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An Encyclopedia of Jack Vance, 20th Century Science Fiction Writer Volume 3: Numericals Through-Z

Author: 
Year:
Pages:384
ISBN:0-7734-7224-X
978-0-7734-7224-2
Price:$239.95
Jack Vance is widely regarded as one of the great writers of imaginative literature of the 20th century. For over 50 years, readers have been enthralled by the richness and exoticism of his imagined worlds. This encyclopedia lists and defines all the people, places, and things invented by Jack Vance for his fiction in English. It provides a ready reference for scholars working with the critical literature on Vance, and makes it possible for readers and critics to identify and locate details in stories that are out-of-print or unavailable, as well as providing a wealth of data for scholars interested in the working of Vance’s creative imagination. The Encyclopedia contains more than 15,600 terms from Vance’s science fiction, fantasy, and detective-adventure riction, and excludes only the work written by Vance as “Ellery Queen.”

Reviews

This set results from an experiment by Mead to see whether a database system would help in analyzing a writers works. Entries, arranged alphabetically by the first key word, consist of three pieces: a single word or phrase used by Vance in his stories, a definition based on information from Vance's various works, and a code - an abbreviation of the story or novel titles. A page number indicates where the term is first found in that particular title. Easy to use and of interest where stories and novels by Jack Vance are read and collected; highly recommended." - CHOICE

The level of detail and explanation make this a book of significant value to the Vance student, one that should not only assist research, but also suggest additional areas of study. It may be equally valuable to the more casual reader, allowing a quick refresher course on what a word or term means. . . a resource that should be widely available in most academic libraries, where Vance is a popular recreational read and a subject of continued scholarship, and in larger public libraries.  Hal W. Hall, Curator and Bibliographer, Science Fiction Research Collection, Texas A & M University