Edmund Cooper

Edmund Cooper (April 30, 1926 - March 11, 1982) was an English poet and prolific writer of speculative fiction, and other genres including children books, essays and one detective novel, published under his own name and several pen names.

Biography

Born in Marple, near Stockport, Cheshire, Cooper left school at age 15, worked as a labourer, then civil servant, and later in 1944 joined the Merchant Navy [http://www.stoke5399.freeserve.co.uk/cooper/ Edmund Cooper's Biography, by Joe Smith] ] . After World War II, he trained as a teacher and began to publish short stories. His first novel, "Deadly Image" (later republished as "The Uncertain Midnight") was completed in 1957 and published in 1958. A 1956 short story, "Brain Child", was adapted as the movie "The Invisible Boy" (1957).

In 1969 "The Uncertain Midnight" was adapted for Swiss television, in French. At the height of his popularity, in the 1970s, he began to review science fiction for the "Sunday Times" and continued to do so until his death in 1982.

Work and criticism

Cleanup|date=July 2007 An atheist and individualist, Cooper's science fiction often depicts unconventional heroes facing unfamiliar and remote environments. [Ash, Brian: Who's Who in Science Fiction: Sphere Books Ltd; 1976 : "Cooper's forte is his portrayal of suspiciously Heinlein-type male heroes... and who act out their particular destinies (not always gloriously) against unfamiliar backdrops."] The colonisation of extraterrestrial planets is a common theme and is the basis of the "Expendables" series, published under the name Richard Avery. The "Expendables" is notableFact|date=July 2007 both for the diversity of its cast of characters and for the frank nature of their conversations and attitudes on racial and sexual topics.

Cooper's depiction of women often proved controversial.Fact|date=July 2007 Several [ Five to Twelve, Who Needs Men? (Gender Genocide)] of his books depicted future worlds dominated by women, often to the detriment of all. Cooper has been quoted as disparaging women's mental capacity: "let them have totally equal competition ... they'll see that they can't make it. [ [http://www.bondle.co.uk/edmund_cooper/misc_files/interview.pdf "We Must Love One Another or Die; an interview with Edmund Cooper by James Goddard] page 3]

Publications

Novels

Note that the given ISBNs and dates are mostly not verified and that book search engines sometimes return incorrect information.
*1958 "The Uncertain Midnight" (aka "Deadly Image") Ballantine edition no known ISBN; unverified edition ISBN 0-7066-0771-6 ; Coronet edition 1982 ISBN 0-340-15132-3 [isfdb title|id=9016|title=The Uncertain Midnight]
*1959 "Seed of Light", Ballantine edition ISBN B00005XV5L; Coronet edition 1977, ISBN 0-340-21990-4, second printing 1979 [isfdb title|id=9017|title=Seed of Light]
*1960 "Wish Goes to Slumber Land" [http://www.edmundcooper.dsl.pipex.com/wishgoestoslumberland.htm Wish Goes to Slumberland - Picture Book 1960 children's book, info from Carnie Pollock] ]
*1964 "Transit", Faber & Faber no known ISBN; unverified edition ISBN 0-571-05724-1 ; Coronet edition 1973, ISBN 0-340-16464-6, second printing 1974, third impression 1981 [isfdb title|id=9012|title=Transit] ; Ace edition 1978 ISBN 0-441-82206-1
*1966 "All Fools' Day", ISBN 0-340-00182-8 [isfdb title|id=9012|title=All Fools' Day] Coronet editions 1967, 1973, 1977, 1981 ISBN 0-340-02860-2
*1967 "A Far Sunset", Hodder edition no known ISBN; Coronet edition 1968, second impression 1973, third impression 1977, fourth impression 1979 ISBN 0-340-04364-4 [ [http://www.bondle.co.uk/edmund_cooper/a_far_sunset.html "A Far Sunset" publication history at the Edmund Cooper Visual Bibliography] ]
*1968 "Five to Twelve", Hodder edition no known ISBN; Coronet edition 1969 second impression 1974 ISBN 0-340-10904-1 [isfdb title|id=9013|title=Five to Twelve]

