Book

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 2: Who's Who, M-Z

📖 Overview

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 2: Who's Who, M-Z serves as a reference work documenting authors and creators in the science fiction and fantasy genres. This volume covers entries alphabetically from M through Z, providing biographical information and publication histories. The book contains entries on writers, editors, artists, and other key figures who contributed to speculative fiction from its early days through the 1970s. Each entry includes birth and death dates, pseudonyms, major works, and career highlights related to the science fiction and fantasy fields. Donald H. Tuck compiled this volume as part of a larger reference series that aimed to catalog the field's history and development. The entries vary in length based on each subject's impact and available information. This encyclopedia represents a snapshot of science fiction and fantasy's evolution as literary genres, preserving details about both famous and lesser-known contributors who shaped the field. The work highlights the collaborative nature of genre fiction through its inclusion of editors, illustrators, and other industry professionals alongside authors.

👀 Reviews

Readers value this reference work for its detailed biographical entries on science fiction and fantasy authors from M-Z, complementing Volume 1. Several reviews note the meticulous research and comprehensive bibliographies for each author. Likes: - Thorough coverage of publications through 1974 - Inclusion of minor and obscure authors - Cross-referencing between pseudonyms - Listing of magazine appearances and foreign editions Dislikes: - Some biographical details now outdated - Print too small and dense - Limited availability and high cost of used copies - No photographs or illustrations Notable reader comment: "While showing its age, remains useful for tracking down author pseudonyms and magazine stories from the pulp era" - SF collector on Goodreads Ratings: Goodreads: 4.29/5 (14 ratings) No Amazon ratings available due to out-of-print status LibraryThing: 4.5/5 (6 ratings) Most reviews come from librarians and collectors rather than general readers.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🔹 Published in 1978, this volume was part of a landmark three-volume set that took Donald H. Tuck nearly 30 years to complete while working as an accountant in Tasmania 🔹 The encyclopedia won the 1979 Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book and is considered one of the earliest comprehensive reference works on science fiction authors 🔹 Tuck personally corresponded with hundreds of authors to gather accurate biographical information, making this work particularly valuable for its first-hand sourcing 🔹 The volume contains detailed entries on major authors like C.S. Lewis, Andre Norton, and H.G. Wells, including complete bibliographies and pseudonyms many writers used 🔹 Despite being published over 40 years ago, this encyclopedia remains a valued reference source for its thorough coverage of early science fiction authors and its meticulous attention to publishing details through 1974