The book stock at Liverpool is mainly formed by the Science Fiction Foundation Library. It represents the largest catalogued collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror and related literary criticism in Europe, totalling over 30,000 books. Coverage is wide-ranging but particular strengths include:-
British fiction: 8500 works across all periods, from the earliest examples of speculative literature, such as Beowulf, to the first science fiction writers and up to the present day. Our holdings are comprehensive for the works of H.G. Wells, Olaf Stapledon, Arthur C. Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Wyndham, Eric Frank Russell, John Brunner, Brian Aldiss, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett and Iain Banks. Writers from Australia and Canada also feature strongly.
American fiction: 13,000 works covering the full range of American speculative fiction, from Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain to Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Robert Silverberg and many present day writers.
Western European fiction: 1500 French science fiction novels, mostly from Fleuve Noir's Anticipation series and mainly by French writers. 1000 works in German, mostly translations of classic British and American science fiction. We also have 300 Italian and Spanish translations of classic works in English.
Eastern European fiction: 2000 novels in Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Romanian and Bulgarian. Our holdings consist of a mixture of translations and original works, many of which derive from the Soviet / Cold War era.
Anthologies: 2500 anthologies of novellas and short stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror, primarily in English but also including material in many other European languages.
Critical works: Approximately 2500 critical works, including encyclopaedia, bibliographies, biographies and works of criticism on individual authors and all aspects of science fiction. We also have over 600 volumes of non-fiction connected to science fiction, e.g. space-flight, robotics and pseudo-science.
Searching for books
Records of all books in our collections are contained within the SF Catalogue. Each book is catalogued in detail, including full bibliographic details, subject headings and illustrators' names, to facilitate advanced searching. The contents of many anthologies have also been indexed in the catalogue, enabling searching of short stories by title. Tips on searching for books are contained within the Search Tools area of the Home page.
Donations
In developing the collection, we are entirely dependent upon the generosity of publishers, writers and collectors. Our aim is to promote research into science fiction by providing access to and complementary research tools for as comprehensive a collection as possible. Please help us to fill gaps in the collection by contacting us if you have any relevant material to donate.
Books for sale
We have a large number of duplicate books, mainly fiction but also some critical works, available for purchase or exchange. Most back-issues of Foundation: the International Review of Science Fiction are also currently available. All proceeds fund the development of the collection. Please check our current For Sale List or contact us for details.
