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Death of a legend - Mr. Donald M. Grant
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Donald M. Grant, Robert Weinberg & Glenn Lord @ the World SF Con
in Kansas City, 1976 (photo from Robert Weinberg's collection)
As if the news of guitar legend Les Paul recent passing wasn’t enough to shake the music world, now the Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror genres have their own legendary master to bid a final farewell to Donald Metcalf Grant (April 3, 1927 - August 19, 2009) passed away early on Wednesday morning, around 5:30 AM in North Port, Florida. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, his two children, Nancy Mahoney & Douglas Grant, and his granddaughter, Ellen Mahoney.
Dust Jacket for Robert E. Howard's The Pride of Bear Creek (Illustrated Edition © 1977,
Donald M. Grant Publishing, Inc.; Cover Art by Tim Kirk)
Grant was one of the guys who stood fast in his belief of great science fiction, fantasy and horror, helping start several small press publishing companies and eventually founding the self-named Donald M. Grant Publisher, Inc. more than 45 years ago. The 82-year-old publisher was known for his printing of library and collector-quality limited editions of titles, including many by such great writers as Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Peter Straub, Ambrose Bierce, Stephen King, Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Roger Zelazny and many others, including a brand new Ray Bradbury release. The editions aren’t inexpensive to begin with, and finding the older editions on auctions sites tend to be a bit pricey, but well worth it.
The Moon of Skulls (© 1968, Glenn Lord), published by
Centaur Books, founded by Donald M. Grant
& Charles M. Collins (cover art, Marcus Boas)
According to Locus magazine, the main source of news for spec fiction, Grant’s contribution and dedication to the industry earned him 3 World Fantasy Awards in the special professional category (1976, 1980 & 1983), 1 special convention World Fantasy Award (1984) and a World Life Achievement Award (2003).
Alongside other publishers such as August Derleth, Donald Wandrei and Donald A. Wollheim, Grant helped bring what is now known as Spec Fiction out from the dying pulp magazine medium and kept it alive in books. The stories, authors and writing that we all love so much would be incomplete without Grant’s contributions.
TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care
5955 Rand Blvd.
Sarasota, FL 34238
To share a memory, visit www.farleyfuneralhome.com/ until September 19th to leave a kind word for Grant’s family and friends.
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