The Brautigan Library > Natural World

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Overview

Details about the twenty manuscripts in The Brautigan Library's "Natural World" (NAT) category.

Background

These manuscripts are included in the "Natural World" (NAT) category using The Mayonnaise System, a classification system developed for The Brautigan Library. Manuscripts are cataloged according to fourteen general categories, the year of submission, and the order of acquisition into the category. For example, LOV 1992.005 indicates the manuscript was the fifth one cataloged in 1992 to the LOV(e) category. Manuscript synopses provided by authors at time of submission. Comments from The Librarian provide additional information.

Stats

Manuscripts in NAT category = 20
1991 = 3 manuscript
1990 = 17 manuscripts
Missing = 0 manuscripts

Cabin Fever

Nan Weizenbaum
MS #187
NAT 1991.003
Registered 1991/07/02 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Aurora Goldstein lives in a picker's cabin in the northwestern part of the United States near the ersatz Bavarian village of Shanksford. It is winter and the snowbound inhabitants of the valley are struggling to maintain themselves against the brutal dictates of the weather and the white tedium. The environment is overwhelming, and the people, their concerns and complicated affairs notwithstanding, are minuscule in comparison. In Cabin Fever, humans' insignificance in nature, their limitations as animals, and the belief that history is malleable all contribute to the characters' inability to discern causality.

The Ongoing Condition of the Universe

Albert Helzner
MS #167
NAT 1991.002
Registered 1991/03/29 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Ongoing Condition of the Universe is that it is changing. Since our planet Earth is a subset of the universe, the changes taking place on our own planet and the changes going on in space give us the total changes taking place in the universe. The primary change is the overall process of birth, the creation of a new life. In his Theory of Evolution, Charles Darwin proved that every form of life is derived from some previous form. In the Grand Unified Theory for Life, I am trying to prove that not only is every form derived from some previous form, but every life is also composed of some previous life that existed.

Librarian's Comment
Albert Helzner has contributed sixteen manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are 365 Bits of Wisdom To Enrich Your Life (SPI 1990.004), The Long Range Effect of Birth (NAT 1990.005), The Long Range Effect of Abortion and Other Essays about Life in the Universe (NAT 1990.006), Some Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.007), A Revolutionary Way of Looking at the Earth As A Planet (NAT 1990.008), More Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.009), Three Short Stories with Unexpected Endings (ALL 1990.017), October 6, 1984 to October 6, 1985, One Year To Life (NAT 1990.010), The World Is Wrong (NAT 1990.011), Life on Earth Before You Were Born (NAT 1990.012), October 6, 1990 (NAT 1990.013), From The Spirit of '76 and Other Thoughts (NAT 1990.014), Some Observations about the World We Live In (NAT 1990.017), Calendar Time and the Physical Meaning of Life (MEA 1991.001), Thirty Centuries (NAT 1991.001), and The Ongoing Condition of the Universe (NAT 1991.002).

Albert Helzner died in 2016. He was a chemical engineer with a patent in recovery of benzene gas in the production of ethylbenzene (US Patent 3,691,245, September 12, 1972) and was published in the professional journal Chemical Engineering (Helzner, Albert E. "Operating Performance of Steam-Heated Reboiler." Chemical Engineering, 1977, vol. 84, no. 4, p.73). He was a chess enthusiast who besides being in his High School chess club and enjoying postcard chess, won a Massachusetts Class A chess championship in 1966, as well as a Danvers, MA Chess Club tournament in 1967. Albert Herlzner left behind many writings and rejection letters from publishers. He did not talk about his writing, published or unpublished, but he was proud of his contributions to The Brautigan Library. We are proud to have his work as part of the collection.

Thirty Centuries

Albert Helzner
MS #160
NAT 1991.001
Registered 1991/02/20 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
One of the most difficult concepts to understand is the physical meaning of numbers that reference Time. What do you mean when you write the number 1991? What should go through your mind whenever you see the terms 1000 B.C. or 9th-13th Century or a 600 year span? What do the words Thirty Centuries mean?

Some Observations about the World We Live In

Albert Helzner
MS #140
NAT 1990.017
Registered 1990/12/06 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The point of view from which any subject is approached is critical to the way we see the world. The essays in Some Observations about the World We Live In are my observations on some common topics which give a different aspect to the subject.

