730:
31:
456:. When additional stories failed to sell he abandoned fiction writing while remaining active in science fiction circles. This experience did, however, prompt de Camp to launch his own career as a science fiction writer, first with short stories and then with a novel in collaboration with their mutual friend Miller.
406:
in early 1936 from the then-published stories. Miller sent this material to Howard, whose reply confirmed and corrected their findings. Their map became the basis of those that later appeared in the book editions of the Conan stories. Their revised outline, "A Probable
Outline of Conan's Career" was
340:. He met Miller while living in Schenectady in the 1930s, and made the acquaintance of Pratt after moving to New York City. He later introduced de Camp to Miller, Pratt, and the informal circle of aspirant New York science fiction writers that included
311:
Clark's papers, consisting of four cubic feet of correspondence, drafts of scientific and science fiction publications, notes, an unpublished typescript memoir, diaries (1923–1984), clippings, and photos, are preserved in the
Special Collections at
479:. According to de Camp, in the 1930s Clark and a friend named Mark Baldwin had "concocted a prospectus for an imaginary College of the Unholy Names", which Clark lent to Hubbard in 1941. Hubbard then built his story around the setting.
459:
Clark furthered de Camp's career in another way by introducing him into
Fletcher Pratt's war-gaming circle, and to Pratt himself, in 1939. De Camp and Pratt went on to write some of the most celebrated light fantasy of the 1940s, the
486:, founded in 1944 by Pratt. As the new Mrs. Clark was reportedly unpopular with Pratt and others of his friends, the club gave them an excuse to spend time with him without her. The Trap Door Spiders later served as the model for
280:
technology, through technical explanations of the work the propellant community produced as well as often humorous anecdotes and incidents about the people involved. The
Rutgers University Press began republishing
503:, which has been described as "the first 'shared world' anthology". The scenario postulated a star system inhabited by silicon-based life forms, and was used as the basis for the three novellas by Pratt,
448:
While unemployed in the mid-1930s Clark wrote a couple of science fiction stories, "Minus Planet" and "Space
Blister", with plotting assistance from L. Sprague de Camp, which were published in
304:, New Jersey, where Clark continued to reside in his later years, until his death. He died on July 6, 1988, after a long illness and series of strokes at St. Clare's Hospital in
440:
Clark and Miller's
Hyborian Age map, together with Howard's own original, are the basis of those published in the Gnome, Lancer, and later editions of the stories.
417:
Thus established as an authority on Conan, Clark was invited to edit and provide introductions for the first book editions of Howard's Conan stories, published by
179:
from 1927 to 1930, graduating with a B.S. in
Physical Chemistry. During his last two years at Caltech his college roommate was future science fiction author
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in the 1950s. Expanded versions of his and Miller's essay on Conan, retitled "An
Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian", appeared in the Gnome volume
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313:
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429:
205:
433:, vol. 2, no. 4, in 1959. It was the source of the linking passages between the individual Conan stories in both the Gnome editions and the
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402:. He became an avid fan, and together with Miller he worked out an outline of Conan's career and a map of the world in Howard's invented
239:
of that city in 1943. On June 7 of that year he married operatic soprano singer
Mildred Baldwin. Their marriage later ended in divorce.
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511:
forming the body of the work. An excerpt from Clark's introduction ("The
Silicone World") was reissued in the December, 1952 issue of
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276:, 1972) which he dedicated to his wife Inga. The book was based on his experiences in the field and chronicled the development of
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672:
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for a striking and influential illustration as part of a special number on the elements, 16 May 1949. It inspired the artist
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From 1949 to his retirement in 1970, Clark developed liquid propellants at the Naval Air Rocket Test Station at
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649:"An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian", with P. Schuyler Miller and L. Sprague de Camp, published in
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Clark's first marriage led to the establishment of the all-male literary banqueting club the
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879:"Mildred Baldwin Bride: Opera Singer Wed to Dr. John D. Clark in Ceremony Here", in the
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642:"An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian", with P. Schuyler Miller, published in
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In 1952 Clark provided the scenario for and edited the Twayne Science Fiction Triplet
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excerpt has also been credited to Pratt, who supposedly utilized Clark's name as a
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Clark also provided L. Ron Hubbard with the germ for his humorous fantasy novella
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617:"A Probable Outline of Conan's Career", with P. Schuyler Miller, published in
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During the Clarks' married life they lived in an "unconventional" house in
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in 1937. "Minus Planet" was the first science fiction story to deal with
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as part of the repository's Archives of American Aerospace Exploration.
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235:. He was living in Philadelphia and working as a research chemist for
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494:. Clark himself was fictionalized as the James Drake character.
539:, whom Clark first met in 1942, wrote the foreword to his book
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As a fan of the science fiction and fantasy magazines of the
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115:
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De Camp, L. Sprague. "John D. ("Doc") Clark" (obituary) in
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Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
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283:
Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
270:
Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
104:
Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
843:
Clark, John D. (November 1933). "A new periodic chart".
698:. Rutgers University Press. 23 May 2018. p. 302.
250:(known as the Liquid Rocket Propulsion Laboratory of
725:
194:
In 1933 Clark published a novel spiral chart of the
130:. He was instrumental in the revival of interest in
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198:of the chemical elements. This design was used by
84:Scientist, writer, rocket fuel developer, chemist
683:"Science Fact: Dimensions, Anyone?" published in
118:(August 15, 1907 – July 6, 1988) was an American
965:
427:in 1953 and (revised by de Camp) in the fanzine
319:
254:after 1960). His title there was chief chemist.
