Sterling E. Lanier

Sterling Edmund Lanier (December 18, 1927 – June 28, 2007), was an editor, science fiction author and sculptor, perhaps best known as the book editor who single-handedly championed the publication of Frank Herbert’s bestselling "Dune". The most prominent of his own writings, which were written as Sterling Lanier and Sterling E. Lanier, are his stories of the crypto-adventurer Brigadier Donald Ffellowes (told in the 'club story' style of Lord Dunsany's "Jorkens" tales), and the post-apocalyptic novels "Hiero’s Journey" (1975) and "The Unforsaken Hiero" (1983). His short story "A Father's Tale" (1974) was a World Fantasy Award nominee.

Lanier was a lifelong fan of speculative fiction, as well as a cryptozoology enthusiast. He was trained as an anthropologist and archaeologist, and educated at Harvard, from which he graduated in 1951. He worked as a research historian at the Winterthur Museum from 1958 to 1960, and his career as an author and editor began in 1961, when his first short story was published and he became an editor for Chilton Books. He was instrumental in persuading Chilton to publish Herbert’s "Dune " in 1965. He also worked as an editor for the John C. Winston Company and McRae-Smith.

Lanier’s sculptures have been exhibited at a number of museums, including the Smithsonian Institution. He specialized in miniatures, among which were a series featuring characters from J. R. R. Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings ". One set was given to Tolkien himself, with whom Lanier corresponded. Tolkien reportedly admired the miniatures but did not want them to be marketed commercially, a wish Lanier respected.

Lanier was born in New York City, lived in Maryland, and died in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 79.

Bibliography

Hiero Desteen

* "Hiero's Journey" (1975)
* "The Unforsaken Hiero" (1983)

Brigadier Ffellowes

* "The Peculiar Exploits of Brigadier Ffellowes" (1972)
* "The Curious Quests of Brigadier Ffellowes" (1986)

Novels

* "The War for the Lot" (1969)
* "Menace Under Marswood" (1983)

hort stories

* "And the Voice of the Turtle" (1972)
* "The Brigadier in Check — and Mate" (1986)
* "Commander in the Mist" (1982)
* "Deathchild" (1968)
* "A Father's Tale" (1974)
* "A Feminine Jurisdiction" (1969)
* "Fraternity Brother" (1969)
* "Ghost of a Crown" (1976)
* "His Coat So Gay" (1970)
* "His Only Safari" (1970)
* "Join Our Gang? " (1961)
* "The Kings of the Sea" (1968)
* "The Leftovers" (1969)
* "Never Cry Human" (1970)
* "No Traveler Returns" (1974)
* "Soldier Key" (1968)
* "Such Stuff as Dreams" (1968)
* "The Syndicated Time" (1978)
* "Whose Short Happy Life? " (1968)

External links

* [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Sterling_E._Lanier International Speculative Fiction Database entry]
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/sterling-e-lanier/ Fantastic Fiction entry]
* [http://www.iblist.com/author732.htm Internet Book List entry]
* [http://www.locusmag.com/2007/2007NewsArchive.html obituary by Locus online]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2753352.ece obituary by John Clute]
* [http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/lanier-obit/ obituary by Loren Coleman]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/news/2007/slanier.htm obituary at SFWA]
* [http://www.brigadierffellowesmovie.com/index.htm Brigadier Ffellowes movie adaptation]