Lester Del Rey
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Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American
science fiction author This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order): A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) *Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan Abn ...
and
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
. He was the author of many books in the juvenile
Winston Science Fiction ''Winston Science Fiction'' was a series of 37 American juvenile science fiction books published by the John C. Winston Company of Philadelphia from 1952 to 1960 and by its successor Holt, Rinehart & Winston in 1960 and 1961. It included 35 no ...
series, and the editor at
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It ...
, the fantasy and science fiction imprint of
Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...
, along with his fourth wife
Judy-Lynn del Rey Judy-Lynn del Rey née Benjamin (January 26, 1943 – February 20, 1986) was a science fiction editor. Born with dwarfism, she was a fan and regular attendee at science fiction conventions and worked her way up the publishing ladder, startin ...
.


Birth name

Del Rey often told people his real name was Ramon Felipe Alvarez-del Rey (and sometimes even Ramon Felipe San Juan Mario Silvio Enrico Smith Heartcourt-Brace Sierra y Alvarez del Rey y de los Verdes Stableford, Brian and Clute, John.
del Rey, Lester
, '' Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
). However, his sister has confirmed that his name was in fact Leonard Knapp. He also claimed that his family was killed in a car accident in 1935. In reality, the accident only killed his first wife.


Career


Writing career

Del Rey first started publishing stories in
pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
in the late 1930s, at the dawn of the so-called
Golden Age of Science Fiction The first Golden Age of Science Fiction, often recognized in the United States as the period from 1938 to 1946, was an era during which the science fiction genre gained wide public attention and many classic science fiction stories were published. ...
. He was associated with the most prestigious science fiction magazine of the era, ''
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 ...
'', from the time its editor
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 ...
published his first short story in the April 1938 issue: "The Faithful", already under the name Lester del Rey. The December 1938 issue featured his story "
Helen O'Loy "Helen O'Loy" is a science fiction short story by American writer Lester del Rey, originally published in 1938 in '' Astounding Science Fiction''. It was subsequently published many times in various collections or anthologies. The latest publica ...
" which was selected for the prestigious anthology '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame''. By the end of 1939 he had also placed stories in ''
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
'' (edited by
Farnsworth Wright Farnsworth Wright (July 29, 1888 – June 12, 1940) was the editor of the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' during the magazine's heyday, editing 179 issues from November 1924 to March 1940. Jack Williamson called Wright "the first great fantasy ...
) and ''
Unknown Unknown or The Unknown may refer to: Film * The Unknown (1915 comedy film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 comedy film), a silent boxing film * The Unknown (1915 drama film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 drama film) * The Unknown (1927 film), ''The Unknown'' (1 ...
'' (Campbell), which featured more horror and more fantasy respectively. During a period when del Rey's work was not selling well, he worked as a
short order cook Short order cooking, in the restaurant business, is the preparation of foods that are quick to cook. Many small restaurants serve only short-order items, which include fried, broiled, griddled foods, as well as assembled foods like sandwiches. Sh ...
at the White Tower Restaurant in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. After he married his second wife, Helen Schlaz, in 1945, he quit that job to write full-time. In 1952, his first three novels were published in the Winston juvenile series, one of which (''Rocket Jockey'') appearing in an
Italian-language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...
edition in the same year. In the 1950s, del Rey was one of the main authors writing science fiction for adolescents (along with
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
Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
). During this time some of his fiction was published under multiple pseudonyms, including "Philip St. John" and "Erik van Lhin". He continued publishing novels, as well as short fiction, both under his primary pseudonym Lester del Rey as well as a number of other pen names, at a fast pace through the 1950s and the early sixties. His novel writing slowed down toward the end of the sixties, with his last novel, ''Weeping May Tarry'' (written with Raymond F. Jones) appearing from
Pinnacle Books Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York-based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William"Walter Zacharius, Romance Publisher, Dies at 87,"''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender Gr ...
in 1978.


Editor and critic

After meeting
Scott Meredith Scott Meredith, born Arthur Scott Feldman (1923, New York City, NY – 1 July 1992, Manhasset, NY) was a prominent American literary agent, and founder of the Scott Meredith Literary Agency. His clients included famous and successful writers ...
at the 1947
World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...
, he began working as a first reader for the new Scott Meredith Literary Agency, where he also served as office manager. He later became an editor for several
pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
and then for book publishers. During 1952 and 1953, del Rey edited several magazines: ''Space SF'', ''Fantasy Fiction'', ''Science Fiction Adventures'' (as Philip St. John), ''Rocket Stories'' (as Wade Kaempfert), and ''Fantasy Fiction'' (as Cameron Hall). During this period he also edited several anthologies, notably editing the "Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year" series from 1972 to 1976. Del Rey was most successful editing with his fourth wife,
Judy-Lynn del Rey Judy-Lynn del Rey née Benjamin (January 26, 1943 – February 20, 1986) was a science fiction editor. Born with dwarfism, she was a fan and regular attendee at science fiction conventions and worked her way up the publishing ladder, startin ...
, at
Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...
(as a Random House property, post-Ballantine) where they established the fantasy and science fiction
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It ...
in 1977. He retired from the publishing house in February 1992. In 1957, del Rey and
Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of "To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind th ...
co-edited a small amateur magazine named ''
Science Fiction Forum ''Science Fiction Forum'' was a critical journal of science fiction. It was created by Damon Knight and James Blish in 1957. Lester del Rey was also an editor. The publication was created to continue discussions that began at the first Milfor ...
''. During a debate about symbolism within the magazine, del Rey accepted Knight's challenge to write an analysis of the
James Blish 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 Conscienc ...
story "
Common Time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
" that showed the story was about a man eating a ham sandwich. After science fiction gained respectability and began to be taught in classrooms, del Rey stated that academics interested in the genre should "get out of my ghetto." Del Rey stated that "to develop science fiction had to remove itself from the usual critics who viewed it from the perspective of hemainstream, and who judged its worth largely on its mainstream values. As part of that mainstream, it would never have had the freedom to make the choices it did – many of them quite possibly wrong, but necessary for its development." Starting in September 1969, he wrote the "Reading Room" review column for '' If'', and following the demise of ''If'' in 1974, switched to writing the review column for ''
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 ...
'' entitled "The Reference Library". Del Rey was a member of a literary banqueting 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 trapdo ...
, which served as the basis of
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 ...
'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 ...
. Del Rey was the model for "Emmanuel Rubin".


