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Friday 13 June 2025
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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Longyear, Barry B
(1942-2025) US author and editor who ran a printing company with his wife before beginning to write in 1977, beginning to publish work of genre interest with "The Tryouts" in Asimov's for November/December 1978. Before his 1981 hospitalization for alcoholism and addiction to prescription drugs – an experience which formed the basis of his non-sf novel Saint Mary Blue (1988) – he had already published prolifically, sometimes as by Frederick ...
Protheroe, Cyril
(1899-1964) UK aeronautical engineer and engineer's instructor who was the son of the prolific children's author Ernest Protheroe (1865-1929) and reportedly published more than one short sf novel. The only confirmed example is Beyond These Suns (1952), for Curtis Warren under that publisher's House Name Rand Le Page. In this routine Space Flight ...
Abrashkin, Raymond
(1911-1960) US film director, screenwriter, and author. His best-known film was The Little Fugitive (1953). For his collaborative work on the Danny Dunn series of sf juveniles (see Children's SF), see his co-author Jay Williams. [JC]
Goldsmith, Cele
(1933-2002) US editor of SF Magazines who in 1956-1958 was assistant editor and then managing editor of Amazing Stories and Fantastic under Paul W Fairman, becoming editor of both in December 1958; she held this position until June 1965, when the magazines were sold and ceased for a time to publish original stories. Under her editorship the quality of both improved ...
Allen, L David
(1940- ) US academic, formerly Instructor in English at the University of Nebraska, and author of various Critical and Historical Works About SF. His first book – written as a Cliffs Notes overview for classroom use – was the useful Science Fiction: An Introduction (1973; vt Science Fiction Reader's Guide 1974). Further nonfiction publications are ...
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 ...