A Langford Sampler

All this stuff is Copyright © David Langford, 1976-2008, and may not be reproduced or mirrored on other web sites without explicit permission. (Feel free to link to these pages without asking, though.) I've kept back a number of longer pieces included in The Silence of the Langford (1996) and Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002 (2003), as an incentive to buy the books.

If you enjoy reading these pieces, feel free to fling a purse of gold at the author.

Stories

Links to work on other sites
• "comp.basilisk FAQ" (Nature "Futures", 2 December 1999; collected in Different Kinds of Darkness)
• "New Hope for the Dead" (Nature "Futures", 26 May 2005; uncollected)

On Science Fiction and Fantasy

• SFX magazine columns (1995-2008 and continuing)
• F&SF "Curiosities" columns (occasional since 1999)
• On James Branch Cabell (written 2004; 2007)
• On John Myers Myers (written 2004; 2007)
• On Thorne Smith (written 2004; 2007)
• Introduction to Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature (2000, revised 2004, uploaded 2006)
• The History of Mr Wells (2005)
• Torching John Brosnan (2005)
• Three Faces of Horror (1999, uploaded 2005)
• SFX Top 20 Feature (May 2001)
• Hal Clement 1922-2003 (2003)
• Tom Holt: Man or Myth? (2002)
• Pierre of the Apes: On Pierre Boulle (2001)
• Maps: Stalking John Sladek (2001)
• Remembering John Sladek ... (Fortean Times, 2001)
• Josh Kirby: Biographical Introduction (from A Cosmic Cornucopia, 1999, uploaded 2001)
• Tolkien: Lord of the Royalties (SFX's Lord of the Rings promotional supplement, 2001)
• Interview with John Sladek (1982, uploaded 2000)
• Interview with Ian Watson (1981, uploaded 2000)
• David Brin's new Uplift trilogy (Odyssey column, 1998)
• Minneapolis musings (Odyssey column, 1998)
• Appalling secrets of the SF Encyclopedia CD-ROM (Odyssey column, 1998)
• Gene Wolfe and Lexicon Urthus (Odyssey column, 1998)
• George Hay remembered (Odyssey column, 1998)
• James White and Sector General (Odyssey column, 1997)
• Greg Benford's Foundation novel (Odyssey column, 1997)
• A Year of Thog ... collected Thog's Masterclass departments from Ansible (1997)
• Wreath of Stars: Bob Shaw remembered (1996)
• Interview with Christopher Priest (mostly about The Prestige) (1995)
• Traveller in Black: John Brunner, 1934-1995 (1995)
• Secrets of Onomatopoeia! ... on L.E. Modesitt's sound effects (1995)
• On Alfred Bester (1993, 1987)
• Dinomania (1993)
• Ask Aunty Agonistes (1992) ... agony column for SF Nexus
• On Brian Stableford (1991)
• A Very Short Anthology ... on Drabbles (1991)
• I Wish I'd Written That (1991)
• Dangerous Thoughts ... on Asimov's robots (1990)
• Introduction to G.K. Chesterton's Magic (1987)
• Fission Fragments -- news/gossip columns in Ad Astra (1979-1981)

SF Fandom (Here Be Esoterica)

