Time and Chance: an Autobiography / L. Sprague de Camp. Hampton Falls, NH: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, 1996 (hardcover 9781880418321). 444 pages, 22 pages of plates.

L. Sprague de Camp was a major figure in 20th century science fiction and fantasy, with a writing career spanning nearly sixty years. His keen logic and unerring eye for the ridiculous, expressed in a uniquely wry and erudite style and informed by characteristically thorough research, put an unmistakable stamp on his fiction and nonfiction alike that made his best work an entertaining and educational experience for his many readers. His autobiography is therefore one to be welcomed by fans of speculative fiction.

The work itself is not all it could or should have been. While he could write engagingly on both himself and any number of other topics, he is not in his best form here. There is less coverage of his working life and peer relationships than one might reasonably anticipate. The narrative is somewhat choppy, as if pared down from a longer manuscript. The chronological arrangement inhibits treatment of issues that cry out for topical presentation. The chapter titles are mere datelines, uninformative as to content. The text suffers from an unusual number of typos and the index and bibliography are poorly done and riddled with errors. Some, perhaps most, of these faults are likely editorial, and might have been corrected given greater time and care.

Ultimately, none of thess flaws greatly matter. There's a reason this book won the Hugo Award. De Camp's life story remains fascinating, and a must-have for those interested in the man, his work, and the genres in which he wrote. It details experiences that inspired or were used in his fiction, the travels that enlivened his non-fiction, and in general enriches our knowledge—which, together with entertainment, were a large part of what his life's work was about. It also treats other important authors with whom he is associated as collaborator, promoter, biographer, or all three, notably Fletcher Pratt, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft.

Highly recommended. Four out of five stars.

—Brian.