Sci-fi treasure trove donated to U of Calgary

A massive collection of science fiction and pulp magazines spanning the last century has been donated to the University of Calgary which officials say will be a boon for literary and pop culture research.

University staff were stunned by the size of the donation: upwards of 35,000 volumes dating back to the 19th century, much of it bought at second-hand stores across North America and Britain.

"It spans the age of science and technology," said retired English professor Susan Stratton, among the first to teach science fiction at the university in the 1970s.

"In it we can study changes in perceptions of the role of women in society, the promises and threats of atomic power, of biotechnology."

The scope of the collection means scholars can chart when the starry-eyed "gosh, wow" view of science began to be challenged by the darker threat of advancing technology.

"It's no longer escapist reading for teenaged boys — if it ever was," Ms. Stratton said Thursday.

The treasure trove of material was donated by the family of William Gibson, who spent decades amassing the collection which eventually took over much of his Calgary home. Mr. Gibson died in 2001 at age 92.