Editing Bob Shaw

{{Short description|Science fiction author from Northern Ireland}}
{{For|other people with the name Robert or Bob Shaw|Robert Shaw (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Bob Shaw
| image = Bobshawwriter.jpg
| caption = 
| birth_name = Robert Shaw
| birth_date = 31 December 1931
| birth_place = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland 
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1996|2|11|1931|12|31}}
| death_place = [[Warrington]], England
| occupation = Novelist, [[structural engineer]], [[aircraft designer]], journalist
| period = 1954–1995 <!-- timespan of listings in ISFDB -->
| genre = Science fiction
| movement = 
| children = 
| spouse = 
| notableworks = 
}}
'''Robert Shaw'''<ref name="Shaw">{{harvnb|Nicholls|1981}}</ref> (31 December 1931 – 11 February 1996) was a [[science fiction writer]] and [[science fiction fandom|fan]] from [[Northern Ireland]], noted for his originality and wit. He won the [[Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer]] in 1979 and 1980. His short story "[[Light of Other Days]]" was a [[Hugo Award]] nominee in 1967, as was his novel ''[[The Ragged Astronauts]]'' in 1987.

==Life==
Shaw was born and raised in [[Belfast]], the eldest of three sons of a policeman.<ref name="Lyons & O">{{harvnb|Lyons|O'Malley-Younger|2008|p=195}}</ref> He learned of science fiction at about 11 years old when he read an [[A. E. van Vogt]] short story in an early edition of ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science-Fiction]]'' magazine. During the Second World War, American troops passed through Northern Ireland and often left their used SF magazines behind at [[Smithfield Market, Belfast|Smithfield Market]], where they were available for locals.<ref name="Fennell2014">{{Cite book |last=Fennell |first=Jack |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bo8LDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 |title=Irish Science Fiction |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=9781781381199 |page=157}}</ref> He later described the experience as being more significant and long-lasting than taking [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]].<ref>{{harvnb|Stableford|1995|p=22}}</ref> He attended [[Belfast Metropolitan College|Belfast College of Technology]].<ref>{{harvnb|Reginald|1974|p=240}}</ref> In 1950 he joined the group Irish Fandom, which also included another Northern Irish science fiction writer [[James White (author)|James White]], and met at the house of [[Walt Willis]] on Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oblique House - Fancyclopedia 3 |url=http://fancyclopedia.org/oblique-house}}</ref> The group was influential in the early history of science fiction fandom and produced fanzines ''Hyphen'' and ''Slant''; Shaw contributed material to both.<ref name="Lyons & O" /> Shaw acquired the nickname "BoSh" during this period.<ref name="ansiblecc">{{Cite web |title=Cloud Chamber 118 – D. Langford |url=http://www.ansible.co.uk/cc/cc118.html |access-date=8 November 2011 |publisher=Ansible.co.uk}}</ref> His first professional science fiction short story was published in 1954,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Title: Aspect |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44899}}</ref> followed by several others.

He gave up writing and went with his first wife Sadie (née Sarah Gourley) and their son and two daughters to live in Canada from 1956 to 1958. His novel ''Vertigo'' is set in [[Alberta]], and ''Orbitsville'''s limitless grasslands may have been influenced by this period in his life.<ref>{{harvnb|Lyons|O'Malley-Younger|2008|p=197}}</ref> Originally trained as a [[structural engineer]], he worked as an aircraft designer for [[Short Brothers|Short and Harland]], then as science correspondent to ''[[The Belfast Telegraph]]'' from 1966 to 1969, and as publicity officer for [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering|Vickers Shipbuilding]] (1973–1975), before starting to write full-time. In April 1973, during [[the Troubles]], Shaw and his family moved from Northern Ireland to England, where he produced most of his published work: first to [[Ulverston]], then to [[Grappenhall]] in [[Warrington]]. After Sadie died suddenly in 1991, Shaw lived alone there for some years.

