Damn it, Don, I'm starting to notice that you know or have met far too many of the people that exist in the zone bubble of 'famous people I personally have taken notice of, therefore recognize their names'. (A zone bubble because there are giant-gas-planet sized zone bubbles of famous people that everyone else seems to have heard of, of whom I am only able to look blank and repeat "Who?")

Yes, I read far too much science fiction starting about ten. I had a beautiful friend who had no interest in reading anything at all. Her dad had a monumental collection of sci-fi and fantasy, starting with all the pulp Amazings and F&SF and Astounding and so on, every Ace Double ever printed, and stacks of everything else. He used to hand me about forty pounds of paperbacks every Sunday after church.