David Brin

• prolific science fiction author
  Sundiver (1980)
  Startide Rising (1983)
  The Practice Effect (1984)
  The Postman (1985)
  The River of Time (1986)
  Heart of the Comet (1986, with Gregory Benford)
  The Uplift War (1987)
  Earth (1990)

• frequently incorporates libraries into his work
  (He used the word "library" 57 times in Startide Rising and 56 times in The Uplift War.)

  As writers go, I suppose I'm known as a bit of an optimist, so it seems only natural that this novel projects a future where there's a little more wisdom than folly ... maybe a bit more hope than despair.

  In fact, it's about the most encouraging tomorrow I can imagine right now.

  What a sobering thought.

  David Brin, Earth (New York: Bantam, 1990), preface.