Lyon Sprague de Camp (1907–2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, historian, and engineer whose career spanned over 60 years. Known for meticulous research, humor, and blending science with storytelling, he made a lasting impact on speculative fiction.
Born in New York City, he earned a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (1930) and an M.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology (1933.) After working as an inventor and patent expert, he transitioned to writing full-time.
His first published story, The Isolinguals (1937,) appeared in Astounding Science Fiction. His breakthrough novel, Lest Darkness Fall (1941,) is a time-travel alternate history classic. Co-authoring The Compleat Enchanter (1941) with Fletcher Pratt, he launched the Harold Shea series, blending fantasy with logic.
Notable works include The Ancient Engineers (1963,) Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature (1954,) and The Tritonian Ring (1953.) He also expanded Robert E. Howard’s legacy by contributing to the Conan the Barbarian series.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by L. Sprague de Camp
A man’s knowledge is like an expanding sphere, the surface corresponding to the boundary between the known and the unknown. As the sphere grows, so does its surface; the more a man learns, the more he realizes how much he does not know. Hence, the most ignorant man thinks he knows it all.
—L. Sprague de Camp
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