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Wednesday 18 February 2026
Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Fourth Edition. Some sample entries appear below. Click here for the Introduction; here for what we mean by Science Fiction; here for the masthead; here for some Statistics; here for the Acknowledgments; here for the FAQ; here for advice on citations. Find entries via the search box above (more details here) or browse the menu categories in the grey bar at the top of this page.
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Miesel, Sandra
(1941- ) US critic and author, with degrees in chemistry and medieval history. Her involvement in sf was initially as a fan; from 1967 on she published at least seventy-five pieces in Fanzines. As a critic she became active in the 1970s, her first book being Myth, Symbol, and Religion in The Lord of the Rings (1973 chap) on J R R Tolkien. Her next book, ...
Schachner, Nat
(1895-1955) US chemist, lawyer and author, known mainly for biographies of US historical figures, who began publishing work of genre interest with "The Tower of Evil" with Arthur Leo Zagat (it was also his first publication) for Wonder Stories Quarterly, Summer 1930. His collaboration with Zagat lasted over a year, all Schachner's first eleven stories being done with him, including a novel-length tale, ...
Dimondstein, Boris
Apparent working name of Russian-born author Boris Daymondshteyn (1891-1973), author of an anti-Communist Utopia, Utopia (The Volcano Island) – Revised Edition (1958); an earlier edition, if it exists, has not been identified. He also published work on German/Jewish issues. [JC]
Dixon, Roger
(1930-1983) UK accountant and author, who also wrote as by Charles Lewis and (almost certainly) John Christian; his epic adventure about humankind's future fate, Noah II (1970; rev 1975), is based on a story idea by Dixon and his agent, Basil Bova, and began the aborted Quest series. Five Gates to Armageddon (1975) as by John Christian is a Near Future thriller involving a new Weapon in the ...
Carew, Henry
(? -? ) UK author of whom nothing is known beyond his authorship of two sf novels. In The Secret of the Sphinx (1923), explorers discover a Utopian city hidden in the middle of the Sahara Desert; unusually, this is not a lost world, as the culture and Inventions that drive the city are of modern origin. The Vampires of the Andes (1925) is, on the other hand, a genuine ...
Langford, David
(1953- ) UK author, critic, editor, publisher and sf fan, in the latter capacity recipient of 21 Hugo awards for fan writing – some of the best of his several hundred pieces are assembled as Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man (coll 1992 chap US; much exp vt The Silence of the Langford 1996; exp 2015 ebook) as Dave Langford, edited by Ben Yalow – plus five Best Fanzine Hugos ...