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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 Conscience'' won the Hugo Award. He is credited with creating the term " gas giant" to refer to large planetary bodies. Blish was a member of the Futurians. His first published stories appeared in '' Super Science Stories'' and '' Amazing Stories''. Blish wrote
literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
of science fiction using the
pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...
William Atheling Jr. His other pen names included Donald Laverty, John MacDougal, and Arthur Lloyd Merlyn.


Life

Blish was born on May 23, 1921, at
East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...
. While in high school, Blish self-published a
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
, called ''The Planeteer'', using a hectograph. The fanzine ran for six issues. Blish attended meetings of the Futurian Science Fiction Society in New York City during this period. Futurian members Damon Knight and Cyril M. Kornbluth became close friends. However, Blish's relationships with other members were often bitter. A personal target was fellow member Judith Merril, with whom he would debate politics. Merril would frequently dismiss Blish's self-description of being a "paper fascist". She wrote in ''Better to Have Loved'' (2002), "Of course
lish Lish ( fa, ليش, also Romanized as Līsh) is a village in Tutaki Rural District, in the Central District of Siahkal County, Gilan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a cou ...
was not fascist, antisemitic, or any of those terrible things, but every time he used the phrase, I saw red." Blish studied
microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...
at Rutgers University, graduating in 1942. He was drafted into Army service, and he served briefly as a medical laboratory technician. The United States Army discharged him for refusing orders to clean a grease trap in 1944. Following discharge, Blish entered Columbia University as a masters student of zoology. He did not complete the program, opting to write fiction full-time. In 1947, he married Virginia Kidd, a fellow Futurian. They divorced in 1963. Blish then married artist J. A. Lawrence in 1964, moving to England that same year. From 1962 to 1968, Blish worked for the Tobacco Institute as a writer and critic. Much of his work for the institute went uncredited. Blish died on July 30, 1975 from complications related to lung cancer. He was buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford. The
Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
at Oxford is the custodian of Blish's papers. The library also has a complete catalog of Blish's published works.


Career

Throughout the 1940s, Blish published most of his stories in the few pulp magazines still in circulation. His first story was sold to fellow Futurian
Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...
for '' Super Science Stories'' (1940), called "Emergency Refueling". Other stories were published intermittently, but with little circulation. Blish's "Chaos, Co-Ordinated", co-written with
Robert A. W. Lowndes Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes (September 4, 1916 – July 14, 1998) was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of ''Future Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction'', and ''Science Fiction Quarterly ...
, was sold to ''
Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'', appearing in the October 1946 issue, earning Blish national circulation for the first time.


Pantropy (1942–1956)

Blish was what Andrew Litpack called a "practical writer". He would revisit, revise, and often expand on previously written stories. An example is "Sunken Universe" published in '' Super Science Stories'' in 1942. The story reappeared in '' Galaxy Science Fiction'' as "Surface Tension", in an altered form in 1952. The premise emphasized Blish's understanding of microbiology, and featured microscopic humans engineered to live on a hostile planet's shallow pools of water. The story proved to be among Blish's more popular and was anthologized in the first volume of Robert Silverberg '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame''. It was also anthologized in '' The Big Book of Science Fiction'' (2016), edited by Ann and
Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. The tr ...
. The world of microscopic humans continued in "The Thing in the Attic" in 1954, and "Watershed" the following year. The fourth entry, "A Time to Survive", was published by '' The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in 1957. The stories were collected, edited together, and published as the fix-up ''The Seedling Stars'' (1956), by Gnome Press.
John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...
said of all of Blish's "deeply felt work" explored "confronting the
Faustian Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroad ...
(or
Frankensteinian ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
) man".


''Cities in Flight'' (1950–1958)

'' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' asserts that it was not until the 1950s, and the Okie sequence of stories beginning their run, "did it become clear
lish Lish ( fa, ليش, also Romanized as Līsh) is a village in Tutaki Rural District, in the Central District of Siahkal County, Gilan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a cou ...
would become a cience fictionwriter of unusual depth". The stories were loosely based on the Okie migration following the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and were influenced by Oswald Spengler's two-part '' Der Untergang des Abendlandes'' (''The Decline of the West'')''.'' The stories detail the life of the Okies, humans who migrate throughout space looking for work in vast city-ships, powered by spindizzies, a type of anti-gravity engine. The premise and plot reflected Blish's feelings on the state of western civilization, and his personal politics. The first two stories, "Okie", and "Bindlestiff", were published in 1950, by ''Astounding''. "Sargasso of Lost Cities" appeared in ''Two Complete Science-Adventure Books'' in April 1953. "Earthman, Come Home" followed a few months later, published by ''Astounding''. In 1955, Blish collected the four stories together into an omnibus titled ''Earthman, Come Home'', published by Putnam. More stories followed: In 1956, ''They Shall Have Stars'', which edited together "Bridge" and "At Death’s End", and in 1958, Blish published ''The Triumph of Time''. Four years later, he published a new Okies novel, ''A Life for the Stars''. The Okies sequence was edited together and published as ''Cities In Flight'' (1970). Clute notes, "the brilliance of ''Cities in Flight'' does not lie in the assemblage of its parts, but in the momentum of the ideas embodied in it (albeit sometimes obscurely)."


''After Such Knowledge'' (1958–1971)

Blish continued to rework older stories, and did so for one of his best known works, '' A Case of Conscience'' (1958). The novel originated as a novella, originally published in an issue of '' If'', in 1953. The story follows a Jesuit priest, Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez, who visits the planet Lithia as a technical member of an expedition. While on the planet they discover a race of bipedal reptilians that have perfected morality in what Ruiz-Sanchez says is "the absence of God", and theological complications ensue. The book is one of the first major works in the genre to explore religion and its implications. It was the first of a series including '' Doctor Mirabilis'' (1964) and the two-part story '' Black Easter'' (1968), and '' The Day After Judgment'' (1971). The latter two were collected as ''The Devil's Day'' (1980). An omnibus of all four entries in the series was published by Legend in 1991, titled ''After Such Knowledge''. ''A Case of Conscience'' won the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was collected as part of Library of America’s omnibus ''American Science Fiction: Five Classic Novels 1956-1958''.


''Star Trek'' (1967–1977)

Bantam Books commissioned Blish to adapt episodes of ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''. The adapted short stories were generally based on draft scripts and contained different plot elements from the aired television episodes. The stories were collected into twelve volumes and published as a title series of the same name from 1967 to 1977. The adaptations were largely written by Blish; however, his declining health during this period proved problematic. His wife, J. A. Lawrence, wrote a number of installments. Her work remained uncredited until the final volume, ''Star Trek 12'', published in 1977, two years after Blish's death. The first original novel for adults based on the television series, '' Spock Must Die!'' (1970), was also written by Blish, and he planned to release more. According to Lawrence, two episodes featuring popular character Harry Mudd, " I, Mudd" and " Mudd's Women", were held back by Blish for adaptation to be included in the follow-up to ''Spock Must Die!''. However, Blish died before a novel could be completed. Lawrence did eventually adapt the two episodes, as ''Mudd's Angels'' (1978), which included an original novella ''The Business, as Usual, During Altercations'' by Lawrence. In her introduction to ''Star Trek 12'', Lawrence states that Blish "did indeed write" adaptations of the two episodes. The introduction to ''Mudd's Angels'' acknowledges this, stating that Blish left the two stories in various stages of completion and they were finished by Lawrence; Blish does not receive author credit on the book. Blish credited his financial stability later in life to the ''Star Trek'' commission and the advance he received for ''Spock Must Die!''.


Literary criticism and legacy

Blish was among the first literary critics of science fiction, and he judged works in the genre by the standards applied to "serious" literature. He took to task his fellow authors for deficiencies, such as bad grammar and a misunderstanding of scientific concepts, and the magazine editors, who accepted and published such material without editorial intervention. His critiques were published in "fanzines" in the 1950s under the pseudonym William Atheling Jr. The essays were collected in ''The Issue at Hand'' (1964) and ''More Issues at Hand'' (1970). Reviewing ''The Issue at Hand'', Algis Budrys said that Atheling had, along with Damon Knight, "transformed the reviewer's trade in this field". He described the persona of Atheling as "acidulous, assertive, categorical, conscientious and occasionally idiosyncratic". Blish was a fan of the works of James Branch Cabell, and for a time edited ''Kalki'', the journal of the Cabell Society. In his works of science fiction, Blish developed many ideas and terms which have influenced other writers and on occasion have been adopted more widely, such as faster than light communication via the dirac communicator, introduced in the short story "Beep" (1954). The dirac is comparable to Ursula K. Le Guin's ansible. Blish is also credited with coining the term gas giant, first used in the story "Solar Plexus", collected in the anthology ''Beyond Human Ken'', edited by Judith Merril. The story was originally published in 1941, but did not contain the term. Blish reworked the story, changing the description of a large
magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
to "a magnetic field of some strength nearby, one that didn't belong to the invisible ''gas giant'' revolving half a million miles away".


