COURSE OF EMPIRE,
by Richard WilsonRichard Wilson (1920–1987) was an American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians, along with Isaac Asimov, Damon Knight, Lester del Rey, and many other luminaries of the field. I never met him in person, but I corresponded with him about manuscripts submitted to Amazing Stories when I was an assistant editor there. After his retirement, he returned to writing and published 16 new stories, proving himself still on top of his game.
His novels included The Girls from Planet 5 (1955); 30-Day Wonder (1960); and And Then the Town Took Off (1960); his short stories were collected in Those Idiots from Earth (1957) and Time Out for Tomorrow (1962). He was nominated for a Nebula Award for Best Short for “The Eight Billion”in 1965; “Moth
