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Highest Ranked Non-Fiction of the 1980s

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Scoring: Wins are worth 50 points, nominations and second places are worth 35 points. For polls, third and lower places are worth (33-poll position) points.
Place Score Year Title Type Authors
1 220 1981 Danse Macabre NONFICTION Stephen King
2 136 1989 Harlan Ellison's Watching NONFICTION Harlan Ellison
3 135 1988 First Maitz: Selected Works by Don Maitz NONFICTION Don Maitz
4 120 1983 The High Kings NONFICTION Joy Chant
5 112 1989 Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Lawrence Sutin
6 109 1982 Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction NONFICTION James E. Gunn
7 100 1988 A Biographical Dictionary of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists NONFICTION Robert Weinberg
8 100 1986 Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction NONFICTION Brian W. Aldiss and David Wingrove
9 85 1989 The World Beyond the Hill: Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence NONFICTION Alexei Panshin and Cory Panshin
10 85 1988 The Motion of Light in Water NONFICTION Samuel R. Delany
11 85 1988
Écrits sur la science-fiction?Ecrits sur la science-fiction
 NONFICTION Norbert Spehner
12 85 1987 Michael Whelan's Works of Wonder NONFICTION Michael Whelan
13 85 1984 J. R. R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion NONFICTION Richard Purtill
14 85 1980 In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978 NONFICTION Isaac Asimov
15 80 1983 Dream Makers, Volume II: The Uncommon Men & Women Who Write Science Fiction NONFICTION Charles Platt
16 80 1980 Cosmos NONFICTION Carl Sagan
17 79 1982 The Engines of the Night: Science Fiction in the Eighties NONFICTION Barry N. Malzberg
18 78 1985 Science Made Stupid NONFICTION Tom Weller
19 78 1984 Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction NONFICTION Jack Williamson
20 73 1988 Horror: 100 Best Books NONFICTION Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
21 70 1989 Owen Barfield on C. S. Lewis NONFICTION Owen Barfield
22 67 1988 Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels NONFICTION David Pringle
23 65 1985 The John W. Campbell Letters, Volume 1 NONFICTION Perry A. Chapdelaine and Tony Chapdelaine and George Hay
24 65 1984 The Faces of Science Fiction NONFICTION Patti Perret
25 65 1981 The Art of Leo & Diane Dillon NONFICTION Diane Dillon and Leo Dillon and Byron Preiss
26 65 1980 Dream Makers: The Uncommon People Who Write Science Fiction NONFICTION Charles Platt
27 63 1986 Only Apparently Real: The World of Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Paul Williams
28 63 1985 The Pale Shadow of Science NONFICTION Brian W. Aldiss
29 63 1981 Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, Second Edition NONFICTION Neil Barron
30 61 1987 Imagination: The Art & Technique of David A. Cherry NONFICTION David A. Cherry
31 60 1988 The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction NONFICTION James E. Gunn
32 59 1989 Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography NONFICTION Arthur C. Clarke
33 59 1989 Dancing at the Edge of the World: Thoughts on Words, Women, Places NONFICTION Ursula K. Le Guin
34 59 1987 Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, Third Edition NONFICTION Neil Barron
35 59 1986 Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Special Effects NONFICTION Thomas G. Smith
36 58 1983 The Guide to Supernatural Fiction NONFICTION Everett F. Bleiler
37 58 1981 The Grand Tour NONFICTION William K. Hartmann and Ron Miller
38 58 1981 After Man NONFICTION Dougal Dixon
39 57 1987 Culture Made Stupid NONFICTION Tom Weller
40 57 1986 Science Fiction in Print: 1985 NONFICTION Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento
41 57 1983 Staying Alive: A Writer's Guide NONFICTION Norman Spinrad
42 56 1985 Faces of Fear: Encounters with the Creators of Modern Horror NONFICTION Douglas E. Winter
43 55 1987 Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror: 1986 NONFICTION Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento
