CINXE.COM

<!doctype html>     <html class="no-js" lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>SFE: SF Encyclopedia Home Page – Thursday 28 November 2024</title> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"> <meta name="description" content="Welcome to the fourth edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction." /> <meta name="keywords" content="" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">  <script> window.ga=window.ga||function(){(ga.q=ga.q||[]).push(arguments)};ga.l=+new Date; ga("create", "UA-24275979-1", "auto"); ga("send", "pageview"); </script> <script async src="https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js"></script>  <link rel="icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/style.css?v=1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/media-queries.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/cookie.css"> <script src="/static/js/libs/modernizr-2.0.6.min.js"></script> <style media="screen" type="text/css"> ::-moz-selection { background: navy !important; } html, body { margin:0; padding:0; height:100%; } #container { min-height:100%; position:relative; } #header { background:#ff0; padding:10px; } #body { padding-bottom:15px; /* Height of the footer */ } #footer { position:absolute; bottom:0; width:100%; height:15px; /* Height of the footer */ background:#6cf; } </style>  </head> <body style="overflow-x: hidden;"> <div id="container"> <div id="body"> <div id="minorNavWrapper"> <nav id="minornav" class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" style="font-weight: bold;"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/about-us">About us</a></li> <li><a href="/random.php">Random</a></li> <li><a href="/contact.php">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="/donate.php">Donate</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="mainNavWrapper"> <nav id="mainnav"> <ul class="clearfix"> <li class="home"><a title="Home page" href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/"><img id="sfeLogoSmall" src="/static/img/sfe.png" alt="SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction"><img id="sfeLogo" src="/static/img/logo.png" alt="SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction"></a><span class="logoArrow"></span></li> <li class="section-all"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/0">All entries</a></li> <li class="section-themes"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/theme">Themes</a></li> <li class="section-authors"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/everyone">People</a></li> <li class="section-media"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/media">Media</a></li> <li class="section-culture"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/culture">Culture</a></li> <li class="section-news"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/">News</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="main"> <div class="colsWrapper clearfix"> <div class="column mainCol clearfix" style="background-color:white !important;"> <fieldset id="globalSearch"> <form name="srchenter" method="post" action="/search.php"> <select name="catfilter" class="searchFilter" style="width: 132px" title="Select entry category for headword or global search"> <option value="">Search all entries</option> <option value="chk">Checklist titles</option><option value="art">Art</option> <option value="author">Author</option> <option value="award">Award</option> <option value="character">Character</option> <option value="comics">Comics</option> <option value="community">Community</option> <option value="critic">Critic</option> <option value="editor">Editor</option> <option value="fan">Fan</option> <option value="film">Film</option> <option value="game">Game</option> <option value="house name">House Name</option> <option value="international">International</option> <option value="music">Music</option> <option value="people">People (media)</option> <option value="prelim">Prelim</option> <option value="publication">Publication</option> <option value="publisher">Publisher</option> <option value="radio">Radio</option> <option value="theatre">Theatre</option> <option value="theme">Theme</option> <option value="tv">TV</option> </select> <input name="search" type="text" value="" style="margin: 0 0 5px 0; width: 155px !important;" onFocus="this.select()" onClick="this.select()" onHover="this.select()" class="searchText" id="defaultOpen">  <input type="submit" value="Headwords" class="button primary" style="margin: 5px 0 0 0;; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px">  <input type="submit" name="glob" value="Global search" class="button primary" style="margin: 5px 0 0 0; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px"> <input type="text" name="eofmode" value="" hidden> <div style="display:none;"> <p style="margin: 0px; float: left;"><input type="radio" name="tomeselect" value="sfe" checked> <i>Search SFE</i>   <input type="radio" name="tomeselect" value="eof"> <i>Search EoF</i></p> <p style="margin: 0px; float: right;"> <input type="checkbox" Name="noxref">  <i>Omit cross-reference entries</i>  </p> <script> document.srchenter.search.focus(); document.addEventListener("keydown", function(event) { if (event.code == "PageDown" || event.code == "ArrowDown" || ( !event.getModifierState("NumLock") && (event.code == "Numpad2" || event.code == "Numpad3"))) { document.srchenter.search.blur(); } }) </script> </div> </form> </fieldset> <article class="entryArticle content STeditorial"> <header class="entryHeader icon-logo"> <h1 class="entryTitle"><i>SF Encyclopedia</i> Home Page<br />Thursday 28 November 2024 </h1> </header> <p style="line-height: 200%;"><big><i><b>Welcome</b> to the <b>Encyclopedia of Science Fiction</b>, <a href="/this-site">Fourth Edition</a>. Some sample entries appear below. <a href="/entry/introduction_to_the_third_edition">Click here for the Introduction</a>; <a href="/masthead">here for the masthead</a>; <a href="/entry/acknowledgments">here for Acknowledgments</a>; <a href="/frequently-asked-questions">here for the FAQ</a>; <a href="/advice-to-students">here for advice on citations</a>. Find entries via the search box above (<a href="/searching">more details here</a>) or browse the menu categories in the grey bar at the top of this page.