L. Sprague de Camp Quotes

United States, Writer
November 27, 1907 – November, 6, 2000.

Lyon Sprague de Camp (27 November 1907 – 6 November 2000), better known as L. Sprague de Camp, was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, such as biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Also known as Military Officer, Novelist, Historian, Essayist, Literary Critic, Science Fiction Writer, Journalist

Speech sounds can be analyzed into fundamental units called phonemes; these move around like protozoa in a drop of water, and, like protozoa, join together and split up.

L. Sprague de Camp
- Up
- Together
- Water
It does not pay a prophet to be too specific.

L. Sprague de Camp
- Pay
- Prophet
- Does

In writing a series of stories about the same characters, plan the whole series in advance in some detail, to avoid contradictions and inconsistencies.

L. Sprague de Camp
- Writing
- Plan
- Detail
There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just heard that his brain child is a deformed idiot.

L. Sprague de Camp
- Brain
- Child
- Face
The story of civilization is, in a sense, the story of engineering - that long and arduous struggle to make the forces of nature work for man's good.

L. Sprague de Camp
- Good
- Work
- Long
Therefore, no matter how the world makes out in the next few centuries, a large class of readers at least will not be too surprised at anything. They will have been through it all before in fictional form, and will not be too paralyzed with astonishment to try to cope with contingencies as they arise.

L. Sprague de Camp
- World
- Trying
- Class