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 biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

De Camp was born in New York City, one of three sons of Lyon de Camp, a businessman in real estate and lumber, and Emma Beatrice Sprague. His maternal grandfather was the accountant, banker, pioneering

Volapük Volapük (; , "Language of the World", or lit. "World Speak") is a constructed language created between 1879 and 1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Catholic priest in Baden, Germany, who believed that God had told him in a dream to create an i ...

ist and

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

veteran

Charles Ezra Sprague Charles Ezra Sprague (October 9, 1842 – March 21, 1912) was an American accountant, born in Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York. He was a proponent of the constructed language Volapük, for which he authored the first major textbook in E ...

. De Camp once noted that he rarely used pen-names, "partly because my own true name sounds more like a pseudonym than most pseudonyms do." De Camp began his education at the Trinity School in New York, then spent ten years attending the Snyder School in North Carolina, a military-style institution. His stay at the Snyder School was an attempt by his parents, who were heavy-handed disciplinarians, to cure him of intellectual arrogance and lack of discipline. He was awkward and thin, an ineffective fighter, and suffered from bullying by his classmates. His experiences at the school taught him to develop a detached, analytical style considered cold by all but his closest friends, though he could, like his father, be disarming and funny in social situations. He would later recall these challenging childhood experiences in the semi-autobiographical story ''Judgment Day'' (1955). An aeronautical engineer by profession, de Camp conducted his undergraduate studies at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

(where his roommate was at one point noted

rocket fuel Rocket propellant is the reaction mass of a rocket. This reaction mass is ejected at the highest achievable velocity from a rocket engine to produce thrust. The energy required can either come from the propellants themselves, as with a chemical ...

scientist

John Drury Clark John Drury Clark, Ph.D. (August 15, 1907 – July 6, 1988) was an American rocket fuel developer, chemist, and science fiction writer. He was instrumental in the revival of interest in Robert E. Howard's '' Conan'' stories and influenced the writ ...

), and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Caltech in

Aeronautical Engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

1930. He earned his Master of Science degree in Engineering from the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

in 1933. De Camp was also a

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

and an expert in patents. His first job was with the Inventors Foundation, Inc. in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

, which was taken over by The International Correspondence Schools. De Camp transferred to the

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, division. He was Principal of the School of Inventing and Patenting when he resigned in 1937. His first book ''

Inventions and Their Management ''Inventions and Their Management'' is a science book by Alf K. Berle and L. Sprague de Camp. It was based on ''A Course on Inventing and Patenting'' by Howard Wilcox and Alf K. Berle, a series of nine papers presented by New York University in c ...

'' resulted and was published in July 1937. On August 12, 1939, de Camp married Catherine Crook, with whom he collaborated on science fiction and nonfiction beginning in the 1960s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, de Camp served as a researcher at the

Philadelphia Naval Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

along with his fellow writers

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

and

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 ...

. De Camp eventually rose to the rank of

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

as a

reserve officer A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

. De Camp was a member of the all-male literary and dining club the "

Trap Door Spiders The Trap Door Spiders are a literary male-only eating, drinking, and arguing society in New York City, with a membership historically composed of notable science fiction personalities. The name is a reference to the reclusive habits of the trapdoo ...

" in New York City, which served as the basis of Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the "

Black Widowers The Black Widowers is a fictional men-only dining club created by Isaac Asimov for a series of sixty-six mystery stories that he started writing in 1971. Most of the stories were first published in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', though a few f ...

." De Camp himself was the model for the character named "Geoffrey Avalon."Asimov, Isaac. ''I. Asimov: a Memoir'' (New York, Doubleday, 1994), chapter 120 "The Trap Door Spiders." De Camp was a founding member of the

Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America The Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America or SAGA was an informal group of American fantasy authors active from the 1960s through the 1980s, noted for their contributions to the "Sword and Sorcery" kind of heroic fantasy, itself a subgenre of ...

(SAGA), a loosely knit group of

Heroic fantasy Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is nonexistent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon Earth with some additions. Unlike dark fiction, ...

writers that was founded during the 1960s and led by

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

, with entry by credentials as a fantasy writer alone. The de Camps moved to

Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Hist ...

, in 1989, and Sprague de Camp died there on November 6, 2000, seven months after his wife, on what would have been her birthday, just three weeks before his own 93rd birthday. His ashes were inurned, together with hers, in the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. De Camp's personal library of about 1,200 books was acquired for auction by

Half Price Books Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Incorporated is a chain of new and used bookstores in the United States. The company's original motto is "We buy and sell anything printed or recorded except yesterday's newspaper", and many of the used book ...

in 2005. The collection included books inscribed by fellow writers, such as

and

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...

, as well as de Camp himself.Weeks, Jerome. "De Camp library for sale." ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 24, 2005, p. 3G.

