Great Britain has a long tradition of fantasy and science fiction, but for most of British literary history these have been (and continue to be) categories in which authors work who are not necessarily defined (by themselves or others) as fantasy or science-fiction writers. Science fiction in particular began to be seen as a separate type of writing in the United States after the appearance of pulp magazines devoted to the form in the late 1920s, when the term "science fiction" came into use, and the early 1930s. The break has always been less distinct in Britain, but some writers--often directing their work toward the American magazines--nonetheless took on the label of "science-fiction writer." William F. Temple is one example.

William Frederick Temple, born in Woolwich, Kent, on 9 March 1914, was the oldest child of William and Doris Temple. When he was two, his family moved to Eltham, a...