Frank Herbert's photo of Brian Herbert

Sci-fi writer Brian Herbert as a child

My grandfather used to say, "I found it in the next-to-the-last place I looked!"

I finished my microfilm research last month, compiling all the newspaper articles written by Frank Herbert between 1949 and 1953, while working for The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. I had to go back and re-shoot a few pages, since they were too blurry on the edges to read. I finished that, too, but figured since I was already at the Genealogical and Historical Annex, I should look around to see what else was available.

I found another drawer of microfilm for The Evening Press, the evening version of The Press Democrat. They put out two newspapers in the same day; sometimes the exact same article would appear in both, but sometimes an article or photo would appear in one and not the other.

So earlier today I found a previously-undiscovered photo that Frank Herbert took of his son Brain, long before either of them became famous as sci-fi writers. If you stand at the right angle, and squint your eyes just right, you can see the future in this photograph.