• Ansible -- the newsletter (est. 1979, currently monthly)
• Cloud Chamber ... the Langford APA fanzine
• Thirty Years Ago (2008) -- memories of Skycon in 1978
• Happy Birthday to Philip José Farmer (2008)
• 2007: What I Wrote
• "The Trials of Albert Haddock" -- on A.P. Herbert's "Misleading Cases" (2007)
• Another Convention Diary: Torcon 3 (2004)
• Microcon Metamorphoses ... convention talk (1999, published 2002, uploaded 2003)
• Langford Meets Swamp Thing ... Tropicon/Fanhistoricon 2000 trip report (2000, expanded 2002)
• Beachcombings ... from Beachcomber to Edward Gorey via the depths of fandom (1999)
• Blowing the GUFF ... secrets of the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund (1999)
• Minicon Diary ... Langford at Minicon 33 (1999)
• On Rog Peyton of Andromeda Bookshop (1999)
• Tiny Tale of Terror (1998)
• Four Million Sandfleas ... holiday diary (1998)
• Bumper Snufkin Introduction ... on Maureen Kincaid Speller (1997)
• Six Day Warp: 1997 Eastercon Report (1997)
• Twenty Years of Uproar ... reminiscences of funny bits from UK fanzines (1997, amended 1999-2000)
• Ansible Review of the Year 1996 (Easter 1997)
• First Contact (1995 article, uploaded 2004)
• Thirteen Things You Hadn't Thought To Believe In ... it's bad luck to read this one while crossing a black cat (1994, uploaded 2005)
• The Adelphi Coracle ... complete run of the 1994 Eastercon newsletter! For fanatics only. (1994)
• Di Ex Machinis ... weirdness at Mexicon 5 (1993)
• Cactus Times Volume 4 ... complete run of the 1993 Mexicon 5 newsletter. For fanatics only.
• Heliograph ... complete run of the 1993 Eastercon newsletter, with notes and glossary! For fanatics only. (1993)
• Conquassation ... 1991 UK convention memories (1992)
• Under the Lid ... another tiny tale of terror (1991)
• UFOs and Lawsuits ... curate's-egg convention speech (1990)
• Sglodion ... extracts from a Langford fanzine (1989-1991)
• A Rant About Illiterate Convention Publicity ... (1989)
• Contrivance Memories ... by one who wasn't there (1989)
• Where Were You During The Eastercon, Daddy? ... more cobwebbed fan controversy (1989)
• A Week of Sunday ... slice of life (1988)
• Notes towards a Rubicon III report (1988)
• Jetbuff Ltd ... Pulp fanzine column (1987-1991)
• On Iain Banks ... but not very edifyingly (1987)
• Cuisine Unauthentique ... recipes, sort of (1987)
• Strange Vibrations ... at Conspiracy '87 (1987)
• Platen Stories ... extracts from fanwriting collection (1987)
• Malcolm Edwards appreciation (1986)
• John Jarrold appreciation (1986)
• A Load of Crystal Balls: Great Failures of Prediction, AD 2000-3000 (1985 speech, uploaded 2003)
• Open Sore (1985) -- spoof game reviews
• The Thing from the Slushpile (1985) -- more game-related nonsense
• I Was a Worm in the Big Apple -- Chapter 8 of TAFF report (1984)
• The Cash Register Tolls for Thee (1983 article, uploaded 2004)
• Getting Educated ... memories of Oxford (1983, uploaded 2003)
• Yes! We Have Parakeet Diapers -- Chapter 7 of TAFF report (1983)
• Is There Life After Worldcon? -- Chapter 6 of TAFF report (1982)
• The Day of the Jackpot -- Chapter 4 of TAFF report (1982)
• The Novacon Records ... long-ago and esoteric convention report (1982)
• Vaster Than Empires and More Slow -- Chapter 2 of TAFF report (1981)
• From Pole to Pole -- Chapter 2 of TAFF report (1981)
• Running Down -- Chapter 5 of TAFF report (1981)
• The Call of Ko-Ad ... Lovecraftian silliness on the TAFF trip (1981)
• Group Dynamics of Conventional Assemblies ... long-ago and esoteric convention report (1981)
• A Day in the Life Of ... Dave Langford (1982 article, uploaded 2004)
• The Fall of the Mouse of Usher -- a silly fanzine article of yore. (March 1980, uploaded 2004)
• The Hole in Reality ... the fannish mind tackles car body repairs (1977, published 1979, uploaded 2003)
• The Horror in the VAT (1979, uploaded 2005)
• I Ching, Who You? ... a long-ago and esoteric fanzine article (1979)
• Results of the 1978-1979 TWLL-DDU Fan Poll (1979, uploaded 2006)
• It's Smart To Have a Welsh Address ... (written 1977, published 1979, uploaded 2005)
• Unique Aspects of British SF (1979 article, uploaded 2004)
• The Young Assassin's Guide (1979)
• George the Tortoise ... nature study (1978)
• A Tale of the Jungle ... sub-Belloc verse, 1977, revised 1980
• Hidden Shallows (1977 article, uploaded 2006)
• No, Not Pyorrhoea ... on the Pieria writers' group (1976, uploaded 2005: blame Kim Huett)
• Twll-Ddu ... index of extracts from my first solo fanzine, 1976-1983 (much expanded 2006)

