Catherine Lucille Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, who first came to prominence in the 1930s writing as C. L. Moore. She was among the first women to write in the science fiction and fantasy genres, though earlier woman writers in these genres include Clare Winger Harris, Greye La Spina, and Francis Stevens, amongst others. Nevertheless, Moore’s work paved the way for many other female speculative fiction writers.
Moore married her first husband Henry Kuttner in 1940, and most of her work from 1940 to 1958 (Kuttner’s death) was written by the couple collaboratively. They were prolific co-authors under their own names, although more often under any one of several pseudonyms.
Her early work included two significant series in Weird Tales, then edited by Farnsworth Wright. One features the rogue and adventurer Northwest Smith wandering through the Solar System; the other features the swordswoman/warrior Jirel of Joiry, one of the first female protagonists in sword-and-sorcery fiction. Both series are sometimes named for their lead characters. One of the Northwest Smith stories, “Nymph of Darkness” (Fantasy Magazine (April 1935); expurgated version, Weird Tales (Dec 1939), was written in collaboration with Forrest J Ackerman.
The most famous Northwest Smith story is “Shambleau”, which was also Moore’s first professional sale. It originally appeared in the November 1933 issue of Weird Tales, netting her $100, and later becoming a popular anthology reprint.
Her most famous Jirel story is also the first one, “Black God’s Kiss”, which was the cover story in the October 1934 issue of Weird Tales, subtitled “the weirdest story ever told” . C.L. Moore’s early stories were notable for their emphasis on the senses and emotions, which was unusual in genre fiction at the time.
C. L. Moore – First Edition Identification Guide
Note: This list only includes works published prior to 1977.
| Year | Title | Publisher | First edition/Printing Identification Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | THE BEST OF C. L. MOORE | Garden City: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., [1975] | Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Code 42 R on page 307. Note: Issued by the Science Fiction Book Club. |
| 1954 | BEYOND EARTH'S GATES | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1954] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double Novel Books D-69 (35c). Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. Bound with DAYBREAK-250 A.D. by Andre Norton. |
| 1977 | BLACK GOD'S SHADOW | West Kingston, Rhode Island: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, 1977 | Two issues, no priority:
|
| 1946 | THE BRASS RING | New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, [1946] | First printing so stated on © page. Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. Reissued as MURDER IN BRASS. |
| 1954 | THE CHALLENGE FROM BEYOND | N.p.: [A Weltschmerz Publication/Bill Evans/Franklin Kerkhof, Printer /The Pennsylvania Dutch Cheese Press 1 February 1954] | Self wrappers. No statement of printing. Mimeographed, stapled. Cover title. With ROBERT E. HOWARD, FRANK BELKNAP LONG, H. P. LOVECRAFT, and A. MERRITT. Notes: (1) Published by William H. Evans for distribution through the Fantasy Amateur Press Association (FAPA). (2) Not to be confused with a booklet of identical title and format with a different round-robin story by Stanley G. Weinbaum and others. |
| 1956 | CHESSBOARD PLANET | New York: Galaxy Publishing Corp., [1956] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Galaxy Novel 26 (35c). Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. Reissue of THE FAIRY CHESSMEN (see TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND THE FAIRY CHESSMEN). |
| 1947 | THE DAY HE DIED | New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, [1947] | First printing so stated on © page. Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1958 | DESTINATION INFINITY | New York: Avon Publications, Inc., [1958] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Avon T-275 (35c). Anonymous collaboration with HENRY KUTTNER. Reissue of FURY. |
| 1957 | DOOMSDAY MORNING | Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1957 | Boards. First edition so stated on © page. |
