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    Cover of The Lost Worlds of 2001

    The Lost Worlds of 2001

    Arthur C. Clarke · 1971

    The Lost Worlds of 2001 is a 1972 book by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, published as an accompaniment to the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    From Wikipedia

    Science FictionFiction & Literature
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    4recommend
    10mentions
    6people
    2011–2026years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    201120132015201720192021202320252026

    What Hacker News says

    1. iainmerrickMar 2026
      Clarke’s book The Lost Worlds of 2001 goes into a lot of detail about the process (and is a great read in its own right). His take was that the book should say “a novel by Arthur C Clarke, based on the screenplay by Stanley Kubrick” and the movie should say “screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel by Arthur C Clarke”.

      I think Kubrick was very much the dominant force in the partnership, but they did work quite closely together.

      thread
    2. iainmerrickJun 2025
      That reminds of Arthur C Clarke writing about the process of making 2001 with Stanley Kubrick. Clarke visited the set one day, and was absolutely blown away, but jokingly pointed out that somebody had left some fingerprints on the Monolith. Kubrick was furious and Clarke was seriously worried he was going to fire somebody on the spot.

      (I think that's in Lost Worlds of 2001, which is a fun read)

      thread
    3. quuxplusoneNov 2024
      That process was documented in Clarke's 1972 book "The Lost Worlds of 2001". I recommend it to anyone who's interested, if you can find a copy.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Worlds_of_2001

      thread
    4. hindsightbiasJan 2018
      They didn't know how to end it. Only that Dave was to take the next step in evolution. For more background on the aliens/Clindar, there's a book called "The Lost Worlds of 2001"

      “And because, in all the galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere. They became farmers in the field of stars; they sowed, and sometimes they reaped. And sometimes, dispassionately, they had to weed.”

      thread
    5. huxleyJan 2011
      I don't know if it is the "making of" book you mean, but there is a good book called "The Lost Worlds of 2001"

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Worlds_of_2001

      I found one at a used bookstore ages ago and it was a fascinating look at the partnership and conflict between Kubrick and Clarke as well as a look at the different ideas and plots they discarded.

      thread
    6. WalterBrightOct 2024
      The book and movie were done at the same time. Clarke wrote multiple versions of it - see "The Lost Worlds of 2001".

      The concept is from a short story "The Sentinel" by Clarke.

      thread

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