...a handy reference book for those who are looking for quick sketches of major authors, ideas, and movements in science fiction...an illuminating piece on the history and development of science fiction as a genre...a very useful starting point for students doing science fiction research. American Reference Books Annual ...gives significant, succinct information on the genre...a valuable reference... VOYA ...accessible to readers of all levels of familiarity within this field...a useful addition to library stock, particularly within a quick reference collection for desk bound librarians. Reference Reviews, Vol. 20 No. 5, 2006 Stableford (creative writing, U. College, Winchester, England), himself a prolific author of novels and short stories, offers a dictionary of the writers, genres, and history of science fiction. Authors were selected for annotation according to the historical significance of their contributions; the necessarily bare-bones biographical information includes mention of other professions and particular experiences with a direct bearing on the contents of the writer's science fiction. The dictionary is followed by an extensive bibliography. Reference and Research Book News