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CONAN'S stepfather, L. Sprague de Camp, legendary writer of Phantasy has Died
Father Geek here with a sad report for fans of Fantasy and Science Fiction Literature... the giant of phantastic prose L. Sprague de Camp has left his earthly domain on November 6th, his beloved late wife Catherine's birthday. I first became aware of him 40 years ago while reading old back issues of the WEIRD TALES pulp magazines, and later for his work finishing CONAN stories from incomplete Robert Howard manuscripts and story outlines. Of course he went on to write novels on the famous barbarian totally on his own.
As a college student in the late 1960's Father Geek devoured anything that bore his name. I still have a large collection of the man's works. He received screen credit in 1984 as a tech advisor for CONAN THE DESTROYER, and again in 1997 at the age of 90 for the same job on the film KULL THE CONQUEROR. Many of his stories were adapted for comic books. To find a list of 78 of his books currently for sale Just Click Here , and enjoy.
I received an E-mail this morning about his death and went at once to his home page at L Sprague de Camp.com and the following very complete obit was up there along with many other interesting bits on the legendary writer of legend.
L Sprague de Camp
Nov 27, 1907 - Nov 6, 2000
11/6/00
I received an E-mail this morning about his death and went at once to his home page at L Sprague de Camp.com and the following very complete obit was up there along with many other interesting bits on the legendary writer of legend.
L Sprague de Camp
Nov 27, 1907 - Nov 6, 2000
11/6/00
Nov 27, 1907 - Nov 6, 2000
11/6/00
L(yon) Sprague de Camp, noted science fiction and fantasy writer of
the Golden Age, born in New York City on November 27, 1907, passed
away on November 6, 2000 in Plano, Texas. Formerly a resident of
Villanova, Pennsylvania, Sprague and his late wife Catherine called
Plano, Texas their home since 1989. Catherine Crook de Camp,
Sprague's wife of 60 years preceded him in death on April 9, 2000.
He is survived by his sons, Lyman Sprague de Camp and Gerard
Beekman de Camp; and brother Lyman Lyon de Camp.
L. Sprague de Camp, who served as a Lt. Commander in the U.S.
Naval Reserve during the Second World War, will be cremated; and his
ashes, together with those of Catherine, will be laid to final rest at the
Arlington National Cemetery.
L. Sprague de Camp was educated during his early years in New York
City. He earned his BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the California
Institute of Technology in 1930 and his MS in Engineering from Stevens
Institute of Technology in 1933. Although he worked as an educator,
lecturer, engineer, patent expert, and publicity writer, Sprague de
Camp devoted most of the last-half century to writing over 100 science
fiction, and fantasy novels.
His other work also includes historical novels; biographies of H.P.
Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard; and recognized non-fiction pieces
that include “The Ancient Engineers”; “The Day of the Dinosaur”; “Great
Cities of the Ancient World”; and “The Great Monkey Trial” among
others.
Many of Sprague’s early works appeared in the science fiction
magazines of the late 1930’s and included the thinking bear series with
“Johnny Black” in Astounding, and the “Gavagan’s Bar” fantasy stories
(written with the late Fletcher Pratt) in The Magazine of Fantasy and
Science Fiction.
Sprague de Camp edited and contributed to various stories about the
life and adventures of a swashbuckling character, “Conan”, originally
created by the late Robert E. Howard; and went on to produce new
Conan stories in collaboration with the late Lin Carter and others. Two
theatrical movies have been released starring highly acclaimed actor
Arnold Schwarzeneger as “Conan”.
Sprague de Camp was a master of that rarity, “humorous fantasy.” As a
young writer collaborating with Fletcher Pratt, he set forth the
world-hopping adventures of Harold Shea. These magical adventures
of the classical world are still available today in the omnibus volume,
“The Complete Compleat Enchanter”. In 1992, at the urging of Harold
Shea’s fans, Sprague de Camp and Christopher Stasheff collaborated
on “The Enchanter Reborn” and the travel adventures continued.
Sprague de Camp’s 1993 science fiction “Rivers of Time”, a collection
of nine stories about Reginald Rivers, a twenty-first century safari guide
who takes clients back to the Paleozoic and Mesozoic period to hunt
dinosaurs, was published by Baen books.
Perhaps Sprague’s most loved science fiction on time travel is the
classic, Lest Darkness Fall (1941), which is still in print today.
A world traveler with his collaborator wife Catherine and other
colleagues, Sprague de Camp experienced many unusual events in his
lifetime. He was chased by a hippopotamus in Uganda and a sea lion
in the Galapagos Islands, watched tiger and rhinoceros from elephant
back in India, and was bitten by a lizard in the jungles of northern
Guatemala. He spoke several languages and was a member of many
scholarly, professional, literary, and social organizations.
In he spring of 1994, Sprague de Camp spent Easter on Easter Island
in the South Pacific doing research for his non-fiction book “The
Ape-Man Within.” In 1996 Donald M. Grant published Sprague’s
autobiography “Time and Chance.” In 1997 “Time and Chance”
received the HUGO Award for Best Non-fiction Work.
Sprague received the coveted GANDALF, the Grand Master Award for
Lifetime Achievement in Fantasy; and the Science Fiction Writers of
America’s “GRAND MASTER NEBULA” Award in the 1970’s. These
and Sprague’s numerous other awards were a source of honor from the
profession to which he devoted himself since the 1930s.
In recent years health issues slowed him down and arthritis in his
fingers made typing on his electric typewriter very difficult. None the
less, he continued to keep up with his reading materials, always
thinking about the next story.
Though the man is gone, the many works of L. Sprague de Camp still
live on. “The Wheels of If,” first published in 1940 was recently reprinted
with two of Harry Turtledove’s original novellas in DOWN IN THE
BOTTOMLANDS (and other places)”.
L. Sprague de Camp will be remembered and deeply missed by those
who knew him and loved him.
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I really feel sad now. So many loved ones and admired ones will die during my lifetime... I don't even want to think about it. It's practically everyone famous now...
Stan -
A pillar of the genre has died. May he rest not in peace but continue to live in our hearts and mind and let his soul soar upon his fantastic realms. I will regret him.
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Nov 08, 2000 5:29:38 PM CST
"He is Cimerian. He will not cry. So I cry for him. . ."
by thereisnospoon
The Wizard said there would be a price. Do you want to live forever?
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Boy, first Steve Allen and now L. Sprague in one week. This just sucks. Though I know him mostly by reputation, I have read a number of L. Sprague's short stories, as well as a number of anthologies he edited, and his one truly great contribution to the genre: Lest Darkness Fall. This work frequently appears on "all-time best" or "most important" lists, and is generally considered the prototype for the alternate history subgenre. If you haven't read it, do so!
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I must've been 7 or 8 and I discovered some L. Sp stuff at the public library in the early-70s, probably by looking for cool pictures. I swear it was some Monitor-Merrimac thing. From there it was something like a "duplicate man" paperback, a breathless pulpy tale of aliens, worlds, science, all mixed up and fast. I got more.
These books--along with Trek reruns, natch--told me there was something wild and exciting out there. I still find it once and awhile.
Thanks. -
Sadness! I was fortunate enough to see Mr. and Mrs. De Camp speak a couple of years ago. I highly recommend reading his work. He was of an age with Heinlein and Asimov in the Golden Age. He was very possibly a better writer than Heinlein and in his nonfiction he displayed learning and erudition in excess even of the Good Doctor (IMHO). The giants are no longer with us...
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I imagine I am about as old as Father Geek and I too read everything with Sprague's name on it while at University and afterwards. I think I will pull out his autobiography of Howard tonight and revisit that.
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