"Lupoff writes with intelligence, humor, wisdom, and a zest for life. He had a lot of fun writing this book, and it shows; because of it, we have a lot of fun reading it."Joe Gores, author of Hammett Where Memory Hides is a guided tour through the life and career of mystery and science fiction's most versatile practitioner. Richard A. Lupoff has been a professional author for six decades, and a life-time fan of everything from pulp magazines to comic books, science fiction and mystery, and more. As the extensive bibliography (included in this book) demonstrates, Lupoff's credits run the gamut of fiction, nonfiction, mainstream publishing, and fan journals. In the 1960s, he penned All In Color For a Dime , a foundation-laying work for modern comic book fandom, and Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure , a study of Tarzan's creator. The Comic Book Killer and Marblehead are among his best-known novels. His short story 12:01 PM , filmed twice in the 1990s, added a new sub-genre to science fiction and spawned a legion of imitators. In Where Memory Hides , Lupoff regales readers with triumphs and tribulations from his six-decade plus career. He also offers insights on writing, haggling with agents, and literary criticism of authors such as Dashiell Hammett, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and many others. This autobiography is available in two editions -- a standard trade paperback edition, and a paperback collector's edition with color graphics throughout. "... (Lupoff's) books and stories, I can testify, having read a great many of them and published some myself, almost unfailingly display not only his intelligence and perceptivity, but also the grace and charm of his wit, the skill of his narrative technique, and the exemplary individuality of his ideas. That is to say, he's a damned good writer."Robert Silverberg, author of The Book of Skulls "... Although in his 80s, Lupoff still writes with the enthusiasm of a young fan ..." Publisher's Weekly

In the 80s, writer/wiseman Richard A. Lupoff came out with two volumes of what was to be a series: the WHAT IF? books. Each volume took a half-dozen or so years from the 60s and 70s and discussed, with Richard's 20-20 hindsight, the state of SFdom during those years. To illustrate his many points, he provided us with brilliant short stories by the best writers of the period in question, stories that DIDN'T win the Hugo that year, but maybe should have. As we know, because of politics and other often irrelevant things, the best works don't always end up winning. That's the sort of thing that is discussed in Richard's text for each year. The first two volumes were published in the 80s to great acclaim but due to some politics (or something) the third volume was never published, even though it was finalized. Fast forward to 2013 when Richard A. Lupoff, the major domo of Surinam Turtle Press, can ignore petty politics and pretty much publish what he damn well pleases. And it pleases him immensely to see WHAT IF? #3 finally see the light of day. These are the stories and authors featured in this volume. Read it and salivate. 1966 - Light of Other Days - Bob Shaw 1967 - The Star-Pit - Samuel R. Delany 1968 - The Barbarian - Joanna Russ 1969 - Sundance - Robert Silverberg 1970 - The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories - Gene Wolfe 1971 - Vaster Than Empires and More Slow - Ursula K. Le Guin 1972 - Painwise - James Tiptree, Jr. 1973 - My Brother Leopold - Edgar Pangborn