Andre Norton: The Librarian Who Changed Science Fiction
For a good many years, when I was in the library, they would not buy science fiction and fantasy books, because those were considered trash… So I fought and fought to get them on library lists.” -Andre Norton (Dream Makers Volume II: The Uncommon Men & Women Who Write Science Fiction, 1983) The first woman …

For a good many years, when I was in the library, they would not buy science fiction and fantasy books, because those were considered trash… So I fought and fought to get them on library lists.” -Andre Norton (Dream Makers Volume II: The Uncommon Men & Women Who Write Science Fiction, 1983)

The first woman inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame was a librarian, Andre Alice Norton, who worked for a short time at the Library of Congress. The honor was well deserved for Andre, whose seven-decade career spanned a number of genres and garnered her many dedicated fans. Andre was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where she got her very first library job in 1932. Andre was a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library on and off for many years (1932-1950) working in 38 out of 40 branches, and around 1940 briefly held a job here at the Library of Congress. Her first science fiction story “People of the Crater” made the cover of the inaugural issue of Fantasy Book (1947) which is on display now in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room until August 1st, 2024. 

Fantasy Book, 1947. Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. Los Angeles, California. Cover story by Andre Norton under the pen name Andrew North.

Finding Andre, Andrew and Allen in Science Fiction Periodicals 

Alice Mary Norton legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton in 1934, the same year she published her first novel, “The Prince Commands,” illustrated by Kate Seredy. Andre published under the male names Andrew North or Allen Weston after her publisher had suggested that the audience for her work was primarily young men.  In addition to publishing books, Andre’s work was widely featured in science fiction and fantasy fanzines and other periodical publications. You can find fans raving and reviewing Andre’s stories in issues of titles like Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Science Fiction Digest and Galaxy Science Fiction. Andre herself became a reader for Gnome Press, a small publishing house which primarily produced science fiction.

cropped image taken from Fantasy Book 1947 featuring the story the people of the crater by andrew north and accompanying illustrations
“The People of the Crater,” Fantasy Book, 1947.

During the course of her 70-year career Andre Norton published over 130 novels, ran a bookstore, and even founded a library, the High Hallack Genre Writers’ Research and Reference Library.  Andre is widely credited with creating more space for women in the field of science fiction publishing. In addition to being the first woman inducted to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1997, she was also the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement in fantasy fiction (1977) and the first woman to be Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Grand Master (1984).

When Andre Norton passed away in 2005, newspapers around the world mourned the loss of the celebrated author, librarian and cat lady. In a memorium by author Ursula K. Le Guin (2005) she reminisced about the letter she received from Andre after the publication of her first novel, “…I was proud of it, but nowhere near as proud as when I got a letter about it from Andre Norton…(who) praised the book discerningly, and encouraged me to write more…I treasure the memory of that letter, and the kind, shy, brilliant, and generous woman who wrote it.”

Learn More: 

  • Find works by Andre Norton in the Library of Congress collections by searching our online catalog
  • See digitized Andre Norton Correspondence courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery

Sources Consulted: 

  • Andre Norton, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western University
  • Andre Norton Papers, Syracuse University
  • “Andre Norton Dies at 93, A Master of Science Fiction,” New York Times, March 18, 2005.

Source: https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2024/07/andre-norton-the-librarian-who-changed-science-fiction/

Andre Norton: The Librarian Who Changed Science Fiction