that book looks awesome. We can get it, yes?)