Editing Anne McCaffrey (section)

=== Dragons ===
The first Pern story, "Weyr Search", was published in 1967 by [[John W. Campbell]] in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact]]''. It won the 1968 [[Hugo Award]] for best novella, voted by participants in the annual [[World Science Fiction Convention]].<ref name=SFAwards/> The second Pern story, "Dragonrider", won the 1969 [[Nebula Award]] for best novella, voted annually by the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]].<ref name=SFAwards/> Thus she was the first woman to win a Hugo for fiction<ref name=sfhof/> and the first to win a Nebula.<ref>{{cite web | title=Anne McCaffrey Named a Grand Master in 2004 | publisher=[[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] | url=http://nebulas.sfwa.org/grand-masters/anne-mccaffrey/ | access-date=22 August 2017}}</ref>

"Weyr Search" covers the recruitment of a young woman, Lessa, to establish a telepathic bond with a queen dragon at its hatching, thus becoming a dragonrider and the leader of a Weyr community. "Dragonrider" explores the growth of the queen dragon Ramoth, and the training of Lessa and Ramoth. Editor Campbell requested "to see dragons fighting thread [the menace from space]", and also suggested [[time travel]]; McCaffrey incorporated both suggestions. The third story, "Crack Dust, Black Dust", was not separately published, but the first Pern novel (''Dragonflight'', published by [[Ballantine Books]] in 1968) was a [[fix-up]] of all three.{{sfn|''Dragonholder''|p=49}}
<!--Todd McCaffrey's account is confusing about the published stories and unpublished trials possibly including "Dragonflight" (four-story titles, one becoming the overall title) -->

Agent Virginia Kidd and editor [[Betty Ballantine]] provided advice and assistance for its sequel ''Dragonquest''. It was almost complete (and the contract for another sequel signed) before the 1970 move to Ireland. Both Ballantine and fellow writer [[Andre Norton]] made suggestions for the mutant white dragon.{{sfn|''Dragonholder''|pp=51–52, 54–55}}

Readers waited a long time for the completion of the original trilogy. Progress was not made until 1974–1975, when the [[New England Science Fiction Association]] invited McCaffrey to its annual convention ([[Boskone (convention)|Boskone]]) as guest of honour (which included publication of a novella for sale on-site). She wrote ''A Time When'', which would become the first part of ''The White Dragon''.{{efn|name=A-Time-When}}

''The White Dragon'' was released with new editions of the first two Pern books, with cover art illustrated by [[Michael Whelan]]. It was the first science-fiction book by a woman on the ''New York Times'' best-seller list, and the cover painting is still in print from Whelan. The artists share credit for their career breakthroughs.{{efn|name=Todd-explains}}{{efn|name=Whelan-identifies}}