Style

"There is no writer in this field who is more steadfast in practicing the rule that fiction is first of all entertainment",
Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...
said in 1965. Reporting that the stories in a collection of del Rey's fiction could not be dated by reading them, Budrys stated that he had remained a successful writer because "del Rey has remained his own individual ... he writes for himself, and his readers". Budrys said that


Awards

Del Rey was awarded the 1972 E. E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction (the "Skylark") by the
New England Science Fiction Association The New England Science Fiction Association, or NESFA, is a science fiction club centered in the New England area. It was founded in 1967, "by fans who wanted to ''do'' things in addition to socializing". NESFA is currently registered as a non-p ...
for "contributing significantly to science fiction, both through work in the field and by exemplifying the personal qualities that made the late "Doc" Smith well-loved by those who knew him". He also won a special 1985
Balrog Award The Balrog Awards were a set of awards given annually from 1979 to 1985 for the best works and achievements of speculative fiction in the previous year. The awards were named after the balrog, a fictional creature from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-ear ...
for his contributions to fantasy, voted by fans and organized by ''
Locus Magazine ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
''. The
Science Fiction 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. Whil ...
named him its 11th
SFWA Grand Master The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was inaugurated in 1975 when Robe ...
in 1990, presented 1991.


Death

Lester del Rey died on May 10, 1993, at New York Hospital at the age of 77 after a brief illness.


Selected works


Novels

* ''
Marooned on Mars ''Marooned on Mars'' is a juvenile science fiction novel written by American writer Lester del Rey. It was published by John C. Winston Co. in 1952 with illustrations by Alex Schomburg. ''Marooned on Mars'' was commissioned as one of the first ...
'' (1952) * '' Rocket Jockey'' as Philip St. John (1952) * ''A Pirate Flag for Monterey'' (1952) * '' Attack from Atlantis'' (1953) * ''Battle on Mercury'' as Erik Van Lhin (1953) * ''The Mysterious Planet'' as Kenneth Wright (1953) * ''Rockets to Nowhere'' as Philip St. John (1954) * ''Step to the Stars'' (1954) * ''For I Am a Jealous People'' (1954) * ''Preferred Risk'' (1955) with
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 ...
s by Edson McCann* ''Mission to the Moon'' (1956) * ''Nerves'' (1956) * ''Police Your Planet'' as Erik Van Lhin (1956) * ''Day of the Giants'' (1959) * '' Moon of Mutiny'' (1961) * ''The Eleventh Commandment'' (1962) * ''Outpost of Jupiter'' (1963) * '' The Sky Is Falling'' (1963) * '' Badge of Infamy'' (1963) * ''The Runaway Robot'' (1965) * ''The Infinite Worlds of Maybe'' (1966) * ''Rocket from Infinity'' (1966) * ''The Scheme of Things'' (1966) * ''Siege Perilous'' (1966) * '' Tunnel Through Time'' (1966) * ''Prisoners of Space'' (1968) * ''Psi'' (1971) * ''Pstalemate'' (1971) * ''Weeping May Tarry'' (1978) with
Raymond F. Jones Raymond Fisher Jones (15 November 1915 – 24 January 1994) was an American science fiction author. He is best known for his 1952 novel ''This Island Earth'', which was adapted into the eponymous 1955 film. Personal life Jones w ...


Short fiction collections

* '' ... And Some Were Human'' (1948) * '' Robots and Changelings'' (1957) * ''The Sky Is Falling'' and ''Badge of Infamy'' (1966) * ''Mortals and Monsters'' (1965) * ''Gods and Golems'' (1973) * ''The Early del Rey'' (1975) * ''The Early del Rey: Vol 1'' (1976) * ''The Early del Rey: Vol 2'' (1976) * ''
The Best of Lester del Rey ''The Best of Lester del Rey'' is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Lester del Rey. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in September 1978 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction, ...
'' (1978) * ''War and Space'' (2009) * ''Robots and Magic'' (2010)


Nonfiction

* ''Rockets Through Space'' (1957) * ''Space Flight'', General Mills, Inc. 1958, 1957; Golden Press, 1959 * ''The Mysterious Earth'' (1960) * ''The Mysterious Sea'' (1961) * ''The Mysterious Sky'' (1964) * ''The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: the History of a Subculture'' (1980)


As editor

* ''The Year After Tomorrow'' with Carl Carmer & Cecile Matschat (1954) * ''Best Science Fiction of the Year'' #1–5 (1972–1976)


References


Citations


General and cited references

*


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Del Rey, Lester 1915 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century pseudonymous writers American book editors American literary critics American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American science fiction writers American speculative fiction critics American speculative fiction editors George Washington University alumni Pulp fiction writers Science fiction critics Science fiction editors SFWA Grand Masters