600:"A modern periodic chart of chemical elements"
139:stories and influenced the writing careers of
521:edition of Piper's contribution to the book,
208:, whose mural was a prominent exhibit in the
827:"John D. Clark, 80, Rocket Fuel Developer"
517:, and the whole was reprinted in the 1983
490:'s fictional group of mystery solvers the
29:
1004:20th-century American short story writers
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475:, published in the August 1941 issue of
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444:Clark and the science fiction community
984:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
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227:in the early 1930s, taking a job with
959:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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686:Analog Science Fiction - Science Fact
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941:(Orbit 1976 edition, vol. 4) p. 181
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635:"The Silicone World", published in
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1009:20th-century American male writers
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169:California Institute of Technology
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994:American male short story writers
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437:paperback editions of the 1960s.
989:American science fiction writers
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657:L. Sprague de Camp, ed. (1979).
231:. A few years later he moved to
183:. He received an M.S. from the
653:, vol. 2, no. 4, (1959) and in
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473:The Case of the Friendly Corpse
185:University of Wisconsin–Madison
931:
907:
836:
565:"Space Blister", published in
1:
846:Journal of Chemical Education
585:Journal of Chemical Education
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556:"Minus Planet", published in
320:Literary career and influence
308:, New Jersey, near his home.
612:10.1126/science.111.2894.661
7:
806:, August 1988, pages 64-65.
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632:, by H. Beam Piper (1983)).
187:, and, in 1934, a PhD from
16:American chemist and writer
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736:Speculative fiction portal
257:In 1962 he married artist
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919:Rutgers University Press
883:, June 8, 1943, page 24.
833:, July 9, 1988, page 33.
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380:Clark first encountered
278:liquid rocket propellant
274:Rutgers University Press
268:Clark was the author of
237:John Wyeth & Brother
606:, 111, 661-663 (1950),
588:, 10, 675-657 (1933),
580:"A new periodic chart"
128:science fiction writer
939:Before the Golden Age
937:Asimov, Isaac (1974)
147:, and other authors.
897:Contemporary Authors
626:The Petrified Planet
500:The Petrified Planet
212:science exhibition,
165:University of Alaska
67:Denville, New Jersey
999:Writers from Alaska
859:1933JChEd..10..675C
644:The Coming of Conan
628:(1952) (reused for
424:The Coming of Conan
354:Otis Adelbert Kline
210:Festival of Britain
189:Stanford University
163:. He attended the
829:(obituary) in the
749:Conan chronologies
660:The Blade of Conan
624:"Introduction" to
567:Astounding Stories
559:Astounding Stories
450:Astounding Stories
382:Robert E. Howard's
366:Manly Wade Wellman
362:Frank Belknap Long
330:P. Schuyler Miller
181:L. Sprague de Camp
155:Clark was born in
141:L. Sprague de Camp
132:Robert E. Howard's
867:10.1021/ed010p675
744:Trap Door Spiders
705:978-0-8135-9918-2
674:978-0-441-11670-6
637:Startling Stories
594:10.1021/ed010p675
527:Startling Stories
514:Startling Stories
484:Trap Door Spiders
407:published in the
298:Rockaway Township
252:Picatinny Arsenal
109:
108:
51:Fairbanks, Alaska
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689:, November 1966.
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639:, December 1952.
619:The Hyborian Age
412:The Hyborian Age
396:in the magazine
346:John W. Campbell
229:General Electric
225:Upstate New York
112:John Drury Clark
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23:John Drury Clark
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551:Science fiction
548:
525:. However, the
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378:
376:Clark and Conan
370:Jack Williamson
350:Edmond Hamilton
322:
219:Clark moved to
196:periodic system
167:, and then the
153:
151:Life and career
94:science fiction
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48:August 15, 1907
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902:First Revision
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881:New York Times
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523:Uller Uprising
492:Black Widowers
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338:L. Ron Hubbard
334:Fletcher Pratt
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263:Fletcher Pratt
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145:Fletcher Pratt
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505:H. Beam Piper
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466:Gavagan's Bar
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358:Henry Kuttner
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314:Virginia Tech
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302:Morris County
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285:in May 2018.
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233:New York City
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201:Life Magazine
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100:Notable works
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922:. Retrieved
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546:Bibliography
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537:Isaac Asimov
535:
526:
522:
512:
498:
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488:Isaac Asimov
481:
476:
472:
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404:Hyborian Age
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394:Solomon Kane
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290:Newfoundland
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92:Nonfiction,
62:(1988-07-06)
60:July 6, 1988
979:1988 deaths
974:1907 births
915:"Ignition!"
569:, Aug 1937.
562:, Apr 1937.
462:Harold Shea
419:Gnome Press
399:Weird Tales
342:Otto Binder
296:section of
261:, widow of
221:Schenectady
122:developer,
120:rocket fuel
968:Categories
924:2018-06-02
574:Nonfiction
454:antimatter
294:Green Pond
259:Inga Pratt
248:New Jersey
177:California
81:Occupation
44:1907-08-15
665:Ace Books
541:Ignition!
531:pseudonym
468:stories.
414:in 1938.
292:, in the
157:Fairbanks
722:See also
326:pulp era
306:Denville
173:Pasadena
73:Pen name
957:at the
855:Bibcode
646:(1953).
621:(1938).
604:Science
477:Unknown
409:fanzine
124:chemist
714:281664
712:
702:
671:
435:Lancer
368:, and
336:, and
214:London
161:Alaska
126:, and
804:Locus
755:Notes
390:Conan
244:Dover
136:Conan
116:Ph.D.
89:Genre
710:OCLC
700:ISBN
669:ISBN
651:Amra
507:and
464:and
430:Amra
392:and
386:Kull
57:Died
38:Born
863:doi
608:doi
590:doi
519:Ace
223:in
171:at
970::
917:.
900:,
888:^
861:.
851:10
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