S P A C E L I G H T
INDEX
Name: CARR, Terry Gene
Aged: 50
Born: February 19, 1937
Where: Grants Pass, Oregon
Died: April 7, 1987
Where: Oakland, CA
Interred: Cremated
Married 1: Miriam Dyches
When: January 31, 1959 (div 61)
Married 2: Carol (Newmark) Stuart
When: September 7, 1961
Awarded: 1959 Hugo, Best Amateur Magazine;
1973 Hugo, Best Fan Writer; 1985 SF Chronicle Award; 1985 Hugo & 1987
Hugo, Best Professional Editor.
Terry Carr
"Science Fiction is a literature of rationality and concerns itself,
ultimately, with
cosmology. The questions at the core of most stories have to do with the nature of
our entire realities, the reaches of the universe, and what this means for mankind."
A major fan figure, a SF writer/editor, and an especially strong anthologist.
Terry Carr rose to prominence in SF fandom as the co-editor, with Ron Ellik, of Fanac, a West Coast fan newszine. Together, these two were a force and they shared the 1959 Hugo for Best Fanzine. Terry's wife, Miriam, was also a fan, and helped with the publishing chores.
Life with Miriam changed for Terry in 1961 and Carr headed out for Eastern skies (to quote Bob Dylan). Living in 1962 New York City, Terry sold his first short story to Avram Davidson at F&SF and his first novel (3 chapters and an outline) to Donald Wollheim at ACE Books. [Oddly, I was with both of those editors when they decided to buy those stories. Fate can be strange. GCW] On arrival, Terry had lost the Berkeley beard, socialized, knew his field, and seized the assistant editorship at ACE Books when it came.
Carr realized early on that he was not going to be a great writer. There are two kinds of authors; those who pay the bills and write, and those who write and pay the bills. Terry was firmly in the first camp, too practical to escape very far from reality, unless by choice. Carr had all of the other tools and corrected his career into editing. It was fortunate in the short term that Terry was able to acquire the editing job under Wollheim at ACE. It was unfortunate in the long term because these two fine men seemed to grate upon each other, and what we all thought would be a powerful partnership just crumbled away.
At ACE, Terry was able to bring his growing editorial skills to bear over the ACE Special Editions of SF. Carr's editorship over this series was definitive. So much so that ACE rehired Terry to resume control of the Specials after he had returned to California (and Wollheim had left ACE to form DAW Books after A. A. Wyn's death). The ACE Specials are generally divided into three groups: Carr's original issues, the second group published after he left, and the third group after Terry resumed editing.
Apart from the editing of novels, Carr edited many anthologies of short stories, both collected and original. Possibly the highlight of Carr's anthology editing was the Universe series of original short fiction. These books began in 1971 and ran for 17 annual volumes. The first two published by ACE, next three Random House, and then a home was found at Doubleday for all of the rest. Prior to these, Carr and Wollheim had been editing for ACE an annual World's Best Science Fiction that was highly praised. Carr also edited an annual series of the Year's Finest Fantasy in the late 70s to early 80s.
Strangely, Terry's last major appearance before the Science Fiction world was as Fan Guest of Honor at Atlanta's 1986 World Con. Fandom, it seems, never forgets.
PEN NAMES: Carl Brandon (shared), Norman Edwards (w Ted White)
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mine here.
OBITUARY: Not yet, but a Pamela Sargent appreciation here.
