October Publications

Larry Niven, winner of five Hugo Awards and one Nebula, presents Scatterbrain, his third collection (after N-Space and Playgrounds of the Mind) to showcase his versatile talent. Selections include novel excerpts, short fiction, collaborative stories and speculative articles on such subjects as Mars, the space station and autograph etiquette. (Tor, $24.95 400p ISBN 0-765-30137-7)

Clark Ashton Smith fans will hail The Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by David E. Schultz and Scott Connors. Smith (1893—1961) published his first book of poetry, The Star-Treader and Other Poems, at age 19, but it's as an author of fantastic fiction, mostly written during the 1920s and '30s, on which his reputation rests today. These 276 annotated letters, to such friends as George Sterling, H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth, shed much new light on Smith's creative and personal life. The jacket art, appropriately enough, features Smith sculptures of otherworldly beings. (Arkham, $35.95 417p ISBN 0-87054-182-X)