L. Sprague de Camp Books In Order

Publication Order of Harold Shea Books

Publication Order of The Incompleat Enchanter Books

Publication Order of Incorporated Knight Books

Publication Order of Novarian Books

Publication Order of Viagens Interplanetarias - Krishna Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Conan (Ace Maroto 1978-1981) Books

Publication Order of Conan (Lancer/Ace) Books

Publication Order of Conan (Bantam) Books

Publication Order of Lin Carter Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

L. Sprague de Camp was an American author known for his prolific writing career of over a hundred novels that included nonfiction and fiction, contributing a lot to the genres of fantasy and science fiction as well as that of biography. He is recognized for his innovation as well as his imagination. He also wrote under the pseudonym Lyman R. Lyon. He passed away on November 6, 2000.

First name Lyon, L. Sprague de Camp was born on November 27, 1907 in New York City. He was one of three children to his father Lyon, a real estate and lumber businessman, and his mother Emma. His grandfather was a Civil War veteran. The author said that he didn’t use pen names except for on rare occasions, which he attributed to his own name sounding more like an actual pseudonym than ‘most’ pseudonyms.

The author furthered his education in New York at the Trinity School. He then would attend the military-type institution the Snyder School in North Carolina for a decade. His parents enrolled him with the intention of removing his lack of discipline and ‘intellectual arrogance’.

He had a weaker physicality and was bullied by schoolmates, but it led to him developing a style of being somewhat detached and analytical. He put down much of his experiences from childhood in Judgment Day, a partly autobiographical story that came out in 1955.

De Camp was educated to become an aeronautical engineer and went to the California Institute of Technology to do his undergraduate studies. His roommate was John Drury Clark, a future rocket fuel scientist. He then graduated from Caltech with his BS in Aeronautical Engineering and graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology with his MS in engineering in 1933. He was a surveyor also and a patent expert.

Lyon’s first job was working for the Inventors Foundation, Inc. He was principal of the School of Inventing and Patenting before resigning in 1937. His book Inventions and Their Management, his first, came out the same year.

Two years later he would marry Catherine Crook, having children with her. They also worked on nonfiction and science fiction together in the sixties. He was also a researcher at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, along with Asimov and Heinlen, during World War II. He became a lieutenant commander in the Navy as well. Then for a period time then lived in Villanova, Pennsylvania, for several decades.

He also belonged to the Trap Door Spiders in NYC, a male literary and dining club. He was also the inspiration for the character Geoffrey Avalon. He also helped found the Swordsmen and Sorcerers’ Guild of America, a group of fantasy writers. His family moved to Texas in 1989, where the author would pass away there months after his wife on her birthday.

De Camp is credited with using the word “E.T.” as a noun for the first time meaning alien life and with coming up with the “E.T.” abbreviation in the first of the two part article “Design for Life”. De Camp has also written works that include novels, short stories, poems, nonfiction, and more.

His science fiction also strongly includes the authors interest in ancient history, the history and philosophy of science, and linguistics. His first story to be published came out in Astounding Science Fiction in its September 1937 issue, “The Isolinguals”. He would go on to contribute ten novels (half of which were collaborations) to Unknown, a fantasy magazine.

De Camp also uses alternate history and time travel in different stories to show how history was not just an arbitrary series of events but how high tech could influence how a history goes. He has written the Viagens Interplanetarias series, where Brazil is the dominant power in the future, which started off with The Queen of Zamba. He has also collaborated with Fletcher Pratt on the Harold Shea series and Gavagan’s Bar, also writing some stand alone stories. He has also collaborated with Catherine Crook de Camp, his wife, on the Incorporated Knight series.

De Camp has also edited the Conan works of Robert E. Howard and a series of fantasy anthology. He has worked on The Pusadian series, the Novarian series, and the Incorporated Knight series, all sword and sorcery type stories. He has also written historical fiction, such as The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate.

De Camp has also written nonfiction, such as his first book about inventions, and writing about civilizations that came up with structures and architecture that people thought impossible. The author was known for his biographies of fantasy writers. He has also written for Voice of America, penning nonfiction radio scripts.

He has won the 1953 International Fantasy Award for nonfiction. He has been a guest of honor at the World Science Fiction Convention in 1966. He has also been picked as the third Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy at the 1976 Convention. In 1984, he received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In 1996, he received a Special Achievement Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and in 1997 a Hugo Award for nonfiction for Time and Chance, his autobiography. De Camp was also included in the CSI’s Pantheon of Skeptics in 2011. He also has been included in different fictional works by various authors.

De Camp has also served as a tech advisor on Kull the Conqueror, Conan the Destroyer, and Conan the Barbarian.

The Queen of Zamba is the first novel in the Krishna series by L. Sprague de Camp. First published in 1977, this book features the main character of Victor Hasselborg. Read if you have an interest in good stories or classic science fiction!

Victor is a private investigator, and probably one of the most miserable ones in the galaxy. He’s already gotten more comfortable with pursuing insurance frauds and would much rather take that over having adventures all over the galaxy.

He knows that it is his duty to go after an heiress who has run away and try and track her down on Krishna, a primitive world. He’s going to have to cross space to do so, with his hair a green shade, with his kilt on and his sword by his side, he’s on a mission to find the heiress and bring her back. But what will he do when he runs into the Queen of Zamba? Read this space opera to find out!

The Hand of Zei is the second novel in the Krishna series of fictional novels by L. Sprague de Camp. If you like the first in the series, check out the second!

The Banjoa Sea is located twenty-five degrees north of the planet Krishna’s equator. It’s the largest body of water there, where you can find the Sungar, which is a home of legend and mystery. At least that’s what Dirk Barnevelt came up with, trying to come up with an assigned publicity campaign for his boss.

Then Dirk finds out that he’s going to find himself placed in the center of this place on the primitive planet in the middle of danger without any scientific equipment. Can he get his mission completed or will he simply be absorbed by this dangerous planet? Read The Hand of Zei to find out!