Clarence Howard "Bud" Webster (July 27, 1952 – February 13, 2016) was an American
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 ...
and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
writer who is also known for his essays on both the history of science fiction and sf/fantasy
anthologies
In book publishing
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...
as well. He is perhaps best known for the ''Bubba Pritchert'' series, which have won two Analytical Laboratory readers' awards from ''
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
''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 ...
'' magazine. Farewell Blues was featured on the cover of the January/February 2015 issue of ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
.'' Webster is also known for his survey of
Groff Conklin's contribution to science fiction in ''41 Above the Rest: An Index and Checklist for the Anthologies of Groff Conklin''.
Webster was a contributing editor and columnist for the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While ...
''Bulletin'' and published a collection of those columns titled ''Anthropology 101: Reflections, Inspections and Dissections of SF Anthologies'' through Merry Blacksmith Press. His ''Bulletin'' column, "Anthropology 101", examines the history of science fiction and fantasy through classic anthologies and anthologists, frequently pairing books by different editors but also presenting two or more books by the same anthologist. The column has included multi-installment pieces on
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 ...
,
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...
,
Harry Harrison and more recently,
Terry Carr
Terry Gene Carr (February 19, 1937 – April 7, 1987) was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor.
Background and discovery of fandom
Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San ...
. In addition, he has co-wrote three ''Bulletin'' articles with Dr.
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...
. He was also a frequent contributor to the "Curiosity" page of ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
''. He was the poetry editor and columnist for ''
Helix SF
''Helix SF'' was a quarterly American speculative fiction online magazine edited by William Sanders and Lawrence Watt-Evans. The poetry editor was Bud Webster.
History and profile
Sanders began the magazine in 2006 as "a place where writers coul ...
'', an online speculative fiction quarterly. After ''Helix SF'' ceased publication, he took his column, "Past Masters", to ''Jim Baen's Universe'', and when that closed, to
Eric Flint
Eric Flint (February 6, 1947 – July 17, 2022) was an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures. His works have been listed ...
's ''
Grantville Gazette''. The "Past Masters" columns are retrospective appraisals of so-called "classic" science fiction and fantasy authors, and include extensive bibliographies. Some of the authors covered in the "Past Masters" series include
Zenna Henderson
Zenna Chlarson Henderson (November 1, 1917 – May 11, 1983) was an American elementary school teacher and science fiction and fantasy author. Her first story was published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in 1951. Her work is cit ...
,
Fredric Brown
Fredric Brown (October 29, 1906 – March 11, 1972) was an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer.D. J. McReynolds, "The Short Fiction of Fredric Brown" in Frank N. Magill, (ed.) ''Survey of Science Fiction Literature'', Vol. 4 ...
,
Edgar Pangborn
Edgar Pangborn (February 25, 1909 – February 1, 1976) was an American writer of mystery, historical, and science fiction.
Biography
Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and diction ...
, and
Murray Leinster
Murray Leinster (June 16, 1896 – June 8, 1975) was a pen name of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an American writer of genre fiction, particularly of science fiction. He wrote and published more than 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie ...
.
Webster was poetry editor at ''
Black Gate'', a print fantasy magazine, for which he also wrote a column about little-known authors titled "Who?!" The only one of the columns appeared in ''Black Gate'' 15 and discussed author
Tom Reamy
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
.
In 2007, the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While ...
(SFWA) appointed Webster Estates Liaison, placing him in charge of their Estates Project, which makes it possible for publishers to contact the agents or individuals who represent the literary estates of deceased science-fiction and fantasy writers so that material by those authors can be reprinted. The Estates database currently contains information on more than 450 sf/fantasy authors.
In March 2012, SFWA announced that Webster would be given their
Service to SFWA 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 ...
at the
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 ...
s banquet in May for his work on the SFWA Estates Project.
In June 2013,
Merry Blacksmith Press
Merry may refer to:
A happy person with a jolly personality People
* Merry (given name)
* Merry (surname)
Music
* Merry (band), a Japanese rock band
* ''Merry'' (EP), an EP by Gregory Douglass
* "Merry" (song), by American power pop band Magna ...
published a collection of Webster's essays about science fiction and fantasy authors and books titled ''Past Masters and Other Bookish Natterings'', including articles on
Clifford D. Simak
Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He won three Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror Wr ...
.
R. A. Lafferty,
Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be wid ...
and others. This volume also includes short-short essays originally published in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
as part of their "Curiosities" column, as well as three articles co-written with
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...
.
Webster was also a collector of science fiction books, and is the author of ''The Joy of Booking: Webster's Guide to Buying and Selling Used SF and Fantasy Books''.
Personal life
Webster was born in
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...
to Edna Urquhart Webster and Clarence H. Webster. He attended Crystal Spring Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High and Patrick Henry high schools. In 1970 he graduated from Hermitage High School in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. He studied music at
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...
, majoring in composition. He was active in the Richmond music scene in the 1970s and 1980s performing in several bands, writing music reviews for various free newspapers, working as
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
on local radio, and managing a used record store. He also produced the CD ''Not Necessarily Serious'' of original folk-rock music by Richmond musician-songwriter Christie Oglesby in 2000. Raised a Baptist, he subsequently became an agnostic. At the time of his death, he was living in Richmond, Virginia, with his long-time companion, Mary Horton; whom he married May 26, 2013.
Bibliography
Short fiction
;Stories
[Short stories unless otherwise noted.]
Critical studies and reviews of Webster's work
*
Interviews
*
References
External links
*
Book Think: Interview with Bud Webster about ''41 Above the Rest: An Index and Checklist for the Anthologies of Groff Conklin''*
ttp://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/ SFWA BulletinOriginal "Past Masters" columns from Helix SF and Jim Baen's Universenow at Galactic Central
from Merry Blacksmith Press.
SFWA Estate Projectat SFWA.org
Official Announcementof the 2012 Service to SFWA Award
Past Masters and Other Bookish Natteringsfrom Merry Blacksmith Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Bud
1952 births
2016 deaths
American essayists
American male essayists
American male novelists
American male short story writers
American science fiction writers
American short story writers
Analog Science Fiction and Fact people
Virginia Commonwealth University alumni
Writers from Richmond, Virginia
Writers from Roanoke, Virginia
Novelists from Virginia