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 35,000 books. Coverage is wide-ranging but particular strengths include:
British fiction8500 works across all periods, from the earliest examples of speculative literature 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, Diana Wynne Jones, Terry Pratchett and Iain Banks. Writers from Australia and Canada also feature strongly.
American fiction13,000 works covering the full range of American speculative fiction, from Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain to Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, H.P. Lovecraft and present day writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin.
Western European fiction1500 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 fiction2000 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.
Anthologies2500 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 worksApproximately 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 booksRecords of all books in our collections are contained within Library Search. 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.
DonationsIn 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.
