Will F. Jenkins, better known by his pseudonym Murray Leintster, was born this day (June 16) in 1896. He passed away on June 8, 1975, just eight days short of his 79th birthday.
Leinster wrote for a variety of pulp magazines, but his greatest output was in the field of science fiction, beginning with “Atmosphere” in Argosy in 1918. While he wrote novels, his best work was at shorter lengths. Some of these stories include “Sidewise in Time”, “First Contact”, “A Logic Named Joe”, and “Exploration Team”. These stories have become classics in the field, and “Exploration Team” won one of the first Hugo Awards.
I’ve always enjoyed Leinster’s work. As with any prolific author, not all the stories are of equal quality, but when Leinster was good, he was very good.
Later in the summer, when things settle down, i.e., when the second summer session starts and I’m teaching, one of the things I want to do is restart the Pre-Campbell Science Fiction Challenge. Leinster will be one of the authors I’ll be reading.
