The British Library is to publish a book on the work of Jack Vance with the title, Jack Vance: critical appreciations and a bibliography. The volume is the second in an occasional series intended to highlight authors whose work is of high literary quality and yet has wide popular appeal. The subject of the first volume in the series was Patrick O’Brian.

Jack Vance has a substantial body of work and many of his titles have achieved classic status within the science fiction and fantasy fields. Most of all though, he is an extremely good writer, who writes an excellent story.

The work will be a mix of biographical information, critical appreciations, some examples of the author’s work, and a bibliography. Jack Vance has kindly undertaken to contribute an autobiographical essay to this volume.

Some of the contents have already been planned but there is scope for further essays to be included. I suspect there are many well-known critics, writers, commentators or others who would be willing to contribute essays and I am writing to ask if any of the correspondents on this site could make suggestions as to possible contributions or contributors.

I am keen that the book should do full justice to Mr Vance’s marvellous achievement over a lifetime of writing and comments or observations sent to me at the following address will be gratefully received.

Arthur Cunningham
British Library
National Bibliographic Service
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
email: arthur.cunningham@bl.uk