File:Jack_Vance_Boat_Skipper.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Jack Vance
Sign in to saveAlso known as John H. Vance, John Holbrook Vance
American mystery and speculative fiction writer (1916–2013)
OverviewAI-generated
Jack Vance, born John Holbrook Vance in San Francisco on August 28, 1916, was an American writer, novelist, and sailor. He was educated at the University of California, Berkeley. Vance wrote in English and worked within the fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction genres. His notable works include the *Dying Earth*, the *Lyonesse Trilogy*, and *Cugel's Saga*. He also published under the pseudonyms Ellery Queen, Alan Wade, Peter Held, and John van See.
Vance was a male who played the banjo. He died of natural causes due to old age in Oakland on May 26, 2013. His literary output included 369 works, with titles such as *Histoires de la Fin des Temps* and *Tales from Super-Science Fiction*.
Synthesized by Vinony from 37 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 28 August 1916
- Died
- 26 May 2013
- Works
- 369
Top works
- Histoires de la Fin des Temps
- Tales from Super-Science Fiction
- The 13 crimes of science fiction
- Herrscher von Lyonesse
- Green Pearl Tr
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting
Known for
- Prisoners of Gravity — Self1989
- The Criminal Code — Reporter1931
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Country
- United States
- Active from
- 1916
- Active to
- 2013
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 139
- Total plays
- 2,942
<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Jack+Vance">Read more on Last.fm</a>
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
- A simple method for displaying the hydropathic character of a protein
· 1982 · cited 18,689x
- Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
· 2020 · cited 15,947x
- Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3
· 2024 · cited 15,144x
- The diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging‐Alzheimer's Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease
· 2011 · cited 13,444x
- APACHE II
· 1985 · cited 13,285x
via Crossref · CC0
Quotes
- “The less a writer discusses his work—and himself—the better. The master chef slaughters no chickens in the dining room; the doctor writes prescriptions in Latin; the magician hides his hinges, mirrors, and trapdoors with the utmost care.”
- “Gambling, in the ultimate study, stems from the passive, the submissive, the irresponsible in human nature; the gambler is one of an inferior lickspittle breed who turns himself belly-upward to the capricious deeds of Luck. Examine now the man of strength and action: he is never led by destiny. He drives on a decided course, manipulates the variables, and instead of submitting to the ordained shape of his life, creates a pattern to his own design.”
- ““Legality is the mathematics of social conduct,” said Magnus Ridolph. “It is equally as cogent as the mathematics of probability.””
- “I suppose if you isolate yourself to such an extent, you more or less must expect a series of emergencies.”
- “I can now report that the mathematics of the multiple focus are a most improbable thicket, and the useful service I enforced upon what I must call an absurd set of contradictions is one of my secrets. I know that thousands of scientists, at home and abroad, are attempting to duplicate my work; they are welcome to the effort. None will succeed. Why do I speak so positively? That is my other secret.”
- “We’ll rack our brains and either solve your problem or come up come up with new and better ones.”
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Key facts
- Born
- John Holbrook Vance , ( 1916-08-28 ) August 28, 1916, San Francisco , California , U.S.
- Died
- May 26, 2013 (2013-05-26) (aged 96), Oakland, California , U.S.
- Occupation
- Writer
- Period
- 1950–2009 (books)
- Genre
- Fantasy , science fiction, mystery
- Notable works
- Dying Earth
- Notable awards
- Hugo Award , 1963, 1967, 2010 , Nebula Award , 1967 , and career honors
via Wikipedia infobox
~33 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Vance's The Languages of Pao was originally published in the December 1957 issue of Satellite Science Fiction, under what is likely the last SF magazine cover by Frank R. Paul
John Holbrook Vance ( August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries. He wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jack Vance” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.