Rick Raphael

Born in New York City in 1919, Rick Raphael was an American journalist and science fiction writer. He began publishing fiction in 1959 with "A Filbert Is a Nut," and over the next several years earned notice for a compact but memorable run of stories and books.

Much of his best-known work drew on institutions and public systems, especially law enforcement and traffic control, giving his fiction a practical, grounded feel. The Science Fiction Encyclopedia notes that he built a strong reputation from only about ten stories, many later gathered in The Thirst Quenchers and Code Three.

Raphael died in 1994. Although he was never a hugely prolific author, readers of classic mid-century science fiction still remember him for clever ideas, brisk storytelling, and an unusual gift for imagining how ordinary civic life might look in the future.