Hugh Walters (author)
Encyclopedia
Hugh Walters was a writer of juvenile Science Fiction
novel
s from Bradley
in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom
.
and lived most of his life in Bilston
.
He ran his own furniture store, Walter Hughes Ltd in Bradley and became Managing Director of Brasteds Ltd (a contraction of Bradley Bedsteads). In 1931 he married Doris Higgins; they had two children. He was a member of the British Interplanetary Society
and British Astronomical Association
, and became president of Bilston Rotary Club, and High Chief Ranger of the Ancient Order of Foresters
. He was also a member of Bilston Tennis Club, was elected a member of Bilston Borough Council and was in due course was appointed a magistrate
.
library during Science Fiction week. In preparation he read a large number of science fiction books, was not impressed, and thought he could do better. At the age of 47 he wrote his first book in secret under the pseudonym
of Hugh Walters. He later said: "As I was also a magistrate and a local councillor, I felt [that writing science fiction] left me open to ridicule. People tend to treat science fiction as a bit of a joke, so I juggled with my name and came up with Hugh Walters."
Of his writing Walters said: "I believe a good SF story should (1) entertain, (2) educate painlessly, and (3) inspire the young people of today to be the scientists and technicians of tomorrow"
His first novels mostly dealt with the exploration of other planets in our solar system. Written for a juvenile audience, they had a scientific foundation, anticipating such advances as ion engines. Walters turned to writing novels concerning alien visits after all the planets had been explored.
The main characters in his novels were two British astronauts, an American, and a Russian. Later missions used a pair of telepathic twins for communication.
The covers of the first 14 books had cover illustrations by the Faber and Faber
illustrator Leslie Wood
.
His books are still present on the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society
recommended reading list for children and young adults
Boy Astronaut series:
Other Books:
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...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s from Bradley
Bradley, West Midlands
Bradley was originally a village in the Manor of Sedgley, England. Nowadays it is situated in the Bilston East ward of Wolverhampton City Council....
in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Biography
Born Walter Llewelyn Hughes, he was educated at Dudley Grammar School and Wolverhampton CollegeCity of Wolverhampton College
City of Wolverhampton College is a further education college located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England.It was formed in September 1999 as the result of a merger of Wulfrun College in Wolverhampton and Bilston Community College in Bilston....
and lived most of his life in Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
.
He ran his own furniture store, Walter Hughes Ltd in Bradley and became Managing Director of Brasteds Ltd (a contraction of Bradley Bedsteads). In 1931 he married Doris Higgins; they had two children. He was a member of the British Interplanetary Society
British Interplanetary Society
The British Interplanetary Society founded in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world whose aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.-Structure:...
and British Astronomical Association
British Astronomical Association
The British Astronomical Association is the senior national association of amateur astronomers in the UK.-Function:It encourages observational astronomy by non-professionals in areas which cannot be covered by professional observatories...
, and became president of Bilston Rotary Club, and High Chief Ranger of the Ancient Order of Foresters
Ancient Order of Foresters
The Ancient Order of Foresters is a friendly society which was formed in 1834. The society is now known as Foresters Friendly Society, and has approximately 70,000 members...
. He was also a member of Bilston Tennis Club, was elected a member of Bilston Borough Council and was in due course was appointed a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
.
Writings
In 1955 he was asked to talk at Bilston Rotary Club when the scheduled speaker cancelled. He spoke on space and astronomy, and as a result was asked to speak at nearby CoseleyCoseley
Coseley is a town located mostly within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it lies south east of Wolverhampton and north of Dudley....
library during Science Fiction week. In preparation he read a large number of science fiction books, was not impressed, and thought he could do better. At the age of 47 he wrote his first book in secret under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Hugh Walters. He later said: "As I was also a magistrate and a local councillor, I felt [that writing science fiction] left me open to ridicule. People tend to treat science fiction as a bit of a joke, so I juggled with my name and came up with Hugh Walters."
Of his writing Walters said: "I believe a good SF story should (1) entertain, (2) educate painlessly, and (3) inspire the young people of today to be the scientists and technicians of tomorrow"
His first novels mostly dealt with the exploration of other planets in our solar system. Written for a juvenile audience, they had a scientific foundation, anticipating such advances as ion engines. Walters turned to writing novels concerning alien visits after all the planets had been explored.
The main characters in his novels were two British astronauts, an American, and a Russian. Later missions used a pair of telepathic twins for communication.
The covers of the first 14 books had cover illustrations by the Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
illustrator Leslie Wood
Leslie Wood (illustrator)
Leslie Wood is an English artist and illustrator, now living in Poynton, Cheshire.He studied at the Manchester College of Art and Design and gained a travelling scholarship. Prevented from travelling abroad because of World War II, he instead went to London...
.
