I had a weird urge to read John D Barber stuff last Tuesday. Woke up thinking about his sci-fi worlds, but man, finding his books felt like hunting buried treasure. Started super basic – just typed “John D Barber books” into my phone browser while drinking cold coffee.
First Try Flop
Checked the big online stores first. They showed tons of results, but half weren’t even his! Saw like three different “John Barbers” writing cookbooks and self-help junk. Felt like sorting rice grains one by one. Clicked page after page, getting madder each time.
Library Surprise Move
Drove to my local library feeling grumpy. The librarian smirked when I said the name – turns out Barber’s super niche outside tech circles. She did magic with her computer and went:
- Nope in physical copies section
- Maybe in digital archives
- YES! hiding in academic journals
Felt like an idiot wasting time on consumer shops.
Where They Actually Live
After digging, these spots worked:
- University portals – especially tech college databases
- Specialty sci-fi sites – not commercial ones
- Research gateways – those clunky old systems librarians use
His engineering background explains it – writings scattered through tech papers more than novels. Didn’t expect that twist!
Cheat Codes Learned
Couple tricks made difference:
- Added “robotics” to searches
- Ignored shopping sites completely
- Used library terminals instead of my phone
Still took me three days. Now I know why Barber fans form secret clubs – finding his work’s like decoding conspiracy theories!