Coinage of "Extraterrestrial" and "E.T."

"Extraterrestrial", a coinage from "extra" + "terrestrial", meaning from beyond earth, is attested as an adjective as early as 1868, according to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

''. Its first use in connection with ''life'' beyond earth was likely by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

''.Cryer, Max. ''Common Phrases ... and the Amazing Stories Behind Them''. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010, page 93.Hendrickson, Robert. ''Words and Phrase Origins''. 3rd ed. New York: Facts On File, 2004, page 249. L. Sprague de Camp is credited with its first usage as a noun with the meaning of "alien life" and with coining the abbreviation "E.T." in the first part of his two-part article "Design for Life", published in the May 1939 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction''.

Hypothesis regarding sea serpent sightings

De Camp made a suggestion in 1968 that fossil discoveries had influenced modern reports of sea monster sightings. The suggestion was made in his article "Dinosaurs in Today's World" in ''

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 ...

'' v. 34, no. 3, March 1968, later reprinted in his nonfiction collection ''

The Fringe of the Unknown ''The Fringe of the Unknown'' is a science book by L. Sprague de Camp, first published in hardcover and paperback by Prometheus Books in 1983. Summary The book is a collection of articles that constitute a "study ... of controversial and often ...

'', Buffalo, New York: Prometheus, 1983. In 2019 de Camp's theory was scientifically tested by C. G. M. Paxton and D. Naish, who concluded trends in the data of reported sightings appear to support his hypothesis.

Body of work

De Camp was a

materialist Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...

who wrote works examining society, history, technology and

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

. He published numerous short stories, novels, non-fiction works and poems during his long career. De Camp had the mind of an educator, and a common theme in many of his works is a corrective impulse regarding similar previous works by other authors. A highly rational and logical thinker, he was frequently disturbed by what he regarded as logical lapses and absurdities in others' writings. Some, like Asimov, felt de Camp's conscientiousness about facts limited the scope of his stories: de Camp was reluctant to use technological or scientific concepts (e.g., hyperspace or faster-than-light travel) if he did not think them possible. Thus, his response to

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's ''

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled ''A Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. Some early editions are titled ''A Yankee at the Court of King Arth ...

'' was to write a similar

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

novel (''

Lest Darkness Fall ''Lest Darkness Fall'' is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by American author L. Sprague de Camp. Alternate history author Harry Turtledove has said it sparked his interest in the genre as well as his desire to study ...

'') in which the method of time travel was rationalized and the hero's technical expertise both set at a believable level and constrained by the technological limitations of the age. In like fashion, he reimagined

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

and

planetary romance Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...

in his "''

Viagens Interplanetarias The ''Viagens Interplanetarias'' series is a sequence of science fiction stories by L. Sprague de Camp, begun in the late 1940s and written under the influence of contemporary space opera and sword and planet stories, particularly Edgar Rice ...

''" series, and the prehistoric precursor civilizations characteristic of much

heroic fantasy Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is nonexistent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon Earth with some additions. Unlike dark fiction, ...

in his

Pusadian series The Pusadian series is a sequence of fantasy stories by L. Sprague de Camp, begun in the early 1950s and written under the influence of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. The series, also known as the Poseidonis series, prefigured the numerous sw ...

. When he was not debunking literary conventions he was often explaining them. For example, in the

Harold Shea The "Harold Shea" Stories is a name given to a series of five science fantasy stories by the collaborative team of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt and to its later continuation by de Camp alone, Christopher Stasheff, Holly Lisle, John Maddo ...

stories co-written with his longtime friend

Fletcher Pratt Murray Fletcher Pratt (25 April 1897 – 10 June 1956) was an American writer of history, science fiction, and fantasy. He is best known for his works on naval history and the American Civil War and for fiction written with L. Sprague de Camp. ...

(1897–1956), the magical premises of some bodies of

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

and

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

s were accepted but examined and elucidated in terms of their own systems of inherent logic. The imaginative civilizations in ''The Compleat Enchanter'', for example, are built upon a cultural and technological reality based on scientific formulas. Characters may be transported to these different worlds, but the magic contained within those worlds is only feasible to the extent that it coincides with the technology of the day (e.g., the combustion engine). De Camp's explanatory tendency also carried over into his non-fictional writings, including advice to science fiction writers on handling the different states of languages in future worlds.

Science fiction

De Camp's science fiction is marked by his interests in linguistics, ancient history, and the history and philosophy of science. His first published story was "

The Isolinguals "The Isolinguals" is a science fiction story, addressing the concept of ancestral memory, by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. It was his first published story.Laughlin, Charlotte, and Levack, Daniel J. H. ''De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibli ...

", in the September 1937 issue of ''

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 ...

