Science fiction Grand Master Jack Williamson died on 10 November 2006 at the age of 98. He would be turning 100 this 29 April.
Just in time for his centenary, Scott Edelman reports that Haffner Press is publishing The Worlds of Jack Williamson: A Centennial Tribute (1908-2008), edited by Stephen Haffner, with a foreword by Frederik Pohl, an introduction by James Gunn, and cover art by Vincent Di Fate. The 720-page hardcover (retail price: $40.00) collects some of his classic fiction—as well as several unpublished stories—essays about Williamson’s works, and his master’s thesis.
Williamson is an icon in the field, not only for the enduring quality of his work, but for the sheer longevity of his career. One of the few writers who was able to survive from the pre-Campbell era into the modern era, he holds the singular distinction of having been a working, publishing writer in nine decades: his first sale, “The Metal Man,” appeared in the December 1928 issue of Amazing Stories. His last novel, The Stonehenge Gate (published by Tor in 2005), was serialized in Analog‘s first three issues that year.
Some of Williamson’s awards include:
* Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master in 1976
* Hugo for Best Nonfiction Book (Wonder’s Child: My Life in Science Fiction) in 1985
* Life Achievement World Fantasy Award in 1994
* Living Inductee to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1996
* Life Achievement Stoker Award in 1998
* Hugo for Best Novella (for “The Ultimate Earth”) in 2001
* Nebula for Best Novella (for “The Ultimate Earth”) in 2002
* World Horror Grandmaster Award in 2004
Contents of The Worlds of Jack Williamson include:
Classic Stories:
“Darker Than You Think” (first published in 1940)
“Minus Sign” (1942)
“The Man from Outside” (1951)
Contemporary Stories:
“The Humanoid Universe” (1980)
“The Hole in the World” (1997)
“Afterlife” (2002)
“The Luck of the Legion” (2002)
New Unpublished Stories:
“The Moon Bird” (written in 1929)
“The Forbidden Window”
“The Golden Glass” (1939)
“The Planets are Calling” (1957)
“A Christmas Carol” (2000)
Academic Essays:
“Darker Than He Thought: The Psychoanalysis of Jack Williamson” by Alan C. Elms, PhD
“Tricentennial Century” by Jack Williamson
“Jack Williamson: The Comedy of Cosmic Evolution” by Alfred D. Stewart, PhD
“Queens of Space: Women in the Work of Jack Williamson” by Vicky Medley
“Collecting Jack Williamson: Master of Wonder” by Richard A. Hauptmann
Williamson’s Master’s Thesis:
“A Study of the Sense of Prophecy in Modern Science Fiction” (1957)