44 55 1987 The Battle of Brazil NONFICTION Jack Mathews
45 54 1985 An Edge in My Voice NONFICTION Harlan Ellison
46 53 1988 Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror: 1987 NONFICTION Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento
47 50 1989
S-F図書解説総目録 1971〜1980年 上?S-Fとしょかいせつそうもくろく 1971〜1980ねん じょう
S-F Tosho Kaisetsu Sōmokuroku 1971-1980-nen Jō
S-F Tosho Kaisetsu Soumokuroku 1971-1980-nen Jou
 NONFICTION
石原藤夫?Fujio Ishihara
48 50 1988
スペース・オペラの書き方―宇宙SF冒険大活劇への試み?Supēsu Opera no Kakikata: Uchū SF Bōken Daikatsugeki he no Kokoromi
Supeesu Opera no Kakikata: Uchuu SF Bouken Daikatsugeki he no Kokoromi
Supēsu Opera no Kakikata: Uchū Esu Efu Bōken Daikatsugeki he no Kokoromi
Supeesu Opera no Kakikata: Uchuu Esu Efu Bouken Daikatsugeki he no Kokoromi
Supēsu Opera no Kakikata: Uchū SF Bōken Daikatsugeki e no Kokoromi
Supeesu Opera no Kakikata: Uchuu SF Bouken Daikatsugeki e no Kokoromi
Supēsu Opera no Kakikata: Uchū Esu Efu Bōken Daikatsugeki e no Kokoromi
Supeesu Opera no Kakikata: Uchuu Esu Efu Bouken Daikatsugeki e no Kokoromi
スペース・オペラのかきかた―うちゅうSFぼうけんだいかつげきへのこころみ
 NONFICTION
野田昌宏?のだまさひろ
Noda Masahiro
49 50 1988 Fictions philosophiques et science-fiction: Récréation philosophique NONFICTION Guy Lardreau
50 50 1988 Frankenstein: mythe et philosophie NONFICTION Jean-Jacques Lecercle
51 50 1988
ウィザードリィ日記?Uizādorii Nikki
Uizaadorii Nikki
 NONFICTION
矢野徹?やのてつ
Yano Tetsu
52 50 1988 Future Magic NONFICTION Robert L. Forward
53 50 1988 NCF Guide to Canadian SF NONFICTION Robert Runté
54 50 1988 Jack: C. S. Lewis and His Times NONFICTION George Sayer
55 50 1987 C. S. Lewis NONFICTION Joe R. Christopher
56 50 1987
快男児 押川春浪?かいだんじ おしかわしゅんろう
Kaidanji: Oshikawa Shunrō
Kaidanji: Oshikawa Shunrou
 NONFICTION
会津信吾?あいずしんご
Aizu Shingo
and
横田順彌?よこたじゅんや
Yokota Junya
Yokota Jun'ya
57 50 1986 Le détroit de Behring NONFICTION
Emmanuel Carrère?Emmanuel Carrere
58 50 1984 La nouvelle science-fiction américaine NONFICTION
Gérard Cordesse?Gerard Cordesse
59 50 1984 Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis: A Study of "Til We Have Faces" NONFICTION Peter J. Schakel
60 50 1984
光世紀の世界?Hikari Seiki no Sekai
 NONFICTION
石原藤夫?Fujio Ishihara
61 50 1983 Companion to Narnia (Second Edition) NONFICTION Paul F. Ford
62 50 1983 Le rayon SF: Catalogue bibliographique de science-fiction, utopies, voyages extraordinaires NONFICTION Henri Delmas and Alain Julian
63 50 1983 Charles Williams: Poet of Theology NONFICTION Glen Cavaliero
64 50 1982 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy Through 1968, Volume 3: Miscellaneous NONFICTION Donald H. Tuck
65 50 1982 The Road to Middle-Earth NONFICTION Tom Shippey
66 49 1981 The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien NONFICTION J. R. R. Tolkien
67 35 1989 Mervyn Peake: The Evolution of a Dark Romantic NONFICTION Tanya Gardiner-Scott
68 35 1989 The Fantasy Art of Stephen Hickman NONFICTION Stephen Hickman
69 35 1989 Frankenstein: ou les délires de la raison NONFICTION Monette Vacquin
70 35 1989 La fin du monde: une histoire sans fin NONFICTION Lucian Boia
71 35 1989 Shaman: The Paintings of Susan Seddon Boulet NONFICTION Susan Seddon Boulet
72 35 1989 American Vampires: Fans, Victims, Practitioners NONFICTION Norine Dresser
73 35 1989 H. P. Lovecraft NONFICTION Peter Cannon
74 35 1988 The Taste of the Pineapple: Essays on C. S. Lewis as Reader, Critic, and Imaginative Writer NONFICTION Bruce L. Edwards
75 35 1988 Horror: A Connoisseur's Guide to Literature and Film NONFICTION Leonard Wolf
76 35 1987 The Last Deadloss Visions NONFICTION Christopher Priest
77 35 1987 Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In NONFICTION Joe Bob Briggs
78 35 1987 The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh: The Films of George A. Romero NONFICTION Paul R. Gagne
79 35 1983 Dark Valley Destiny: The Life of Robert E. Howard NONFICTION Catherine Crook de Camp and L. Sprague de Camp and Jane Whittington Griffin
80 35 1983 Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World NONFICTION Verlyn Flieger
81 35 1983 The Novels of Charles Williams NONFICTION Thomas Howard
