Leon Eugene Stover (April 9, 1929 – November 25, 2006) was an
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
, a
Sinologist
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...
, and a
science fiction fan
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
, who wrote both fiction and nonfiction. He was a scholar of the works of
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 ...
Western Maryland College
McDaniel College is a private college in Westminster, Maryland. Established in 1867, it was known as Western Maryland College until 2002 when it was renamed McDaniel College in honor of an alumnus who gave a lifetime of service to the college. ...
, and received his M.A. in 1952 and his Ph.D. in 1963 from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. His masters' thesis was ''The Chinese peasant family and communism''; his dissertation, ''"Face" and verbal analogues of interaction in Chinese culture: a theory of formalized social behavior based upon participant-observation of an upper-class Chinese household, together with a biographical study of the primary informant''. He was an instructor at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
from 1955–1957, and assistant professor at
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from 45 maj ...
in
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...
from 1957 - 1963. He was visiting assistant professor at
The University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
from 1963 - 1965 before being invited to serve as a professor of
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
at the
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
where he taught from 1965 - 1995. In 1995 he became professor emeritus. It was a mention in Stover's unpublished biography of Heinlein (he had originally been authorized to write a definitive Heinlein biography, but later had a falling-out with Heinlein's widow) that led researcher Robert James to discover the hitherto-unpublished Heinlein novel '' For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs''.
Books
Non-fiction
*''Above The Human Landscape. An Anthology Of Social Science Fiction''; Willis E. McNelly and Leon E. Stover, eds. (1972)
*''La Science-Fiction Américaine: Essai d'Anthropologie Culturelle'' (1972)
*''The Cultural Ecology of Chinese Civilization: Peasants and Elites in the Last of the Agrarian States'' (1974)
*''China: An Anthropological Perspective''; Leon E. and Takeko K. Stover (1976)
*''Stonehenge: The Indo-European Heritage''; Leon E. Stover and Bruce Kraig (1978)
*''Robert A. Heinlein'' (1987)
*''The Prophetic Soul: A Reading of H.G. Wells's ''Things to Come'', Together with His Film Treatment, ''Whither mankind?'' and the Postproduction Script (Both Never Before Published)'' (1987)
*''Harry Harrison'' (1990)
*''Science Fiction from Wells to Heinlein'' (2002)
*''Stonehenge City: A Reconstruction'' (2003)
*''Imperial China and the State Cult of Confucius'' (2005)
Fiction
*'' Apeman, Spaceman: Anthropological Science Fiction''; Leon E. Stover and Harry Harrison, eds. (1968)
*''The Shaving of Karl Marx : An Instant Novel of Ideas, After the Manner of Thomas Love Peacock, in Which Lenin and H.G. Wells Talk About the Political Meaning of the Scientific Romances'' (1982)
*''Stonehenge: Where Atlantis Died''; Leon E. Stover and Harry Harrison (1983)
*''Island of Doctor Moreau: A Critical Text of the 1896 London First Edition, With an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (1996).
*''The Time Machine: An Invention: A Critical Text of the 1895 London First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (1996)
*''The First Men in the Moon: A Critical Text of the 1901 London First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (1998)
*''The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance: A Critical Text of the 1897 New York First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (1998)
*''When the Sleeper Wakes: A Critical Text of the 1899 New York and London First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (1999)
*''The War of the Worlds: A Critical Text of the 1898 London First Edition''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (2001)
*'' The Sea Lady: A Tissue of Moonshine''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (2001)
*''Man Who Could Work Miracles: A Critical Text of the 1936 New York First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G. Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (2002)
*''Things to Come: A Critical Text of the 1935 London First Edition, With an Introduction and Appendices''; H.G.Wells; Leon E. Stover, ed. (2007)
Personal life
Stover was born in
Lewistown, Pennsylvania
Lewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the '' Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area'', which encompasses all of Mifflin County. It lies along the Juniata Ri ...
on April 9, 1929.
He was of American-German background whose family was related to the
Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
family. He married Patricia Ruth McLaren, whom he met in drama class at
Western Maryland College
McDaniel College is a private college in Westminster, Maryland. Established in 1867, it was known as Western Maryland College until 2002 when it was renamed McDaniel College in honor of an alumnus who gave a lifetime of service to the college. ...
; they had one daughter, author
Laren Stover
Laren Stover is an American writer. She is the author of ''Pluto, Animal Lover'' (HarperCollins), ''The Bombshell Manual of Style'' illustrated by Ruben Toledo (Hyperion, 2001) and ''Bohemian Manifesto: A Field Guide to Living on the Edge'' (Bulfi ...
. His second wife was Takeko Kawai Stover whom he married shortly after completing his dissertation at Columbia University. They collaborated on many books together. He died of complications from
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
at his home in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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