David Geddes Hartwell (July 10, 1941 – January 20, 2016) was an American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

novels. He was best known for work with Signet, Pocket, and

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scienc ...

publishers. He was also noted as an award-winning editor of anthologies. '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' describes him as "perhaps the single most influential book editor of the past forty years in the American cience fictionpublishing world".

Early years

Hartwell was born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the ...

, and attended

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

, where he graduated with a BA in 1963. He continued his studies at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theolog ...

for an MA in 1965, and at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where he graduated with a Ph.D. in comparative medieval literature in 1973. By 1965 Hartwell was already working as editor and publisher of ''The Little Magazine'' (1965–1988), a small press literary magazine.

Career

Hartwell started out as a book review editor for the

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...

magazine '' Crawdaddy!'', founded by Paul Williams in 1966, and published through the 1970s. In 1968, Hartwell, along with Williams,

Chester Anderson Chester Valentine John Anderson (August 11, 1932 – April 11, 1991) was an American novelist, poet, and editor in the underground press. Biography Raised in Florida, he attended the University of Miami from 1952 to 1956, before becoming ...

, and Joel Hack, co-founded Entwhistle Books, which published novels by Tom Carson, Philip K. Dick, and others, and nonfiction by Williams. Hartwell worked for

Signet Signet may refer to: *Signet, Kenya, A subsidiary of the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), specifically set up to broadcast and distribute the DTT signals * Signet ring, a ring with a seal set into it, typically by leaving an impression in sea ...

(1971–1973), Berkley Putnam (1973–1978) and

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing ...

, where he founded the Timescape imprint (1980–1985) and created the Pocket Books

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

publishing line. From 1984 until his death he worked for

, where he spearheaded Tor's Canadian publishing initiative at CAN-CON in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, and was also influential in bringing many Australian writers to the US market. Since 1995, his title at Tor/ Forge Books was "Senior Editor". Hartwell also ran his own small press, Dragon Press, which was founded in 1973 as a partnership, and published at least three early books of science fiction criticism by Samuel R. Delany — ''The Jewel-Hinged Jaw'' (1977), ''Starboard Wine'' (1978), and ''The American Shore'' (1977), before they were taken over by Berkley Books and eventually by Wesleyan University Press. In 1988, via Dragon Press (with Hartwell now as sole proprietor), he established '' The New York Review of Science Fiction'', where he served as reviews editor. In 1977, Hartwell edited the short-lived ''Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy'' magazine for the newly-formed Baronet publishing. ''Cosmos'' is remembered as "a fine magazine, providing a good range of quality fiction" in an attractive package, but poor sales for the rest of the publisher's magazine line forced its cancellation after only four issues. '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (3rd ed.) described it as "a sophisticated mixture of sf and fantasy in an elegant format which included full-colour interior illustration". Hartwell chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with

Gordon Van Gelder Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of '' The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Sho ...

, was the administrator of the

Philip K. Dick Award The Philip K. Dick Award is an American science fiction award given annually at Norwescon and sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and (since 2005) the Philip K. Dick Trust. Named after science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, ...

. Hartwell edited numerous anthologies, and published a number of critical essays on science fiction and fantasy.

Awards and other achievements

Hartwell edited two annual anthologies: '' Year's Best SF'', started in 1996 and co-edited with

Kathryn Cramer Kathryn Elizabeth Cramer (born April 16, 1962) is an American science fiction writer, editor, and literary critic. Early years Kathryn Cramer is the daughter of physicist John G. Cramer. She grew up in Seattle and graduated from Columbia Univ ...

since 2002, and ''Year's Best Fantasy'', co-edited with Cramer from 2001 through 2010. Both anthologies have consistently placed in the top 10 of the Locus annual reader poll in the category of Best Anthology. In 1988, he won the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

in the category Best Anthology for ''The Dark Descent''. Hartwell was nominated for the Hugo Award forty-one times, nineteen in the category of Best Professional Editor and Best Editor Long Form, winning in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and twenty-two times as editor/publisher of ''The New York Review of Science Fiction''. He has also placed in the top ten in the '' Locus'' poll for best editor for twenty-seven consecutive years, every year from the award category's inception to the present day.Science Fiction Awards Database
/ref> He edited the best-novel Nebula Award-winners '' Timescape'' by

Gregory Benford Gregory Benford (born January 30, 1941) is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of ''Reas ...

(published 1980), '' The Claw of the Conciliator'' by Gene Wolfe (published 1981), and ''

No Enemy But Time ''No Enemy But Time'' is a 1982 science fiction novel by Michael Bishop. It won the 1982 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and was also nominated for the 1983 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. It was included in David Pringle's book '' Science Ficti ...

'' by Michael Bishop (published 1982), the best-novel Hugo Award-winner '' Hominids'' by Robert J. Sawyer (published 2002), and the

-winning novels '' The Shadow of the Torturer'' by Gene Wolfe (1981) and ''

The Dragon Waiting ''The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History'' is a 1983 fantasy novel by John M. Ford. It won the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Plot summary The novel is a fantasy alternate history combining vampires, the Medicis, and the convoluted ...

'' by

John M. Ford John Milo "Mike" Ford (April 10, 1957 – September 25, 2006) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet. A contributor to several online discussions, Ford composed poems, often improvised, in both complicated ...

(1984). Hartwell was a Guest of Honor at the

67th World Science Fiction Convention The 67th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Anticipation, was held on 6–10 August 2009 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The organising committee was co-chaired by René Walling an ...

in Montreal in 2009. He was posthumously awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in October 2016.

Personal life

Hartwell was known for flamboyant fashion choices. In 1969 he married Patricia Lee Wolcott. They had two children, but divorced in 1992. He married

in 1997, and they had two children. Hartwell lived in Westport, New York at the time of his death, and had previously lived in Pleasantville, New York.