His books are still present on the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society
Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society
The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc., or LASFS is a science fiction society with its headquarters in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Van Nuys is located in the San Fernado Valley, north of Los Angeles...
recommended reading list for children and young adults
Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. (United Nations Exploration Agency) series http://www.worldcat.org/wcidentities/lccn-n50-26446º
) series :-- Blast Off at WoomeraBlast Off at WoomeraBlast Off at Woomera is a young adult science fiction novel, the first in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1957, in the US by Criterion Books in 1958 under the title Blast Off at 0300 and in the Netherlands in 1960 by Prisma Juniores under...
(1957) aka Blast Off at 0300 - The Domes of PicoThe Domes of PicoThe Domes of Pico is a juvenile science fiction novel, the second in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1958, in the US by Criterion Books in 1959 under the title Menace from the Moon and in the Netherlands by Prisma Juniores as 'De Maan Valt...
(1958) aka Menace from the Moon - Operation ColumbusOperation ColumbusOperation Columbus is a juvenile science fiction novel, the third in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1959, in the US by Criterion Books in 1960 under the title First on the Moon, and in the Netherlands by Prisma Juniores as 'Wedloop naar de...
(1959) aka First on the Moon (ISBN 115120322X) - Moon Base OneMoon Base OneMoon Base One is a young adult science fiction novel, the fourth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1960, in the US by Criterion Books in 1962 under the title Outpost on the Moon....
(1960) aka Outpost on the Moon - Expedition VenusExpedition VenusExpedition Venus is a juvenile science fiction novel, the fifth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1962 and in the US by Criterion Books in 1963.-Plot summary:...
(1962) (ISBN 9780571112692) - Destination MarsDestination MarsDestination Mars is a juvenile science fiction novel, the sixth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1963 and in the US by Criterion Books in 1964....
(1963) (ISBN 0571113338) - Terror by SatelliteTerror by SatelliteTerror by Satellite is a juvenile science fiction novel, the seventh in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in 1964, in the UK by Faber and in the US by Criterion Books...
(1964) (ISBN 057111492X) - Journey to JupiterJourney to JupiterJourney to Jupiter is a juvenile science fiction novel, the eighth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1965 and in the US by Criterion Books in 1966.-Plot summary:...
(1965) - Mission to MercuryMission to MercuryMission to Mercury is a juvenile science fiction novel, the ninth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in 1965 in the UK by Faber and in the US by Criterion Books...
(1965) - Spaceship to SaturnSpaceship to SaturnSpaceship to Saturn is a juvenile science fiction novel, the tenth in Hugh Walters' "Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A." series. It was published in 1967 in the UK by Faber and in the US by Criterion Books and in Portugal under the title Voo para Saturno by Edições Dêagã in 1975.-Plot summary:The length...
(1967) (ISBN 571081371) - The Mohole MysteryThe Mohole MysteryThe Mohole Mystery is a juvenile science fiction novel, the eleventh in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1968, in the US by Criterion Books in 1969 under the title The Mohole Menace...
(1968) aka The Mohole Menace - Nearly NeptuneNearly NeptuneNearly Neptune is a juvenile science fiction novel, the twelfth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1968, in the US by Washburn Books in 1969 under the title Neptune One is Missing....
(1968) aka Neptune One is Missing - First Contact?First Contact?First Contact? is a juvenile science fiction novel, the thirteenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1971, in the US by T.Nelson Books in 1973.-Plot summary:...
(1971) (ISBN 0840763204) - Passage to PlutoPassage to PlutoPassage to Pluto is a juvenile science fiction novel, the fourteenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1973, in the US by T.Nelson Books in 1975....
(1973) (ISBN 084076457X) - Tony Hale, Space DetectiveTony Hale, Space DetectiveTony Hale, Space Detective is a juvenile science fiction novel, the fifteenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1973....
(1973) (ISBN 0571102719) - Murder on MarsMurder on MarsMurder on Mars is a juvenile science fiction novel, the sixteenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1975. The second in the series to switch to detective work rather than space exploration....
(1975) (ISBN 0571107176) - The Caves of DrachThe Caves of DrachThe Caves of Drach is a juvenile science fiction novel, the seventeenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1977-Plot summary:...
(1977) (ISBN 0571110371) - The Last DisasterThe Last DisasterThe Last Disaster is a juvenile science fiction novel, the eighteenth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1978-Plot summary:...
(1978) (ISBN 057111153X) - The Blue Aura (1979) (ISBN 0571114237)
- The Dark TriangleThe Dark TriangleThe Dark Triangle is a juvenile science fiction novel, the twentieth and last published in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in the UK by Faber in 1979...
(1979) - The Glass Men (unpublished)
Boy Astronaut series:
- Boy Astronaut (1977)
- First Family on the Moon (1979)
- School on the Moon (1981) (ISBN 0200727435)
Other Books:
- P-K (PsychokinesisPsychokinesisThe term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
London : Severn House, 1986. ISBN 9780727813640