Crime & Detection

• A Stout Fellow ... on Nero Wolfe (1992)
• Dr Fell ... on John Dickson Carr's great detective (1991)
• Ernest Bramah: Crime & Chinoiserie (1991)
• On Anthony Boucher (1984, expanded 1994)
• G.K. Chesterton crime omnibus introduction (1985, unpublished)

Weirdness and Forteana

• Skrapbook (The Skeptic, 2005)
• The History of Mr Wells (Fortean Times, 2005)
• "All Your Base ..." ... wholly irresponsible contribution to urban myths about Al-Qaeda (Fortean Times, 2002)
• Remembering John Sladek ... (Fortean Times, 2001)
• Come and Be Healed ... a shocking anecdote (Fortean Times, 2000)
• Albatross! Albatross! ... my naughty contribution to UFO lore (Fortean Times, 1996 but mislaid until 2000)
• Me and Hildegard of Bingen ... (Fortean Times, 1998)
• Beastly Numbers ... on dodgy numerology (Fortean Times, 1998)
• Unspeakable Horrors ... on The Necronomicon (Fortean Times, 1997)
• SF Books of the Damned ... on Eric Frank Russell's Fortean sf (1996)
• Worms and Tubes ... (Fortean Times, 1996)
• Ancient Prophets ... on Criswell Predicts! (Fortean Times, 1996)
• Martin Gardner: Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery ... review (1996)
• Key Reading ... on the writings of Frank Key (1993)
• Two Books on L. Ron Hubbard ... (1987, 1988)
• Wu Li = Nonsense? (1980)

Computer Stuff

• Rescuing Crusoe -- a true tale of disaster recovery (2008)
• Amstrad PCW computer magazine columns (8000 Plus/PCW Plus, 1986-1996; PCW Today, 1998-2002)
• What if ... the human brain could be hacked into? (T3 magazine, 1999)
• What if ... computers found a use for humanity? (T3 magazine, 1998)
• The Langford "Disinformation" columns from Apricot File magazine, 1985-88.
• Specimen Ansible Information Newsletter (with Chris Priest, 1990)
• Computer Slaying Drama Bid Probe (1989)
• The Hotware Revolution (1989)
• The Pirates of PC-DOS (1989)
• The Home Computer Handbook by Frank Herbert (1982 review)

Some Reviews

• Alphabetical Index of all reviews on this site
• 2008 SFX Reviews
• 2007 SFX Reviews
• SFX Book Club: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (2007)
• SFX Book Club: The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (2007)
• 2006 SFX Reviews
• "Random Reading" mini-review features from The New York Review of SF (2002 onward)
• 2005 SFX Reviews
• Ken MacLeod: Learning the World (2005)
• 2004 SFX Reviews
• Justina Robson: Natural History (2003)
• 2003 SFX Reviews
• 2002 SFX Reviews
• 2001 SFX Reviews
• Donald Kingsbury: Psychohistorical Crisis (2001)
• Lois McMaster Bujold: A Civil Campaign (2000)
• Frank M. Robinson: Science Fiction of the 20th Century (2000)
• Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter: The Light of Other Days (2000)
• Gene Wolfe: In Green's Jungles (2000)
• Gene Wolfe: On Blue's Waters (1999)
• Stephen Baxter: Time (1999)
• Brian Stableford: Architects of Emortality (1999)
• Peter Watts: Starfish (1999)
• Hal Clement: Trio for Slide Rule and Typewriter (1999)
• Michael Scott Rohan: Castle of the Winds (1999)
• 1998 SFX Reviews
• Elizabeth Hand: Glimmering (1998)
• Harry Turtledove: A World of Difference (1998)
• Frederik Pohl: O Pioneer! (1998)
• Diana Wynne Jones: Deep Secret (1998)
• 1997 SFX Reviews
• Greg Bear: Slant (1997)
• Gene Wolfe: The Book of the Long Sun (1997)
• Tim Powers: Earthquake Weather (1997)
• 1996 SFX Reviews
• Jack Vance: Night Lamp (1996)
• Christopher Priest: The Prestige (1996)
• Martin Gardner: Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery (1996)
• Lots of 1995 SFX Reviews (over 50 in a >100Kb document)
• David Prill: The Unnatural (1995)
• Eric Brown: Engineman (1995)
• James Blaylock: Lord Kelvin's Machine (1994)
• Michael Swanwick: The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1994)
• On the Bestseller Trail (1982 review feature, uploaded 2002)
• Alphabetical Index of all reviews on this site