Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (June 20, 1910 – October 29, 2003) 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 uni ...
fan, publisher and writer, secular and religious publisher, and minister.
Biography
Born in
Palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, Eshbach grew up in
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in the same state. He discovered science fiction at age 15 and began writing letters to the professional magazines, then started to write his own stories. The third story he wrote sold to ''Science Wonder Stories'' in 1929. In the early 1930s, while still writing his own stories and articles, he published a fanzine,''The Galleon'', and helped William Crawford launch his semiprofessional magazines ''
Marvel Tales'' and ''
Unusual Stories''. He initiated
Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. He ...
, a small press which published the work of authors such as
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 '' ...
,
Jack Williamson
John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term '' gen ...
,
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 ...
and
John W. Campbell, Jr. Fantasy Press published a total of 46 titles in its lifetime, with two additional fantasy titles published under the subsidiary imprint, Polaris Press. Fantasy Press books were produced in limited print runs averaging 3,750 copies each, with between 250 and 500 copies of each title bearing a limited plate inserted after the title page that was numbered and autographed by the book's author. These constituted the first hardcover editions of many of these works, previously available only in used copies of magazines.
Eshbach was a church publisher from 1958 to 1962, then he was a salesman for the
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have ...
until retirement in 1975. Upon his retirement, he became a pastor in the
Evangelical Congregational Church and served churches of that denomination in Pennsylvania in
Lancaster County, Reading, and
Womelsdorf.
Eshbach was a lifelong science fiction fan, and besides creating Fantasy Press he was instrumental in assisting others in the creation and operation of their own fan or specialty presses, including William Crawford of Fantasy Publishing and later F.P.C.I. (Eshbach bought Crawford his first set of type for his press) and Thomas Hadley, of first The Buffalo Book Company and later Hadley Publishing Company (both of Providence, RI),
[Over My Shoulder: Reflections On A Science Fiction Era, by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, 1983, Oswald Train:Publisher, pp 110-114] whom Eshbach instructed and assisted with marketing and sales of his books and organization of his mailing list (which list eventually became the basis for the formation of a sales base for his own Fantasy Press).
His memoirs, ''Over My Shoulder: Reflections on a Science Fiction Era'', were published in 1983; and his last novel, ''The Scroll of Lucifer'', in 1990. Other books included ''The Armlet of the Gods'', ''The Land Beyond the Gate'', ''The Sorceress of Scath'' and ''
The Tyrant of Time
''The Tyrant of Time'' is a collection of science-fiction short stories by the American writer Lloyd Arthur Eshbach. It was first published by Fantasy Press in 1955 in an edition of 1,547 copies. Most of the stories originally appeared in the m ...
''. He also edited ''
Of Worlds Beyond: The Science of Science Fiction Writing'' (Reading, PA: Fantasy, 1947), the first book-length work on science fiction writing from a professional point of view.
An active member of science fiction's
First Fandom
First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known science fiction fans.
In 1958 a number of fans at Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. This inspired the creati ...
, he was Guest of Honor at the 1949
World Science Fiction Convention and the 1995
World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
.
Hubbard quotation
In his 1982 memoirs, ''Over My Shoulder: Reflections on a Science Fiction Era'', Eshbach quotes
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...
as telling him in 1949, "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is."
Further reading
*Davin, Eric Leif. Interview with Eshbach, in ''Pioneers of Wonder: Conversations With the Founders of Science Fiction''. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1999.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eshbach, Lloyd Arthur
1910 births
2003 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American Christian clergy
American male novelists
20th-century American memoirists
American publishers (people)
American science fiction writers
American speculative fiction editors
American speculative fiction publishers (people)
People from Upper Hanover Township, Pennsylvania
Science fiction editors
Science fiction fans
Novelists from Pennsylvania
American male short story writers
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers
20th-century American clergy