Honors, awards and recognition

The British Science Fiction Foundation inaugurated the James Blish Award for science fiction criticism in 1977, recognizing Brian W. Aldiss. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002.


Awards and nominations

* 1959
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 ...
for Best Novel, for '' A Case of Conscience.'' * 1965
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...
nomination for Best Novelette, for "The Shipwrecked Hotel", with
Norman L. Knight Norman Louis Knight (September 21, 1895 – April 19, 1972) was an American chemist and writer of fantasy and science fiction. His most prominent work is probably '' A Torrent of Faces'', a novel cowritten with James Blish and reprinted in ...
. * 1968 Nebula Award nomination for Best Novel, for '' Black Easter''. * 1970 Hugo Award nomination for Best Novella, for ''We All Die Naked''. * 1970 Nebula Award nomination for Best Novella, for ''A Style in Treason''.


Posthumous Awards and nominations

* 2001 951Retro-Hugo Award nomination for Best Novelette, for "Okie". * 2004 954Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novella, for ''A Case of Conscience''. * 2004 954Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novelette, for "Earthman, Come Home".


Guest of Honor

* 1960 Guest of Honor,
18th World Science Fiction Convention The 18th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Pittcon, was held on 3–5 September 1960 at the Penn-Sheraton Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The convention was chaired by Dirce Archer. Participants A ...
. * 1970 Guest of Honor, Scicon 70.


Bibliography

Blish's work was published by a variety of publishers in the United Kingdom and the United States, often with variations between editions, and with different titles. Blish also expanded and re-published his older work on numerous occasions. His works continued to be re-published after his death. Note: Very few of Blish's first editions were assigned ISBN numbers.


Short fiction and novellas (1935–1986)

Novels published in complete form, or serialized, in fiction magazines are included for completeness, and to avoid confusion. Novelette, Novella, Novel.


''The Planeteer'' (1935–36)

* "Neptunian Refuge" (November 1935) * "Mad Vision" (December 1935) * "Pursuit into Nowhere" (January 1936) * "Threat from Copernicus" (February 1936) * "Trail of the Comet" (March 1936) * "Bat-Shadow Shroud" (April 1936)


''Super Science Stories'' (1940)

* "Emergency Refueling" (March 1940) * "Bequest of the Angel" (May 1940) * "Sunken Universe" (May 1942),rewritten as "Surface Tension" (1952)


''Stirring Science Stories'' (1941)

* "Citadel of Thought" (February 1941) * "Callistan Cabal" (April 1941)


''Science Fiction Quarterly'' (1941)

* "Weapon Out of Time" (April 1941) * "When Anteros Came" (December 1941)


''Cosmic Stories'' (1941)

* "Phoenix Planet" (May 1941) * "The Real Thrill" (July 1941)


''Future'' (1941–1953)

* "The Topaz Gate" (August 1941) * "The Solar Comedy" (June 1942) * "The Air Whale" (August 1942) * "Struggle in the Womb" (May 1950) * "The Secret People" (November 1950) * "Elixir" (September 1951) * "Testament of Andros" (January 1953)


''Astonishing Stories'' (1941)

* "Solar Plexus" (September 1941)


''Super Science and Fantastic Stories'' (1944)

* "The Bounding Crown" (December 1944)


''Science*Fiction'' (1946)

* "Knell", as by Arthur Lloyd Merlyn (January 1946)


''Astounding Science Fiction'' (1946–1957)

* "Chaos, Co-Ordinated" as by John MacDougal, with
Robert A. W. Lowndes Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes (September 4, 1916 – July 14, 1998) was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of ''Future Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction'', and ''Science Fiction Quarterly ...
(October 1946) * "Tiger Ride" with Damon Knight (October 1948) * "Okie" (April 1950) * "Bindlestiff" (December 1950) * "Bridge" (February 1952) * "Earthman, Come Home" (November 1953) * "At Death's End" (May 1954) * "One-Shot" (August 1955) * "Tomb Tapper" (July 1956) * '' Get Out of My Sky'' (January 1957),included in ''Get out of My Sky'' Panther ed. (1980)


''Startling Stories'' (1948)

* "Mistake Inside" (April 1948)


''Planet Stories'' (1948–1951)

* "Against the Stone Beasts" (August 1948) * "Blackout in Cygni" (July 1951)


''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' (1948–1950)

* "No Winter, No Summer" as by Donald Laverty, with Damon Knight (October 1948) * "The Weakness of RVOG" (February 1949),expanded as ''VOR'' (1958) * "The Box" (April 1949) * "The Homesteader" (June 1949) * ''Let the Finder Beware'' (December 1949) * "There Shall Be No Darkness" (April 1950),included in ''Get Out of My Sky'' Panther ed. (1980)


''Jungle Stories'' (1948)

* "Serpent's Fetish" (December 1948)


''Fantastic Story Quarterly'' (1950)

* "The Bore" (July 1950)


''Imagination'' (1951)

* "The Void Is My Coffin" (June 1951)


''Two Complete Science-Adventure Books'' (1951)

* ''The Warriors of Day'' (August 1951) * ''Sargasso of Lost Cities'' (April 1953)


''Other Worlds Science Stores'' (1952)

* "Nightride and Sunrise" with
Jerome Bixby Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 – April 28, 1998) was an American short-story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story " It's a Good Life", which was the basis of a 1961 episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' and was included ...
(June 1952)


''Galaxy Science Fiction'' (1952–1970)

* "Surface Tension" (August 1952),collected in ''The Seedling Stars'' (1957) * "Beep" (February 1954),expanded as '' The Quincunx of Time'' (1973) * "The Writing of the Rat" (July 1956) * "The Genius Heap" (August 1956) * "On the Wall of the Lodge" with Virginia Kidd (June 1962) * "The Shipwrecked Hotel" with Norman L. Knight, (August 1965),expanded as ''A Torrent of Faces'' (1967) * "The Piper of Dis" with Norman L. Knight, (August 1966),expanded as ''A Torrent of Faces'' (1967) * "Our Binary Brothers" (February 1969) * "The City That Was the World" (July 1969) * "A Style in Treason" (May 1970) * '' The Day After Judgment'' (September 1970),collected in ''The Devil's Day'' (1990) * "Darkside Crossing" (December 1970) * "The Glitch" (June 1974) * "The Art of the Sneeze" (November 1982)


''Dynamic Science Fiction'' (1953)

* "Turn of a Century" (March 1953) * ''
The Duplicated Man ''The Duplicated Man'' is a science fiction novel which was It was co-written by James Blish and Robert Lowndes. ''The Duplicated Man'' was first published in the August 1953 edition of ''Dynamic Science Fiction'' and in book form, in 1959 by ...
'' with Robert A. W. Lowndes (August 1953)


''Worlds of If'' (1953–1968)

* ''A Case of Conscience'' (September 1953),expanded as '' A Case of Conscience'' (1958) * "The Thing in the Attic" (July 1954),collected in ''The Seedling Stars'' (1957) * "Watershed" (May 1955),collected in ''The Seedling Stars'' (1957) * "To Pay the Piper" (February 1956) * ''Welcome to Mars'' (July 1966) * '' Black Easter'' (August 1967),collected in ''The Devil's Day'' (1990) * "Now That Man Is Gone" (November 1968)


''Star Science Fiction Stories'' (1953)

* "F.Y.I." (December 1953)


''The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' (1953–1980)

* "First Strike" (June 1953) * "The Book of Your Life" (March 1955) * "With Malice to Come (3 vignettes)" (May 1955) * "A Time to Survive" (February 1956),collected in ''The Seedling Stars'' Signet ed. (1959) * "This Earth of Hours" (June 1959) * "The Masks" (November 1959) * "The Oath" (October 1960) * "Who's in Charge Here?" (May 1962) * "No Jokes on Mars" (October 1965) * ''Midsummer Century'' (November 1982)


''Fantastic Universe'' (1955)

* "Translation" (March 1955)


''Infinity Science Fiction'' (1955–1957)

* "King of the Hill" (November 1955) * "Sponge Dive" (June 1956) * "Detour to the Stars" (December 1956) * "Nor Iron Bars" (November 1957),expanded as ''Galactic Cluster'' (1959)


''Science Fiction Stories'' (1956)

* "A Work of Art" (July 1956)


''Science Fiction Adventures'' (1957)

* ''Two Worlds in Peril'' (February 1957)


''Amazing Stories'' (1960–61)

* ''… And All the Stars a Stage'' (June 1960) * "And Some Were Savages" (November 1960) * "A Dusk of Idols" (March 1961)


''Impulse'' (1966)

* "A Hero's Life" (March 1966)


''Analog'' (1967–68)

