Fletcher Pratt
Encyclopedia
Murray Fletcher Pratt was an American writer of science fiction
, fantasy
and history
, particularly noted for his works on naval history
and on the American Civil War
.
, Pratt was born near Tonawanda, New York
, and attended Hobart College
for one year. During the 1920s he worked for the Buffalo Courier-Express
and on a Staten Island
newspaper. In 1926, he married Inga Stephens
, an artist. In the late 1920s he began selling stories to pulp magazines. Again, according to de Camp's memoir, when a fire gutted his apartment in the 1930s he used the insurance money to study at the Sorbonne
for a year. After that he began writing histories.
Pratt was a military analyst for for Time
magazine (whose obituary described him as "bearded, gnome-like" and listed "raising marmosets" among his hobbies), as well as a regular reviewer of historical nonfiction and fantasy and science fiction for the New York Times Book Review.
Wargamers know Pratt as the inventor of a set of rules for naval wargaming
before the Second World War. This was known as the "The Fletcher Pratt Naval War Game" and involved dozens of tiny wooden ships, built on a scale of one inch to 50 feet. These were spread over the floor of Pratt's apartment and their maneuvers were calculated via a complex mathematical formula. Noted author and artist Jack Coggins
was a frequent participant in Pratt's Navy Game, and De Camp met him through his wargaming group.
Pratt established the literary dining club known as the Trap Door Spiders
in 1944. The name is a reference to the exclusive habits of the trapdoor spider, which when it enters its burrow pulls the hatch shut behind it. The club was later fictionalized as the Black Widowers
in a series of mystery
stories by Isaac Asimov
. Pratt himself was fictionalized in one story, "To the Barest", as the Widowers’ founder, Ralph Ottur.
He was also a charter member of The Civil War Round Table of New York, organized in 1951, and served as its president from 1953-1954. In 1956, after his death, the Round Table's board of directors established the Fletcher Pratt Award in his honor, which is presented every May to the author or editor of the best non-fiction book on the Civil War published during the preceding calendar year.
Aside from his historical writings, Pratt is best known for his fantasy collaborations with de Camp, the most famous of which is the humorous Harold Shea series, was eventually published in full as The Complete Compleat Enchanter
(1989, ISBN 0-671-69809-5). His solo fantasy novels The Well of the Unicorn
and The Blue Star
are also highly regarded.
Pratt wrote in a markedly identifiable prose style, reminiscent of the style of Bernard DeVoto
. One of his books is dedicated "To Benny DeVoto, who taught me to write."
Several of Pratt's books were illustrated by Inga Stephens Pratt
, his wife.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, particularly noted for his works on naval history
Naval history
Naval history is the area of military history concerning war at sea and the subject is also a sub-discipline of the broad field of maritime history....
and on the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Life and work
According to L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
, Pratt was born near Tonawanda, New York
Tonawanda (town), New York
Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 78,155. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern suburb of Buffalo...
, and attended Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
for one year. During the 1920s he worked for the Buffalo Courier-Express
Buffalo Courier-Express
The Buffalo Courier-Express was a morning newspaper in Buffalo, New York. It ceased publication on September 1982.The Courier-Express was created in 1926 by a merger of the Buffalo Daily Courier and the Buffalo Morning Express. William James Conners, owner of the Buffalo Courier, brought the two...
and on a Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
newspaper. In 1926, he married Inga Stephens
Inga Stephens Pratt Clark
Inga Marie Stephens Pratt Clark was an American artist and book illustrator, who with her husband Fletcher Pratt was at the center of a circle of New York literary figures during the 20th Century....
, an artist. In the late 1920s he began selling stories to pulp magazines. Again, according to de Camp's memoir, when a fire gutted his apartment in the 1930s he used the insurance money to study at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
for a year. After that he began writing histories.
Pratt was a military analyst for for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine (whose obituary described him as "bearded, gnome-like" and listed "raising marmosets" among his hobbies), as well as a regular reviewer of historical nonfiction and fantasy and science fiction for the New York Times Book Review.
Wargamers know Pratt as the inventor of a set of rules for naval wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
before the Second World War. This was known as the "The Fletcher Pratt Naval War Game" and involved dozens of tiny wooden ships, built on a scale of one inch to 50 feet. These were spread over the floor of Pratt's apartment and their maneuvers were calculated via a complex mathematical formula. Noted author and artist Jack Coggins
Jack Coggins
Jack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
was a frequent participant in Pratt's Navy Game, and De Camp met him through his wargaming group.
