Donald A. Wollheim (1914-1990) was an American writer, editor, publisher, anthologist, and one of the most influential figures in the history of American science fiction. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and became active in fandom and professional science fiction circles as a teenager in the early 1930s, when the genre was still coalescing as a distinct publishing category. As a young fan, Wollheim was a founding member of the Futurians, a New York-based group of science fiction fans and aspiring writers that included figures such as Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Cyril Kornbluth, and Judith Merril, among others. Many members of this circle went on to become major writers, editors, and publishers who shaped the field for decades. Wollheim also helped organize some of the earliest science fiction fan conventions and was involved in the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. Wollheim's professional career spanned writing, editing, and publishing. As a writer, he produced science fiction under his own name and under pseudonyms, including novels and short stories, though he became far better known for his editorial and publishing work than for his own fiction. He edited early anthologies that helped define science fiction as a genre worth serious literary attention, including one of the first hardcover science fiction anthologies. He held editorial positions at several publishing houses over his career, including Avon Books and Ace Books. At Ace Books, he was instrumental in developing the Ace Science Fiction Specials line and in publishing many now-classic works, including an unauthorized paperback edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in the 1960s, which, despite the controversy it caused, helped introduce Tolkien to a mass American audience. In 1972, Wollheim founded DAW Books, the first American publishing house devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy, naming it with his own initials. Through DAW, he published and championed many authors, including Andre Norton, Tanith Lee, C.J. Cherryh, and others, and he continued to edit and shape the direction of the genre until his death in 1990. His daughter, Elizabeth R. Wollheim, and her partner Sheila E. Gilbert, continued running DAW Books after him. Wollheim received numerous honors for his contributions to the field, including recognition as a Guest of Honor at World Science Fiction Conventions and induction-level respect within fandom for his decades of work as a talent scout, editor, and tastemaker. He is generally regarded as one of the architects of science fiction as a commercial publishing category and as a mentor figure to generations of writers who passed through his editorial hands.
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