James H. Schmitz

Born in Hamburg on October 15, 1911, to American parents, James H. Schmitz grew up between Germany and the United States and became fluent in both English and German. He returned to the U.S. before World War II, later served with the U.S. Army Air Forces, and began publishing science fiction in the 1940s.

Schmitz became known for lively, polished stories that mixed suspense, humor, and interstellar adventure. He is especially remembered for work set in his "Hub" future history and for The Witches of Karres, one of his best-known novels. Critics and reference sources also note how often he centered smart, resourceful female characters at a time when that was less common in science fiction.

He died on April 18, 1981, in Los Angeles. Though he is sometimes less famous than some of his pulp-era peers, his fiction has had a lasting reputation among science fiction readers for its energy, imagination, and strong storytelling.