''—the last issue edited by

F. Orlin Tremaine Frederick Orlin Tremaine (January 7, 1899 – October 22, 1956) was an American science fiction magazine editor, most notably of the influential ''Astounding Stories''. He edited a number of other magazines, headed several publishing companie ...

, prior to the long tenure of

John W. Campbell John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...

. Most of his early science fiction stories were unrelated to each other, the exceptions being his "Johnny Black" tales about a black bear

uplifted ''Uplifted'' is the second studio album by Nigerian singer Flavour N'abania. It was released on July 20, 2010, by Obaino Music and 2nite Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Jay Dey, Oloye, Stormrex, Waga Gee, Asemstone, M-Jay, ...

to human-level intelligence, and his "Drinkwhiskey Institute" stories, a series of tall tales involving time travel. Campbell's fantasy magazine, ''Unknown'', was suited to de Camp's idiosyncratic imagination, logic, and sense of humor. He contributed ten novels (five as collaborations), much of it characterized by humor and dry wit. De Camp eschewed the intention of being a satirist, insisting, instead, that the stories he wrote were meant less for instruction or improvement, as satire requires, and more for the amusement of his readers. De Camp's treatment of

and

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

in stories such as ''

'' (1939), "

The Wheels of If "The Wheels of If" is an alternate history science fiction story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in the magazine '' Unknown Fantasy Fiction'' for October, 1940,Laughlin, Charlotte, and Levack, Daniel J. H. ''De Camp: ...

" (1940), "

A Gun for Dinosaur "A Gun for Dinosaur" is a classic time travel science fiction storyMiller, P. Schuyler. "The Reference Library", in ''Analog Science Fact - Science Fiction'', v. 71, no. 5, July 1963, p. 90.D'Ammassa, Don. "de CAMP, L. Sprague", in ''Twentieth-Ce ...

" (1956), "

Aristotle and the Gun "Aristotle and the Gun" is a time travel and alternate history science fiction story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. Publication history The story was first published in the magazine '' Astounding Science-Fiction'' for February, 1958,Laug ...

" (1958), and '' The Glory That Was'' (1960) challenged the popular notion of his time that history consisted of an arbitrary series of accidents. Instead, de Camp, through sound background knowledge and logical thought, systematically demonstrated how technological advances could determine the pattern of an eventful history. His display of technological determinism in historical recreation is considered a ''tour de force.'' ''Lest Darkness Fall'', "The Wheels of If" and "Aristotle and the Gun" have been recognized as seminal works in the field of alternate history."Past Winners and Finalists"
Sidewise Awards for Alternate History (''uchronia.net''). Retrieved April 23, 2013. This was a Special Achievement award "for seminal works in the field" among the first annual Sidewise Awards in 1996 (generally recognizing 1995 publications). His most extended work was his "''

''" series, set in a future where Brazil is the dominant power, particularly a sub-series of

sword and planet Sword and planet is a subgenre of science fantasy that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring humans as protagonists. The name derives from the heroes of the genre engaging their adversaries in hand-to-ha ...

novels set on the planet Krishna, beginning with ''

The Queen of Zamba ''The Queen of Zamba'' is a science fiction novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the first book of his '' Viagens Interplanetarias'' series and its subseries of stories set on the fictional planet Krishna. It was written between November ...

''.Power, Colleen. "DeCamp, L. (Lyon) Sprague." ''Reader's Guide to Twentieth-Century Science Fiction'' (Chicago, American Library Association, 1989), pp. 170-74. His most influential ''Viagens'' novel was the non-Krishna work ''

Rogue Queen ''Rogue Queen'' is a science fiction novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the third book in his ''Viagens Interplanetarias'' series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1951, and in paperback by Dell Books in 1952. A late ...

'', a tale of a hive society undermined by interstellar contact, which was one of the earliest science fiction novels to deal with sexual themes.

Fantasy

Two complete science adventure books 1951win n4

De Camp was best known for his light fantasy, particularly two series written in collaboration with Pratt, the

stories (from 1940 et seq.) and Gavagan's Bar (from 1950).

Floyd C. Gale ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Edit ...

in 1961 said that they "were far and away the finest team of fantasy collaborators". De Camp and Pratt also wrote some stand-alone novels similar in tone to the Harold Shea stories, of which the most highly regarded is ''

Land of Unreason ''Land of Unreason'' is a fantasy novel by American writers Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in the fantasy magazine '' Unknown Worlds'' for October, 1941 as "The Land of Unreason". Revised and expanded, it was first p ...

'' (1942), and de Camp wrote a few more of this genre on his own. He was also known for his

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

, a fantasy genre revived partly by his editorial work on and continuation of

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

's Conan cycle. He also edited a series of fantasy anthologies credited with helping to spark the renaissance of heroic fantasy in the late 1960s.Stableford, Brian M. "L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt." ''Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror'', ed.

