If you’ve ever wanted to take a course in the history of science fiction, The Teaching Company has just released How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe, as part of The Great Courses series of video and audio lectures. Members of Audible.com can snag a copy for just one credit. The 24-lecture series lists for $149.95 to $269.95 at The Teaching Company, but as fans of that company knows, it’s best to wait for their regular sales. The course comes with a 215-page pdf ebook that works as a textbook.
Wolfe’s knowledge of science fiction literature is wide-ranging and insightful. Each 30-minute lecture follows a theme, usually covering 2-5 books, that builds towards a complete history of the genre. Wolfe has written several books about science fiction, reviews for Locus Magazine, and edited the Library of America’s American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s.
By James Wallace Harris – Full Story at SF Signal