Why Life Cannot Exist on the Other Planets

R. Heale
MS #134
NAT 1990.016
Registered 1990/11/16 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
In order to understand Why Life Cannot Exist on the Other Planets, we need to determine how life exists on our own planet. Therefore, we need to study life on Earth from an overall planetary perspective.

Librarian's Comment
R. Heale has contributed three manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are The Past, The Present, and The Future: A Time Study of the Planet Earth (NAT 1990.001), The Three Aspects of Time (NAT 1990.015), and Why Life Cannot Exist on the other Planets (NAT 1990.016).

The Three Aspects of Time

R. Heale
MS #128
NAT 1990.015
Registered on 1990/10/31 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The only way to truly understand our planet Earth is to stand back and study what is happening on it from a distant point of view, to study objectively what is physically taking place on its surface over time. I have done this and I have here recorded some of the observations I have made in this book, The Three Aspects of Time.

From The Spirit of '76 and Other Thoughts

Albert Helzner
MS #125
NAT 1990.014
Registered 1990/10/26 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Spirit of '76 is a famous painting hanging in the town hall of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Just as there are thoughts that cross our minds during our lifetime, I have given the central character in this painting the capacity to develop thoughts. In the first essay, "From the Spirit of '76," I am looking at the world from his point of view in order to visualize the thoughts that this person might have toward the visitors. In the other essays, I have also tried to look at each subject from a point of view that is different from the normal perspective.

October 6, 1990

Albert Helzner
MS #123
NAT 1990.013
Registered on 1990/10/13 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Every year, when October 6 arrives, I make my annual visit to the maternity wing of the Salem Hospital, Salem, Massachusettes, to see a new born baby. I ask myself the questions, "How did this birth come about?" "What is the Long Range Effect?" and "What is the significance of any birth?" Then I spend the rest of the year trying to answer these questions. These are my answers for October 6, 1990.

Librarian's Comment
Albert Helzner has contributed sixteen manuscripts to The Brautigan Library, along with three using the pen name R. Heale. They are 365 Bits of Wisdom To Enrich Your Life (SPI 1990.004), The Long Range Effect of Birth (NAT 1990.005), The Long Range Effect of Abortion and Other Essays about Life in the Universe (NAT 1990.006), Some Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.007), A Revolutionary Way of Looking at the Earth As A Planet (NAT 1990.008), More Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.009), Three Short Stories with Unexpected Endings (ALL 1990.017), October 6, 1984 to October 6, 1985, One Year To Life (NAT 1990.010), The World Is Wrong (NAT 1990.011), Life on Earth Before You Were Born (NAT 1990.012), October 6, 1990 (NAT 1990.013), From The Spirit of '76 and Other Thoughts (NAT 1990.014), Some Observations about the World We Live In (NAT 1990.017), Calendar Time and the Physical Meaning of Life (MEA 1991.001), Thirty Centuries (NAT 1991.001), and The Ongoing Condition of the Universe (NAT 1991.002).

Life on Earth Before You Were Born

Albert Helzner
MS #112
NAT 1990.012
Registered on 1990/09/26 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Life on Earth Before You Were Born argues that to understand the world you live in, you must look at your lifetime from the point of view of those who are yet to be born. You must constantly keep in mind that everything that happens is taking place before the arrival of others who will appear on this Earth later. Whatever you do during your lifetime has a long-range effect on what they will see and what will take place during their lifetime.

The World Is Wrong

Albert Helzner
MS #110
NAT 1990.011
Registered 1990/09/17 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Nicolas Copernicus proved The World Is Wrong. In these essays, I am trying to show that there are still many present day "truths" that are false.

October 6, 1984 to October 6, 1985, Or One Year To Life

Albert Helzner
MS #101
NAT 1990.010
Registered 1990/09/06 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
What is today's date? No matter what date it is, I want you to make an appointment with yourself to go to the maternity wing of a hospital one year from today and see a new born baby. When you see that child, tell it what transpired before it came into the world, starting on this date for the one year period before it was born. This is what I have done here in October 6, 1984 to October 6, 1985, Or One Year To Life.

More Challenging Essays for You To Think About

Albert Helzner
MS #086
NAT 1990.009
Registered 1990/08/15 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
More Challenging Essays for You To Think About covers a variety of subjects in a very different way. I am challenging you to be creative as you read. You will have to go beyond what I have written to achieve a fuller understanding of each topic.

