L. Sprague de Camp

Lyon Sprague de Camp, (November 27 1907-November 6 2000) was a science fiction and fantasy author born in New York City.

Works (Nonfiction)

De Camp liked to debunk doubtful history and claims of the supernatural, and to describe how ancient civilizations produced structures and architecture thought by some to be beyond the technologies of their time, such as the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. Works in this area include Citadels of Mystery and The Ancient Engineers. Among his many other wide-ranging non-fiction works were Lost Continents, The Great Monkey Trial (about the Scopes Trial), The Ragged Edge Of Science, Energy and Power, Heroes of American Invention. The Day Of The Dinosaur (which argued, among other things, that evolution took hold after Darwin because of the Victorian interest spurred by recently popularized dinosaur remains, corresponding to legends of dragons), The Evolution Of Naval Weapons (a United States of America government textbook) and Teach Your Child To Manage Money.

Related Topics:
Debunk - Ancient civilization - Architecture - Pyramid - Ancient Egypt - The Great Monkey Trial - Scopes Trial - United States of America

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The author also wrote biographies of two prominent but personally flawed fantasy writers, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft. The latter, the first major independent biography of the now-famous writer, was criticized by some fans of Lovecraft as unflattering and unbalanced. In de Camp's defense, Lovecraft is a difficult person to show in a flattering light.

Related Topics:
Biographies - Robert E. Howard - H. P. Lovecraft - Fans

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