Michael Raymond Donald Ashley (born 1948) is a British bibliographer, author and editor of science fiction,

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

, 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 ...

. He edits the long-running ''Mammoth Book'' series of short story anthologies, each arranged around a particular theme in mystery, fantasy, or science fiction. He has a special interest in fiction magazines and has written a multi-volume ''History of the Science Fiction Magazine'' and a study of British fiction magazines, ''The Age of the Storytellers''. He won the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for ''The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction''. In addition to the books listed below he edited and prepared for publication the novel ''The Enchantresses'' (1997) by

Vera Chapman Vera Chapman (8 May 1898 – 14 May 1996), also known as Vera Ivy May Fogerty, and within the Tolkien Society as Belladonna Took, was a British author and founder of the Tolkien Society in the United Kingdom, and also wrote a number of pseudo-h ...

. He has contributed to many reference works including ''

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael Scott R ...

'' (as Contributing Editor) and ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

'' (as Contributing Editor of the third edition). He wrote the books to accompany the British Library's exhibitions, ''Taking Liberties'' in 2008 and ''Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As You Know It'' in 2011. He lives in

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, Kent, England.

Bibliography

Anthologies

*'' Souls in Metal: an Anthology of Robot Futures'' (1977) * *''Weird Legacies'' (1977) *''SF Choice '77'' (1977) *''The Best of British SF'' in 2 volumes (1977) *'' Mrs. Gaskell's Tales of Mystery and Horror'' (1978) *''Jewels of Wonder'' (1981) *''

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cri ...

's Tales of the Supernatural'' (1983) *''Crypt of Cthulhu #62'' (1989). Guest edited special issue dedicated to Robert A. W. Lowndes. *'' Robert E. Howard's World of Heroes'' (1989) *''The Magic Mirror: Lost Supernatural and Mystery Stories by

'' (1989) *''When Spirits Talk'' (1990) *''The Giant Book of Myths and Legends'' (1995) *''Classical Stories'' (1996). Revised and expanded as ''The Giant Book of Heroic Adventure Stories'' (1997) *''Classical Whodunnits: Murder And Mystery from Ancient Greece And Rome'' (1996) *''Space Stories'' (1996). Published in the US as ''The Random House Book of Science Fiction Stories'' (1997) *''Fantasy Stories'' (1996). Published in the US as ''The Random House Book of Fantasy Stories'' (1997) *''Shakespearean Whodunnits'' (1997) *''Shakespearean Detectives'' (1998) *''Royal Whodunnits: Tales of Right, Royal Murder And Mystery'' (1999) *''Phantom Perfumes and Other Shades: Memories of Ghost Stories Magazine'' (2000) *''A Haunting Beauty'' (2000). Collection of stories by

Charles Birkin Sir Charles Lloyd Birkin, 5th Baronet (24 September 1907 – 1985) was an English writer of horror short stories and the editor of the ''Creeps Library'' of anthologies. Typically working under the pseudonym Charles Lloyd, Birkin's tales tende ...

. *''The Merriest Knight: The Collected Arthurian Tales of

Theodore Goodridge Roberts George Edwards Theodore Goodridge Roberts (July 7, 1877 – February 24, 1953) was a Canadian novelist and poet. He was the author of thirty-four novels and over one hundred published stories and poems. He was the brother of poet Charles G. D. R ...

'' (2001) *''The Mirror and Other Strange Reflections'' (2002). Collection of stories by

Arthur Porges Arthur Porges (; 20 August 1915 – 12 May 2006) was an American writer of numerous short stories, most notably during the 1950s and 1960s, though he continued to write and publish stories until his death. Life Arthur Porges was born in Chica ...

. *''Thing of Darkness'' (2006). Collection of stories by G. G. Pendarves compiled with John Pelan. *''Great American Ghost Stories'' (2008) *''Unforgettable Ghost Stories by Women Writers'' (2008) *''Dreams and Wonders: Stories from the Dawn of Modern Fantasy'' (August 2010, ) *''The Duel of Shadows: The Extraordinary Cases of Barnabas Hildreth'' (2011) by Vincent Cornier *''Fighters of Fear: Occult Detective Stories'' (2020) ;British Library of Science Fiction Classics *''Lost Mars: Stories from the Golden Age of the Red Planet'' (University of Chicago Press, 2018, ) *''Moonrise: The Golden Age of Lunar Adventures'' (2018) *''Menace of the Machine: The Rise of AI in Classic Science Fiction'' (2019) *''Menace of the Monster: Classic Tales of Creatures from Beyond'' (2019) *''The End of the World: and Other Catastrophes'' (2019) *''The Darkest of Nights'' (2019) *''The Tide Went Out'' (2019) *''Beyond Time: Classic Tales of Time Unwound'' (2019) *''Yesterday's Tomorrows: The Story of Science Fiction in 100 Books'' (2021) *''The Society of Time: The Original Trilogy and Other Stories'' (2021) *''Spaceworlds: Stories of Life in the Void'' (2021) *''Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction'' (2021) *''Born of the Sun: Adventures in Our Solar System'' (2021) ;Tales of the Weird *''Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories'' (2019) *''From the Depths: And Other Strange Tales of the Sea'' (2019) *''The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways'' (2019) *''Doorway to Dilemma: Bewildering Tales of Dark'' (2019) *''Queens of the Abyss: Lost Stories from the Women of the Weird'' (2020) *''The Outcast: And Other Dark Tales by E. F. Benson'' (2020) ;Arthurian anthologies *''The Pendragon Chronicles: Heroic Fantasy from the Time of King Arthur'' (1990) *''The Camelot Chronicles: Heroic Adventures from the Time of King Arthur'' (1992) *''

The Merlin Chronicles ''The Merlin Chronicles'' is a short story collection edited by Mike Ashley published by Robinson Publishing in 1995. Plot summary ''The Merlin Chronicles'' features twenty-two short stories about Merlin. Reception Steve Faragher reviewed ''The ...

