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| Peter Nicholls | |
|---|---|
| Name | Peter Nicholls |
| Birth date | 8 April 1939 |
| Birth place | Melbourne |
| Death date | 6 March 2018 |
| Occupation | Literary critic; Encyclopedist; Editor; Historian |
| Known for | Co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |
| Awards | Hugos (as editor), British Science Fiction Association awards |
Peter Nicholls was an Australian literary critic, editor, and encyclopedist best known for co-editing The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction with John Clute. He played a central role in shaping reference standards for science fiction studies, influencing readers, writers, and scholars across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His work intersected with major figures, institutions, and publications in speculative fiction during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Born in Melbourne in 1939, he grew up during the tail end of the Great Depression era and the wartime years that followed the Second World War. He attended local schools in Victoria and later pursued tertiary studies that brought him into contact with Australian literary circles linked to institutions such as the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University. His early exposure to periodicals and libraries connected him with the networks of science fiction fandom centered around fanzines and clubs like the British Science Fiction Association and the Australian equivalents. Influences from notable authors and editors—ranging from H. G. Wells and J. R. R. Tolkien to contemporary figures like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jules Verne—helped shape his bibliographic interests.
Nicholls began his career contributing reviews and essays to genre magazines and journals tied to the science fiction community, collaborating with editors and critics associated with publications such as Science Fiction Studies, Interzone, and various fanzines. He worked as a freelance critic and editor, engaging with publishing houses and academic presses in London, New York City, and Sydney. His editorial partnerships included long-standing collaborations with John Clute and other scholars tied to projects overseen by organizations such as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the British Science Fiction Association. Throughout his career he lectured at literary conferences and seminars connected to events like Worldcon and regional conventions, and contributed to anthologies alongside authors from the New Wave movement and earlier schools associated with magazines like New Worlds and Amazing Stories.
Nicholls is most widely recognized for co-editing the landmark reference work The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction; the publication became a definitive resource cited by reviewers, librarians, and academics dealing with authors such as Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert, Ray Bradbury, and William Gibson. The encyclopedia traced lineages from pioneers like Mary Shelley and H. G. Wells through pulp era figures like Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs to modern writers connected with cyberpunk and postmodern speculative traditions. He also wrote critical essays and obituaries on figures including J. G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, Aldous Huxley, Anthony Burgess, and editors associated with magazines like Galaxy Science Fiction and F&SF (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction).
His editorial methodology emphasized comprehensive bibliographies, chronologies, and connective entries that linked movements and institutions such as the Pulps, the Hugo Award, the Nebula Awards, and the trajectories of small presses like Gollancz and Tor Books. The encyclopedia’s entries on subgenres, authors, and serial publications set standards later adopted by academic projects at universities including the University of Liverpool and the University of California system. For his work he received honors from bodies including the Hugo Awards and recognition from critical communities in Canada, India, and Germany where translations and scholarly citations proliferated. He also contributed to documentary projects and radio programs featuring commentators such as Neil Gaiman, Brian Aldiss, and James Gunn.
He maintained friendships and professional ties with a wide circle of writers, critics, and editors spanning continents, including associations with John Clute, David Langford, Mike Ashley, and others active in bibliographic scholarship. He divided his time between residences in Australia and periods living in London to collaborate directly with publishing houses and attend conventions such as Worldcon and regional meetings hosted by organizations like the British Science Fiction Association. Outside his editorial pursuits he collected first editions and maintained extensive personal archives that documented correspondences with authors and agents tied to imprints like Penguin Books and HarperCollins.
In later years he faced declining health amid a struggle with Parkinson's disease and other complications that affected his ability to work on large editorial projects. His condition drew support from friends and colleagues across networks linked to institutions such as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and volunteer archivists at university special collections. He died in March 2018, mourned by the international science fiction community including editors, writers, academics, and fans who acknowledged his role in codifying the history and bibliography of speculative fiction.
Category:Australian editors Category:Science fiction critics Category:1939 births Category:2018 deaths