''Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials'' (1979; second edition 1987) is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

-themed book by artist

Wayne Barlowe Wayne Douglas Barlowe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, painter, and concept artist. Barlowe's work focuses on esoteric landscapes and creatures such as citizens of hell and alien worlds. He has painted over 300 books, magazi ...

, with Ian Summers and

Beth Meacham Beth Meacham (born 1951) is an American writer and editor, best known as a longtime top editor with Tor Books. Life, education and family Meacham was born November 14, 1951, in Newark, Licking County, Ohio. She studied Communications in Antio ...

(who provided the text). It contains Barlowe's visualizations of different extraterrestrial life forms from various works of science fiction, with information on their planetary location or range, biology, and behaviors, in the style of a real field guide for animals. It was nominated for an American Book Award and for the 1980

Hugo Award for Best Related Work The Hugo Award for Best Related Work is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for primarily non-fiction works related to science fiction or fantasy, published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The Hugo Awards have bee ...

. The second edition has an added foreword by

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...

. After the success of the work, in 1996 Barlowe and Neil Duskis wrote a second book, ''Barlowe's Guide to Fantasy''.

Summary

The book contains descriptions of the following species:

Reception

''Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials'' received a mixed review from Wendy Bousfield in ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

''. Bousfield commented that the book's drawings were "colorful", but also "somewhat static and artificial-looking, with less vitality than the preparatory sketches from the artist's notebook included at the end." She also criticized the omission of "the facts of publication of the novels", but concluded that public libraries might still be interested in the work. The book received a positive review from Claudia J. Morner in ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

''. Morner praised the book's "colorful drawings" and "fold-out comparative size chart" showing the size of aliens relative to human beings. She concluded that it was a "fun browsing book" that would appeal to "young people fascinated by monsters" as well as to science fiction readers. Barlowe's work was nominated for an American Book Award and for the 1980

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1979 books Books about extraterrestrial life Books by Wayne Barlowe Encyclopedias of fictional worlds English-language books Science fiction books Workman Publishing Company books