Donald A. Wollheim

Born in New York City in 1914, Donald A. Wollheim became one of the most energetic figures in early science fiction fandom. Reference works describe him as a fan, editor, publisher, and author, and note his role in the Futurians, an influential New York fan group of the 1930s.

As a professional editor, he worked at Ace Books and became known for bringing a wide range of science fiction to paperback readers. In 1971, he and his wife, Elsie B. Wollheim, founded DAW Books, which is widely described as the first publishing company devoted entirely to science fiction and fantasy.

He also wrote fiction of his own, sometimes using pseudonyms such as David Grinnell. Donald A. Wollheim died in New York in 1990, but his influence on modern genre publishing is still easy to see wherever science fiction and fantasy are shelved together for devoted readers.