Laurence Manning
Encyclopedia
Laurence Manning was a Canadian science fiction
author.
Manning was born in St. John, New Brunswick and attended Kings College
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
. In the 1920s he moved to the United States
. In the USA, he lived primarily on Staten Island
, where he began writing short stories for several pulp science fiction magazines. After teaming with SF writer Fletcher Pratt in "City of the Living Dead" in the May, 1930 issue of Science Wonder Stories, he wrote "The Voyage of the 'Asteroid'", which appeared in the Summer 1932 issue of Wonder Stories
Quarterly, and The Man Who Awoke
, a series of stories that was later published as a novel.
He was a founding member of the American Rocket Society
, serving as both president and editor. For his involvement in the Society, Manning is recognized by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
as an early rocketry pioneer. Manning retired from the American Rocket Society in the mid 1940s, stating that rocketry had 'grown up', and was no longer a place for amateurs. In 1961, Manning was awarded a lifetime membership in the Society, that award being presented by then Vice President of the US Lyndon B. Johnson
. Manning gave up his successful writing career at the end of 1935 and devoted his time to a mail order nursery business he owned and managed. Apart from several short stories in the 1950s (Good-Bye, Ilha!, Mr. Mottle Goes Pouf, Men on Mars), he never wrote any more science fiction. However, he was the author of a successful book on gardening, The How and Why of Better Gardening (1951). Manning had three children: Helen Louise, Dorothy, and James Edward. He lived in Highlands, New Jersey from 1951 until his death in 1972.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author.
Manning was born in St. John, New Brunswick and attended Kings College
University of King's College
The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. In the 1920s he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the USA, he lived primarily on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, where he began writing short stories for several pulp science fiction magazines. After teaming with SF writer Fletcher Pratt in "City of the Living Dead" in the May, 1930 issue of Science Wonder Stories, he wrote "The Voyage of the 'Asteroid'", which appeared in the Summer 1932 issue of Wonder Stories
Wonder Stories
Wonder Stories was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, when his media company Experimenter Publishing went...
Quarterly, and The Man Who Awoke
The Man Who Awoke
The Man Who Awoke is a science fiction novel by Laurence Manning. It was initially serialised in five parts during 1933 in Wonder Stories magazine. Later it was published as one complete novel in 1975 by Del Rey/Ballantine....
, a series of stories that was later published as a novel.
He was a founding member of the American Rocket Society
American Rocket Society
The American Rocket Society began its existence on April 4, 1930, under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning and others. The members originally conducted their own rocket experiments in New York...
, serving as both president and editor. For his involvement in the Society, Manning is recognized by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
as an early rocketry pioneer. Manning retired from the American Rocket Society in the mid 1940s, stating that rocketry had 'grown up', and was no longer a place for amateurs. In 1961, Manning was awarded a lifetime membership in the Society, that award being presented by then Vice President of the US Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. Manning gave up his successful writing career at the end of 1935 and devoted his time to a mail order nursery business he owned and managed. Apart from several short stories in the 1950s (Good-Bye, Ilha!, Mr. Mottle Goes Pouf, Men on Mars), he never wrote any more science fiction. However, he was the author of a successful book on gardening, The How and Why of Better Gardening (1951). Manning had three children: Helen Louise, Dorothy, and James Edward. He lived in Highlands, New Jersey from 1951 until his death in 1972.
Novels
- City of the Living Dead co-authored with Fletcher PrattFletcher PrattMurray Fletcher Pratt was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and history, particularly noted for his works on naval history and on the American Civil War.- Life and work :...
(May, 1930 Science Wonder Stories), reprinted by Gernsbeck Publications in 1939 - The Voyage of the Asteroid (Summer, 1932 Wonder Stories Quarterly)
- Wreck of the Asteroid, Part One (Dec, 1932 Wonder Stories)
- Wreck of the Asteroid, Part Two (January, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- Wreck of the Asteroid, Part Three (February, 1934 Wonder Stories)
- The Man Who Awoke, Part 1 (March, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- The Man Who Awoke, Part 2 (April, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- The Man Who Awoke, Part 3 (May, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- The Man Who Awoke, Part 4 (June, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- The Man Who Awoke, Part 5 (August, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- The Call of the Mech Men (November, 1933 Wonder Stories)
- Caverns of Horror (March, 1934 Wonder Stories)
- Voice of Atlantis (July, 1934 Wonder Stories)
- The Living Galaxy (September, 1934 Wonder Stories)
- The Moth Message (December, 1934 Wonder Stories)
- The Prophetic Voice (April, 1935 Wonder Stories)
- Seeds From Space (June, 1935 Wonder Stories)
- World of the Mist, Part 1 (September, 1935 Wonder Stories)
- World of the Mist, Part 2 (October, 1935 Wonder Stories)