</i></big><a rel="me" href="https://mastodon.nl/@ansible"></a><a rel="me" href="https://mastodon.social/@SF_Encyclopedia"></a></p> <p align=center><b>Site updated on 25 November 2024<br /><b class='tweakSpon'><i>Sponsor of the day:</i> <a href="/entry/haldeman_joe">Joe Haldeman</a></b></b></p><h2><a href="/entry/sci_fi_files_the" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Sci Fi Files, The</a></h2> <p>US tv mini-series (<i>1997</i>). The Sci Fi Channel. Produced by Peter Swain. Directed by Swain, and Chris Lethbridge. Narrator: Mark Hamill. Four 60-minute episodes. Colour. / This documentary mini-series examined the development of sf – chiefly in <a href="/entry/cinema">Cinema</a> form – since the very early twentieth century, focusing initially on such films as <a href="/entry/frankenstein">Frankenstein</a> (<i>1931</i>) and <a href="/entry/metropolis">Metropolis</a> ...</p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/sci_fi_files_the" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <h2><a href="/entry/vesaas_tarjei" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Vesaas, Tarjei</a></h2> <p>(1897-1970) Norwegian author who wrote in the version or dialect of Norwegian known as nynorsk; he is perhaps best known for a tale of Nordic <a href="/entry/fantastika">Fantastika</a>, where the near-supernatural affinity of two young girls, whose relationship is <a href="/entry/doppelgangers">Doppelganger</a>-intense, is echoed by the nearby, eponymous, gravity-defying ice-palace, ostensibly a waterfall, whose ultimate collapse has chthonic echoes. [JC] </p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/vesaas_tarjei" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <h2><a href="/entry/biology" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Biology</a></h2> <p>The growth of knowledge in the biological sciences has lagged behind that in the physical sciences; Newton's synthesis of <a href="/entry/physics">Physics</a> and <a href="/entry/astronomy">Astronomy</a> anticipated the linking of biology and chemistry by 200 years. The age of mechanical inventions began in the early nineteenth century, that of biological inventions is only just beginning, in the wake of the elucidation (during the 1960s) of the "genetic code" which controls naturally occurring ...</p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/biology" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <h2><a href="/entry/garbutt_john" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Garbutt, John</a></h2> <p>(1902-1991) UK author of fiction for boys who also wrote as by John Allan, John Brearley, under which name he wrote some <b>Sexton Blake</b> novels, John Brierly and Clifford Cameron, the <b>Lance Kearney</b> and <b>Jigger Gerrard</b> stories in <i>Modern Wonder</i> as by the last name being of some interest; he also wrote for <a href="/entry/captain_justice">Captain Justice</a>. <i>The Night Hawk: A Fight for a Throne</i> (21 February 1931 <i>Nelson Lee Library</i>; <b>1932</b> chap) is a ...</p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/garbutt_john" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <h2><a href="/entry/jones_eddie" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Jones, Eddie</a></h2> <p>(1935-1999) Working name of British illustrator Edward John Jones, who also published artwork as S Fantoni (a pseudonym which he used for <a href="/entry/star_trek">Star Trek</a> book covers) and "Eddie". One of Britain's most prolific sf artists, Jones was also one of the few in the field to be self-taught. After building a minor reputation as a fan artist, Jones began working professionally in 1957 with some interior art for <a href="/entry/nebula_science_fiction">Nebula Science Fiction</a> ...</p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/jones_eddie" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <h2><a href="/entry/robinson_roger" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Robinson, Roger</a></h2> <p>(1943-    ) UK computer programmer, bibliographer and publisher, active in UK <a href="/entry/fandom">Fandom</a> for many years. <i>The Writings of Henry Kenneth Bulmer</i> (<b>1983</b> chap; rev <b>1984</b> chap) is an exhaustive <a href="/entry/bibliographies">Bibliography</a> of one of the most prolific sf writers, Kenneth <a href="/entry/bulmer_kenneth">Bulmer</a>, and <i>Who's Hugh?: An SF Reader's Guide to Pseudonyms</i> (<b>1987</b>) is similarly exhaustive in its ...