82 35 1982 Years of Light: A Celebration of Leslie A. Croutch NONFICTION John Robert Colombo
83 35 1982 The Fantasts: Studies in J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Mervyn Peake, Nikolay Gogol and Kenneth Grahame NONFICTION Edmund Little
84 35 1982 The World of the Dark Crystal NONFICTION Rupert Brown and Brian Froud and J. J. Llewellyn
85 30 1984 Concordance to Cordwainer Smith NONFICTION Anthony R. Lewis
86 30 1984 Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean Bed NONFICTION Harlan Ellison
87 30 1984 The Novels of Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Kim Stanley Robinson
88 30 1982 A Reader's Guide to Fantasy NONFICTION Michael Franklin and Beth Meacham and Baird Searles
89 29 1988 Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King NONFICTION Chuck Miller and Tim Underwood
90 29 1988 H. R. Giger's Biomechanics NONFICTION H. R. Giger
91 29 1985 Benchmarks: Galaxy Bookshelf NONFICTION Algis Budrys
92 29 1984 In the Heart or in the Head: An Essay in Time Travel NONFICTION George Turner
93 29 1984 The Atlas of Pern NONFICTION Karen Wynn Fonstad
94 29 1980 Di Fate's Catalog of Science Fiction Hardware NONFICTION Vincent Di Fate and Beth Meacham and Ian Summers
95 28 1988 Bio of an Ogre: The Autobiography of Piers Anthony NONFICTION Piers Anthony
96 28 1987 Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy NONFICTION Michael Moorcock
97 28 1984 The Dune Encyclopedia NONFICTION Willis E. McNelly
98 28 1983 The Fantastic Art of Rowena NONFICTION Rowena Morrill
99 28 1982 Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King NONFICTION Chuck Miller and Tim Underwood
100 28 1980 Jack Vance NONFICTION Chuck Miller and Tim Underwood
101 28 1980 Warhoon 28 NONFICTION Richard Bergeron
102 27 1989 The 47th World Science Fiction Convention: Noreascon Three NONFICTION Greg Thokar
103 27 1988 Strokes: Essays and Reviews 1966-1986 NONFICTION John Clute
104 27 1985 Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels NONFICTION David Pringle
105 27 1984 Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction NONFICTION David G. Hartwell
106 27 1983 Worlds Beyond: The Art of Chesley Bonestell NONFICTION Frederick C. Durant, III and Ron Miller
107 27 1982 Science Fiction Writers NONFICTION Everett F. Bleiler
108 27 1981 PKD: A Philip K. Dick Bibliography NONFICTION Steven Owen Godersky and Daniel J. H. Levack
109 27 1980 Teaching Science Fiction: Education for Tomorrow NONFICTION Jack Williamson
110 26 1989 Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror: 1988 NONFICTION Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento
111 26 1987 How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction NONFICTION J. N. Williamson
112 26 1985 Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror NONFICTION Everett F. Bleiler
113 26 1984 Castles NONFICTION David Day and David Larkin and Alan Lee
114 26 1983 A Treasury of Great Children's Book Illustrators NONFICTION Susan E. Meyer
115 26 1983 Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander
116 26 1981 The Science Fiction Reference Book NONFICTION Marshall B. Tymn
117 26 1980 Robert A. Heinlein: America as Science Fiction NONFICTION H. Bruce Franklin
118 25 1989 To the High Castle, Philip K. Dick: A Life 1928-1962 NONFICTION Gregg Rickman
119 25 1985 The Atlas of the Land NONFICTION Karen Wynn Fonstad
120 25 1984 A Separate Star NONFICTION Frank Kelly Freas
121 25 1981 The Tanelorn Archives: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography of the Works of Michael Moorcock 1949-1979 NONFICTION Richard Bilyeu
122 24 1988 Women of Vision NONFICTION Denise Du Pont
123 24 1988 The Dark-Haired Girl NONFICTION Philip K. Dick
124 24 1987 Mind in Motion: The Fiction of Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Patricia S. Warrick
125 24 1986 Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers, Second Edition NONFICTION Curtis C. Smith
126 24 1984 Philip K. Dick: In His Own Words NONFICTION Philip K. Dick and Gregg Rickman
127 24 1982 Leigh Brackett, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography NONFICTION Rosemarie Arbur
