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Larry Niven Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: -
Date: Dec 1997

Biographical History

Laurence van Cott Niven (1938- ) is a multiple award-winning American science fiction author. Born in Los Angeles, Niven graduated with a degree in mathematics from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. His first story was published two years later and soon after that he was writing full time. One of his best-known works is Ringworld (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards; the story of an inhabited orbital "band" influenced not only other authors but even the Halo video game. His novels and short stories are primarily hard science fiction, though he has also written several fantasy novels. He has collaborated with fellow science fiction author Jerry Pournelle on five novels, including the post-apocalyptic Lucifer's Hammer, the alien invasion adventure Footfall, and two contemporary retellings of Dante's Inferno. He has also written scripts for television shows and for the DC Comics character Green Lantern.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Larry Niven Papers consist of a small amount of biographical material and correspondence, and a number of typescript manuscripts of short stories. Also included is an audiotape of a 1979 interview with Niven.

Arrangement of the Collection

Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by title.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Larry Niven material may also be found in the following collections:

Galaxy Publishing Company Records (manuscripts)
Mercury Press Records (manuscripts)
Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine Collection (manuscripts)
Frederik Pohl Papers (correspondence)

In addition, Special Collections Research Center has the papers of a number of noted science fiction authors as well as those of science fiction publishers, organizations, conferences and fanzines. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

Subject Headings

Persons

Ellison, Harlan -- Correspondence.
Niven, Larry.

Subjects

Fantasy fiction, American.
Science fiction, American.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Manuscripts for publication.

Occupations

Authors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Larry Niven Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Larry Niven, 1968, 1969, 1979.

Table of Contents

Biographical material

Correspondence

Manuscripts

Tape recordings

Inventory