 | |
| Author | Everett F. Bleiler,Richard Bleiler |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Genre | Reference book |
| Publisher | Kent State University Press |
Publication date | 12 December 1990 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 1024 |
| Awards | Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction |
| ISBN | 0-87338-416-4 |
| Preceded by | The Guide to Supernatural Fiction (1983) |
| Followed by | Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years (1998) |
Science-Fiction: The Early Years is an Americanreference book onearly science fiction of all countries up until 1930, published byKent State University Press. The book catalogues over 3000 science fiction works, many of which are very rare and have never been described before.[1] The included works arenovels,novelettes,short stories and occasionalplays. Severalindexes are included: motif and theme index, date index, magazine index, title index and author index. The book received theLocus Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1992.[1]
The book's foreword acknowledges the difficulty of selecting both the initial and terminal date; the authors regardJohannes Kepler'sSomnium (1634) as the first story "that could indisputably be called science-fiction". The year 1930 was chosen as the least objectionable of several possible terminal dates, being the point at whichgenre magazines became widely available in the United States. The book's catalogue is not regarded as complete, as at least two unimportant omissions have been noted (Garret Smith's "You've Killed Privacy!" andDonn Byrne's "Through 'HELL' to Peace").[2]
John Clute, writing inThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, commented that Bleiler's suite of reference works consisting ofThe Guide to Supernatural Fiction (1983),Science-Fiction: The Early Years (1990), andScience-Fiction: The Gernsback Years (1998) "stands as a central resource for the study of sf books" alongside the works of authors such asNeil Barron (author ofAnatomy of Wonder) andDonald H. Tuck (author ofThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy). Clute also wrote that all three works are characterized both by extraordinary scope and extraordinary thoroughness.[3]
The book won theLocus Award for Best Non-fiction in 1992.[4]