The Worlds of Jack Williamson
Edited by Stephen Haffner
Foreword by Frederik Pohl
Introduction by James Gunn
Cover Art by Vincent Di Fate
ISBN-13 9781893887299
720-page Hardcover
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The Worlds of Jack Williamson celebrates the 100th birthday of one of the Grand Masters of science fiction. While Jack Williamson passed away in 2006 at the age of 98, his incredible body of work continues to be enjoyed by legions of fans and admirers.
Assembled in this centennial tribute are several unpublished stories: “The Moon Bird,” “The Forbidden Window,” “The Golden Glass,” and a film treatment from 1957, “The Planets are Calling.” Also included are several classics in the Williamson canon such as the original novella-length version of Darker Than You Think; “Minus Sign,” an unreprinted seetee story of anti-matter and terraforming; and a tale with the first use of psionics, “The Man from Outside.” Contemporary stories include “The Hole in the World,” “Afterlife,” and “The Luck of the Legion,” the last Legion of Space adventure.
Included are four essays from academics and scholars who have studied Williamson s works, as well as Dr. Williamson s 1957 Master’s Thesis, “A Study of the Sense of Prophecy in Modern Science Fiction.” Fellow Grand Masters of science fiction Frederik Pohl and James Gunn provide introductory remarks on reading, knowing, collaborating with, and admiring Jack Williamson.
"Jack" by Frederik Pohl
"Worlds of Jack Williamson" by James Gunn
*"The Moon Bird" (1929)
*"The Forbidden Window" (19??)
*"The Golden Glass" (1939)
**"Darker Than You Think" (1940)
"Darker Than He Thought: The Psychoanalysis of Jack Williamson" by Alan C. Elms, PhD
**"Minus Sign" (1942)
"The Man from Outside" (1951)
**"A Study of the Sense of Prophecy in Modern Science Fiction" (1957)
*"The Planets are Calling" (1957)
"Jack Williamson: The Comedy of Cosmic Evolution" by Alfred D. Stewart, PhD
*"Tricentennial Century" (1975-1976)
**"The Humanoid Universe" (1980)
**"The Hole in the World" (1997)
"Afterlife" (2002)
**"The Luck of the Legion" (2002)
**"A Chrismas Carol" (2000)
"Queens of Space: Women in the work of Jack Williamson" by Vicky Medley (2003)
"Collecting Jack Williamson: Master of Wonder" by Richard A. Hauptmann (2004)
*First Publication
**First Book Appearance
Haffner Press' THE WORLDS OF JACK WILLIAMSON is a massive, handsomely made book that is a centennial tribute to the writer Arthur C. Clarke put on a level with both Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. The book is also a tribute to science fiction and fantasy as well, because by the time he passed away at age 98 in 2006, Williamson’s history was the field’s history.
He did everything from the Gernsbackian “scientifiction” of the 1930s to comic strips to juveniles to adult novels that set standards for decades to come. Here you’ll find one of his swashbuckling “Legion of Space” tales; “Afterlife,” an example of his more thoughtful and elegant work; and, my favorite, the short novel version of “Darker Than You Think,” a stunning dark fantasy later turned into the novel of the same name – one that’s as strange and compelling as it was back in the 1940s.
With essays on aspects of Williamson’s work, and appreciations by Fredrik Pohl and James Gunn, this book is a graduate course in the history of science fiction. And a great read as well.
—Ed Gorman, author of Fast Track and Fools Rush In
Several unpublished stories, several classics from the man, and several essays on his life's work.
Two years ago, one of the greatest writers in science fiction passed away. "The Worlds of Jack Williamson: A Centennial Tribute" celebrates his would be one hundredth birthday by celebrating the ninety eight years of contributions to the genre of Science fiction. Consisting of several unpublished stories, several classics from the man, and several essays on his life's work. With nearly seven hundred pages of science fiction goodness, "The Worlds of Jack Williamson: A Centennial Tribute" is highly recommended to any science fiction fan or for community library literature collections.
—Midwest BookReview, June 14, 2008
