Science fiction editor David Hartwell (1941-2016)
January 21, 2016 5:48 AM Subscribe
Influential science fiction editor David Hartwell died yesterday of complications resulting from head injuries suffered during a fall at his home.
His important contributions to the genre are many, including running literary journal The Little Magazine; editing science fiction novels at Berkeley, Signet, and later establishing the Timescape line at Pocket Books in the early 80s; founding and editing The New York Review of Science Fiction for many years (which published serious essays and commentary); publishing books through his own Dragon Press (which brought out, among other things, limited runs of Samuel Delany's important literary criticism of science fiction in the 1980s); serving as a senior editor at Tor Books where he brought out books by many of the major talents in science fiction; and editing one of the important annual "Best of" anthologies of the genre, Year's Best SF.
His important contributions to the genre are many, including running literary journal The Little Magazine; editing science fiction novels at Berkeley, Signet, and later establishing the Timescape line at Pocket Books in the early 80s; founding and editing The New York Review of Science Fiction for many years (which published serious essays and commentary); publishing books through his own Dragon Press (which brought out, among other things, limited runs of Samuel Delany's important literary criticism of science fiction in the 1980s); serving as a senior editor at Tor Books where he brought out books by many of the major talents in science fiction; and editing one of the important annual "Best of" anthologies of the genre, Year's Best SF.
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posted by cjorgensen at 5:57 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by cjorgensen at 5:57 AM on January 21, 2016
Greg Bear on Facebook yesterday: "David was a giant."
posted by JaredSeth at 6:07 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by JaredSeth at 6:07 AM on January 21, 2016
🚀
posted by Foosnark at 6:08 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Foosnark at 6:08 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Till Death Did Us Part": his wife, Kathryn Cramer, on his death.
posted by tiger tiger at 6:09 AM on January 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by tiger tiger at 6:09 AM on January 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
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posted by metaquarry at 6:13 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by metaquarry at 6:13 AM on January 21, 2016
David G. Hartwell Kept Restoring Our Faith In Science Fiction
posted by Artw at 6:16 AM on January 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 6:16 AM on January 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Wow. Being an editor is one of those jobs where if you're doing your job well people won't even notice that it has been done, or ever needed doing. The corollary to that is that in general editors aren't terribly well-known, even to the readership of books they worked on. All of that is just to establish the proper context for noting that I have heard of David Hartwell; I knew him to put together a mean anthology or twenty, and I knew him as the editor of several of my favorite novels, including my very favorite.
Thank you David, and .
posted by Ipsifendus at 6:24 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Thank you David, and .
posted by Ipsifendus at 6:24 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
No mention of his hideous ties?
A giant in the field, he will be missed by many.
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posted by Chrysostom at 6:38 AM on January 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
A giant in the field, he will be missed by many.
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posted by Chrysostom at 6:38 AM on January 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Michael Swanwick has a nice tribute.
The man edited Gene Wolfe, which puts him in the pantheon all by itself as far as I'm concerned.
posted by selfnoise at 6:39 AM on January 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Michael Swanwick has a nice tribute.
The man edited Gene Wolfe, which puts him in the pantheon all by itself as far as I'm concerned.
posted by selfnoise at 6:39 AM on January 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by LobsterMitten at 7:26 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:26 AM on January 21, 2016
No mention of his hideous ties?
Mary Robinette Kowal on David Hartwell’s sartorial splendour.
posted by metaquarry at 7:26 AM on January 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
Mary Robinette Kowal on David Hartwell’s sartorial splendour.
posted by metaquarry at 7:26 AM on January 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
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posted by JohnFromGR at 8:08 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by JohnFromGR at 8:08 AM on January 21, 2016
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I have read hundreds of thousands of words he edited, easily - also, a warm figure of good fun. He'll be missed as an editor and as a human being.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 8:12 AM on January 21, 2016
I have read hundreds of thousands of words he edited, easily - also, a warm figure of good fun. He'll be missed as an editor and as a human being.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 8:12 AM on January 21, 2016
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I knew him to put together a mean anthology or twenty
He compiled my favorite horror collection, The Dark Descent. As it happens, I've got the trade edition of volume 3 sitting on my coffee table back home right now.
posted by Iridic at 8:30 AM on January 21, 2016
I knew him to put together a mean anthology or twenty
He compiled my favorite horror collection, The Dark Descent. As it happens, I've got the trade edition of volume 3 sitting on my coffee table back home right now.
posted by Iridic at 8:30 AM on January 21, 2016
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He bought my first book.... :(
posted by The otter lady at 10:09 AM on January 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
He bought my first book.... :(
posted by The otter lady at 10:09 AM on January 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by spinifex23 at 10:54 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by spinifex23 at 10:54 AM on January 21, 2016
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posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:15 PM on January 21, 2016
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:15 PM on January 21, 2016
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posted by Kevin Street at 1:03 PM on January 21, 2016
posted by Kevin Street at 1:03 PM on January 21, 2016
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posted by Smart Dalek at 5:51 AM on January 21, 2016