H. Beam Piper
H. Beam Piper was an American science fiction author born in 1904 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Largely self-educated and a passionate reader, Piper began his writing career in the 1940s, with his first science fiction story, "Time and Time Again," published in 1947. He was known for creating a comprehensive future history, referred to as the Terro-Human Future History, which encompasses various stories and novels exploring humanity's expansion into space. Notable works include "Four Day Planet," "Space Viking," and the beloved series featuring the Fuzzies, starting with "Little Fuzzy." Piper's writing was influenced by his historical interests and his political views, which he shared with prominent science fiction editor John W. Campbell, Jr. Despite his literary success, Piper faced personal challenges, including financial difficulties and the loss of his mother. Tragically, he took his own life in 1964. Piper's contributions to science fiction continue to resonate, marking him as a significant figure in the genre's evolution.
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H. Beam Piper
Writer
- Born: 1904
- Birthplace: Altoona, Pennsylvania
- Died: November 9, 1964
- Place of death: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Biography
Henry Beam Piper was born in 1904 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the son of a minister. Piper had no formal education, and at age eighteen he went to work as a laborer in the Altoona railroad yards. Largely self-educated, he was a voracious reader, especially of histories, and incorporated details from actual history into his own futuristic stories. He is best known as a science-fiction author, but he wrote in other genres; his first novel, Murder in the Gunroom (1953), was a detective story. Piper was a gun collector, reputedly owning some one hundred antique and modern weapons.
His first science-fiction story, a tale of time travel entitled “Time and Time Again,” was published in 1947. Much of his work appeared in Astounding Science Fiction magazine, which later changed its name to Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction. Its editor, John W. Campbell, Jr., is often credited with transforming science fiction from its pulp adventure roots into an adult genre and with encouraging and publishing such key science-fiction writers as Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. Campbell and Piper held similar political views and these opinions often were reflected in Piper’s stories. Piper’s work appeared in other science-fiction magazines, although writing remained a part-time occupation for him. He continued working for the railroad to support his elderly mother, resigning in 1956 after her death.
Piper’s first science-fiction novels, written in collaboration with John J. McGuire, were Crisis in 2140 (1957), initially published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1953, and A Planet for Texans (1958), which first appeared in Fantastic Universe magazine in 1957. Like Heinlein and Asimov, who developed their own loose future, Piper created what he called a Terro-Human six-thousand-year history into which many of his stories fit, although gaps remained after his death. This Terro-Human Future History series includes three novels chronicling humankind’s conquest of space, Four Day Planet (1941), Junkyard Planet (1963), and Space Viking (1963), and two short-story collections published long after Piper’s death, Federation (1981) and Empire (1981).
Piper also wrote a popular series of novels about the Fuzzies, small, joyful, and childlike creatures inhabiting a planet where mining interests try to deny the Fuzzies’ intelligence in order to exploit their minerals. The series started with Little Fuzzy (1962). In addition, Piper wrote books about time travel in a series that became known as the Paratime Police or Lord Kalvan stories. Jerry Pournelle, a writer who became a close acquaintance of Piper while Pournelle was involved with the space program, said Piper once told him with a straight face that he believed he was born in another time line. Suffering financial reverses following a divorce, Piper committed suicide with one of his own firearms on November, 9, 1964.