Hardcover (Trade)
Weight: 2.5
ISBN-13: 978-0-97591-563-9
ISBN-10: 0-97591-563-0
Page count: 309
Book Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"
Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches
edited by Mike Resnick & Joe Siclari
"Fellow Science Fiction Fans: I am mighty glad to be here among as fine a crowd of live-wires and go-getters that has ever assembled under one roof. I always pictured you Science Fans just as you are. Always ready for any adventure and argue any question at the drop of a hat."
— Frank R. Paul
Guest of Honor, Frank R. Paul said that in 1939 addressing a group of 200 science fiction fans in New York for the first World Science Fiction Convention. And here's the book that proves his case with 31 Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches.
Mike Resnick and Joe Siclari have rescued many of these from oblivion. Speeches only preserved on tape or printed in obscure, hard-to-find fanzines, are now collected in this fine hard cover edition. These speeches are treasure troves of ideas, quotes and insightful commentary by some of the greatest writers in the science fiction field: Robert A. Heinlein, Fritz Leiber, Kate Wilhelm, Theodore Sturgeon, and so many more. Starting with Paul's first Worldcon speech all the way through Christopher Priest's 2005 speech at Interaction in Glasgow, each speech presents a snapshot of the concerns of authors and fans within the genre and the world at large.
In these pages, we learn that, indeed, the best of the field have been more than willing to "be ready for any adventure" and especially willing to "argue any question at the drop of a hat." We invite you to read and enjoy the words spoken at Worldcon by E.E. "Doc" Smith, Hugo Gernsback, John W. Campbell, Ben Bova, etc. Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches is a history of the field by its leading authors and editors, and a long overdue addition to the library of SF.
For the first time anywhere, the Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches by:
1939: Frank R. Paul
1940: E.E. “Doc” Smith
1941: Robert A. Heinlein
1946: A.E. van Vogt
1948: Robert Bloch
1949: Lloyd A. Eshbach
1951: Fritz Leiber
1952: Hugo Gernsback
1954: John W. Campbell
1958: Richard Matheson
1962: Theodore Sturgeon
1963: Murray Leinster
1965: Brian W. Aldiss
1968: Philip José Farmer
1970: Robert Silverberg
1971: Clifford D. Simak
1973: Robert Bloch
1978: Harlan Ellison
1980: Kate Wilhelm
1985: Gene Wolfe
1987: Doris Lessing (Recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature)
1987: Boris & Arkady Strugatsky
1988: Donald Wollheim
1990: Joe Haldeman
2000: Ben Bova
2001: Greg Bear
2001: Gardner Dozois
2002: Vernor Vinge
2003: George R.R. Martin
2004: Terry Pratchett
2005: Christopher Priest
Mike Resnick
Mike Resnick is the winner of five Hugos, plus many other major awards in the United States, France, Japan, Spain, Croatia, and Poland. He is the author of more than 50 novels, close to 200 stories, 14 collections, and two screenplays, and has edited over 40 anthologies. He currently ranks 4th on the Locus list of the most-honored science fiction writers in history.
Joe Siclari
Joe Siclari is a fanhistorian, fanzine fan, archivist, collector, indexer, convention-club fan. He published A Wealth of Fable by Harry Warner, Jr., the history of 1950's SF Fandom; The Complete Quandry (reprints from and bibliographical info on Lee Hoffman's legendary fanzine); and Walt Willis's The Enchantment. He was also publisher of Unterhelios, Fanhistorica, SFSFS Shuttle, over 100 other fanzines, a filk book, many convention pubs, apazines, and compiled the SMOFcon Convention Manual.
Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton has won the Hugo Award for Best Artist eight times. His artwork has been featured on the covers of books from every major science fiction and fantasy publisher. With John Grant, he created Dragonhedge. Eggleton's books also include Alien Horizons, Greetings from Earth, and The Book of Sea Monsters. Eggleton was the Artist Guest of Honor at Chicon 2000, the 58th World Science Fiction Convention.
Publishing information
ISFiC Press; First Edition (2006).
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