* "To Love Another" (April 1967),expanded as ''A Torrent of Faces'' (1967) * "Skysign" with Norman L. Knight, (May 1968)


''Penthouse'' (1972)

* "A Light to Fight by" (June 1972)


''Fantasy Book'' (1986)

* "The White Empire" (September 1986)


Anthologized short fiction (1952–2008)

* ''Beanstalk'', ''Future Tense'' (1952), ed. Kendell Foster Crossen. Greenberger.expanded in ''Titan's Daughter'' (1961). * "Common Time", ''Shadows of Tomorrow'' (August 1953), ed. Frederik Pohl. Permabooks #P236. * "A Matter of Energy", ''The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fifth Series'' (January 1956), ed. Anthony Boucher. Doubleday. * "Nor Iron Bars" (expanded), ''Galactic Cluster'' (October 1959), ed. James Blish. Signet #S1719. * "The Abattoir Effect", ''So Close to Home'' (February 27, 1961), ed. James Blish. Ballantine Books #465K. * "None So Blind", ''Anywhen'' (July 1970), ed. James Blish. Doubleday. * "How Beautiful With Banners", ''Orbit 1'' (1966), ed. Damon Knight. Whiting & Wheaton. * "We All Die Naked", ''Three for Tomorrow'' (August 1969), ed. uncredited. Meredith Press. * "More Light", ''Alchemy and Academe'' (November 1970), ed. Anne McCaffrey. Doubleday. * "Statistician's Day", ''Science Against Man'' (December 1970), ed. Anthony Cheetham. Avon #V2374. * "Getting Along", ''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (March 17, 1972), ed. Harlan Ellison. Doubleday. * "A True Bill: A Chancel Drama in One Act", ''Ten Tomorrows'' (September 1973), ed. Roger Elwood. Fawcett Gold Medal #M2820. * "The Price of a Drink", ''The Berserkers'' (January 1974), ed. Roger Elwood. Trident . * "Making Waves", ''Works of Art'' (January 30, 2008). NESFA Press .


Novels (1952–1990)

* ''Jack of Eagles'' (1952). Greenberg.,also published as ''ESPer'' (1952). Avon. * ''The Frozen Year'' (March 19, 1957). Ballantine Books #197,also published as ''Fallen Star'' (1957). Faber & Faber. * ''VOR'' (April 1958). Avon #T-238. * ''The Duplicated Man'' (1959). Avalon Books. * ''A Torrent of Faces'' (1967), with
Norman L. Knight Norman Louis Knight (September 21, 1895 – April 19, 1972) was an American chemist and writer of fantasy and science fiction. His most prominent work is probably '' A Torrent of Faces'', a novel cowritten with James Blish and reprinted in ...
. Doubleday. * ''The Warriors of Day'' (1967). Lancer Books #73-580. * ''The Star Dwellers'' (1961). G. P. Putnam's Sons. * ''Titan's Daughter'' (March 1961). Berkley Medallion #G507. * ''The Night Shapes'' (October 1962). Ballantine Books #F647. * ''Mission to the Heart Stars'' (November 11, 1965). Faber & Faber. * ''Welcome to Mars'' (July 1966). G. P. Putnam's Sons. * ''The Vanished Jet'' (1968). Weybright and Talley. * ''… And All the Stars a Stage'' (July 1971). Doubleday. * ''Midsummer Century'' (May 1972). Doubleday,included in ''Midsummer Century'' Daw ed. (1974). * '' The Quincunx of Time'' (October 1973). Dell #07244.


'' Cities in Flight'' series (1955–1962)

* ''Earthman, Come Home'' (1955). G. P. Putnam's Sons. * ''They Shall Have Stars'' (1956). Faber & Faber,also published as ''Year 2018!'' (1957). Avon Books. * ''The Triumph of Time'' (October 1958). Avon #T-279,also published as ''A Clash of Cymbals'' (1959). Faber & Faber. * ''A Life for the Stars'' (1962). G. P. Putnam's Sons.


''After Such Knowledge'' series (1958–1990)

* '' A Case of Conscience'' (April 1958). Ballantine Books #256. * '' Doctor Mirabilis'' (1964). Faber & Faber #55198. * ''The Devil's Day'' (February 1990). Baen .