128 24 1981 Creating Short Fiction NONFICTION Damon Knight
129 23 1987 The Tale That Wags the God NONFICTION James Blish
130 23 1985 Lightship NONFICTION Jim Burns and Christopher Evans
131 23 1984 Starboard Wine NONFICTION Samuel R. Delany
132 23 1981 Virgil Finlay Remembered: The Seventh Book of Virgil Finlay NONFICTION Gerry de la Ree and Virgil Finlay
133 23 1980 Unbuilding NONFICTION David Macaulay
134 22 1989 The Way to Ground Zero NONFICTION M. A. Bartter
135 22 1987 Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard NONFICTION Russell Miller
136 22 1987 Foundations of Science Fiction: A Study in Imagination and Evolution NONFICTION John J. Pierce
137 22 1985 A. Merritt: Reflections in the Moon Pool NONFICTION A. Merritt and Sam Moskowitz
138 22 1985 H. R. Giger's Necronomicon 2 NONFICTION H. R. Giger
139 22 1982 Critical Encounters II: Writers and Themes in Science Fiction NONFICTION Tom Staicar
140 22 1981 Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers NONFICTION Curtis C. Smith
141 22 1980 The Science Fictionary NONFICTION Ed Naha
142 21 1989 Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation NONFICTION Charles Solomon
143 21 1987 Imprisoned in a Tesseract: The Life and Work of James Blish NONFICTION David Ketterer
144 21 1985 Microworlds: Writings on Science Fiction and Fantasy NONFICTION
Stanisław Lem?Stanislaw Lem
145 21 1985 Inside Outer Space: Science Fiction Professionals Look at Their Craft NONFICTION Sharon Jarvis
146 21 1984 The Science Fiction Source Book NONFICTION David Wingrove
147 21 1981 Earthwatch NONFICTION Charles Sheffield
148 21 1980 The Sixth Book of Virgil Finlay: The Astrology Years NONFICTION Gerry de la Ree and Virgil Finlay
149 20 1989 When World Views Collide NONFICTION John J. Pierce
150 20 1988 Fantasy: The 100 Best Books NONFICTION James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock
151 20 1987 The Maker of Dune: Insights of a Master of Science Fiction NONFICTION Frank Herbert and Tim O'Reilly
152 20 1986 ... And the Lurid Glare of the Comet NONFICTION Brian W. Aldiss
153 20 1983 The Entropy Exhibition: Michael Moorcock and the British 'New Wave' in Science Fiction NONFICTION Colin Greenland
154 20 1981 Horror Literature: A Core Collection and Reference Guide NONFICTION Marshall B. Tymn
155 20 1980 History of the Movement, from 1854 to 1890 NONFICTION Sam Moskowitz
156 19 1988 Philip K. Dick NONFICTION Douglas A. Mackey
157 19 1987 Robert A. Heinlein NONFICTION Leon E. Stover
158 19 1986 Hard Science Fiction NONFICTION Eric S. Rabkin and George E. Slusser
159 19 1981 Fantastic Lives: Autobiographical Essays by Notable Science Fiction Writers NONFICTION Martin H. Greenberg
160 18 1988 In the Chinks of the World Machine NONFICTION Sarah LeFanu
161 18 1986 Galaxy Magazine: The Dark and the Light Years NONFICTION David L. Rosheim
162 18 1984 Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America NONFICTION Kenneth C. Davis
163 18 1981 Twentieth-Century American Science Fiction Writers NONFICTION David Cowart and Thomas L. Wymer
164 18 1980 The Cybernetic Imagination in Science Fiction NONFICTION Patricia S. Warrick
165 17 1988 A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes NONFICTION Stephen Hawking
166 17 1986 Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomburg NONFICTION Jon Gustafson and Alex Schomburg
167 17 1981 H. P. Lovecraft and Lovecraft Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography NONFICTION S. T. Joshi
168 16 1981 Index to the Science Fiction Magazines: 1980 NONFICTION Jerry Boyajian and Kenneth R. Johnson
169 15 1988 Dune Master: A Frank Herbert Bibliography NONFICTION Daniel J. H. Levack and Mark Willard
170 15 1981 The Dinosaurs NONFICTION William Service and William Stout
171 13 1981 A Reference Guide to American Science Fiction Films NONFICTION Forrest J. Ackerman and A. W. Strickland
172 12 1981 Index to the Science Fiction Magazines: 1979 NONFICTION Jerry Boyajian and Kenneth R. Johnson
173 1 1982 Right Where You Are Sitting Now NONFICTION Robert Anton Wilson
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