Margaret St. Clair (1911–1995) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who published about 130 stories in the pulps, mostly in the 1950s. She also wrote eight novels, four of which were published in the Ace Double series. St. Clair's pioneering role as a woman writing science fiction was noted by Eric Leif Davin in his book Partners in Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965 . This collection assembles six great FLOWERING EVIL GARDEN OF EVIL RETURN ENGAGEMENT THE AUTUMN AFTER NEXT THE DANCERS THE VANDERLARK "Startlingly original!" —Ramsey Campbell
Author
Margaret St. Clair (February 17, 1911 Huchinson, Kansas - November 22, 1995 Santa Rosa, CA) was an American science fiction writer, who also wrote under the pseudonyms Idris Seabright and Wilton Hazzard. Born as Margaret Neeley, she married Eric St. Clair in 1932, whom she met while attending the University of California, Berkeley. In 1934 she graduated with a Master of Arts in Greek classics. She started writing science fiction with the short story "Rocket to Limbo" in 1946. Her most creative period was during the 1950s, when she wrote such acclaimed stories as "The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles" (1951), "Brightness Falls from the Air" (1951), "An Egg a Month from All Over" (1952), and "Horrer Howce" (1956). She largely stopped writing short stories after 1960. The Best of Margaret St. Clair (1985) is a representative sampler of her short fiction. Apart from more than 100 short stories, St. Clair also wrote nine novels. Of interest beyond science fiction is her 1963 novel Sign of the Labrys, for its early use of Wicca elements in fiction. Her interests included witchcraft, nudism, and feminism. She and her husband decided to remain childless.