Collections (1957–2009)

* ''The Seedling Stars'' (1957). Gnome Press. * ''The Seedling Stars'' (February 1959). Signet #S1622. * ''Best Science Fiction Stories of James Blish'' (1965). Faber & Faber,also published as ''The Testament of Andros'' (August 1977). Arrow Books . * ''Midsummer Century'' (February 1974). Daw #UQ1094. * ''
The Best of James Blish ''The Best of James Blish'' is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author James Blish, edited by Robert A. W. Lowndes. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in August 1979 as a volume in its Classic Libra ...
'' (August 1979). Ballantine/Del Rey * ''Get Out of My Sky'' (April 1980). Panther . * ''A Work of Art and Other Stories'' (July 1993). Severn House . * ''With All Love: Selected Poems'' (March 1995). Anamnesis Press . * ''A Dusk of Idols and Other Stories'' (May 1996). Severn House . * ''In This World, or Another'' (July 2, 2003). Five Star . * ''Works of Art'' (January 30, 2008). NESFA Press . * ''Flights of Eagles'' (October 20, 2009). NESFA Press .


Anthologies (1959–1970)

* ''Galactic Cluster'' (October 1959). Signet #S1719. * ''So Close to Home'' (February 27, 1961). Ballantine Books #465K. * ''New Dreams This Morning'' (October 1966). Ballantine Books #U233. * ''Anywhen'' (1970). Doubleday. * ''
Nebula Award Stories 5 ''Nebula Award Stories 5'' is an anthology of award-winning science fiction short works edited by James Blish. It was first published in the United Kingdom in hardcover by Gollancz in November 1970. The first American edition was published by Do ...
'' (1970).
Gollancz Gollancz may refer to: * Gollancz (surname), a Polish-Jewish surname * Victor Gollancz Ltd, a former British publishing house, now used as an imprint by the Orion Publishing Group See also * Gołańcz Gołańcz (german: Gollantsch) is a town ...
.


Nonfiction (1964–1987)

* ''The Issue at Hand'' (1964), as by William Atheling Jr. Advent Publishers. * ''More Issues at Hand'' (December 1970), as by William Atheling Jr. Advent Publishers . * ''The Tale That Wags the God'' (July 1987). Advent Publishers .


''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' (1967–1977)

* ''Star Trek'' (January 1967). Bantam Books #F3459. * ''Star Trek 2'' (February 1968). Bantam Books #F3439. * ''Star Trek 3'' (April 1969). Bantam Books #F4371. * '' Spock Must Die!'' (February 1970). Bantam Books #H5515. * ''Star Trek 4'' (July 1971). Bantam Books #S7009. * ''Star Trek 5'' (February 1972). Bantam Books #S7300. * ''Star Trek 6'' (April 1972). Bantam Books #S7364. * ''Star Trek 7'' (July 1972). Bantam Books #S7480. * ''Star Trek 8'' (November 1972). Bantam Books #SP7550. * ''Star Trek 9'' (August 1973). Bantam Books #SP7808. * ''Star Trek 10'' (February 1974). Bantam Books #SP8401. * ''Star Trek 11'' (April 1975). Bantam Books #Q8717,also published as ''The Day of the Dove'' (October 1985). Spectra . * ''Star Trek 12'' (November 1977), with J. A. Lawrence. Bantam Books .


Omnibuses (1970–2013)

* ''Cities in Flight'' (February 1970). Avon #W187. * ''After Such Knowledge'' (July 1991). Legend ). * ''The Seedling Stars / Galactic Cluster'' (April 1983). Signet . * ''Black Easter / The Day After Judgement / The Seedling Stars'' (September 26, 2013) .


References


Further reading

* * "Special James Blish Issue" (April 1972) ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction''. . *


External links

* * * * * * * *
Audio
of Blish giving the Guest of Honor speech at
Pittcon The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, referred to internationally as Pittcon, is a non-profit educational organization based in Pennsylvania that organizes an annual Conference and Exposition on laboratory sc ...
1960
Audio
of Blish giving the Guest of Honour speech at Eastercon 1970 {{DEFAULTSORT:Blish, James 1921 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American cultural critics American fantasy writers American literary critics American male essayists American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers American speculative fiction critics American speculative fiction writers Anthologists Burials at Holywell Cemetery Columbia University alumni Deaths from lung cancer in England Faster-than-light communication Futurians Hugo Award-winning writers Literacy and society theorists Literary theorists Novelists from New Jersey Science fiction critics Science fiction fans Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Star Trek fiction writers Rutgers University alumni Theorists on Western civilization United States Army personnel of World War II Writers about religion and science Writers from East Orange, New Jersey 20th-century pseudonymous writers