</p> <p class="moreLink"><a href="/entry/robinson_roger" style="text-decoration:none !important;">Read more </a></p> <br /><br /></article></div> <div class="sideBarsWrapper"> <div class="sideBarsColsWrapper clearfix"> <div class="column sideBar12 clearfix"> <div class="columnForm"><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2><i>SFE</i> News<span style="background:url(/images/thingSFE2.png) !important"></span></h2><ul style='width: 50%; float: left;'> <li>24/06/24  <a href='/news/thanks_to_conversation_2023'>Thanks to Conversation 2023</a></li> <li>09/05/24  <a href='/news/seven_million_words'>Seven Million Words</a></li> <li>22/03/24  <a href='/news/vernor_vinge'>Vernor Vinge (1944-2024)</a></li> <li>27/02/24  <a href='/news/brian_stableford'>Brian Stableford (1948-2024)</a></li> <li>04/02/24  <a href='/news/christopher_priest'>Christopher Priest (1943-2024)</a></li> <li><i><a href="/news/"><img src="/static/img/moreLink.png" style="position:relative; top:4px;" alt="">  Show all news items</a></i></li> </ul> <p align=center style="float:right; padding-top:20px; padding-bottom:20px;">ISSN 3049-7612<br /> <a href="/facts.php?id=logo"> <img src="/images/VitMan.gif" width=150 height=150 title="Click for larger version of this SFE logo"></a><br /> <b><a href="/donate.php"><img src="/images/Paypal-Donate.gif" WIDTH="92" HEIGHT="26" BORDER="0" /></a></b></p><div style="margin-bottom:10px;"></div></div> </aside><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2><i>SFE</i> Special Features<span></span></h2><p style="margin-top: 10px;"><input type="button" value="What’s New" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/whatsnew.php'">  Latest entries; <a href="/updated.php">latest updates</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="In Memoriam" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/timeline.php?rip'">  Recent deaths</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="On This Day" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/today.php'">  Anniversaries; also <a href="/timeline.php">Timeline</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Gallery" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/gallery.php'">  <i>SFE</i> Picture Gallery; <a href="/gallery.php?list&new">What’s New</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Shopping" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/sfeshop.php'">  Affiliate settings</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Random" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/random.php'">  Show a random <i>SFE</i> entry</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="SFE Facts" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/facts.php'">  Bar charts, awards and more</p> <p style="margin-bottom:15px;"><a href="/searching">Search help</a> | <a href="/rss.php" target="_blank">RSS feed</a> <img src="/static/img/external.gif"> | <a href="/fe/"><i>Encyclopedia of Fantasy</i></a> <img src="/static/img/external.gif"></p><div style="margin-bottom:10px;"></div></div> </aside><aside id="connect" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2>Connect with <i>SFE</i> <span></span></h2> <ul> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="/donate.php">Donate towards <i>SFE</i> expenses</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="/contact.php">Send email feedback to the <i>SFE</i> editors</a></h3> </li> <li style=" display:none;"> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://twitter.com/john_clute" target="_blank">John Clute on Twitter [X]</a></h3> <a href="https://twitter.com/john_clute" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @john_clute</a> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </li> <li style=" display:none;"> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://twitter.com/sfencyclopedia" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Twitter [X]</a></h3> <a href="https://twitter.com/sfencyclopedia" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @sfencyclopedia</a> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sf-Encyclopedia/138995776178949" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Facebook</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/john.clute.5" target="_blank">John Clute on Facebook</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sfencyclopedia.bsky.social" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on BlueSky</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@SF_Encyclopedia" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Mastodon</a></h3> </li> </ul> </div> </aside> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="cookieConsent"> <div id="closeCookieConsent" onclick="hidepopup()">x</div> This website uses cookies.  <a href="/cookies" target="_blank">More information here</a>. <a class="cookieConsentOK" onclick="setcookie()">Accept Cookies</a> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> function hidepopup() { document.cookie = "hidecookiepopup=yes; path=/"; // session only document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "none"; } function setcookie() { document.cookie = "cookiesOK=yes; max-age=31536000; path=/"; // 1 year document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "none"; } var cookiestring = document.cookie; // document.getElementById("connect").innerHTML = cookiestring; // TEST only if ( cookiestring.indexOf("cookiesOK=yes") == -1 ) { if ( cookiestring.indexOf("hidecookiepopup=yes") == -1 ) { document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "block"; } } </script> <div id="footer" style="background:#fff; padding: 5px;"> <footer id="globalFooter" class="clearfix"> <div id="credit">Website design by Ansible Editions </div> <div id="credit" style="float: left !important; padding-left:20px;">Site and <i>SFE</i> content © 2011-2024 John Clute & David Langford</div> </footer> </div> </div> </body></html>