Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1978 book)

Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is a 1978 book of essays about the science fiction genre, largely as a literary form but also covering cinema, TV and illustration.

Articles and Content
The articles were written by a number of well known writers, critics, and editors, covering a number of topics, including the history of the genre, alien encounters, technology, and sci-fi art and cinema. The consultant editor was fantasy and science fiction author Robert Holdstock who also contributed a chapter on modern perceptions of science fiction. The foreword was written by Isaac Asimov. Other notable contributors include novelists Brian Stableford, Harry Harrison, and Christopher Priest, the editor and publisher Malcolm Edwards, and the astronomer Patrick Moore. The book also contained a number of lavish full colour illustrations, often featuring magazine and novel cover art by artists such as Melvyn Grant, Kelly Freas, Joe Petagno and Chris Foss. The cover art was by the artist Tony Roberts.

Legacy
In a 1995 article in Utopian Studies, critic Nicholas Ruddick, comparing the book to its contemporary, The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1977), described both books as having "both stood up well as multi-authored visual encyclopedias - that it is they both contain striking pictorial spreads." The book has also been cited in other academic publications such as The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians , Modern Fiction Studies , and American Studies International.