Advent:Publishers is an American publishing house. It was founded by

Earl Kemp Earl Kemp (November 24, 1929February 29, 2020) (Born Finis Earl Kemp.) was an American publisher, science fiction editor, critic, and fan who won a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine in 1961 for ''Who Killed Science Fiction'', a collection of questions ...

and other members of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

Science Fiction Club, including

Sidney Coleman Sidney Richard Coleman (7 March 1937 – 18 November 2007) was an American theoretical physicist noted for his research in high-energy theoretical physics. Life and work Sidney Coleman grew up on the Far North Side of Chicago. In 1957, h ...

, in 1955, to publish criticism, history, and bibliography of the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

field, beginning with

Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of "To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind th ...

's ''

In Search of Wonder ''In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction'' is a collection of critical essays by American writer Damon Knight. Most of the material in the original version of the book was originally published between 1952 and 1955 in various scienc ...

''. With books like ''In Search of Wonder'' and

James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case of Conscienc ...

's ''The Issue at Hand'', Advent became the genre's first scholarly publisher.

Authors

Authors in the field who have either written or edited Advent books, or been the subject of an Advent book, include: * Cy Chauvin * Reginald Bretnor *

Theodore Cogswell Theodore Rose Cogswell (March 10, 1918 – February 3, 1987) was an American science fiction author. Profile During the Spanish Civil War, Cogswell served as an ambulance driver for the Republicans as part of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. His ear ...

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

Cyril Kornbluth Cyril M. Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the Futurians. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, ...

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...

* Howard DeVore *

E. E. Smith Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 – August 31, 1965), publishing as E. E. Smith, Ph.D. and later as E. E. "Doc" Smith, was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and science-fiction author, best known for the '' ...

* Ron Ellik *

Lloyd Arthur Eshbach Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (June 20, 1910 – October 29, 2003) was an American science fiction fan, publisher and writer, secular and religious publisher, and minister. Biography Born in Palm, Pennsylvania, Eshbach grew up in Reading in the sa ...

Alexei Panshin Alexei Panshin (August 14, 1940 – August 21, 2022) was an American writer and science fiction critic. He wrote several critical works and several novels, including the 1968 Nebula Award–winning novel ''Rite of Passage''Nicholls 1979, p. 447 ...

Donald H. Tuck Donald Henry Tuck (3 December 1922 – 11 October 2010) was an Australian bibliographer of science fiction, fantasy and weird fiction. His works were "among the most extensive produced since the pioneering work of Everett F. Bleiler."

Harry Warner Jr Harry Warner Jr. (December 19, 1922 – February 17, 2003) was an American journalist. He spent 40 years working for the Hagerstown, Maryland, '' Herald-Mail''. He was also an important science fiction fan and historian of fandom and Washi ...

Footnotes on First Beginnings: Advent & the UofCSF Club…

“After exchanging a few letters with Mari Wolf (who was conducting “Fandora’s Box” for

William Hamling William Hamling (10 August 1912 – 20 March 1975) was a British Labour Party politician. Hamling was educated at Liverpool University and was a signals officer in the Royal Marines during World War II. Hamling contested Southport in 1945, ...

’s ''

Imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

''), she insisted upon connecting me with local

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

active fan Ed Wood. In fear and trepidation, at her insistence and by prearrangement, I went to meet the exalted co-editor of the ''Journal of Science Fiction''.”—Earl Kemp And then Ed Wood introduced

to the

Science Fiction Club, and a publishing legend was begun.''The Anthem Series'' by Earl Terry Kemp, The Last Stand, 2012, pages 423-456. Evan H. Appelman was the president of the UofCSF Club when

joined in 1950. Originally sponsored by a university professor, the club had been in existence a number of years prior to then when Kemp became a member. Appelman and Kemp hit it off really good, and Appelman picked him and encouraged him to become president when he retired (graduated). He further set it up so that Kemp could do so for public consumption, but internally Rick Pararie, a student, was alleged president. Things continued with the full support of the university without a bobble even with Kemp in charge. George Price, also not a student was the president after his term expired. Edward Wood (28 April 1926 – 1995) was one of the original five co-founders of Advent:Publishers which was formed October 24, 1955 by Chicago fans

, Edward Wood (deceased),

(deceased 2007), Robert E. Briney (deceased 2011), and Jon Stopa. It was initially formed for only one purpose, to publish the

book that became ''

'' (originally titled ''Rx Science Fiction''). Collectors should note that a “secret” printing run of 100 brown paperbacks copies of ''

'' were published as a market test. They sold out immediately. Robert E

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Briney, Jr. (2 Dec. 1933-25 Nov. 2011) was a noted science fiction and mystery fan, and was a founding member of Advent:Publishers, Inc. He graduated from high school in 1951. By 1961 he had earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

In 1968 Briney joined the faculty of Salem State College as a professor of mathematics and in 1977 founded Salem State's Computer Science Department. His early period as a fan of science fiction was highlighted by the self-publication of ''Shanadu'' (SSR Pubs., Tonawanda, 1953, 101 pp., $1.50), an anthology containing three stories: "Quest of the Veil," by Thomas Eugene DeWeese, “The Fire- Born,” by Toby Duane (pseudonym of W. Paul Ganley—a founding member, along with

Ken Krueger Ken Krueger (October 7, 1926 – November 21, 2009) was an American publisher and retailer. Krueger co-founded and organized the first San Diego Comic-Con International convention, then called "San Diego's Golden State Comic-Con," in 1970. Krueger ...