Pratt established the literary dining club known as the Trap Door Spiders
Trap Door Spiders
The Trap Door Spiders are a literary male-only eating, drinking, and arguing society in New York City, with a membership historically composed of notable science fiction personalities...
in 1944. The name is a reference to the exclusive habits of the trapdoor spider, which when it enters its burrow pulls the hatch shut behind it. The club was later fictionalized as the Black Widowers
Black Widowers
The Black Widowers is a fictional men-only dining club created by Isaac Asimov for a series of sixty-six mystery stories which he started writing in 1971...
in a series of mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
stories by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. Pratt himself was fictionalized in one story, "To the Barest", as the Widowers’ founder, Ralph Ottur.
He was also a charter member of The Civil War Round Table of New York, organized in 1951, and served as its president from 1953-1954. In 1956, after his death, the Round Table's board of directors established the Fletcher Pratt Award in his honor, which is presented every May to the author or editor of the best non-fiction book on the Civil War published during the preceding calendar year.
The Complete Compleat Enchanter
The Complete Compleat Enchanter is an omnibus collection of five classic fantasy stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, gathering material previously published in three volumes as The Incomplete Enchanter , The Castle of Iron , and Wall of Serpents ,...
(1989, ISBN 0-671-69809-5). His solo fantasy novels The Well of the Unicorn
The Well of the Unicorn
The Well of the Unicorn is a fantasy novel by Fletcher Pratt, the first of his two major fantasies. It was first published in hardcover by William Sloane Associates in 1948, under the pseudonym George U. Fletcher...
and The Blue Star
The Blue Star (novel)
The Blue Star is a fantasy novel written by Fletcher Pratt, the second of his two major fantasies. It was first published by Twayne Publishers in 1952 in the fantasy anthology Witches Three, a volume that also included Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife and James Blish's "There Shall Be No Darkness." Its...
are also highly regarded.
Pratt wrote in a markedly identifiable prose style, reminiscent of the style of Bernard DeVoto
Bernard DeVoto
Bernard Augustine DeVoto was an American historian and author who specialized in the history of the American West.- Life and work :He was born in Ogden, Utah...
. One of his books is dedicated "To Benny DeVoto, who taught me to write."
Several of Pratt's books were illustrated by Inga Stephens Pratt
Inga Stephens Pratt Clark
Inga Marie Stephens Pratt Clark was an American artist and book illustrator, who with her husband Fletcher Pratt was at the center of a circle of New York literary figures during the 20th Century....
, his wife.
Novels
- Alien PlanetAlien Planet (novel)Alien Planet is the first major science-fiction novel by Fletcher Pratt, the noted Civil War historian.-History:Written in 1937 as an expansion of a 1932 story which originally appeared in the Winter edition of Amazing Stories, it was uncharacteristic of science fiction of that decade, which...
(1932) - Land of UnreasonLand of UnreasonLand of Unreason is a fantasy novel written by Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in the fantasy magazine Unknown Worlds for October, 1941. Revised and expanded, it was first published in book form by Henry Holt and Company in 1942...
(1941) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - The Well of the UnicornThe Well of the UnicornThe Well of the Unicorn is a fantasy novel by Fletcher Pratt, the first of his two major fantasies. It was first published in hardcover by William Sloane Associates in 1948, under the pseudonym George U. Fletcher...
(1948) - The Carnelian CubeThe Carnelian CubeThe Carnelian Cube is a fantasy novel written by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt. It was first published in hardcover by Gnome Press in 1948, and in paperback by Lancer Books in 1967. An E-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general...
(1948) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - The Blue StarThe Blue Star (novel)The Blue Star is a fantasy novel written by Fletcher Pratt, the second of his two major fantasies. It was first published by Twayne Publishers in 1952 in the fantasy anthology Witches Three, a volume that also included Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife and James Blish's "There Shall Be No Darkness." Its...
(1952) - Double Jeopardy (1952)
- The Undying Fire (1953) (originally titled: The Conditioned Captain)
- Invaders from Rigel (1960)
Harold Shea
- The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher PrattThe Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher PrattThe Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt is an omnibus collection of five classic fantasy stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L...
(2007) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - The Complete Compleat EnchanterThe Complete Compleat EnchanterThe Complete Compleat Enchanter is an omnibus collection of five classic fantasy stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, gathering material previously published in three volumes as The Incomplete Enchanter , The Castle of Iron , and Wall of Serpents ,...
(1989) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
- The Compleat EnchanterThe Compleat EnchanterThe Compleat Enchanter: The Magical Misadventures of Harold Shea is an omnibus collection of three classic fantasy stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L...
