HARTWELL, David G(eddes)

(1941-)

   US editor, publisher and critic, with a PhD from Columbia in Comparative Medieval Literature. His first publication of genre interest is SF-I: A Selective Bibliography (1971 chap) with L.W. CURREY, both writing as Kilgore TROUT; he also assisted Currey in the latter's seminal Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: a Bibliography of First Printings oftheir Fiction and Selected Nonfiction(1979). He published and edited The Little Magazine (1965-88), a literary magazine, and since 1988 has beenreviews editor of The NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION , published by Dragon Press, the SMALL PRESS of which he was partner 1973-8 and is nowproprietor. He edited the short-lived COSMOS SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY MAGAZINE 1977-8.His substantial influence in the sf world has been mainly,however, as an editor and/or advisor for various commercial sf publishers, including Signet (1971-3), Berkley/Putnam (1973-8), GREGG PRESS (1975-86) - an academic publisher of important sf reprints - Pocket Books/Simon \&Schuster (1978-83), where he was responsible for their important TIMESCAPE BOOKS sf imprint, TOR BOOKS (1984-current), where he is consulting sf editor, Arbor House (1984-8) and William Morrow (1988-91). His career - a tightrope walk - testifies to the difficulties DGH has partly conquered in reconciling the conflicting demands of art and commerce, especially during his tenure with Pocket Books' Timescape programme, where he published many distinguished titles, including Gene WOLFE's Book of the New Sun tetralogy (1980-3).The anthologies DGH has edited include: The Battle of theMonsters and Other Stories (anth 1976) with L.W. CURREY, 19th-century sf; the Christmas sequence of ghost and other supernatural stories, comprisingChristmas Ghosts (anth 1987) with Kathryn CRAMER, Spirits of Christmas (anth 1989) with Cramer, Christmas Stars(anth 1992), ChristmasForever (anth 1993) and Christmas Magic(anth 1994) The Dark Descent (anth 1987; vt in 3 vols , The Dark Descent \#1: The Colour of Evil 1990 UK; \#2: The Medusa in the Shield 1990 UK and \#3: A Fabulous, Formless Darkness 1991 UK), horror stories; Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment (anth 1988) and Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder (anth 1989), both with Cramer; The World Treasury of Science Fiction (anth 1989); Foundations of Fear: an Exploration of Horror (anth 1992), The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard Science Fiction (anth 1994) with Cramer, which contains intriguingly contrasting definitions of HARD SF in the editors' comments and in the introduction by Gregory BENFORD; and Northern Stars: The Anthology of Canadian Science Fiction (anth 1994; exp 1985) with GlennGrant. DGH won a World Fantasy AWARD in the Special Award/Professional category in 1988, and has 7 times been nominated for a HUGO as Best Editor. He has written a number of critical essays on sf; and his Age ofWonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction (1984) is wide-ranging, informal and anecdotal, treating sf and FANDOM as both a literary and a sociological phenomenon.

   PN

   See also: PHILIP K. DICK AWARD.