Shaw nearly lost his eyesight through illness, and suffered [[migraine]]-induced [[aura (symptom)|visual disturbances]] throughout his life. Speculative treatments of seeing, and references to eyes and vision, appear in some of his works.<ref name="ansiblecc" /> He was known as a drinker, and at one stage considered himself an alcoholic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Priest |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Priest (novelist) |title=Bob Shaw &#124; Christopher Priest, author |url=http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/essays-reviews/contemporaries-portrayed/bob-shaw/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809090144/http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/essays-reviews/contemporaries-portrayed/bob-shaw/ |archive-date=9 August 2011 |access-date=8 November 2011 |publisher=Christopher-priest.co.uk}}</ref> He was quoted in 1991 as saying: "I write science fiction for people who don't read a great deal of science fiction." He married American Nancy Tucker in 1995 and went to the US to live with her, then returned to England in the last months of his life. Shaw died of cancer on 11 February 1996.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 February 1996 |title=Bob Shaw Obituary |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary--bob-shaw-1319392.html |access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>

==Works==
Shaw is the author of "Pilot Plant" (May 1966) which first appeared in ''New Worlds'' (May 1966) and  "Light of Other Days" (August 1966), the story that introduced the concept of [[Slow light|slow glass]], through which the past can be seen. Shaw sold this story to ''Analog'' editor [[John W. Campbell]], who liked it so much Shaw wrote a sequel for him, "Burden of Proof", in May 1967. The original story was written in four hours, but after years of planning.<ref>{{harvnb|Ashley|2005|p=286}}</ref> Shaw expanded on the concept in the novel ''Other Days, Other Eyes'', and the concept was adopted by the [[Marvel Comics]]/[[Curtis Magazines]] anthology magazine ''[[Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction]]''.

His work ranged from essentially [[mimetic fiction|mimetic]] stories with fantastic elements far in the background (''[[Ground Zero Man]]'') to van Vogtian extravaganzas (''The Palace of Eternity''). ''[[Orbitsville]]'' and its two sequels deal with the discovery of a habitable [[Dyson sphere|shell completely surrounding a star]], and the consequences for humanity. ''Orbitsville'' won the 1976 British SF Association Award.<ref name="ansiblecc" /> Later in his career he wrote the Land and Overland trilogy (''[[The Ragged Astronauts]]'', ''The Wooden Spaceships'' and ''The Fugitive Worlds''), set on a system of worlds where technology has evolved with no metals. Like [[Philip K. Dick]], he explored the nature of [[perception]] in his fiction.<ref>{{harvnb|Lyons|O'Malley-Younger|2008|p=200}}</ref>

Shaw was known in the fan community for his wit. Following his early membership of Irish Fandom, with [[Walt Willis]], and James White, he always remained a keen reader of and contributor to [[fanzines]]. At the British [[science fiction convention]] [[Eastercon]], he delivered a humorous speech (often part of his famous series known by the tongue-in-cheek label of "Serious Scientific Talks") for many years; these were eventually collected in ''The Eastercon Speeches'' (1979) and ''A Load of Old Bosh'' (1995), which included a similar talk at the 1979 [[Worldcon]] in Brighton, [[37th World Science Fiction Convention]]. For these he won the 1979 and 1980 [[Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer]]. He wrote ''[[The Enchanted Duplicator]]'' with Walt Willis in 1954, a piece of fiction about [[science fiction fandom]] modelled on [[John Bunyan]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]''.<ref name="ansiblecc" />