*1969 "Seahorse in the Sky", Coronet edition 1970, Third impression 1978, ISBN 0-340-12975-1
*1969 "The Last Continent", ISBN 0-340-15091-2
*1970 "Son of Kronk", ISBN 0-340-12577-2; Coronet editions 1972, 1975 as "Kronk", ISBN 0-340-16217-1
*1971 "The Overman Culture", ISBN 0-425-03155-1; Coronet edition 1974, ISBN 0-340-17860-4
*1972 "Who Needs Men?", (aka "Gender Genocide"), Coronet edition 1974, ISBN 0-340-18614-5
*1973 "The Cloud Walker", Coronet edition 1975, Third impression 1980 ISBN 0-340-19478-2
*1973 "The Tenth Planet", Coronet editions 1976, 1979 ISBN 0-340-20512-0
*1974 "Prisoner of Fire", ISBN 0-340-17016-6, Coronet edition 1977, ISBN 0-340-21242-X
*1974 "The Slaves of Heaven", ISBN 0-340-22337-5
*1978 "Merry Christmas, Ms Minerva!", ISBN 0-7091-7001-7

As Martin Lester

*1954, "Black Phoenix"

As George Kinley

*1954 "Ferry Rocket"

As Broderick Quain

*1954 "They Shall Not Die"

As Richard Avery

"The Expendables" Series:
*1975 "The Expendables (1) The Deathworms of Kratos" Coronet edition, reprinted as "The Deathworms of Kratos", 1979 ISBN 0-340-19472-3 [isfdb title|id=9024|title=The Deathworms of Kratos]
*1975 "The Expendables (2) The Rings of Tantalus" Coronet edition, reprinted as "The Rings of Tantalus", ISBN 0-340-19889-3 [isfdb title|id=9025|title=The Rings of Tantalus]
*1975 "The Expendables (3) The War Games of Zelos" Coronet edition, reprinted as "The War Games of Zelos", ISBN 0-340-19875-3 [isfdb title|id=9026|title=The War Games of Zelos]
*1976 "The Expendables (4) The Venom of Argus" Coronet edition, reprinted as "The Venom of Argus", ISBN 0-340-19918-0 [isfdb title|id=9027|title=The Venom of Argus]

hort stories (collections)

*1956 "Voices in the Dark"
*1958 "Tomorrow's Gift"
*1963 "Tomorrow Came" Panther 1511 - no ISBN on the book.
*1964 "The Square Root of Tomorrow", ISBN 0-7091-1122-3
*1968 "The News from Elsewhere", ISBN B0000CO5KF
*1971 "Unborn Tomorrow", ISBN 0-7091-1917-8
*1971 "Double Phoenix" (with Roger Lancelyn Green), ISBN 0-345-02420-6
*1972 "Jupiter Laughs and Other Stories", ISBN 0-340-26462-4
*1980 "World of Difference", ISBN 0-7091-8686-X

Work adapted for the screen

*1957 "Invisible Boy" [imdb title|id=0050546|title=The Invisible Boy, written with Cyril Hume, directed by Herman Hoffman] from The Brain Child 1956 [http://www.bondle.co.uk/edmund_cooper/misc_files/Bibliography.pdf Edmund Cooper bibliography by Jonathan S Farley] page 4, Short Stories "Brain Child, The : The Saturday Evening Post (as 'The Invisible Boy'); 23 June 1956"; page 11, Filmography "Invisible Boy, The : Brain Child, The: Herman Hoffman; USA; 1957", "O .B.N. in arrivo : Death Watch: part of series ' Racconti di fantascienza di Blasetti, I':Alessandro Blasetti; Italy; 1978"]
*1969 "The Uncertain Midnight" (French)
*1978 "Death Watch" as "OBN in Arrivo", part of series: I Raconti di Fantascienza da Blassetti (Italy)"

References

External links

* [http://www.edmundcooper.dsl.pipex.com Edmund Cooper]