Stephen Baxter is one of Britain's leading science fiction writers. Born in Liverpool in 1957, he first became interested in science fiction at school. Inspired to start writing his own stories, Baxter's early influences were Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, James Blish and Larry Niven. Stephen Baxter went on to study Mathematics at Cambridge, then took a PhD in Engineering at Southampton University. He initially pursued a career as a teacher of maths and physics, then worked for several years in information technology. Yet all the while he maintained an interest in writing, with his scientific background providing an ideal foundation for writing the hard-SF for which he has become renowned. Baxter made his publishing breakthrough in Interzone in 1987 with The Xeelee Flower and since then has published dozens of short stories and several novels, each with an emphasis on strong characterization, plausible science and imaginative story-telling. His writing has won many accolades, including the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the Philip K. Dick Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award, most notably for The Time Ships, the official sequel to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. In addition to writing, Baxter is interested in space exploration and was amongst the last fifty candidates in the open competition to join the Mir expedition in 1991. He is also currently Vice-President of the British Science Fiction Association.
The Stephen Baxter Archive is comprised of typescripts, outlines, proofs and related essays of most of his published short stories and novels, including The Time Ships, Moonseed and the Mammoth series. In many instances, there are numerous drafts of particular stories, with varying degrees of annotation. Also included are typescripts of The Light of Other Days, co-authored with Arthur C. Clarke.
Finding Aid
The archive is fully listed and an online Finding Aid including further biographical information is available for browsing or searching.
Access
All material in the Stephen Baxter Archive is available to researchers for consultation in the University of Liverpool Library's Special Collections and Archives Reading Room by prior arrangement. Please read Using the Collections if you are considering visiting us.
Copyright
Reproduction and Licensing rules are available upon request.
Related material
Our Offprints Collection contains some additional material on Stephen Baxter. Search our SF Catalogue for Stephen Baxter's published works and related critical material. The Baxterium, a website devoted to Stephen Baxter, contains a bibliography of his work and much other useful information.
