All Our Yesterdays

History

WARNER, HARRY JR.

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Advent Pub Inc

Heinlein in Dimension: A Critical Analysis

Literature & Fiction

PANSHIN, Alexei

History & Criticism

This is the definitive concordance to the epic "Lensman" and "Skylark" novels with which the late "Doc" Smith enthralled science fiction readers for so many years. Edward E. Smith stood unchallenged as the inventor and foremost author of science fiction interstellar stories on the grand scale. He was known as the man who opened the Galaxy to science fiction. He wrote The Skylark of Space in 1920, but the vastness of its concepts was so far in advance of the rudimentary science fiction of the time that it was not sold until 1927, to the newly founded Amazing Stories. This comprehensive concordance has entries for characters, places, events, and many other topics in the "Lensman" and "Skylark" novels. The entries range from only a few words for such minor subjects as "X-plosive" to almost six pages for "Kinnison, Kimball." Both scholarly and sprightly, it is intended for those with nostalgic affection for the "space opera" days of science fiction's early youth when intergalactic adventure was brand new. The book includes a bibliography by Al Lewis and black-and-white illustrations by Bjo.

Universes of E.E. Smith

Evans, Bill

Ellik, Ron

In 1964, Advent: Publishers reissued this rare 1947 symposium involving top science fiction authors and editors. This is the September 1974 reprint (the newest reprint to date).

Of Worlds Beyond

Reference

Eshbach, L.

Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

From 1952 to 1963 the most penetrating critic of the field of magazine science fiction was known as William Atheling, Jr. Guessing his real identity was not easy, because his dissection did not spare even his other ego, noted s-f author James Blish. Shedding his protective covering, Mr. Blish assembled many of the Atheling papers and edited them into this book. It is virtually a text for would-be writers of science fiction. Nor is its value limited to that genre; the rules of good writing are universal, and Atheling's critiques are not restricted to the peculiarities and special interests of science fiction. These essays take aspiring authors and editors by the hand and lead them painstakingly through the dense forests of said-bookism, the treacherous moors of repetitive phrasing, and other forbidden territories. And even old hands will find cause to wonder and reflect, and perhaps even to re-evaluate professional skills too long taken for granted. No subject is too sacred or taboo for Atheling's shredding typewriter; from sex to God, from religion to satirical poetry. No author is spared the bloody mark of his relentless lash; from Anderson to Heinlein to Zirul. No editor or publisher is spared his--or its--due share of responsibility. But most importantly, The Issue at Hand is not just--or even primarily--a textbook for students of writing. It is a vastly entertaining collection in its own right, affording many hours of pleasant informative reading and re-reading, urging the reader ahead with the wry comments, unexpected humor, and undeviating attention to standards that were the hallmarks of William Atheling, Jr.

The Issue at Hand. Studies in Contemporary Magazine Science Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy

James Blish (as William Atheling)

Science Fiction

In his incarnation as "William Atheling, Jr." the late James Blish wrote more than this share of the most incisive criticism of contemporary science fiction. Continuing in the vein of The Issue at Hand, this volume concentrates on science-fiction books of 1957 to 1970. Atheling's skillful rapier skewers literary malefactors of many kinds, including some well-known authors whose great popularity is all the more puzzling because there seems to be so little reason for it. He concludes with a long look at the "New Wave" that arose in the Sixties. To be sure, Atheling does not stint praise where it is due--see especially the chapters on Budrys and Sturgeon--but it is in the nature of criticism that the sins and errors be dealt with in greatest detail. As Atheling puts it: "There is no such thing as destructive criticism. That is just a cliche people use to signal that their toes have been stepped on. After all, the whole point of telling a man he is doing something the wrong way is the hope that next time he will do it right. Simply saying that a given book is bad may serve the secondary function of warning the public away from it, if the public trusts the critic. But if you do not go on to say in what way it is bad, your verdict is not destructive criticism, or any other kind of criticism; it is just abuse. A good critic is positively obliged to be harsh toward bad work.... and should be able to say with some precision not only that something went wrong--if it did--but just how it went wrong."

More Issues at Hand: Critical Studies in Contemporary Science Fiction

BLISH, James

Heinlein in Dimension, a Critical Analysis.

Very Good; see scans and description. Chicago: Advent Publishers, 1967. 'In Search of Wonder', by Damon Knight, in the 1967 Advent Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Berkley edition. Octavo, printed perfect-bound wraps, 318 pp.(xii + 306). Several full-page b&amp;w cartoons by J.L. Patterson. Very Good; small abrasions at front cover (scan), corners touched, toning to the white background of the rear cover. See scans. Outstanding sci-fi analysis and scholarly critique by Knight, including treatments of Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, A.E. Van Vogt, Theodore Sturgeon, and others. Ships in a new, sturdy, protective box, not a bag. L71

In Search of Wonder

Knight, Damon Francis

United States

SECOND PAPERBACK PRINTING. 1970 Advent trade paperback, Alva Rogers. This is the best-known history of Astounding magazine, produced by someone who was a devoted fan rather than a literary critic. It covers the period from the magazine's pre-Campbell origins up to the transition to Analog in 1960, but with particular emphasis on the "golden age" of the 1940s.

Requiem for Astounding

Rogers, Alva

James Blish (as William Atheling Jr.)

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