James Gunn has had a long and distinguished career in science fiction. In addition to his stories and novels, he has written extensively about the reading, writing, and criticism of science fiction. Many of these essays were published in The Science of Science-Fiction Writing (Scarecrow, 2002). A second collection of essays, Inside Science Fiction, was originally published in 1992, and is now available in this revised, updated, and expanded edition. With the addition of five new articles written since 1992, Inside Science Fiction represents Gunn's latest thoughts about the genre and offers a complete overview of science fiction for readers and viewers from an author, reader, and teacher who has seen it from all sides for more than seventy years.

The late James Gunn was emeritus professor of English at the University of Kansas and the author or editor of 45 books and 100+ short stories. A former president of both the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the Science Fiction Research Association, he received their lifetime awards and induction into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. He lived in Lawrence, Kansas.

Part 1 Introduction Part 2 Part 1. Getting inside Science Fiction Chapter 3 1. The Education of a Science Fiction Teacher Chapter 4 2. From the Pulps to the Classroom: The Strange Journey of Science Fiction Chapter 5 3. Science Fiction and the Mainstream Chapter 6 4. The Gatekeepers Chapter 7 5. Fifty Amazing, Astounding, Wonderful Years Chapter 8 6. The Worldview of Science Fiction Part 9 Part 2. Science Fiction and the Teacher Chapter 10 7. Teaching Science Fiction Chapter 11 8. Teaching Science Fiction Revisited Chapter 12 9. The Academic Viewpoint Chapter 13 10. Science Fiction as Literature Chapter 14 11. The City and the Critics Chapter 15 12. Libraries in Science Fiction Chapter 16 13. The Protocols of Science Fiction Part 17 Part 3. Science Fiction on Film and Television Chapter 18 14. The Tinsel Screen Chapter 19 15. Television and The Immortal Chapter 20 16. The Great Science Fiction Radio Show Chapter 21 17. Looking Backward at 2001 Part 22 Part 4. Science Fiction and the Real World Chapter 23 18. The Uses of Space Chapter 24 19. A Short History of the Space Program; or, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon Chapter 25 20. Shapechangers and Fearmongers Chapter 26 21. Science Fiction and the Future Chapter 27 22. Science Fiction in the Nineties Chapter 28 23. Science Fiction in the Second Millennium Part 29 A James Gunn Bibliography Part 30 Index Part 31 About the Author