Philip Empson High (28 April 1914 - 9 August 2006) was an English science fiction author.

Life

Philip Empson High was born in Biggleswade,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

. He saw service in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

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 ...

. His writing career spanned more than 50 years before his death in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

on 9 August 2006. He published 14 novels and numerous short stories. High first became well known during the 1950s with a series of short stories for various magazines including ''

Authentic Science Fiction ''Authentic Science Fiction'' was a British science fiction magazine published in the 1950s that ran for 85 issues under three editors: Gordon Landsborough, H.J. Campbell, and E.C. Tubb. The magazine was published by Hamilton and Co. in London ...

'', ''New Worlds Science Fiction'' and ''

Nebula Science Fiction ''Nebula Science Fiction'' was the first Scottish science fiction magazine. It was published from 1952 to 1959, and was edited by Peter Hamilton, a young Scot who was able to take advantage of spare capacity at his parents' printing company, ...

'', and was voted "top discovery" by the ''Nebula'' readers' poll for 1956 (the "Guinea Prize"). His first novel, ''The Prodigal Sun'', was published in 1964 and was followed by 13 more, ending in 1979 with ''Blindfold from the Stars''. A collection of his earlier short stories, ''The Best of Philip E. High'', was published in 2002 along with a collection of new stories ''Step to the Stars'' (2004).

Novels

* ''The Prodigal Sun'' (1964) * ''No Truce With Terra'' (1964) * ''The Mad Metropolis'' (1966) (later reissued as ''Double Illusion'' (1970)) * ''Reality Forbidden'' (1967) * ''These Savage Futurians'' (1967) * ''Twin Planets'' (1967) * ''The Time Mercenaries'' (1968) * ''Invader on My Back'' (1968) * ''Butterfly Planet'' (1971) * ''Come, Hunt an Earthman'' (1973) * ''

Sold - For a Spaceship ''Sold - For a Spaceship'' is a novel by Philip E. High published in 1973. Plot summary ''Sold - For a Spaceship'' is a novel in which the despairing remains of the human race swiftly improve until mankind has mastered the universe. Reception D ...

'' (1973) * ''Speaking of Dinosaurs'' (1974) * ''Fugitive from Time'' (1978) * ''Blindfold from the Stars'' (1979)

Short story collections

* ''The Best of Philip E. High'' (2002) * ''Step to the Stars'' (2004) * ''Guilty as Charged: Fantastic Crime Stories'' (2013)

References

External links

Official Philip E. High website

from ''The Independent'', 19 August 2006 *
Philip E. High - An Illustrated Bibliography
at SFandFantasy.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:High, Philip E. English science fiction writers 1914 births 2006 deaths People from Biggleswade 20th-century British novelists English male novelists 20th-century English male writers Royal Navy sailors Royal Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Bedfordshire