James Blish

James Blish
BornJames Benjamin Blish
(1921-05-23)May 23, 1921
East Orange, New Jersey, United States
DiedJuly 30, 1975(1975-07-30) (aged 54)
Henley-on-Thames, England, United Kingdom
Pen name
  • William Atheling Jr.
  • Donald Laverty
  • John MacDougal
  • Arthur Lloyd Merlyn
OccupationWriter, Literary critic
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Education
  • Rutgers University (BS)
  • Columbia University (incompl.)
Period1940–1975
GenreScience fiction, Fantasy
Years active1940–1975
Spouses
  • (m. 1947⁠–⁠1963)
    [1]
  • (m. 1964)
Children3
Signature
Website
jamesblish.com

James Benjamin Blish (May 23, 1921 – July 30, 1975) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his Cities in Flight novels and his series of Star Trek novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel A Case of Conscience won the Hugo Award. He is credited with creating the term "gas giant" to refer to large planetary bodies.[2]

His first published stories appeared in Super Science Stories and Amazing Stories.

Blish wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen name William Atheling Jr. His other pen names included Donald Laverty, John MacDougal, and Arthur Lloyd Merlyn.[1]

  1. ^ a b Olendorf, Donna, ed. (October 1981). "BLISH, James (Benjamin) 1921–1975". Something About the Author. Vol. 66. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, Inc. p. 21. ISBN 9780810322769. ISSN 0276-816X.
  2. ^ "Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction: gas giant". sfdictionary.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.