Death

On January 19, 2016, Hartwell fell down a flight of stairs at his home, and was hospitalized in

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surroundin ...

with severe head trauma.Til Death Did Us Part
by Kathryn Cramer, January 21, 2016, Kathryn Cramer.com. Cramer said that the fall caused a "massive brain bleed", and that he was not expected to recover. He died the following day at the age of 74.

Works

Books as writer

* ''Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction'' (Walker & Co., 1985; ), 205 pp.; paperback edition 1985, McGraw-Hill, 224 pp., Revised/expanded edition published by Tor, 1996, 319 pp., .

Magazines edited

*''The Little Magazine'' (1965-1988), a small press literary magazine *''Cosmos Magazine'' (1977), Baronet publishing. *'' The New York Review of Science Fiction'' (1988–2016) with Kathryn Cramer and Ariel Haméon and Kevin J. Maroney and Arthur D. Hlavaty and Matthew Appleton and others

Standalone anthologies

*''The Battle of the Monsters and Other Stories'' (1976) with L. W. Currey *'' The World Treasury of Science Fiction'' (1988) *''Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment'' (1988) with Kathryn Cramer *''Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder'' (1989) with Kathryn Cramer *''Spirits of Christmas'' (1989) with Kathryn Cramer *''Christmas Stars'' (1993) *''Christmas Forever'' (1993) *''Christmas Magic'' (1994) *''Northern Stars: The Anthology of Canadian Science Fiction'' (1994) with Glenn Grant *''The Screaming Skull and Other Great American Ghost Stories'' (1994) *'' The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF''THE ASCENT OF WONDER, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
(1994) with Kathryn Cramer *''Visions of Wonder'' (1996) with

Milton T. Wolf Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Fre ...

*''The Science Fiction Century'' (1997) *''Bodies of the Dead and Other Great American Ghost Stories'' (1997) *''Northern Suns'' (1999) with Glenn Grant *''Centaurus: The Best of Australian Science Fiction'' (1999) with

Damien Broderick Damien Francis Broderick (born 22 April 1944) is an Australian science fiction and popular science writer and editor of some 74 books. His science fiction novel ''The Dreaming Dragons'' (1980) introduced the trope of the generation time machin ...

*''The Hard SF Renaissance'' (2002) with Kathryn Cramer *''The Science Fiction Century, Volume One'' (2006) *'' The Space Opera Renaissance'' (2006) with Kathryn Cramer (

) *'' The Sword & Sorcery Anthology'' (2012) with Jacob Weisman ( Tachyon Publications) *''Twenty-First Century Science Fiction'' (2013) with Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor Books)

Anthology series

*The Dark Descent **''The Dark Descent'' (1987). Republished in three volumes as: **''The Colour of Evil'' (1990) **''The Medusa in the Shield'' (1990) **''A Fabulous Formless Darkness'' (1992) * Year's Best SF **'' Year's Best SF'' (1996) **''

Year's Best SF 2 ''Year's Best SF 2'' is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell that was published in 1997. It is the second in the Year's Best SF series. Contents The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short introduction by the ...

'' (1997) **'' Year's Best SF 3'' (1998) **'' Year's Best SF 4'' (1999) **'' Year's Best SF 5'' (2000) **''

Year's Best SF 6 ''Year's Best SF 6'' is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell that was published in 2001. It is the sixth in the Year's Best SF series. Contents The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short introduction by the e ...

'' (2001) **'' Year's Best SF 7'' (2002) with Kathryn Cramer **''

Year's Best SF 8 ''Year's Best SF 8'' is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer that was published in 2003. It is the eighth in the Year's Best SF series. Contents The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short ...

'' (2003) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 9'' (2004) with Kathryn Cramer **''

Year's Best SF 10 ''Year's Best SF 10'' is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer that was published in 2005. It is the tenth in the Year's Best SF series. Contents The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short ...

'' (2005) with Kathryn Cramer **''

Year's Best SF 11 ''Year's Best SF 11'' is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer that was published in 2006. It is the eleventh in the Year's Best SF series. Contents The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a sho ...

'' (2006) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 12'' (2007) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 13'' (2008) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 14'' (2009) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 15'' (2010) with Kathryn Cramer **'' Year's Best SF 16'' (2011) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best SF 17'' (2012) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best SF 18'' (2013) *Foundations of Fear **''Foundations of Fear'' (1992). Republished in three volumes as: **''Shadows of Fear'' (1994) **''Worlds of Fear'' (1994) **''Visions of Fear'' (1994) *Year's Best Fantasy **''Year's Best Fantasy'' (2001) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best Fantasy 2'' (2002) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best Fantasy 3'' (2003) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best Fantasy 4'' (2004) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best Fantasy 5'' (2005) with Kathryn Cramer **''Year's Best Fantasy 6'' (2006) with Kathryn Cramer ( Tachyon Publications) **''Year's Best Fantasy 7'' (2007) with Kathryn Cramer ( Tachyon Publications) **''Year's Best Fantasy 8'' (2008) with Kathryn Cramer ( Tachyon Publications)

References

External links

Excerpt from the LOCUS Online Interview with David Hartwell
2004.
Interview with David G. Hartwell
SpaceWesterns.com, 2007

by Michael Swanwick, 2009 * *
The New York Review of Science Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartwell, David G. 1941 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American writers Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in New York (state) American book editors American speculative fiction critics American speculative fiction editors American speculative fiction publishers (people) Colgate University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Hugo Award-winning editors People from Pleasantville, New York People from Westport, New York People from Wilmington, Massachusetts Science fiction critics Science fiction editors Science fiction fans Williams College alumni World Fantasy Award winners Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Salem, Massachusetts