George_Allan_England

George Allan England

George Allan England

American writer and explorer (1877–1936)

For other uses, see George England (disambiguation).

George Allan England (9 February 1877 - 26 June 1936) was an American writer and explorer, best known for his speculative and science fiction. He attended Harvard University and later in life unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Maine. England was a socialist and many of his works have socialist themes.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Life

England was born in Nebraska.[1] He attended Harvard University, where he received Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees.[1] In 1912 he stood for Governor of Maine as the candidate of the Socialist Party of America.[1] In that election, he finished in third place with 2,081 votes (1.47%).[2] England died in a hospital in New Hampshire, although there is a legend that he disappeared on a treasure hunt.[1]

Writing

England's writing career took place mainly in New York and Maine.[1] Many of his works have a socialist theme.[1] Influences on England's writing include H. G. Wells, Jack London and Algernon Blackwood.[3]

His short story, "The Thing from—'Outside'", which had originally appeared in Hugo Gernsback's magazine Science and Invention, was reprinted in the first issue of the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, in April 1926.[4] The novel The Air Trust (1915) is the story of a billionaire, Isaac Flint, who attempts to control the very air people breathe, and the violent consequences of his ambition and greed. In the concluding chapter, Flint is described as one of "the most sinister and cruel minds ever evolved upon this planet."[5]

England's trilogy, Darkness and Dawn (published in 1912, 1913 and 1914 as The Vacant World, Beyond the Great Oblivion and Afterglow) tells the story of 2 modern people who awake a thousand years after the earth was devastated by a meteor. They work to rebuild civilization. Richard A. Lupoff has noted that Darkness and Dawn contains "an unfortunate element of racism" (the villains who menace the heroes are descended from African-Americans). [3]

Novels

The Golden Blight was republished in the March 1949 issue of Fantastic Novels.
The Elixir of Hate was reprinted in the October 1950 issue of A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine
The Flying Legion was republished in the January 1950 issue of Fantastic Novels.
  • Darkness and Dawn Series
    • The Vacant World (1912)
    • Beyond the Great Oblivion (1913)
    • The Afterglow (1914)

Other Novels

  • Beyond White Seas (1910)
  • The Elixir of Hate (1910)
  • The Empire in the Air (1914)
  • The Air Trust (1915)
  • The Fatal Gift (1915)
  • The Golden Blight (1916)
  • The Gift Supreme (1916)
  • Bill Jenkins, Buccaneer (1917)
  • Cursed (1919)
  • The Flying Legion (1920)
  • Adventure Isle (1926)

Short stories

  • Pod, Bender and Co (October 1916) - Short story collection
    • When Pod Took the Count
    • A Flyer in Annuities
    • Birds of Passage
    • "Ammunition — With Care"
    • Art for Art's Sake
    • The Old Homestead
    • Pod Flits
    • A Game of Solitaire
    • Crayons and Clay
    • The Turning of the Worm
    • Lobsters and Loot
    • The Supreme Getaway
    • Knight Errants Up-to-Date
    • The Kimberley Special
    • A Passage at Arms
    • Fly-Time
  • The Thing--From Outside (2016, short story collection)
More information Title, Publication Date ...

Notes

  1. [1]
    Bleiler, Everett Franklin; Bleiler, Richard (1998). Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years. Kent State University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-87338-604-3.
  2. [2]
    Maine Register State Year-Book and Legislative Manual. Portland, ME: Tower Publishing Company. 1980. p. 82.
  3. [3]
    Richard A. Lupoff, "England, George Allan" in Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers by Curtis C. Smith. St. James Press, 1986, ISBN 0-912289-27-9 (p.230-1).
  4. [4]
    Ashley, Time Machines, p. 51.
  5. [5]
    George Allan England. The Air Trust. St. Louis, MO. Phil Wagner. 1915. p. 329.

References

  • Ashley, Mike (2000). The Time Machines:The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the beginning to 1950. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-865-0.
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