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 The Newspaper of the Science Fiction Field |
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Back to Reviews page § Cumulative '97 Recommended SF novels | Fantasy/Horror novels | First Novels | Collections | Anthologies | Nonfiction & art books | Reprints § Latest Recommended Short Fiction Cumulative '97 Recommended Novellas | Novelettes | Short Stories |
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1997 Non-fiction
Dracula: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Reviews and Reactions, Dramatic and Film Variations, Criticism, Nina Auerbach & David J. Skal, eds. (Norton 3/97, $9.95, tp) Annotated critical edition of the Bram Stoker vampire classic in its centenary year, including the "authoritative text," followed by more than 100 pages of scholarly essays. There is also a chronology of Stoker's life and a selected bibliography. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, John Clute & John Grant (St. Martin's 6/97, $75.00, hc) Massive, and welcome, one-volume reference, along the lines of Clute & Nicholls's award-winning Encyclopedia of SF. This will be the standard reference for years to come. Periodic Stars, Tom Easton (Borgo Press 8/97, $27.00, tp) This collection of 250 of Easton's Analog book reviews is, as the subtitle indicates, "an overview of science fiction literature in the 1980s and '90s." Jules Verne: An Exploratory Biography, Herbert R. Lottman (St. Martin's 1/97, $26.95, hc) A revisionist biography of the SF founder shows him as a much more complex man than we thought. Reflections & Refractions: Thoughts on Science-Fiction, Science and Other Matters, Robert Silverberg (Underwood Books 3/97, $19.95, tp) A collection of provocative essays, grouped by theme -- SF, science and society, writing, fellow SF writers, the modern world, and some personal thoughts, after a foreword where the noted author comments on his "pontifications." Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Exhaustive Scholar's and Collector's Descriptive Bibliography, Robert B. Zeuschner (McFarland 1/97, $46.50, hc) An updating, through 1996, of the 1964 Heins bibliography. A must for Burroughs collectors.
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, Neil Gaiman; ill. Dave McKean (White Wolf 5/95, $21.99, hc). Children's picture book with text by Gaiman and full-color illustrations by McKean; humorous fantasy where the title trade is just the start of a series of juvenile swaps, and things get very strange indeed. Myth, Magic, and Mystery: One Hundred Years of American Children's Book Illustration, Hearn, Clark, & Clark (Roberts Rinehart 1/97, $29.95, tp) Not just an art book (with numerous b&w and full-color illustrations), but also a history of the past century in the field, examining the literature as well as its illustrators. A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, Susan E. Meyer (Abrams 6/97, $24.95, tp) Lavishly illustrated gathering of work by the major names in the field, from Tenniel and Lear to Rackham, Dulac, Nielsen, N.C. Wyeth, and more, in a useful introduction to its subject. Michael Parkes, John Russell Taylor (Steltman 1/97, $19.95, tp) Sumptuous gathering of the subtle, often erotic/fantastic lithographs and sculpture of Parkes, with biographical material and a brief history of his career. Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction; Revised Edition, James Gunn (Scarecrow Press 2/97, $36.00, hc) Expanded edition of a study which first appeared in 1982, and won a non-fiction Hugo. Includes articles on his major works, an Asimov chronology, checklist, and select bibliography. There is a new chapter on Asimov's bestselling late novels, plus the text of an earlier interview. In Search of Wonder, Damon Knight (Advent 1/97, $20.00, hc) Expanded, revised third edition of a classic gathering of essays on the SF field, with six new essays, including autobiography, coverage of Clarion, and a piece on writing SF. |
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