Note: Contains extensive 1st edition information on over 1200 authors w/over 2000 pseudonyms identified.

Synopsis: Author Preface: Many influences help to determine the form of a reference book such as this. The final product is the result of a very personal response to those influences. At one point in the compilation of this book I called a well-known book dealer and author in order to check some points in his entry. He was very gracious but at some point in the conversation he asked a very perplexing question, to wit, "Just what is it you are trying to do?" My answer was a rather disjointed set of mumbles, which I an sure left him more perplexed than ever. The answer to the question is, simply put, that I am trying to remove certain irritations. Over the past twenty years I have often read reference books and biographical sketches of authors in which one of the following phrases would appear "well-known in the mystery field under a variety of pseudonyms," or, "a prolific writer who as used a dozen pseudonyms both in an outside the fields of fantasy and science fiction." For years I assumed that a reference book existed which would tell me exactly what books in what fields and under what names a given author had written. As I became a more avid collector, and than a dealer, I acquired more and more reference books related to the field. I found that many books dealt with the writings of authors in the areas of fantasy and science fiction but ignored the works of these authors outside these fields. Conversely, I found a number of reference books that mentioned important writers outside their fields but ignored their works of fantasy or science fiction. The most frustrating books were those that did not completely ignore an author's work in other fields but gave one only a hint of the existence of those works. There books often gave no hints as to how one might discover what these works were or where they had appeared - especially if they had been written pseudonymously. What I have tried to do, then, is to produce a reference book which treats authors who have written fantasy and science fiction hollistacally. If a reader or researcher is interested in an author covered in this book, that author's entry is designed to give information which will open up the entire range of the author's literary output - under whatever name. It seems important to me that a writer of interest be considered not just for his output in one field or even two. Fantasy and science fiction writers have often been varied and prolific in their output. I believe that it is both fascinating and important to present them as complete literary entities. I hope the reader will find my efforts useful and my format congenial. J.A.R. July 1979 From the Back Cover: • A checklist of over 1,200 authors and over 2,000 pseudonyms used in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. • A chronological listing of fantasy and science fiction books published by each author under both pseudonym(s) and real name. • Bibliographic information on over 10,000 1st editions in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. • A checklist of over 3,000 important books written in other fields, both fiction and nonfiction. • A listing of important biographies and bibliographies of fantasy and science fiction authors. • A guide to identification of 1st editions in fantasy and science fiction.