Listmania!
Girl Genius Story Inspirations
By an Amazon.com customer
Frankenstein (Penguin Classics)Frankenstein (Penguin Classics) by Mary Shelley
Buy new: $8.00 / Used from: $1.99
The Fabulous World Of Jules VerneThe Fabulous World Of Jules Verne
Phil says this used to be shown on television when he was a kid. It made a huge impression on him, and he used to talk about it a lot. Then, the miracle of the internet allowed us to actually FIND it!
Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / The Bride of / Son of / The Ghost of / House of)Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / The Bride of / Son of / The Ghost of / House of)
Buy new: $19.49 / Used from: $11.39
I am especially fond of "Bride of Frankenstein."
The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics)The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics) by E. T. A. Hoffmann
Buy new: $10.36 / Used from: $7.47
The Best Tales of HoffmannThe Best Tales of Hoffmann by E. T. A. Hoffmann
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $4.10
Evil: Inside Human Violence and CrueltyEvil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty by Roy F. Baumeister Ph.D.
Buy new: $12.92 / Used from: $5.59
This was a huge influence in the way we think about our characters and their motivations.
The War of the Worlds (Penguin Classics)The War of the Worlds (Penguin Classics) by H.G. Wells
Buy new: $7.00 / Used from: $3.48
Three Adventure Novels:  She, King Solomon's Mines, Allan QuatermainThree Adventure Novels: She, King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $4.00
The Twentieth Century (Early Classics of Science Fiction)The Twentieth Century (Early Classics of Science Fiction) by Albert Robida
Buy new: $21.86 / Used from: $17.66
My ZeppelinsMy Zeppelins by Hugo Eckener
Kaja says: Actually, I have a lot of books on airships, but this is one of my favorites. I'll try to get some of the others listed eventually.
With the Night MailWith the Night Mail by Rudyard Kipling
Buy new: $14.95
Kaja says: Payne Fifield first lent me this one, long ago when we were only telling our best friends about the project we were working on. I was very taken with the ads in the back.
Young FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $6.38
Kaja says: Back in school, my friends and I used to watch this endlessly. This was...before I got a lot of the jokes...erm...
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (Bantam SF, Q8834)Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (Bantam SF, Q8834) by Philip Jose Farmer
Buy used from: $19.87
The October CountryThe October Country by Ray Bradbury
Buy new: $12.44 / Used from: $2.98
Kaja says: Especially the stories about "The Family."
To Say Nothing of the DogTo Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Buy new: $18.40 / Used from: $39.91
Kaja says: On my very short list of favorite books ever.
The Wild Wild West: The Complete SeriesThe Wild Wild West: The Complete Series
Buy new: $83.99 / Used from: $85.50
Astro Boy Collection Box SetAstro Boy Collection Box Set
Buy new: $32.99 / Used from: $17.56
Kaja says: Astro Boy was on TV when Phil was a kid, and it was a huge influence on his cartoons and storytelling style. Me, I just love manga and anime in general.
Marine Boy DVD [2009, Korea][Official Slipcover Edition]Marine Boy DVD [2009, Korea][Official Slipcover Edition]
Kaja says: When I was five, this was the best thing ever. This, and Speed Racer. <3
The World's Worst AircraftThe World's Worst Aircraft by Bill Yenne
Buy used from: $19.95
Kaja says: James Ernest lent us this one, back when we were working on Girl Genius Issue One.
Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. Volume 1 (Magnus Robot Fighter (Graphic Novels)) (v. 1)Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. Volume 1 (Magnus Robot Fighter (Graphic Novels)) (v. 1) by Russ Manning
Buy used from: $106.70
Phil says: A magnificent job of world building, and unlike most other writers, Russ Manning was unafraid to state that societal problems could be solved.
The Enquiries of Doctor EszterhazyThe Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson
Buy used from: $7.49
Phil says: Cunning stories that could very easily have taken place in the Girl Genius universe (If we actually allowed out-and-out magik. Which we don't) Kaja says: I haven't yet read this one!
Trilobites!Trilobites! by Kenneth Gass
Buy new: $18.99 / Used from: $17.09
Kaja says: I love trilobites.
The Great RaceThe Great Race
Buy new: $17.49 / Used from: $14.35
Kaja says: I love Professor Fate.
Elements Of Pop Up: A Pop Up Book For Aspiring Paper EngineersElements Of Pop Up: A Pop Up Book For Aspiring Paper Engineers by James Diaz
Buy new: $25.07 / Used from: $19.02
Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical LifeEdison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood
Buy new: $10.92 / Used from: $0.94
The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (Penguin Classics)The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (Penguin Classics) by Henry Fielding
Buy new: $8.00 / Used from: $1.92
Kaja says: This is a wonderful, sprawling story with a lot of entertaining blather from the author in between the exciting (and somewhat naughty) parts. I love it.
Tom Swift and His Big Dirigible or Adventures Over the Forest of FireTom Swift and His Big Dirigible or Adventures Over the Forest of Fire by Victor Appleton
Buy used from: $13.50
Kaja says: I bought this at a used book store in the early 1990's. I'm sorry. The title made me giggle. Phil had a whole set of the Tom Swift books once upon a time, but he donated them when he moved to Seattle. Sob!