A Revolutionary Way of Looking at the Earth as a Planet

Albert Helzner #078 NAT 1990.008
Registered 1990/08/01 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
A Revolutionary Way of Looking at the Earth as a Planet consists of two essays. In these two essays, I am doing what has never been done before. I am studying our Earth from a perspective that is completely objective. In the first article, I am investigating what is happening to all life on our planet, which leads us to the development of a "Grand Unified Theory" for the ongoing creation of life. In the second article, I am divorcing myself from our Earth-centered point of view by putting myself in the place of an astronaut located permanently in outer space, who is looking back at the Earth from a distance to take a critical look at what is happening on this planet over time.

Some Challenging Essays for You To Think About

Albert Helzner
MS #073
NAT 1990.007
Registered 1990/07/23 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Some Challenging Essays for You To Think About is a collection of essays that are intended to get you to see a different perspective to many common events that take place in your life.

Librarian's Comment
Albert Helzner has contributed sixteen manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are are 365 Bits of Wisdom To Enrich Your Life (SPI 1990.004), The Long Range Effect of Birth (NAT 1990.005), The Long Range Effect of Abortion and Other Essays about Life in the Universe (NAT 1990.006), Some Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.007), A Revolutionary Way of Looking at the Earth As A Planet (NAT 1990.008), More Challenging Essays for You To Think About (NAT 1990.009), Three Short Stories with Unexpected Endings (ALL 1990.017), October 6, 1984 to October 6, 1985, One Year To Life (NAT 1990.010), The World Is Wrong (NAT 1990.011), Life on Earth Before You Were Born (NAT 1990.012), October 6, 1990 (NAT 1990.013), From The Spirit of '76 and Other Thoughts (NAT 1990.014), Some Observations about the World We Live In (NAT 1990.017), Calendar Time and the Physical Meaning of Life (MEA 1991.001), Thirty Centuries (NAT 1991.001), and The Ongoing Condition of the Universe (NAT 1991.002).

The Long Range Effect of Abortion and other Essays about Life in the Universe

Albert Helzner
MS #062
NAT 1990.006
Registered 1990/07/05 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Long Range Effect of Abortion and other Essays about Life in the Universe is a scientific and philosophical look at life from a broad perspective. It has nothing to do with the political issue of abortion. I am taking a look at both the long range effect of abortion and the long range effect of life from an overall global and universal perspective.

The Long Range Effect of a Birth

Albert Helzner
MS #053
NAT 1990.005
Registered 1990/06/25 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The greatest achievement in life is to give birth. It is why you are alive. The Long Range Effect of a Birth is a book of essays in which I show how the process of birth, the creation of life, takes place, and its long range effect not only on this planet, but also on the whole universe.

A Dream Fulfilled

Jack Damm
MS #052
NAT 1990.004
Registered 1990/06/25 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
A Dream Fulfilled started from dreams that I had when I was eight years old, the year 1924. Wanting to be a cowboy, I got my wish at age nineteen, the year 1936, in Wyoming. I spent three years there with the most unusual things happening that filled a book.

The Circle of Life

Hollis Rosendalh
MS #033
NAT 1990.003
Registered 1990/06/06 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Circle of Life is: 1). A fantastic dream about the creation of the universe and life. 2). Life in space, and on earth, from beginning to end. 3). A twenty nine-year man hunt for the five killers of my wife, and daughter. 4). Diagrams of the creation of the universe, and seven of my songs.

The Raccoon Mountain Talk

Sheila Lawrence
MS #029
NAT 1990.002
Registered 1990/06/01 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Raccoon Mountain Talk is a a collection of short stories or portraits of Vermont living.

The Past, The Present, The Future: A Time Study of the Planet Earth

R. Heale
MS #014
NAT 1990.001
Registered 1990/05/22 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Past, The Present, The Future: A Time Study of the Planet Earth is an attempt to transcend Time, to look at our planet objectively from a distant point of view. I have done this by projecting my mind into outer space to look at our planet form a different perspective and observe what is actually happening on its surface over long periods of time. My particular emphasis is on the overall physical and biological process of birth, the creation of living entities, and the meaning and significance of life on this planet. I am answering the question, "What would I see happening to life on Earth if I were an astronaut permanently stationed in outer space observing the changes taking place on Earth, while circling this planet forever?"

Librarian's Comment
R. Heale contributed three manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are The Past, The Present, and The Future: A Time Study of the Planet Earth (NAT 1990.001), The Three Aspects of Time (NAT 1990.015), and Why Life Cannot Exist on the other Planets (NAT 1990.016).