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Thursday 16 July 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.
Site updated on 14 July 2026
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Carver, Jeffrey A
(1949-2026) US author who began publishing sf with "... Of No Return" in Fiction Magazine for 1974. His first novel, Seas of Ernathe (1976), which serves as an introduction to the loose Star Rigger sequence of Space Operas, showed early signs of a love of plot and thematic complexity which would take him some time, and several novels, to control. The continuation, Star Rigger's Way (1978), for instance, combines quest ...
Bellamy, Francis Rufus
(1886-1972) US editor and author, mostly of popular American history; he was related to the Francis Rufus Bellamy who wrote "The Pledge of Allegiance" (September 1892 Youth's Companion). In his sf novel Atta: A Novel of a Most Extraordinary Adventure (1953) a man is struck by lightning and, after shrinking (see Miniaturization) until just half an inch (12 mm) tall, combines forces with a warrior Ant by the name ...
Gowing, Sidney
(1877-1943) UK author who also wrote as by David Goodwin, as by John Goodwin (who should be distinguished from the real John C Goodwin), and as by John Tregillis. Much of his work for the Boys' Papers appeared as single-issue tales (here treated as individual titles) in the Boys' Friend Library, either reprinted from earlier sources or original, beginning with the nonfantastic Man to Man (1908) as by David ...
Realms of Fantasy
US Slick fantasy magazine, letter-size and saddle-stapled, published bimonthly, first by Sovereign Media, Herndon, Virginia, from October 1994 to April 2009, then by Warren Lapine's Tir Na Nog, Blacksburg, Virginia, from August 2009 to December 2010 and finally by Damnation Books, Santa Rosa, California from February to October 2011, a total of 102 issues. It has been edited by Shawna McCarthy ...
Ready, William B
(1914-1981) Welsh librarian and author, in the US from 1948 as professional librarian at several universities, and in Canada from 1966 in the same capacity at McMaster University. His first story, "Barring the Weight" for Atlantic Monthly in 1948, was not sf, but several of the tales assembled in The Great Disciple, and Other Stories (coll 1951) are of interest. He was best known, however, for his early study of J R R Tolkien, ...
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 ...