, of the Buffalo Fantasy League), and “The Black Tower,” by Brian J. McNaughton & Andrew Duane (pseudonym of R.E. Briney). Upon Briney's departure from SSR Pubs. (Snappy Space Rocket Publications), all titles and rights passed to

, publisher of Shroud: Publishers. Due to their initial success with ''

'', now confident in their efforts, the group continued with their publishing organization for over sixty years. Among some of their noteworthy works, Ed Wood, together with fellow Advent co-owner, Bob Briney, compiled ''SF Bibliographies: An Annotated Bibliography of Bibliographical Works on Science Fiction and Fantasy Fiction'' (Advent:Publishers, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1972, 49 pp., $1.95). On May 25, 1957, Advent:Publishers incorporated, Jim O’Meara and George Price were added as two additional partners. Equal shares were sold to finance the initial, and later, offerings and continued to pay a percentage annually. (Of note: Officially, there is no space band following the colon.) Among the various partners,

was the original driving force, selecting works for publication. George Price, another partner added on in 1957, became the typesetter, following

who typeset the first Advent productions and was instrumental in orchestrating the production of the brilliant

Frank Kelly Freas Frank Kelly Freas (August 27, 1922 – January 2, 2005) was an American science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the second artist inducted by ...

portfolio. Ed Wood was the editorial director, consulting with the various writers over content and motivating them to deliver the works on time, as promised.

acted as treasurer in the early years. Jon Stopa did the original book design. Bob Briney and James O’Meara (another partner added in 1957) acted as silent partners. Advent began with a more general program including nonfiction, an art portfolio, and an anthology. Their first, and only, anthology, by fellow Chicagoan Ted Dikty and a partner at

Shasta Publishers Shasta Publishers was a science fiction and fantasy small press specialty publishing house founded in 1947 by Erle Melvin Korshak, T. E. Dikty, and Mark Reinsberg, who were all science fiction fans from the Chicago area. The name of the press was ...

, which continued a series originated at Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc. but done for the mass market instead—and recently discontinued by that mass market publisher ( Doubleday )—was terminated after only one book when Dikty, not long out of Shasta, demanded a full share of Advent, and according to Advent, editorial control. Dikty denied the later but pointed out at the time that his anthology was selling, even better and faster than any of the early ones he had done with

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

, even to the Doubleday SF Book Club, and clearly could carry the line, so he believed a share wasn't out of the question. The partners saw it differently, and decided to drop Dikty, and stick from that point on to the one thing they could all agree on: nonfiction about the science fiction and fantasy field. This turn of events, while unplanned, oddly insured their long-term survival. According to the rules of incorporation, which required corporate offices and records be maintained in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, in 1965 when

left

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to follow

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

as Vice President of

Greenleaf Classics William Lawrence Hamling (June 14, 1921 – June 29, 2017) was an American writer, science fiction fan, and publisher of both science fiction digests, and adult magazines and books, active from the late 1930s until 1975. He was a lifelong me ...

, the position of manager of Advent passed to George Price, the only legal resident of

. Under his excellent and firm control, Advent outlasted all the other original specialty publishers of the post-WWII era and remained in the hands of all the original partners for the next fifty years. Price continued to do the typesetting and cover design. Ed Wood not only did the editorial work but also took care of the shipping end, keeping some stock handy while the rest was stored at their printers, Malloy Printing and Lithography in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, and shipped out in cartons as sales warranted. Among several high-points, Advent also generated controversy with their publication of

’s critical work of

. ''Heinlein in Dimension'' (Advent:Publishers, Inc., 1968, x/198, $6.00) was the first in-depth look at the work of Grandmaster Heinlein’s till then unquestioned mastery of the genre. Heinlein was so upset when he heard about the pending publication he personally threatened

, and Advent, with a lawsuit unless they desisted. Heinlein never sued either. But with the insistence of George Price, the Advent Boys pulled together, and published Panshin’s masterwork. Heinlein remained bitter, forever cutting off longtime friend

from his once close connection, and cutting Panshin by turning his back to him, and refusing to shake his hand in peer recognition. Panshin's own views on the matter can be found on his website ''The Abyss of Wonder''. In 2001 Advent:Publishers, breaking with their nearly fifty year tradition of only printing works of non-fiction, printed the last of

E.E. Smith Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 – August 31, 1965), publishing as E. E. Smith, Ph.D. and later as E. E. "Doc" Smith, was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and science-fiction author, best known for the ' ...

