Campbell, H J
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author, Editor.
(1925-1983) UK research chemist (a Fellow of the Chemical Society), author and editor. He was active in Fandom during the early 1950s as Bert Campbell. After writing some science articles he gradually branched out into the world of sf, as well as selling line drawings to many magazines, including Amateur Photographer and Television Weekly. He scripted the Daily Herald cartoon series Captain Universe and served as technical editor and then editor 1952-1956 of Authentic Science Fiction, contributing many scientific articles to the magazine, which in general improved under his editorship. He also edited Tomorrow's Universe (anth 1953), Sprague de Camp's New Anthology (coll 1953), Authentic Science Fiction Handbook (1954 chap), mostly containing definitions of scientific terms, and Authentic Book of Space (anth 1954), which last was a mixture of articles and stories. Increased pressure of research work forced him to leave the field in 1956; he gained a PhD in Chemistry in 1957, and from that point concentrated on writing textbooks.
His own fiction was not, perhaps, of substantial interest, but his work was never incompetent. His two series written under the House Name Roy Sheldon – the Shiny Spear sequence beginning with Phantom Moon (1951) and ending with House of Entropy (1953), and the Magdah sequence of Prehistoric SF tales comprising Mammoth Man (1952) and Two Days of Terror (1952) – are perhaps his most sustained efforts, though The Moon Is Heaven (1951) is a pleasing example of Recursive SF, and incorporates a portrait of Arthur C Clarke. [SH/MJE]
see also: Entropy; Great and Small.
Herbert James Campbell
born London: 18 November 1925
died Somerset: September 1983
works
series
Magdah
- Mammoth Man (London: Hamilton and Co, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [Magdah: pb/George Ratcliffe]
- Two Days of Terror (London: Panther Books, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [Magdah: pb/Ron Turner]
- Moment Out of Time (London: Hamilton and Co, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [Magdah: pb/J Pollack]
Shiny Spear
- Phantom Moon (London: Hamilton and Co/Science Fiction Fortnightly, 1951) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: 15 March 1951 Science Fiction Fortnightly (see Authentic Science Fiction): Shiny Spear: pb/D L W]
- Energy Alive (London: Hamilton and Co/Science Fiction Fortnightly, 1951) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: 1 April 1951 Science Fiction Fortnightly (see Authentic Science Fiction): Shiny Spear: pb/D L W]
- Beam of Terror (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1951) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: September 1951 Authentic Science Fiction: Shiny Spear: pb/George Ratcliffe]
- The Plastic Peril (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: September 1952 Authentic Science Fiction: Shiny Spear: pb/J John Pollack]
- Star of Death (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [almost whole issue: November 1952 Authentic Science Fiction: Shiny Spear: pb/Gordon C Davies]
- Atoms in Action (London: Panther Books, 1953) as by Roy Sheldon [Shiny Spear: hb/Gordon C Davies]
- House of Entropy (London: Panther Books, 1953) as by Roy Sheldon [Shiny Spear: hb/John Richards]
individual titles
- World in a Test-Tube (London: Hamilton and Co/Science Fiction Fortnightly, 1951) [whole issue: 15 April 1951 Science Fiction Fortnightly (see Authentic Science Fiction): pb/D L W]
- The Last Mutation (London: Hamilton and Co/Science Fiction Monthly, 1951) [whole issue: July 1951 Science Fiction Monthly (see Authentic Science Fiction): pb/George Ratcliffe]
- The Moon Is Heaven (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1951) [whole issue: December 1951 Authentic Science Fiction: pb/George Ratcliffe]
- Beyond the Visible (London: Hamilton and Co, 1952) [hb/Vanni]
- Chaos in Miniature (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1952) [whole issue: February 1952 Authentic Science Fiction: pb/George Ratcliffe]
- Mice or Machines (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1952) [whole issue: June 1952 Authentic Science Fiction: pb/George Ratcliffe]
- Another Space – Another Time (London: Panther Books, 1953) [hb/John Richards]
- Brain Ultimate (London: Panther Books, 1953) [hb/John Richards]
- The Red Planet (London: Panther Books, 1953) [hb/John Richards]
- Once Upon a Space (London: Panther Books, 1954) [hb/John Richards]
individual titles as by Roy Sheldon
Moment Out of Time below is possibly but not certainly by Campbell.
- Gold Men of Aureus (London: Hamilton and Co/Science Fiction Fortnightly, 1951) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: 1 February 1951 Science Fiction Fortnightly (see Authentic Science Fiction): pb/D L W]
- The Menacing Sleep (London: Panther Books, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [pb/Gordon C Davies]
- Moment Out of Time (London: Hamilton and Co, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [pb/J Pollack]
- Space Warp (London: Hamilton and Co/Authentic Science Fiction, 1952) as by Roy Sheldon [whole issue: March 1952 Authentic Science Fiction: pb/D L W]
works as editor
- Tomorrow's Universe (London: Panther Books, 1953) [anth: hb/John Richards]
- Authentic Book of Space (London: Hamilton and Co, 1954) [anth: hb/John Richards]
- Authentic Science Fiction Handbook (London: Hamilton and Co, 1954) [nonfiction: chap: pb/uncredited]
links
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