Version 1, August 2007. More information needed ! Send some in !
A
Robert Presslie
Appreciation
Robert Presslie was featured twice in the NEW WORLDS author profiles - you will see those features here.
See also Speaking for Myself , a Guest Editorial in NEW WORLDS no 133, August 1963
Robert Presslie was a British science fiction writer - a part-timer, in fact, like so many of his contemporaries. He never made even a modest living from it, despite having stories published in all of the important British sf magazines of the 1950s and 60s, and in the New Writings in SF book series.
It would be foolish to suggest that Presslie was a star writer, or even that he deserves wholesale reassessment, but he does have a certain something, perhaps an air of potential, perhaps just a slightly different take on sf ideas that makes him stand out a little, be memorable to many of those who have read his fiction.
This page is produced by two of those readers - David Redd and Greg Pickersgill. We hope that by presenting this small tribute to Presslie we might draw out further information about him from family, friends, or sf people who knew him back in the days of AUTHENTIC, NEBULA and the Carnell-era NEW WORLDS.
Do you know anything about Robert Presslie? Contact us !
We know little about Presslie other than what is given in the NW profiles; some other notes reveal that even his date of death is not absolutely known -
Robert Presslie (1920 – 2002?) - Worked as a pharmacy manager in London - the SKYRACK newsletter refers to him twice - once in issue 50 of March 1963 as "Robert Presslie, who was one of the personalities at this year's Peterborough Convention" and then again in SKYRACK 45 dated 4th Sept 1962 it is noted that Presslie was at the monthly Globe meeting of 2nd August 1962. Therefore we can assume that he had least some contact with the general British sf and sf fan community.
The year of death given above is found in several places on the
web, however the web version of The
Pharmaceutical Journal for December 2000 has this -
"Presslie On September 5, Robert Presslie, MRPharmS, of 10
Kingham Close, Lower Gornal, Dudley, West Midlands DY3 2PH. Mr Presslie
registered in 1943."
implying his actual year of death is 2000 not
2002 as otherwise cited.
See also an extract from the Tuck Encyclopedia, below.
Robert Presslie is in the unfortunate position of never having had a book publication, either a novel or collection of short fiction. That means that he is not included, as a matter of policy, in either the first or second editions of the SCIENCE FICTION ENCYCLOPEDIA. That has been remedied in the third, online edition, his entry is here. There is also a Wikipedia entry.
Presslie does have a short entry in Donald H Tuck's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY (Advent:Publishers 1978) Now apparently out of print, but highly recommended for enthusiasts of 20thCentury science fiction -
"PRESSLIE, ROBERT. British science fiction author. A native of Aberdeen, he went to London around 1954; in the 1960's he was working as a pharmacy manager. He first appeared in science fiction with a number of stories in Authentic SF, beginning in June 1955 and including "Creeps" (sic) (a serial in parts, January and February 1956). Later he appeared in Nebula and in Carnell's New Worlds and Science Fantasy. He has had over 30 stories published."
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date and first publication |
title |
notes |
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1955 Jun – Authentic 58 |
Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted |
(first story?) |
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1955 Oct – Authentic 62 |
A Star Called Tommy |
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1956 Jan – Authentic 65 |
The Creep, part 1 |
(two-part serial) |
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1956 Feb – Authentic 66 |
The Creep, part 2 |
(two-part serial) |
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1956 Mar – Authentic 67 |
Post Mortem |
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1956 Jun – Authentic 70 |
Pilgrims All |
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1956 Aug – Authentic 72 |
Cat up a Tree |
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1956 Nov – Authentic 74 |
Lest We Forget |
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1956 Dec – Nebula 19 |
Flesh and Blood |
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1957 May – Authentic 80 |
Trojan Horse |
(novelette) |
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1957 Jun – Authentic 81 |
My Name is MacNamara |
(novelette) |
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1957 Jul – Authentic 82 |
Copy Cat |
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1957 Aug – Science Fantasy |
Plague |
(novelette) |
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1957 Sep – Authentic 84 |
Interrupted View |
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1957 Oct – Authentic 85 |
Star Tober |
(novelette) |
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1957 Oct – Nebula 25 |
Chip on my Shoulder |
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1957 Oct – Science Fantasy 25 |
Comeback |
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1958 Feb – Science Fantasy 27 |
Dial O for Operator |
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1958 Feb – New Worlds 68 |
The Fortieth of December |
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1958 Mar – New Worlds 69 |
Next of Kin |
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1958 Apr – Nebula 29 |
Old MacDonald |
(“novel,” 14k words) |
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1958 Jun – Science Fantasy 29 |
The Champ |
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1958 Jun – New Worlds 72 |
One for the Road |
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1958 Sep – Nebula 34 |
Take Your Partners |
(US edn Jan 1959) |
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1958 Nov – New Worlds 77 |
Sendoff |
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1958 Dec – Nebula 37 |
Pariah |
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1958 Dec – New Worlds 78 |
Another Word for Man |
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1958 Dec – Science Fantasy 32 |
Ladies’ Man |
(novelette) |
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1959 Feb – Nebula 39 |
Suicide Squad |
(novelette, US edn Jun 59) |
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1959 Apr – New Worlds 82 |
Confession is Good |
(3) |
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1959 Nov – SF Adventures 11 |
The Savage One |
(novelette) |
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1962 Aug – New Worlds 121 |
One Foot in the Door |
(US edn Sep 62) |
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1962 Oct – New Worlds 123 |
Remould |
(novelette) |
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1962 Nov – New Worlds 124 |
Lucky Dog |
(novelette) |
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1963 Jan – New Worlds 126 |
Ecdysiac |
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1963 Feb – New Worlds 127 |
Till Life Do Us Part |
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1963 Jun – New Worlds 131 |
Dipso Facto |
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1963 Dec – New Worlds 137 |
No Brother of Mine |
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1965 – New Writings in SF 6* |
The Day Before Never |
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1966 – New Writings in SF 7** |
The Night of the Seventh Finger (novelette) (6) |
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* London: Dennis Dobson 1965 hc; London: Corgi 1966 pb; * New York, N.Y.: Bantam March 1971 pb, cover illustrator not known |
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** London: Dennis Dobson 1966 hc, dj Eric Ayres; ** London: Corgi 1966 pb, cover Ken Randall; ** New York, N.Y.: Bantam August 1971 pb, cover illustrator not known. |
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(Note: Some but not all US editions are given their US dates above; as with most USA or Commonwealth editions of magazines such as Nebula and New Worlds these replicate the original UK contents. However, five New Worlds USA editions Mar-Jul 1960 each include stories from several UK issues, and are treated here as reprint collections.) |
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Non-fiction:- |
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Vector 18 (BSFA) Winter 1962 |
Stethoscope for Sale (science/medical article - has no autobiographical or sf-related material) |
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New Worlds 1963 Aug, No.133 |
Speaking for Myself - Guest Editorial |
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