==Bibliography==

===Novels and collections of short stories===
* ''[[Night Walk (novel)|Night Walk]]'' (1967). Banner.
* ''The Two-Timers'' (1968). New York: [[Ace Books]].
* ''The Palace of Eternity'' (1969). New York: Ace Pub. Corp.
* ''The Shadow of Heaven'' (1969). New York: Avon.
* ''[[One Million Tomorrows]]'' (1970). New York: Ace Books.
* ''[[Ground Zero Man]]'' (1971). New York: [[Avon (publishers)|Avon Books]]. – revised edition published as ''The Peace Machine'' (1985). London: Gollancz.
* ''Other Days, Other Eyes'' (1972). New York: Ace Books.
* ''[[Tomorrow Lies in Ambush]]'' (1973). London: Gollancz. – collection.
* The Orbitsville trilogy
** ''[[Orbitsville]]'' (1975). London: Gollancz.
** ''[[Orbitsville Departure]]'' (1983). New York: [[DAW Books]].
** ''Orbitsville Judgement'' (1990). London: Gollancz.
* ''A Wreath of Stars'' (1976). London: Gollancz.
* ''[[Cosmic Kaleidoscope]]'' (1976). London: Gollancz. – collection.
* ''Cosmic Kaleidoscope'' (1977). New York: Doubleday – collection.
* ''Medusa's Children'' (1977). New York: Doubleday.
* The Warren Peace saga
** ''Who Goes Here?'' (1977). London: Gollancz. – reissued in 1988 with a short story ''The Giaconda Caper''.
** ''Warren Peace'' (1993). London: Gollancz. – reissued in 1994 as ''Dimensions''
* ''Ship of Strangers'' (1978). London: Gollancz – collection.
* ''Vertigo'' (1978). London: Gollancz. reissued in 1991 as ''Terminal Velocity'' by the same publisher.
* ''Dagger of the Mind'' (1979). London: Gollancz.
* ''The Ceres Solution'' (1981). London: Granada.
* ''Galactic Tours'' (1981, with [[David A. Hardy]]).
* ''Courageous New Planet'' (1981). Birmingham Science Fiction Group – limited-edition chapbook.
* ''[[A Better Mantrap]]'' (1982). London: Gollancz – collection.
* ''[[Fire Pattern]]'' (1984). London: Gollancz.
* ''Messages Found in an Oxygen Bottle'' (1986). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Nesfa. – collection. Bound double format with ''Between Two Worlds'' by [[Terry Carr]]
* [[Land and Overland]] trilogy
** ''[[The Ragged Astronauts]]'' (1986). London: Gollancz.
** ''The Wooden Spaceships'' (1988). London: Gollancz.
** ''The Fugitive Worlds'' (1989). London: Gollancz.
* ''Killer Planet'' (1989). London: Gollancz.
* ''[[Dark Night in Toyland]]'' (1989). London: Gollancz – collection.
* ''Overload'' (1995). Birmingham Science Fiction Group – limited-edition chapbook.

===Nonfiction===
* ''The Best of the Bushel'' (1979)
* ''The Eastercon Speeches'' (1979)
* ''How to Write Science Fiction'' (1993)
* ''A Load of Old BoSh'' (1995) (includes ''The Eastercon Speeches'')

===Selected short stories===
* "[[Light of Other Days]]" (1966)
* "Skirmish on a Summer Morning" (1976)
* "Unreasonable Facsimile" (1974)
* "A Full Member of the Club" (1974)
* "The Silent Partners" (1959)
* "The Element of Chance" (1969)
* "The Gioconda Caper" (1976)
* "An Uncomic Book Horror Story" (1975)
* "Deflation 2001" (1972)
* "Waltz of the Bodysnatchers" (1976)
* "A Little Night Flying" ("Dark Icarus") (1975)

==See also==
*[[List of Northern Irish writers]]

==References==
{{reflist |25em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last=Ashley |first=Mike |url=https://archive.org/details/transformationsv0000ashl |title=Transformations: the story of the science-fiction magazines from 1950 to 1970 |publisher=[[Liverpool University Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-85323-769-7 |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Lyons |first=Paddy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VO0nHHic4agC&pg=PA193 |title=No country for old men: fresh perspectives on Irish literature |last2=O'Malley-Younger |first2=Alison |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-03911-841-0 |edition=1st |page=195 |access-date=8 November 2011}}
*{{Cite book |url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/shaw_bob |title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |publisher=Granada Publishing Ltd |year=1981 |isbn=0-586-05380-8 |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-first=Peter |location=St Albans}}
*{{Cite book |last=Reginald |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSGOTZKpZk0C&pg=PA240 |title=Contemporary Science Fiction Authors |publisher=Wildside Press LLC |year=1974 |isbn=1-4344-7858-0 |edition=2nd |access-date=8 November 2011 |orig-year=1970}}
*{{Cite book |last=Stableford |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L5QS1c5DTPoC&pg=PA25 |title=Algebraic fantasies and realistic romances |publisher=Wildside Press LLC |year=1995 |isbn=0-89370-283-8 |edition=1st |author-link=Brian Stableford |access-date=8 November 2011}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |last=Langford |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n78kYbvUd_8C&pg=PA30 |title=The Sex Column and Other Misprints |publisher=Wildside Press LLC |year=2005 |isbn=9781930997783 |page=31 |ref=none}}

==External links==
* {{LCAuth|n50022166|Bob Shaw||ue}}
* {{isfdb name|id=354|name=Bob Shaw}}
*[http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/shaw_bob SF encyclopedia]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Bob}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century novelists from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Science fiction writers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Hugo Award–winning fan writers]]
[[Category:Male novelists from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Male short story writers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Writers from Belfast]]
[[Category:20th-century  short story writers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Chapbook writers]]
[[Category:20th-century male writers from Northern Ireland]]