'' (1995) *''Chronicles of the Holy Grail'' (1996). Also published as ''Quest for the Holy Grail'' (1997). *''The Chronicles of the Round Table'' (1997). Also published as ''Tales of the Round Table'' (1997). ;''The Mammoth Book of ...'' series *''The Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels'' (1988) *''The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits'' (1993) *''The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives'' (1995) *''The Mammoth Book of Fairy Tales'' (1997) *''The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures'' (1997) *''The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy'' (1998) *''The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends'' (1998) *''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens'' (1998) This was the US title for ''British Monarchs'' *''The Mammoth Book of Men o' War'' (1999) *''The Mammoth Book of Seriously Comic Fantasy'' (1999). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy II'' *''The Mammoth Book of Sword and Honor'' (2000) *''The Mammoth Book of Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes'' (2000) *''The Mammoth Book of Awesome Comic Fantasy'' (2001) *''The Mammoth Book of Hearts of Oak'' (2001). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of Sea Battles'' (2001) *''The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits'' (Volume 2) (2001). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of More Historical Whodunnits'' *''The Mammoth Book of Fantasy'' (2001) *''The Mammoth Book of Science Fiction'' (2002) *''The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction'' (2002) *''The Mammoth Book of Egyptian Whodunnits'' (2002) *''The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits'' (2003) *''The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits'' (2004) *''The Mammoth Book of Sorcerer's Tales'' (2004) *''The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy'' (2005) *''The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures'' (2005) (with Eric Brown) *''The Mammoth Book of King Arthur'' (2005) *''The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits: Third New Collection'' (2005). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of New Historical Whodunnits'' (2005) *''The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy: Fourth All-New Collection''(2005). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of New Comic Fantasy'' *'' The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction'' (2006) *''The Mammoth Book of Jacobean Whodunnits'' (2006) *''The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries'' (2006) *''The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits'' (2007) *''The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy'' (2008) *'' The Mammoth Book of Mindblowing SF'' (2009). Notably criticised for featuring only works by white men. *''The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF'' (2013) See also ''The History of the Science Fiction Magazines'' series below.

Non-fiction

*''Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction'' (1977) *''Fantasy Readers' Guide No. 1: The John Spencer Fantasy Publications'' (1979) *''The Seven Wonders of the World'' (1979) *''Fantasy Readers' Guide No. 2: The File on Ramsey Campbell'' (1980) *''The Complete Index to Astounding/Analog'' (1981) *''The Writings of Barrington J. Bayley'' (1981) *''The Illustrated Book of Science Fiction Lists'' (1982) *''Monthly Terrors'' (1985) (with Frank H. Parnell) *''Science Fiction, Fantasy and Weird Fiction Magazines'' (1985) (with Marshall B. Tymn) *''

: A Bio-Bibliography'' (1987)* *''The Work of William F. Temple'' (1994) *''The Supernatural Index'' (1995) (with William G. Contento) *''The Life and Times of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

'' (1996) *''British Monarchs'' (1998). Published in the US as ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens''. Subsequently edited and reissued as ''A Brief History of British Kings and Queens'' (2002) * *''Starlight Man: The Extraordinary Life of

'' (2001). Published in the US as ''Algernon Blackwood: An Extraordinary Life''. *''The Gernsback Days: The Evolution of Modern Science Fiction from 1911–1936'' (2004) (with Robert A. W. Lowndes) *''The Age of the Story Tellers: British Popular Fiction Magazines 1880–1950'' (2006) *''Taking Liberties'' (2008) *''Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As You Know It'' (2011) * ;''The History of the Science Fiction Magazines'' series Reprint anthologies with commentary: *''The History of the Science Fiction Magazine, Part One: 1926–1935'' (1974) *''The History of the Science Fiction Magazine, Part Two: 1936–1945'' (1975) *''The History of the Science Fiction Magazine, Part Three: 1946–1955'' (1976) *''The History of the Science Fiction Magazine, Part Four: 1956–1965'' (1978) Later, revised and expanded as reference works (without the stories): *''The Time Machines. The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950'' (2000) *''Transformations. The Story of the Science Fiction Magazines from 1950 to 1970'' (2005) *''Gateways to Forever. The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines from 1970 to 1980'' (2007) *''Science Fiction Rebels: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines from 1981 to 1990'' (2016) ;''Smarties'' series *''All the Incredible Facts You Ever Need to Know'' (1999). Later split into two books as ''Wacky World'' (2001) and ''Hairy Humans'' (2001) *''Incredible Monsters'' (2000). Later split into two books as ''Beautiful Beasties'' (2001) and ''Deadly Dinosaurs'' (2001)

References

External links

"Mike Ashley: researching the fantastic: an interview by Iain Rowan"
* ttp://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/mike-ashley/ Mike Ashleyat Fantastic Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3rd ed.
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Mike 1948 births Living people 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British male writers 21st-century British novelists Analog Science Fiction and Fact people British fantasy writers British male novelists British non-fiction writers British science fiction writers British speculative fiction editors Edgar Award winners The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people Male non-fiction writers Weird fiction writers