 Dust-jacket cover. | |
| Author | L. Sprague de Camp |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Don Simpson |
| Cover artist | Don Simpson |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Pseudo-science |
| Publisher | Owlswick Press |
Publication date | 1980 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | x, 244 |
| ISBN | 0-913896-06-3 |
| OCLC | 7522462 |
The Ragged Edge of Science is a science book by L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Don Simpson. It was first published by Owlswick Press in 1980.[1][2][3]
The book is a collection of twenty-two articles (two of them book reviews) on various curiosities and wonders exploring the boundaries between science and pseudo-science.[1][4] "The[ir] common thread is [their] skeptical takes on subjects that are often muddled by paranormal and pseudoscientific claims."[5] De Camp viewed such phenomena from a skeptically rational viewpoint, pointing out the fallacies in supernatural and otherwise fantastic explanations. His debunking efforts were an important and characteristic feature of his nonfiction, and the present collection is a notable instance of it.[6]
The book's constituent articles were originally published in a variety of science magazines, science fiction magazines, and other publications from 1950 to 1976.[1][6][7]
- ^ a b c Laughlin, Charlotte; Daniel J. H. Levack (1983). De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography. San Francisco: Underwood/Miller. p. 84. ISBN 0-934438-70-6.
- ^ The Ragged Edge of Science title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- ^ Clute, John; Peter Nicholls (1995). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 310. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
- ^ Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 865.
- ^ "BOOK: L. Sprague de Camp, 'The Ragged Edge of Science'", ILL-ADVISED blog, March 10, 2007
- ^ a b Easton, Tom. "The Reference Library" (review), in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, v. 101, no. 10, September 14, 1981, p. 170.
- ^ Internet Speculative Fiction Database entry for first edition of The Ragged Edge of Science