| 1964 | EARTH'S LAST CITADEL | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1964] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book F-306 (40c). With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1963 | THE FAR REALITY | London. World Distributors, [1963] | Wrappers. This Consul edition. complete and unabridged, published in England, 1963 ... on © page. Consul Books Selected Science Fiction 1266 (2'6). Lewis Badgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. Reissue of THE FAIRY CHESSMEN (see TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND THE FAIRY CHESSMEN). |
| 1950 | FURY | New York: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, [1950] | Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Anonymous collaboration with HENRY KUTTNER. Reissued as DESTINATION INFINITY. ALSO: New York: Lancer Books, [1972]. Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Lancer Books 75413-095 (95c). New introduction by Moore. |
| 1950 | A GNOME THERE WAS | New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950 | Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1969 | JIREL OF JOIRY | New York: Paperback Library, [1969] | Wrappers. First Printing: August. 1969 on © page. Paperback Library Science Fantasy 63-166 (60c). Reprint collection. All stories previously collected in SHAMBLEAU and NO BOUNDARIES. Reissued as BLACK GOD'S SHADOW. |
| 1952 | JUDGMENT NIGHT | New York: Gnome Press Publishers, [1952] | Two bindings, priority as listed: (A) Cloth; (B) Boards. First edition so stated on © page. |
| 1954 | LINE TO TOMORROW | New York: Bantam Books, [1954] | Wrappers. A Bantam Book Published August, 1954 on © page. Bantam Books 1251 (25c). Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1971 | THE MASK OF CIRCE | New York: Ace Books, [1971] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book SF 52075 (60c). Anonymous collaboration with HENRY KUTTNER.MURDER IN BRASS |
| 1953 | MUTANT | New York: Gnome Press, Inc., Publishers, [1953] | Boards. First edition so stated on © page. Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1955 | NO BOUNDARIES | New York: Ballantine Books, [1955] | Two bindings, no priority: (A) Cloth; (B) Wrappers. Ballantine Books 122 (35c). No statement of printing on © page. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1954 | NORTHWEST OF EARTH | New York: Gnome Press, Inc. Publishers, [1954] | Boards. First edition so stated on © page. |
| 1953 | SHAMBLEAU AND OTHERS | New York: Gnome Press, Inc. Publishers, [1953] | Boards. First edition so stated on © page. ALSO: SHAMBLEAU.New York: Galaxy Publishing Corp., [1955]. Wrappers. Reprinted by Galaxy Publishing Corporation ... on © page. Galaxy Science Fiction Novel No. 31 (35c). Abridged reprint. Contains three of the seven stories. ALSO: SHAMBLEAU. London; World Distributors, [1961}. Wrappers. This Consul edition published in England, 1961 ... on © page. Consul Books SF 1009 (2'6). Abridged reprint. Contains six of the seven stories. |
| 1965 | THE TIME AXIS | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1965] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Science Fiction Classic F-356 (40c). Anonymous collaboration with HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1963 | TOMORROW AND TOMORROW | London: World Distributors, [1963] | Wrappers. This Consul edition complete and unabridged, published in England, 1963 ... on © page. Consul Books Selected Science Fiction 1265 (2' 6). Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. Reprint. Collected earlier in TOMORROW AND TOMOR¬ROW AND THE FAIRY CHESSMEN. |
| 1951 | TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND THE FAIRY CHESSMEN | New York: Gnome Press, Inc. Publishers, [1951] | Boards. First edition so stated on © page. Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. THE FAIRY CHESSMEN was reissued as CHESSBOARD PLANET and later as THE FAR REALITY. |
| 1964 | VALLEY OF THE FLAME | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1964] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book F-297 (40c). Anonymous collaboration with HENRY KUTTNER. |
| 1953 | WELL OF THE WORLDS | New York: Galaxy Publishing Corp., [1953] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Galaxy Science Fiction Novel No. 17 (35c). Lewis Padgett, pseudonym. With HENRY KUTTNER. |
C. L. Moore – First Printing Dust Jacket Identification Points
Gallery of First state Dust Jackets of C. L. Moore’s works. Only includes the first appearance in book form. Either the UK or US edition and does not include later printings.
Reference:
- Wikipedia
- L. W. Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction and Selected Nonfiction.