(1975) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - * The Incomplete EnchanterThe Incomplete EnchanterThe Incomplete Enchanter is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the first volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazine Unknown in the issues for May and August, 1940...
(1940) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - * The Castle of IronThe Castle of IronThe Castle of Iron is the title of a fantasy novella by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and to the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story in their Harold Shea series...
(1941) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors... - Wall of SerpentsWall of SerpentsWall of Serpents is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the third volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazines Fantasy Fiction and Beyond Fantasy Fiction in the...
[vt The Enchanter CompletedWall of SerpentsWall of Serpents is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the third volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazines Fantasy Fiction and Beyond Fantasy Fiction in the...
(1980 UK)] (1960) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
- The Compleat Enchanter
Collections
- Double in SpaceDouble in SpaceDouble in Space is a title used for two distinct collections of science fiction novellas by Fletcher Pratt, the first published in the United States, the second published in the United Kingdom...
(1951) - Double Jeopardy (1952)
- Tales from Gavagan's BarTales from Gavagan's BarTales from Gavagan's Bar is a collection of short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, illustrated by the latter's wife Inga Pratt...
(1953, expanded 1978) with L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
Nonfiction
- Fletcher Pratt's Naval War Game (1940). A book on the Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame was printed in 2011. See link
- A Man and His Meals (1947)
- World of Wonder : an Introduction to Imaginative Literature (1951)
Science
- All About Famous Inventors and Their Inventions (1955)
- All About Rockets and Jets (1955) illustrated by Jack CogginsJack CogginsJack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
- Rockets, Jets, Guided Missiles and Spaceships (1951) with Jack CogginsJack CogginsJack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
- By Space Ship to the Moon (1952) with Jack CogginsJack CogginsJack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
- Rockets, Satellites and Space Travel (1958) with Jack CogginsJack CogginsJack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
Naval History
- The Compact History of the United States Navy (1957)
- Empire and the Sea (1946) with Inga Stephens
- Fighting Ships of the U.S. Navy (1941) illustrated by Jack CogginsJack CogginsJack Banham Coggins was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space travel, which were both authored and illustrated by Coggins...
- Fleet Against Japan (1946)
- The Navy has Wings; the United States Naval Aviation (1943)
- The Navy, a History; the Story of a Service in Action (1938)
- The Navy's War (1944)
- Night Work: the Story of Task force 39 (1946)
- Preble's Boys; Commodore Preble and the Birth of American Sea Power (1950)
- Sea Power and Today's War (1939)
- Ships, Men - and Bases (1941) with Frank Knox
- A Short History of the Army and Navy (1944)
The Napoleonic Wars
- The Empire and the Glory; Napoleon Bonaparte: 1800-1806 (1948)
- Road to Empire; the Life and Times of Bonaparte, the General (1939)
The Civil War
- The Civil War (1955)
- Civil War in Pictures (1955)
- Civil War on Western Waters (1956)
- The Military Genius of Abraham Lincoln : an Essay (1951) with Colin R. Ballard
- The Monitor and the Merrimac (1951)
- Ordeal by Fire; an Informal History of the Civil War (1935)
- Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War (1953)
World War II
- America and Total War (1941)
- The Marines' War, an Account of the Struggle for the Pacific from Both American and Japanese Sources (1948)
- The U.S. Army : a Guide to its Men and Equipment (1942) with David Pattee
- War for the World; a Chronicle of Our Fighting Forces in World War II (1950)
- What the Citizen Should Know about Modern War (1942)
Other
- The Battles that Changed History (1956) ISBN 0-486-41129-X
- The Cunning Mulatto and Other Cases of Ellis Parker, American Detective (1935) with Ellis Parker
- Eleven Generals; Studies in American Command (1949)
- Hail, Caesar! (1936)
- The Lost Battalion (1938) with Thomas M. Johnson
- Muscle-power Artillery (1938)
- My Life to the Destroyers (1944) with L. A. Abercrombie
- The City of the Living Dead (1939) with Laurence ManningLaurence ManningLaurence Manning was a Canadian science fiction author.Manning was born in St. John, New Brunswick and attended Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the 1920s he moved to the United States. In the USA, he lived primarily on Staten Island, where he began writing short stories for several...
. - Secret and Urgent; the Story of Codes and Ciphers (1939)
- The Third King (1950)
External links
- Bibliography at SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- FantasticFiction — Bibliography and book covers
- Fletcher Pratt — Biography and bibliography
- The Naval Wargame The History of Wargaming Project
- Battles That Changed History e-book at Project Gutenberg Canada
- New York Times obituary
- Fletcher Pratt Naval & Military Historian at Endless Bookshelf.Net