''S.F. Masterworks'' is a series of

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 unive ...

novel reprints published by UK-based company

Orion Publishing Group Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...

, a subsidiary of

Hachette UK Hachette () is a French publisher. Founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif, the company later became L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette SA and Hachette Livre in France. After acquiring an Australian publisher, Hachette ...

. The series is intended for the United Kingdom and Australian markets, but many editions are distributed to the United States and Canada by

Hachette Book Group Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Grou ...

. , there are 188 unique titles in the series, 186 of which have been printed in the relaunched series. Approximately 230 volumes, including hardcover and revised editions, have been published in total. Superseding the earlier series Gollancz Classic SF (1986–1987) and VGSF Classics (1988–1990), the SF Masterworks series began publication in 1999. Developed to feature important and out of print science fiction novels, the selections were described by science fiction author Iain M. Banks as "amazing" and "genuinely the best novels from sixty years of SF". Many of the selections had been out of print in the United Kingdom for many years. Its companion series include

Fantasy Masterworks Fantasy Masterworks is a series of British paperbacks intended to comprise "some of the greatest, most original, and most influential fantasy ever written", and claimed by its publisher Millennium (an imprint of Victor Gollancz) to be "the books whi ...

and Gateway Essentials.

Numbered series

Softcover editions (1999–2007)

Hardcover editions (2001)

Not all printings include a volume number stamp. Printings distributed to the United States do not include any markings to indicate they are part of a series.

Relaunch series

Softcover editions (2010–present)

The new designs sport yellow/white spines, with the SF Masterworks logo written vertically on the cover. The original 10 numbered titles were re-issued first. For titles that were previously issued in the original series, generally the cover artwork is tinted in a different colour from the original version. For example, ''

The Dispossessed ''The Dispossessed'' (in later printings titled ''The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia'') is a 1974 anarchist utopian science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, one of her seven Hainish Cycle novels. It is one of a small number o ...

'' cover artwork is primarily red in the original release, and was tinted green when reprinted as part of the relaunch. Only two titles from the numbered series have not yet been reprinted in the relaunch series: ''

The Drowned World ''The Drowned World'' is a 1962 science fiction novel by British writer J. G. Ballard. The novel depicts a post-apocalyptic future in which global warming caused by heightened solar radiation has rendered much of the Earth's surface uninhabit ...

'' and ''

Now Wait for Last Year ''Now Wait for Last Year'' is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It is set in 2055, when Earth is caught between two galactic powers in an interstellar conflict. Dr. Eric Sweetscent and his wife Kathy get addicted to ...

''. Since these are also the only entries missing from the "Complete List" of titles published by Gollancz in 2016, the delay in reprinting both titles is likely a publisher oversight.

Hardcover editions (2010–2017)

‡ Reprinted version of a title from the numbered series § Later reprinted in a paperback edition

Forthcoming

Unpublished editions

The following editions were announced, but appear to have been withdrawn:

The Best of the SF Masterworks collection

Softcover (2022 - present)

Hardcover edition (2022 - present)

Related series

Gollancz 50th Anniversary (2011)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gollancz imprint, Orion published ten fan-chosen editions. Each novel featured Gollancz's red-on-yellow cover design. The series was initially marketed as part the ''S.F. Masterworks'' series.

Golden Age Masterworks (2019–present)

Initially marketed as part the ''S.F. Masterworks'' series.

References

External links

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SF Masterworks
at

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SF Masterworks
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{{DEFAULTSORT:SF Masterworks Series Lists of books Science fiction book series Science fiction lists