Arthur C. Clarke:: Odyssey of a Visionary

During his long life, Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was distinguished in many fields: as science and science-fiction writer, inventor, television presenter, film consultant, pundit and futurist. He was launched into world-wide recognition through Stanley Kubrick''s 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, based on Clarke''s work and he became our most prominent spokesman of his generation for the promise of space exploration. Born in Somerset in 1917, Clarke became one of the first members of the British Interplanetary Society. After serving as a RAF radar specialist in WWII, he began writing in earnest and became a professional writer by the early 1950s. As the author of more than 20 novels, 100+ shorter works of fiction, four major fiction series, 30+ non-fiction books and hundreds of miscellaneous pieces, Clarke''s legacy is secure as ''Godfather of the Communication Satellite'' and ''Prophet of the Space Age''. For this deeply-researched biography. Neil McAleer conducted dozens of interviews with Clarke''s friends and colleagues, had access to the Clarke Papers and worked with Clarke himself in the preparation of the manuscript. An early edition of this authorized work was published in 1992, but the text was much expanded by more than a dozen new chapters for a limited edition in 2012. The work has now been brought up to date and includes many new photographs added for this new edition in celebration of the centenary of the birth of Sir Arthur C. Clarke. See more