’s unpublished fiction works: ''Have Trenchcoat—Will Travel, and Others: A novel of suspense, and three short stories'' (Advent:Publishers, Inc.,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, IL, 2001, 274 pp., $20.00). From the Advent:Publishers advertising blurb: This book is not science fiction. The disclaimer is necessary because the late Edward Elmer “Doc” Smith made his literary name in writing science fiction. He was one of the earliest writers of interstellar and intergalactic adventure stories, fondly referred to as “space opera.” His ''Skylark'' novels began to appear in the science fiction magazines in 1928, followed by his epic ''Lensman'' series starting in 1937. Doc's literary estate has now released to Advent the four stories that make up this book; they have never before been published. So far as we know, these are Doc's only stories that are not science fiction or fantasy. Advent usually publishes only non-fiction related to science fiction, such as criticism or bibliography; we are bringing out this book primarily because of its associational interest to Doc Smith's many fans.''Rog Phillips' The Club House'' by Rog Phillips, The Last Stand, 2012, pages 493-494. In 2014, Advent was sold and acquired by ReAnimus Press, which has continued to publish new Advent titles and republish the existing titles.

Works published by Advent:Publishers

* ''

'', by

(1956) * ''Frank Kelly Freas: A Portfolio'', by

(1957) * '' The Best Science Fiction Stories and Novels: Ninth Series'', edited by T. E. Dikty (1958) * ''The Science Fiction Novel'', edited by

(1959) * ''Some Notes on Xi Bootis'', by

Hal Clement Harry Clement Stubbs (May 30, 1922 – October 29, 2003), better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre. He also painted astronomically oriented artworks under ...

(1960) * ''The Eighth Stage of Fandom'', by

(1962) * ''The Proceedings: CHICON III'', edited by

(1963) * ''The Proceedings: DISCON'', edited by Richard Eney (1964) * ''A Requiem For Astounding'', by Alva Rogers (1964) * '' Of Worlds Beyond'', edited by

(1964) * ''The Issue at Hand'', by William Atheling, Jr. (1964) * ''The Universes of E. E. Smith'', by Ron Ellik and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

(1966) * ''Heinlein in Dimension'', by

(1968) * ''All Our Yesterdays'', by Harry Warner, Jr. (1969) * ''More Issues at Hand'', by William Atheling, Jr. (1970) * ''SF Bibliographies'', by Robert E. Briney and Edward Wood (1972) * ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' (sometimes named ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy through 1968'') is a three volume reference work on science fiction and fantasy, edited by Donald H. Tuck and published by Advent. ...

, Volume 1'', compiled by

(1974) * ''SF in Dimension'', by

and

Cory Panshin Cory Panshin (born 1947) is an American science fiction critic and writer. She often writes in collaboration with her husband, Alexei Panshin (1940–2022). The Panshins won the Hugo award for Best Non-Fiction Book in 1990 for ''The World Beyo ...

(1976) * ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 2'', compiled by

(1978) * ''Modern Science Fiction'', edited by Reginald Bretnor (1979) * ''

Footprints on Sand ''Footprints on Sand: a Literary Sampler'' is a 1981 collection of writings by science fiction authors L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp, illustrated by C. H. Burnett, published by Advent. The collection was compiled to celebrate th ...

'', by

and Catherine Crook de Camp (1981) * ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 3'', compiled by

(1982) (

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

winner) * ''Galaxy Magazine: The Dark and the Light Years'', by David L. Rosheim (1986) * ''The Tale That Wags the God'', by

(1987) * ''PITFCS: Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies'', edited by Theodore R. Cogswell (1992) (

nominee) * ''The Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards'', by Howard DeVore (1998) (

nominee) * ''Have Trenchcoat—Will Travel'', by Edward E. Smith (2001) * ''Heinlein's Children'', by Joseph T. Major (2006) (

nominee) * ''Sense of Wonder'', by

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American people, American science fiction author and editing, editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of ...

(2018) * ''Being Gardner Dozois'', by

Michael Swanwick Michael Swanwick (born 18 November 1950) is an American fantasy and science fiction author who began publishing in the early 1980s. Writing career Swanwick's fiction writing began with short stories, starting in 1980 when he published "Ginungagap ...

(2018) * ''The Reading Protocols of Science Fiction: Discourses on Reading SF'', by

James E. Gunn James Edwin Gunn (July 12, 1923 – December 23, 2020) was an American science fiction writer, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work as an editor of anthologies includes the six-volume ''The Road to Science Fiction, Road to Science Ficti ...

and Michael R. Page (2021)

References

{{reflist

External links

The Advent:Publishers web site1955 Advent:uring Through the Years 2005
by George Price

American speculative fiction publishers Science fiction organizations Publishing companies established in 1956 Book publishing companies based in Illinois Small press publishing companies Science fiction publishers 1956 establishments in Illinois