Magill, Frank N
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author, Critic, Editor.
(1907-1997) US author and editor of reference works published by Salem Press, which Magill himself founded in 1949 and ran until his retirement in 1996. Of particular interest is his nominal editorship of the huge but uneven Survey of Science Fiction Literature [for subtitle see Checklist] (anth 1979 5vols) and Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature (anth 1983 5vols), for the most part edited anonymously by Keith Neilson (whom see for discussion of these works). A successor to the former work is Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature (anth 1996 4vols) edited by Tom Shippey and A J Sobczak. [DRL]
Frank Northen Magill
born Smyrna, near Atlanta, Georgia: 21 November: 1907
died Pasadena, California: 24 May 1997
works as editor
- Masterplots: 510 Plots in Story Form from the World's Fine Literature (New York: Salem Press, 1949) with Dayton Kohler [nonfiction: with the two exceptions below, various iterations of this title, both expanded and/or combined with other titles, are not here listed: hb/]
- Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1952) with Dayton Kohler and others [nonfiction: exp vt of the above: published in four volumes: hb/nonpictorial]
- Masterplots: 2010 Plot Stories and Essays Review from the World's Fine Literature (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1976) [nonfiction: exp vt of the above: hb/]
- Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1952) with Dayton Kohler and others [nonfiction: exp vt of the above: published in four volumes: hb/nonpictorial]
- Cyclopedia of World Authors (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1958) with Dayton Kohler [nonfiction: with the one exception below, vts and expansions of this title are not here listed: hb/]
- Masterplots Cyclopedia of World Authors (New York: Salem Press, 1958) [nonfiction: vt of the above: hb/]
- Cyclopedia of Literary Characters (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1963) [nonfiction: further iterations of this title, some in several volumes, are not here listed: hb/]
works as notional editor
- Survey of Science Fiction Literature: Five Hundred 2,000-Word Essay Reviews of World-Famous Science Fiction Novels with 2,500 Bibliographical References (Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1979) chiefly edited by Keith Neilson anonymously [nonfiction: anth: published in five volumes: hb/nonpictorial]
- Science Fiction, Alien Encounter (Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1981) chiefly edited by Keith Neilson anonymously [nonfiction: anth: cut version of the above comprising 75 selected essays: pb/]
- Survey of Science Fiction Literature: Bibliographical Supplement (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1982) with Marshall B Tymn [bibliography: supplement to Survey of Science Fiction Literature: pb/]
- Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1983) chiefly edited by Keith Neilson anonymously [nonfiction: anth: published in five volumes: hb/nonpictorial]
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