Donald A. Wollheim

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Donald A. Wollheim
Born October 1, 1914(1914-10-01)
New York City, New York
Died November 2, 1990 (aged 76)
New York City, New York
Pen name David Grinnell, Arthur Cooke, Millard Verne Gordon, Martin Pearson, Braxton Wells, Graham Conway, and Lawrence Woods.
Occupation Publisher, novelist, short story author, essayist
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy

Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.[1]

A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.[1]

Contents

[edit] Wollheim as fan

In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."

Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction.[2] When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.

[edit] Wollheim as author

Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories[3] when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild.[4] Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid.[5]

[edit] Wollheim as editor and publisher

He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books, and in 1953 introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup.[1] Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.[citation needed]

In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. [6] However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. [7][8] In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.[9]

After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house.[1] In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual content, Wollheim fought vigorously against their decision and they relented.

He also published a popular "Best of the Year" anthology that lasted from 1965 until his death in 1990 (although from 1965 to 1970, he co-edited it with Terry Carr. From 1971 to 1990, Wollheim co-edited it with Arthur W. Saha).

[edit] Selected bibliography

[edit] Anthology series

  • World's Best Science Fiction, 1965-1971 (with Terry Carr)
  • The Annual World's Best SF, 1972-1990 (1972-1976 with Arthur Saha)

[edit] Novels

  • Across Time (as David Grinnell)
  • Destination Saturn (as David Grinnell)
  • Destiny's Orbit (as David Grinnell)
  • The Edge of Time (as David Grinnell)
  • The Martian Missile (as David Grinnell)
  • Secret of the Martian Moons (Winston Science Fiction series)
  • Mike Mars and the Mystery Satellite
  • Mike Mars Around the Moon
  • Mike Mars, Astronaut
  • Mike Mars at Cape Canaveral
  • Mike Mars Flies the Dyna-Soar
  • Mike Mars Flies the X-15
  • Mike Mars, South Pole Spaceman
  • The Secret of The Ninth Planet (Winston Science Fiction series)
  • One Against the Moon
  • The Secret of Saturn's Rings (Winston Science Fiction series)
  • To Venus! To Venus! (as David Grinnell)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Smith, Curtis C. (1981). Twentieth Century Science Fiction Writers. New York: St. Martin's, 596-598. ISBN 0312824203. 
  2. ^ Knight, Damon (1977). The Futurians. New York: John Day. ISBN 0381982882. 
  3. ^ Silver, Steven H. Debut Science Fiction. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
  4. ^ Speer, Jack (1939). Up to Now. Full-Length Articles. 
  5. ^ Davin, Eric Leif (1999). Pioneers of Wonder. New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 1573927023. 
  6. ^ Locus, June 2006 - Betsy Wollheim Interview
  7. ^ Reynolds, Pat (2004). The Lord of the Rings: The Tale of a Text. Retrieved on 10 May, 2006.
  8. ^ Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981), The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, especially #270, #273 and #277, ISBN 0-395-31555-7 
  9. ^ Eisen, Durwood & Co. v. Christopher R. Tolkien et al., 794 F. Supp. 85, 23 U.S.P.Q.2d 1150 (S.D.N.Y. 1992), affirmed without opinion, 990 F.2d 623 (2nd Cir. 1993)

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