Everett 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" ...

(New York, Scribner, 1985), vol. 2, p. 929. De Camp also created three noteworthy sword and sorcery sequences. The

(from 1951), composed of the novel ''

The Tritonian Ring ''The Tritonian Ring'' is a heroic fantasy novel written by L. Sprague de Camp as part of his Pusadian series. It was first published in the magazine '' Two Complete Science Adventure Books'' for Winter, 1951, and first appeared in book form in ...

'' and several short stories, is set in an

antediluvian The antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period chronicled in the Bible between the fall of man and the Genesis flood narrative in biblical cosmology. The term was coined by Thomas Browne. The narrative take ...

era similar to Howard's. More substantial is the

Novarian series The Novarian series is a sequence of fantasy stories by L. Sprague de Camp, published between 1968 and 1989. The series contains some of de Camp's most innovative works of fantasy, featuring explorations of various political systems, an inversion o ...

(from 1968), of which the core is the '' Reluctant King'' trilogy, beginning with ''

The Goblin Tower ''The Goblin Tower'' is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the first book of both his Novarian series and the " Reluctant King" trilogy featuring King Jorian of Xylar. It is not to be confused with the collection of poetry by th ...

'', de Camp's most accomplished effort in the genre, continuing in '' The Clocks of Iraz'', and concluding with '' The Unbeheaded King''. The trilogy features the adventurer Jorian, ex-king of Xylar. Jorian's world is an alternate reality to which our own serves as an afterlife. Other novels in the sequence include '' The Fallible Fiend'', a satire told from the point of view of a demon, and ''

The Honorable Barbarian ''The Honorable Barbarian'' is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the fifth and final book of his Novarian series. It is a sequel both to the " Reluctant King" trilogy and to the Novarian sequence's only short story, "The Empe ...

'', a follow-up to the trilogy featuring Jorian's brother as the hero. The Incorporated Knight series comprises some 1970s short stories by de Camp and two novels written in collaboration with Catherine Crook de Camp, ''

The Incorporated Knight ''The Incorporated Knight'' is a fix-up fantasy novel by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp, the first book in their sequence of two Neo-Napolitanian novels. Chapters 1-5 first appeared as L. Sprague de Camp's short s ...

'' (1988) and ''

The Pixilated Peeress ''The Pixilated Peeress'' is a fantasy novel by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp. It is the second book in their sequence of two Neo-Napolitanian novels, following ''The Incorporated Knight''. It was first published ...

'' (1991). The early short stories were incorporated into the first of these. The sequence is set in the medieval era of another alternate world sharing the geography of our own, but in which a Neapolitan empire filled the role of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and no universal religion like Christianity ever arose, leaving its nations split among competing pagan sects. The setting is borrowed in part from '' Mandeville's Travels''.

Historical fiction

De Camp also wrote historical fiction set in the era of classical antiquity from the height of the

First Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

to the waning of the

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

period. Five novels published by Doubleday from 1958 to 1969 form a loosely connected series based on their common setting and occasional cross references. They were also linked by a common focus on the advancement of scientific knowledge, de Camp's chosen protagonists being explorers, artisans, engineers, innovators and practical philosophers rather than famous names from antiquity, who are relegated to secondary roles. The best known of his historical novels is ''

The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate ''The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate'' is a historical novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1961, and in paperback by Lancer Books in 1968. The first trade paperback edition was issued by The Donn ...

''.

Nonfiction

De Camp's first book was ''

'', co-written with Alf K. Berle and published by

International Textbook Company The International Textbook Company (I.T.C.) was founded in 1895 by publisher Thomas J. Foster in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I.T.C. published instructional papers, booklets, and textbooks for the International Correspondence Schools, a subsidiary d ...

in 1937: a 733-page book with three-page list of law cases cited. He enjoyed

debunking {{Short pages monitor
Yahoo Discussion Group for de Camp fans
;Listen to
A Gun for Dinosaur
on

X Minus One ''X Minus One'' is an American half-hour science fiction radio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955, to January 9, 1958, in various timeslots on NBC. Known for high production values in adapting stories from the leading American a ...

, NBC radio, 1956 {{DEFAULTSORT:De Camp, L. Sprague 1907 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American alternate history writers American fantasy writers American historical novelists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers American skeptics American speculative fiction critics American speculative fiction editors Analog Science Fiction and Fact people Burials at Arlington National Cemetery California Institute of Technology alumni Conan the Barbarian novelists Critics of Theosophy H. P. Lovecraft scholars Hugo Award-winning writers Novelists from New York (state) Pulp fiction writers SFWA Grand Masters Science fiction critics Sidewise Award winners Stevens Institute of Technology alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II World Fantasy Award-winning writers Writers from New York City Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity