author
Helen M. Urban
A mid-20th-century American science fiction writer, she published sharp, imaginative stories in magazines and anthologies while also taking part in Los Angeles fandom. Her best-known work today is The Glory of Ippling, a lively tale that found a long afterlife through Project Gutenberg and audiobook editions.
1 Audiobook
The Glory of Ippling
by Helen M. Urban
About the author
Born on January 23, 1915, and deceased on February 13, 2003, Helen M. Urban was an American science fiction author whose work appeared during the magazine era of the genre. Reliable fan-history and library sources identify her as part of the Los Angeles science fiction community, where she was active from the 1950s and involved with LASFS, the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society.
Urban published a small but memorable body of speculative fiction. Confirmed titles connected with her include The Glory of Ippling and the short story The Finer Breed, and bibliographic listings also associate her with stories such as Tag. The Glory of Ippling remains the easiest place for new readers to meet her work, thanks to its availability through Project Gutenberg and LibriVox.
What makes her interesting now is the way her career bridges fandom and professional publication. Even with a modest bibliography, she left behind work that still circulates among classic science fiction readers, especially those exploring women writers from the pulp and digest-magazine years.