Ralph Robin

Born in Pittsburgh on September 7, 1914, Ralph Robin was an American writer whose work sits at an unusual crossroads of science and literature. Reliable reference sources identify him as both a chemist at the National Bureau of Standards and a professor of English at American University in Washington, D.C.

Robin published only a modest amount of fiction, but he found space in well-known genre magazines and anthologies. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and other bibliographic sources note that most of his science fiction appeared between 1951 and 1953, though he had earlier published a story in 1936. That short run was enough to earn him a lasting place in science fiction indexes and reprint tables.

He died in Washington, D.C., in December 1983. Even with a small bibliography, Robin remains an interesting figure for readers who enjoy discovering overlooked authors whose professional lives shaped the sharp, curious tone of their fiction.