Philip St. John, Erik van Lhin, Wade Kaempfert, Philip James, and Kenneth Wright are just some of the pseudonyms Lester del Rey has published under during his long career. Indeed, both the number and variety of his pen names give ample evidence of what his colleagues and readers acknowledge as del Rey's astounding eclecticism and intellectual energy. No wonder, then, that his continuing involvement over four decades with the cause of science-fiction literature has earned him a unique place in the colorful history of its development. Del Rey has been instrumental in guiding the fortunes of science fiction from the vagaries of the early pulp-magazine market to the respectability of the prestigious del Rey imprint.

The son of Franc del Rey, a carpenter and farmer, and Jane Sidway del Rey, he was born Ramon Felipe San Juan Mario Silvio Enrico Smith Heathcourt-Brace Sierra y Alvarez-del Rel y de...